Balance your life

Writing is a solitary task.
Writing needs concentration and quiet.
Writing requires absolute commitment.

Are all there scary statements true?
What is more, is it possible to balance your writing career and family without turning yourself into a zombie?

Everything is feasible; I am the living example of it.

There is only one secret:  TIME PLAN.
This is step one for the aspiring writer’s success.  Without it, nothing can be achieved.  How can you do it?

Simply make a rough plan of the time allowed to your writing project every day.  It is highly important for the writer to know exactly WHEN he /she is going to settle down and write, feeling free of all the other responsibilities that he has.

I have made a simple schedule.  You can work out yours according to your family needs.
Every morning just after breakfast, and as soon as the family has gone, I allow myself to work on my PC for one to two hours, depending on the workload of the day.  Then I go on with the house chores and all the rest of the family tasks till noon.  At 2 o’ clock everybody is back so I serve lunch, but after that I have 2-3 hours free to work on my morning assignment.  Thus, there is plenty of time to care for the family , while in the afternoons I still have time to go to my part time job in time , feeling satisfied I have worked at home and on my project.

In the evening I sometimes find an hour or so , when the family watches TV .  This time I sit with them in the living room , having pre arranged to do the easiest tasks for my writing job, such as note taking or layout planning of new stories or articles.  I use pen to paper and I don’t bother if I make mistakes.  Next morning, there is plenty of time to revise them and complete them.

If this plan has been working perfectly for me, why not for you as well?
You only have to calculate when and how long you need to write every day.  Of course , you must stick to your plan and never give it up , apart from very urgent cases.  Remember that your work is also urgent, so never skip it.

If you respect your writing job, the others will do so too.  What is more, they won’t feel neglected as you will give them your care and attention at the time they are around. Furthermore, your house chores will be done in time and you won’t feel overworked.  Many a times I used to end up with half burned meals and I felt extremely stressed trying to catch up with all the house chores before the family was back home.  So, telling yourself ‘I’ll do it later’, it’s not the solution.  ‘Later’ will come in no time and you will find yourself in a very difficult situation. Yet, no one will believe your excuses as you have been in the house the whole morning , and you will feel inefficient for no reason at all!   “A little every day” is my motto, and, in the long run, everything is done and everybody is happy.  Keeping your writing and family under control will make you feel satisfied and everyone, including you, will be happy.

Also, keep in mind that there is nothing odd if you work in unconventional places.
I sometimes find it stimulating to work in the living room with all the family around.  Noise does not bother me, on the contrary,  it brings me more ideas.  This article was outlined last evening while we were all watching a football match.  Well, the truth is I did not watch much of it!  I was absorbed in my new article, but that’s how this idea sprang out.  I can perfectly work in a chatty setting.  Have you tried it?  You may come up with fresh ideas and great articles.

Finally, who says that writing can turn you into a zombie?  Shatter the myth!  It’s up to you to enjoy both your family and your writing career.  Simply make a time plan!

Avoid the Avoiding Habit and Find More Time and Less Stress

Procrastination can creep in and easily become a habit. Once it does, it erodes your capacity to function effectively. But it can be a hard habit to break.  However, with some honest self-assessment and an organized and attainable plan of attack, it can be overcome successfully.

Be gentle with yourself when you decide to try and kick the procrastination habit.  It may be so ingrained that you don’t fully recognize all the ways you actually procrastinate.

Start out by taking a large or complicated task and breaking it down into smaller parts that you can accomplish easier.

It’s important to bear in mind that the most difficult or complex tasks are simply just a series of smaller jobs. Make a verbal commitment to someone else about improving your time management skills and your desire to avoid procrastinating.

Allow others to become involved in your efforts by reviewing your progress, helping you set deadlines or evaluating your results can be very helpful.  This will most likely create a commitment on your part to fulfill the expectations they’ve set for you.

Sit down and map out a plan to manage your time more effectively.  When a deadline is looming, make sure you allot time each day to work on the project so it doesn’t sneak up on you in the final hours or days.

Learn to ask for help when you’re feeling overwhelmed or overworked. Reward yourself for good behavior and accomplished goals. Don’t wait until you’ve accomplished the ultimate goal, but reward yourself for your successes along the way.

Make sure the reward is something you like to do.  Treat yourself to the newest book by your favorite author and take the time to read it. .

Indulge in bubble baths or relaxing music.  If you’ve gotten into the habit of working late, make sure you develop a new habit of going home on time each night.

