Twenty-first Century Toys and Tools

Getting the hang of using new technology can sometimes be time consuming. I always wonder as I am learning how to use the latest gadget or program I adopt if it will actually enhance my life or at the very least help me to manage my time and resources. Some technology can prove to be a complete distraction from all of my goals, and some make my ends I am striving for so much easier to reach.

Satellite television has been in our home for many years, but over the past two years we have enjoyed a tool called a DVR that lets us not only record programs we like or want to watch for a time that is convenient for us, but it also allows the pausing of live TV so that people can come first. We can also "rewind" to parts we missed and if we are watching recorded, or previously paused, materials, we can fast forward through the commercials. I call it an enhancement, as I am only watching things I choose to watch, and I am not stuck with whatever is on the tube when I have free time. I can also do things in my life and still catch programming that I would have otherwise missed. Once I watch I can delete it from the disk. Each disk can store one to two hundred hours of memory, and about a sixth or that if we use HD. If I want to keep the program, I can burn it to a DVD for repeated watching. Although I did have a VCR that would do that job for almost two decades, the DVR is much more convenient. My dependency on the DVR had got to the point that if I was watching a program on a TV without the DVR, I missed the ability to pause. That is no longer an issue as we now have that ability on each TV.

I use Outlook at work to keep a list of tasks that are not daily routines and the status for each task. I use the electronic calendar, reminder system and of course the e-mail management within the program too. The program stays open throughout the day and is updated when needed and referred to many times each work day. It is my first link to co-workers, and the program helps me keep track of my work responsibilities outside of daily routines and upcoming events. Please note that there are many new types of technology at work that I do not use yet. I am hesitant because they will take such a large chunk of time to learn to use them before I could make them a part of my lessons. I do have a goal to add many as the years progress. But as I do, they will have to prove to be either efficient or motivating or they will not be continued.

The iPod is another tech tool that has proven handy, and I have only been using that over the past year. I can put anything from my music and book CDs onto this gadget including favorite songs and current Bible readings. I also download podcasts from radio or TV shows that are on while I am normally working and books or songs that I like. I can mix the songs from CDs or computer downloads into a variety of play lists, and listen depending on my current mood or activity. I listen to the iPod while I commute or while doing cleaning around the house. I am continuing to fine tune how I use the iPod so that it remains a positive part of my life. It has proven a real time saver since I am listening to podcasts or books on tape while traveling each day. It serves me as a motivating tool as I listen to podcasts or upbeat music while doing boring home tasks. I really enjoy my commutes and doing household chores with my iPod. My next step is to add it to my exercise time. I have done this before, but not with any regularity. I am currently downloading music designed for interval workouts and music for brisk walks or running from iTunes.

My newest and latest technology discovery has been an instant messaging site called Twitter. The nice thing about it is it is not like other instant message sites. It is real time, but if I am away from the computer, it will keep track of everyone I am following and their updates. I can follow other people as they answer the question, "What are you doing?" I can choose who follows me, send invitations to friends and family, lock or leave open who sees my updates, and block others from seeing my updates when and if I choose. I have only been using it for a week, but it has proven a wonderful tool so far. I can't use it at work, but that is probably a good thing. I do keep in touch with family and friends, and that is quite nice.

I am far from being ahead of the curve with technology, but with the encouragement from some Internet friends and my boys that do not know life without technology, I am at least in the game part time.

Back at School

I knew yesterday would be tough. I have had my share of return to teaching days to know, and this time I was prepared to the point I had done all of my tasks for yesterday, except personal care, auto-routines and teaching itself. I am so glad that I did, and I will get back to the weekly routines today.

Christmas is completely packed away. A few strays from school got packed up this morning and all the tubs and tins are in the storage closet.

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Taking care of something right away most often means much less work than letting it go until later. The saying was published in a book by Thomas Fuller back in the 18th century. The concept is as equally true for a stitch in clothing that breaks open and needs repaired as it is to many tasks that I encounter day to day. If you are someone that mends your children's clothing (I am not) then it would be better to repair a break in a seam when it first occurs than to have it worn and the break in the stitches gets larger meaning more work for you. If something is spilled, it is far less effort to clean it up right away than to let it dry or set.

It took me many years, and some insight from my friend the FLYLady, to understand that if you clean something before it even looks dirty or dusty it is much less effort than waiting until it looks like it needs cleaned. If I use a duster every day or two, I don't see dust. I spend two minutes or less each day doing a quick "swish and swipe" in my bathroom, and it stays clean. If the boys go in and get toothpaste on the counter or mirror, we just clean it up then instead of waiting until "cleaning day". I don't let rooms get past a five-ten minute pick-up, and then we do the pick-up when we are finished with the room for the day, or at least that part of the day.

Then there are the things that need to be done and are tasks that are ongoing, like cooking meals, cleaning dishes, washing clothes, and sweeping the kitchen floor. If these things get done routinely they require much less effort than letting them go until they need to be done. It relieves much stress to have these done regularly too. There will be no scramble for someone whom is out of clean socks or jeans. There will be no urgency when dinner needs cooked and the pan is still dirty from an earlier meal. I say, "No thanks," to procrastination. I want peace and time to enjoy life.

I have learned that preparation saves time too. It is as simple as that. It makes me more effective at home and at work. If I sit down and plan what I am going to do from hour to hour during the day it becomes my map for reference. If I know what is for dinner, or have at least planned and shopped for a well stocked pantry, getting that meal on the table at our family's dinnertime is very doable. On the other end, and I have been there before, the question of what is for dinner was asked when it was too late to thaw out meat or stop to pick up a missing ingredient and I either needed to pick up a pre-made/fast food meal or drag the family out impromptu to a restaurant and hope we ate and got back home at a decent hour. More likely though, I would throw something else together and it took longer to prepare and often lacked the quality I wanted for my family. So a bit of planning and stocking up makes the evening hours much less chaotic, and we can focus on spending time together, catching up on what happened that day and then start our preparations for the next day.