Tuesday, August 2, 2016

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

My reading inclination is non-fiction. I have some great fiction on my Kindle but I read the collection of Slave Narratives from the WPA work program of the 1930s. To say some of the stories were harrowing was an understatement. Technically, it was research for my WIP.

I'm muttering through an online course. I have to finish by August 5th. The worst part is in previous courses, I couldn't wait until the next portion. With this one, I am slugging away. I think one of my mistakes is to sign up for the class when I had too much going on. There is something about getting behind in your work.

I used to promptly grade papers. If I let them set too long, I never graded them. They would wind up in the garbage. My first year teaching school, I had two paper grocery bags full of ungraded work. Being not much more than a kid myself, I slipped them out of school and tossed them into a garbage bin at a small store in the town to hide my crime.

I know, everyone is thinking about that huge homework assignment they never got back. It's in the garbage bin at the Stop and Shop.

I accidentally posted my blog early last week so I have changed my weekly day to blog to Wednesday from Friday. The good part is you are much less likely to hear about the weekly grocery expedition that happens every Wednesday.

Tomorrow, I have a doctor's appointment. I have not taken my prescribed cholesterol meds. Like a kid, it is too late. I have got to admit my transgression. This is mostly over lack of habit. It started because I couldn't eat my canned grapefruit. I used to eat a can of grapefruit every evening. Once again, delay led to me getting nothing done.

Procrastination is not my friend.

Add to that my underlying Type A personality, I charge ahead too easily and the price is I don't always enjoy what I do. Being a huge reader, this writing thing has put a huge hurdle in settling down with a good book. My dad always read a book two times. The second time to pick up little details he missed. I read "Island of the Blue Dolphins" about 40 times as a teacher. The more I read it, the more I liked it.

Did I mention two new stories have danced into my head.

It ain't all going to happen. I've started reading Sandra Cox's book Ghost For Sale and I am hooked. I was supposed to go to my water aerobics class tonight but the evening storms are brewing. So darn, I'll just have to keep on reading.

Do you procrastinate, prioritize or chunk it? If I could only chunk a few household chores.







18 comments:

  1. If I have something to do it gets done at my zoo. But then I'm so far ahead that people don't know when I'm procrastinating too lol Never know what one might pick up on a second read. Wise thing to do for good books.

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    1. Being able to post everyday, you are a work machine.So true about reading a book twice, if I enjoyed the characters, I read one more time.

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  2. I have to laugh at Pat's comment. I can't imagine him ever procrastinating on anything :)

    I used to procrastinate but you can't too much when you have kids and got to get things done for work, etc. Learned to definitely prioritize. I set up chores around the house to manageable blocks of times daily to get something done daily, usually 20-30 minutes. The house is never completely clean but then it is never completely dirty :)

    Maybe it won't be so bad at the doctor's and your cholesterol will be somewhat in the normal range.

    betty

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    1. Those are my thoughts exactly about Pat.

      Your chunks of time schedule sounds like a great thing. My big problem is I get tired about 2 PM and am not worth much afterwards. Of course, I will read blogs anytime I get a chance because I like them.

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  3. I would stay awake worrying about what I had put off.

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    1. You must be the ideal man. That honey do list is so short at your house.

      Just kidding, I used to try to get it all done. Then it became impossible. I'm not at the acceptance point, but I sleep well to fight another day.

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  4. LOL! You actually chucked them? Wow. I'm glad I never had you for a teacher. ;) But, I totally get it. I can't imagine correcting all those papers, and without an assistant... Whew!

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    1. Loud laughter --- All of your teachers did it.

      I graded most. It just gets unwieldy at times. One of the funniest things that happened when we had a online gradebook was the response of a few older teachers. They graded very little. They essentially monitored work in the classroom and assigned grades. The one I helped was an incredible teacher. I understood the logic. However, I always based grades on numbers I crunched.

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  5. *raises hand* Big time procrastinator here. Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after. And then it usually comes back to bite me in the butt and I swear to never do it again. But I do. ;-)

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    1. Believe me, I understand. One time when I got a piece of paper to complete for work, the secretary told me I did not have to do it right then. Little did she know, if I did not, she would never see it again. lol

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  6. Is that what happened to my homework? Should've let the dog eat it.
    I'm super procrastinator. Knowing this, I make an extra effort to finish things early.

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    1. I avoid procrastinating important work. I had a student who had written this humongous report for a teacher and he never took it up. Sweet girl, I told her I would keep it in my desk in case he did. I eventually graded it. That much work needed acknowledgement.

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  7. Hi Ann! Life is so busy, no? I'm going tragic as I have so much on in August that just MUST be done! I'm just trying to breathe.

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    1. Godspeed with getting it all done. I've been there. I am still there. One thing about getting older, you start dropping some of the balls you juggle. I'm juggling, but some balls are rolling from me and I doubt I ever fetch them.

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  8. I start the day with this magnificent list of things I will accomplish. Then my kids start stealing my time for this and that, and by the end of the day, I have to chuck most of the plans (or at least save them for tomorrow.)

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    1. I heard of one woman who wrote who wore a chef's hat to let her children know to not bother her unless it was an emergency. When the children grew up and left, she had to wear the chef hat to concentrate.
      I will say, none of the time we spend with our children is ever wasted.

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  9. Two new story ideas? That's fantastic! Jot them down for when you have the time to binge-write. I make a weekly list of all I must accomplish and rejoice if ever it's all crossed off by the end of the week ;-)

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    1. A weekly list sounds like a great idea. My problem is in the evening, there is no mess that bothers me. I wake up and can't believe I could go to sleep with that sitting there. haha

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