By making a commitment to avoid the avoiding habit, you’ll soon be well on your way to finding more time and find yourself more relaxed and productive and less stressed in the process.

Attractive Arrangement of your Furniture Enhances your Room’s Décor

Arranging the furniture in the right manner ensures that the room area is efficiently used.

A clever furniture arrangement can also highlight a favorite piece of furniture.  However, figuring out the best way to utilize space and create a comfortable atmosphere can be a difficult chore.  But with some planning and creativity, it can be accomplished easier than you think.

Before you move anything, you have to decide what the focal point of the room is going to be.  Focus your efforts around that location or item.

Before arranging furniture in the room, decide on what will be the focus of the room. Center your furniture arrangement around that focal point.   It can be anything; a fireplace, a picture window, a home entertainment center or a wall painting.

Chairs should be placed within about eight feet of each other to encourage conversation.  Position a table in such a way that it is easily accessible from every chair. Keep a light source near the seating area. Coffee tables should have a clearance of about 14 to 18 inches from the sofa. Side tables should be at least as tall as the arm of the chairs or sofa to make serving easy and discourage accidental spills.

When arranging furniture, make sure you provide enough space to move around the room.
In a multipurpose room, arrange furniture in a way that you divide the room into separate living and dining spaces. A strategically placed screen or curtains hung from the ceiling are simple and inexpensive ways to accomplish this.

Make sure the room stays balanced and that the sections or divisions don’t fight one another.  Area rugs are a great way to define areas and groupings.  Small pieces can easily get lost in a large room, so be sure to group them with larger elements.

Affordable No Sew Curtains for Your Home

If you’re looking into adding some fresh decorative touches to your home, a good place to start is with your window treatments.  But it can be a bit daunting to your budget to purchase window treatments for an entire room.

However, there are many window treatment options available that you can do yourself, and you never even have to pick up a needle or thread a sewing machine.

With a little imagination and some simple connectors, any piece of fabric can easily and quickly be transformed into a window treatment.  So find a fabric that suits your home décor and personal style, and choose something that already has finished edges, such as a vintage linen or printed sheet.

Then choose a grommet, clip, hook, or cord to hang it with, and you’ll have a beautifully simple and inexpensive window treatment that reflects your personal style and creativity.
Grommets, slipped over wall hooks, produce a simple, crisp window treatment.

Generally, a hammer and a grommet tool works at least as well for setting just a few grommets.  The grommet prevents the hook from tearing through the hole. You can thread rayon cording through grommets and tie behind the grommets to create loops to hang from a wooden dowel or hooks above the window.

There are also stylish clips that can be found at flea markets and antique stores that simply latch onto the fabric.  Home decorating and import stores also carry clip-on rings to hang curtains from.

You can even use buttons on curtains.  Simply thread fine wire through the holes and sections of ribbon and simply twist the wire on the back side to create simple ribbon loops to hang the curtain with.

Let your creativity be your guide, and you can craft window treatments that reflect your personality and style.  You’re only limited by your own imagination.

Addiction to Clutter

Clutter is a big problem for many people. At a lecture that I gave, I asked for a show of hands regarding how many people had problems with clutter and disorganization. I was surprised to find that at least half the people raised their hands.

One of my clients told me that she was trying to help her sister get back on her feet after her sister had been laid up with an illness and lost her job. Her sister’s house had always been a mess, and had become so filled with clutter that there was no place to walk or sit. My client, Rebecca, offered to buy her sister a car if she would clean up her house. Rebecca even offered to help her sister clean up the house. Rebecca was shocked when her sister refused the offer, even though she desperately needed the car. He sister was unwilling to get rid of the clutter.

Why? Why was the “stuff” so important to her?

Underneath all addictions lies fear – of emptiness, helplessness, loneliness and aloneness. Addictions are a way to feel safe from feeling these difficult and painful feelings, and an addiction to clutter is no exception. It’s all about having a sense of control over feeling safe. Clutter, like all addictions, provides a momentary feeling of comfort. However, as with any addiction, the clutterer needs more and more clutter to maintain the illusion of safety and comfort.

When my mother died and my son was cleaning out her house, he discovered huge amounts of clutter. While my mother’s house always looked neat and clean, the cupboards and drawers were filled with clutter. My son told me he found 6 broken hair dryers in one cabinet. Why would my mother want to keep six broken hair dryers?

My mother grew up during the depression and always had a fear of not having enough. No matter how much she accumulated materially, she never felt that she had enough. The six hair dryers made her feel safe from her fear, even if they didn’t work.

Carrie has trouble throwing things away, especially magazines with “important’ information in them. She subscribes to many magazines but, being the mother of three small children, doesn’t often have the time to read them. So the magazines pile up and pile up. Carrie hopes at some point to have the time to read them, but that time never seems to come. When asked why she won’t throw them out, her answer is, “Because there might be something important in them and I don’t want to miss it.” Carrie fears missing out on some important piece of information – information that may give her the peace she is seeking. It makes her feel safer and in control to have all the magazines around her with their important information, even if she never gets to read them.

When we don’t feel safe on the inner level, then we try to make ourselves feel safe on the outer level, and clutter is one way of doing that. Whether it’s things, such as hair dryers, or information, such as in magazines and newspapers, clutterers do not trust that they will have what they need. In addition, clutterers may be resistant people who see messiness and clutter as a way of not being controlled by someone who wants them to be neat.

HEALING THE ADDICTION TO CLUTTER

Clutter is created and maintained by a wounded, frightened part of oneself, the wounded self – the part that operates from the illusion of having control over people, events, and outcomes. As long as this wounded self is in charge of the decisions, the clutterer will continue to accumulate clutter as a way to provide comfort and the illusion of control over feeling safe, or continue to be messy as a way to resist being controlled.

Healing occurs when the individual does the inner work necessary to develop a strong, loving adult self. A loving adult is the aspect of us that opens to and connects with a spiritual source of wisdom, strength, and love. A loving adult is capable of taking loving action in our own behalf. The loving adult operates from truth rather than from the false beliefs of the wounded self, and knows that the comfort and safety that clutter seems to provide is an illusion – that no matter how much clutter accumulates, the clutterer still feels afraid. The loving Adult knows that safety and integrity do not lie in resistance. Only a loving adult who is tuned in to the guidance provided by a spiritual source and capable of taking loving action in one’s own behalf can create a sense of inner safety.

Practicing the six steps of Inner Bonding that we teach develops this powerful loving adult.

Free Dental Clinic – Wilmington, NC

FYI:  I wanted to pass this on to you. Maybe you or somebody you know could use a break. There is a Free Dental Clinic held on Tuesday’s only in the Tileston Building in Wilmington, NC You have to call at 2PM at 910-343-8736 and try to get an appointment : )

Think Outside the Box!

Guerrilla Marketing – CFCC
Wilmington, NC
Presenter: Mike Collins
mike@perfectworkday.com
919-266-5071

This was a really cool seminar
conducted by Mike Collins. He is the President of  The Perfect Work
Day giving you the tools to have just that a perfect work day. The
energy and enthusiasm he had, I’m sure he has a good day every day.
Check out his website www.perfectworkday.com
If you have a group that needs a little Guerrilla Marketing tactics
he would be a great speaker for you.

One point he made was figuring out what
marketing suits you. Your personality. He mentioned ego; this pretty
much is what are or are not you willing to do. What is your comfort
zone?

The first step is your “elevator
speech” you want to keep it short and to the point. This can
sometimes be harder then you would think. I learned writing down what
people tell you about your business and what effected them would be
most useful. People want to connect to you, emotionally and
logically.

Invest in yourself. Marketing is only
as effective as your efforts. Writing a book is especially cheap
these days and a great way to get your word out.

I’ll pass on the 5-5-3 idea

5 – “Marketing” oriented calls a
day

5 -  “ Marketing” emails or snail
mails

3 – Personal contacts a day

This is doable come on, if we all did
this can you think of how that number grows in a year? We need to put
our plan of actions in place and follow a calender schedule. Time
Management is a big deal when it comes to any business and I myself
am struggling with doing it all.

If you get a chance to go to The
Perfect Workday seminar please do, I really enjoyed it!

Business and Financial Planning

Pre-Venture Orientation held by UNCW
www.sbtdc.org
Ann Howard 910-962-3744
ahoward@sbtdc.org

This was held at the UNCW Small
Business Center.  This seminar was so informational and really made
me take a look at things from a different perspective. Sorta like
connect the dots.

I wanted to go to this seminar to get
the ground work of setting up a successful business plan and more
importantly a plan of action for every aspect! I have been trying to
cover everything and I don’t know where my efforts are going. This
allowed me to see my direction and get a concrete plan in play.

We covered everything from Financing
and the importance of Financial Statements to Forms of Legal
Structure options. Having every aspect of your business well thought
out and planned for is the key to any successful business.

After you go to this seminar you have
full access to the UNCW Business Dept.’s staff and support for any
situation. 

You can find the Business Resource
Guide at www.nhcgov.com for New
Hanover County.

I would recommend this class for anyone
who is thinking of starting a business or like me has already
started.

Saving the best for last UNCW’s Small
Business Center gives an outstanding outline of putting together your
Business Plan and a Financial Input Format to walk you through the
big picture. Once you do this you can take it to them and they can
help perfect it for you. I can’t add those documents to this entry
but if you are interested I would be more then happy to pass it on to
you. Simply email me at april@makeitorganized.com
and in the Subject Field add: Business Plan Outline and Financial
Output Form.

 

Doing Business with the Government

Cape Fear Community College –
Wilmington, NC
Small Business Center
www.cfcc.edu/sbc
Kim LeClair – 910-362-7216
email: sbc@cfcc.edu

Carolyn Bunting was the speaker during
this class she is with the Military Business Center, which is located
at Coastal Carolina Community College. Her direct line is
910-938-6829

This was not as lively of a class but
informational at any rate.. I received one spreadsheet with tons of
good contacts take a look.. OK maybe not. I can not add an Excel
Spreadsheet but if you want the information just email me at
april@makeitorganzied.com and put in the Subject Line:
Government Contact Spreadsheet; I’ll be more than happy to
forward it to you.

You can look for federal business
opportunities at www.fbo.gov FBO stands for FedBizOpps you can also
visit www.matchforce.org
for subcontract opportunities and other
great bits of information.

There is a huge market for women
working with the government. Most of the supplies the military buys
are from small business owner. There are countless avenues with the
government I know one will work for you.

Women in Business & Loan Opportunities

Women in Business &
Loan Opportunities

Coastal Carolina Community
College – Jacksonville, NC

Small Business Center

Contact: Diana Reyes

Assistant to the Director

910-938-6322

Email:
reyesd@coastalcarolina.edu

I just took this class
earlier this month and learned so much not to mention met some
interesting women. As women combine forces we will continue to
dominate the small business world. With that being said I wanted to
pass along some of the information I got.

SBA – U.S. Small Business
Administration

800-827-5722 or 704-344-6563

www.sba.gov
and/ or www.sba.gov/nc

97% of U.S. Businesses are
“small businesses” this is what keeps our country rolling. Us..

1-18 women are business
owners

Women are taking on more and
more jobs that are considered “a man’s job” and kicking butt! The
SBA is there to help offering free counseling, training and access to
funds. $$. Let me stop right there with the word funds. I just knew
that coming to this class I was going to find the loop holes and free
money.

Well Ms. April Gonzalez our
instructor gave us all the free money and it was directly from the
Federal Reserve, shredded!  Yes, there is no free money. Basically
what they do is back loans for you, but only up to 80%, you will be
fully responsible for repaying this money. But before you can even
think about asking for a loan, a sound business plan must be polished
and submitted to a lender of your choice. I will get you more
information on writing a  business plan. Be patient.

Back to April Gonzalez the
instructor. She is a Women Business Development Specialist out of
Charlotte, NC  she brought a whole lot of energy and humor to our
class. But one thing she made clear was her willingness to help. Let
me give you her info., too.

April Gonzalez
P: 704-334-6811
Email:
april.gonzalez@sba.gov

There are three Women’s
Business Centers in North Carolina, April Gonzalez is the head of
this department. Let me pass this on to you..

Asheville – 828-253-2834
Durham – 919-956-8889
Fayetteville –
910-323-3377

You can also go the the
Women’s Business Centers’ website www.onlinewbc.gov

There are many different
resources for starting your own business as well as partners to SBA.
Here’s a few useful numbers:

SBTDC-
Wilmington 910-962-3744
SCORE-
Wilmington 910-452-5395
NC Military Business
Center 910-938-6829

SCORE is an outfit that
offers counsel to America’s small businesses. They offer Free
one-on-one counseling; business advise; management and technical
assistance. There are 16 chapters in NC. Check them out at
www.score.org

There might not exactly be
free money out there for the taking but there is always grants. This
is completely set aside from the SBA, but none the less
available.www.grants.gov

You can also visit
www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html for information on business grants.

As with most situations if
you are seeking money for any reason your credit is the determining
factor. You can get a free credit report through the Federal Trade
Commission at www.ftc.gov

The National Women’s
Business Council is located in Washington, DC this is a outstanding
website full of good stuff. Check it out www.nwbc.gov

Interested in starting your
own businesses here in Wilmington?  Check out www.wilmingtonwahm.com
this gives you a good starting point for finding a home business that
works for you!

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