I am a parent, grandparent, author, historian, and educator with forty years of experience as a teacher, principal, and school district administrator serving children in both the general and special education populations. I provide parents and teachers with tools and resources to accomplish their goals.
A family enjoys a picnic in a local park. When a bottle-cap falls off the table, their dog Buddy runs away with it. He just wants to play fetch. But that bottle-cap finds itself on an unexpected journey when different animal groups in the park commandeer it to use for fun. The boy runs around trying to regain possession while readers are treated to a riotous adventure.
The funny picture book features huge, colorful illustrations and large font. It is a fun read aloud for adults or beginnng readers. Characters are multicultural and diverse including children with disabilities.
Highly recommended for children ages two through five.
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG TO GET NEW BOOK REVIEWS EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY.
This short little guide is about productivity boosters that will help you get more done in less time. Why is that important? Or let me ask a better question. Why is productivity important?
We all have things we need to get done.
We need to go to work to make enough money to support ourselves and our families.
We need to get groceries, cook dinner, do the laundry, feed the dog, drive the kids to after-school activities, wash the car, mow the lawn, clean the bathroom…
And we need to sleep for about eight hours a say on average to recover and regroup.
The list goes on and on. I think I made my point. We all have a lot of stuff to do in any given day. And that day only has 24 hours. We don’t get more, we don’t get less. Time is a finite resource. And that right there is why productivity matters.
We don’t get more time in our day. And much of what is on our to-do list is non-negotiable. It has to get done. The only thing under our control is how fast we move through our task list. And that’s where productivity comes in and why it matters.
If you can make it through that list just a little faster and get things done more efficiently, that leaves you with more time to do the things you want and love to do. With that in mind, let’s move through these three powerful productivity boosters.
Before you get to work on anything, look over everything you need to do and figure out what is important. What matters, what doesn’t? By cutting out things like busy work, unnecessary errands, and the likes you can greatly boost your productivity. Focus on the important stuff, on the things that matter and make a difference.
Have you heard of the 80/20 rule? It’s used a lot in business and marketing but applies to the rest of your life just as much. It states that 20% of your efforts give you 80% of the results.
Let’s say you’re working on a home improvement project. 20% of the time you spend working on the project will result in 80% of the progress you’re making. The rest of the time, you may be doing busy work, looking for stuff, or just standing there staring at what you’ve accomplished (or how much there’s left to do).
The key to boosting your productivity is to identify the 20% of the work you do that result in 80% of the results. Then just focus on doing that 20% work. Yes, you can cut your workload quite a bit and end up with more and better results. All you need to do is to do more of the 20% stuff.
The only hard part is identifying what the high productivity tasks are. Set aside a little time and review what you’re doing and what’s giving you the best results. Those are the tasks and activities you want to focus on most of the time to boost your productivity.
Write them down and then make a list of what you need to get done today. Start with the things that will have the biggest impact. This will ensure you stay productive even when your workday is cut short. Give it a try and see if prioritizing and making a list doesn’t help boost your productivity.
The next big profitability booster is to put yourself on a deadline. It only makes sense, doesn’t it? Think back on times when you were on a tight deadline. When your boss asks you to wrap up a report for him in an hour, or when you’re trying to get the house cleaned before the in-laws show up for a visit.
When we have a deadline, we tend to work a lot more efficiently and effectively. We don’t let the little stuff distract us. We put on our blinders and get stuff done.
There’s something called Parkinson’s Law which states that work will expand to fill the time you give it. If you have all day to clean the house, it will take you all day. If you have a 45 minute warning before friends show up, it’ll get done in 45 minutes. Sure, it may not be as much of a deep cleaning as the all-day job, but the 80/20 rule applies here as well and your house will be much cleaner than it was an hour earlier.
Now let’s talk about putting yourself on a deadline on a regular basis. It’s pretty simple. Grab a kitchen timer, or use an app on your phone, and start using the timer to have a deadline for all your tasks.
Challenge yourself to get stuff done much faster than you are right now. It will force you to focus, stop wasting time, and it will boost your productivity. In other words, you’ll get a lot more done in a lot less time if you’re using a time. Try it.
Let’s talk about getting in the flow. It’s that almost magical state of mind where work becomes effortless, and you get more done then you ever thought possible. I’m sure you’ve experienced it at some point in the past. You get so involved in a project or task that you forget about everything else around you. You are focused and your brain cells are firing at twice the normal speed. You make decisions with ease and just work through you list of tasks without letting anything or anyone interrupt you. It’s a great feeling and it’s an amazing productivity booster.
Start by taking advantage anytime you get into the flow. Buckle down, work hard, and get ahead whenever you find yourself in the flow state. That along will boost your productivity, but just think how much more you could get done if you could get yourself in the flow on demand.
To make this happen, start paying attention to what it takes to get you into the flow. Identify what exactly brings it on or what’s happening when you get in the flow.
Once you have that information, try to replicate it whenever you have some work that you want to get through quickly. Go through the same routines, recreate the setting that gets you in the flow, and just start practicing.
I’m serious. Like meditating, getting into the flow gets easier with practice. Before you know it, you’ll be able to generate short bursts of flow on demand. Take advantage of that new “super-power” and increase your productivity whenever you need it.
And here’s a handy little tip. It will get easier to get into the flow when you know exactly what you’re working on and when you know what you’re doing is important. That goes back to productivity tip #1. And having a deadline helps you get into the flow as well, which is what we talked about in productivity tip #2. Both of those combined will help you get into and stay in the flow on a regular basis, while helping boost your productivity overall.
In other words, all three productivity boosters in this report work together – in synergy – to help you get more done in less time. And that’s a beautiful thing.
Let’s wrap this up and get back to work. All three productivity boosters will help you get more done in less time. And that leaves you more time for the things that are important on a more personal level. It gives you more time to spend with your loved ones (be they family or friends), it gives you more time to pursue your hobbies and passions, and it gives you time for some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Isn’t that a goal worth striving towards?
We all have only one life to live and within that there’s a limited number of hours. We may not know exactly how many hours we are given, but we know without a shadow of a doubt that it is not an infinite number. That’s why it’s important to stop wasting time and letting work drag on and on. Instead, give these productivity boosters a try, make them part of your daily routine, and get more done in fewer hours.
It’s well worth it when you take control of your time, and you get to choose how you want to spend it. That’s the real benefit of time management and increased productivity. It isn’t so we can do even more work. It’s so we get to choose how we want to spend our time. Yes, some of it will be spend on work and chores, but the better we get at working on those things quickly, the more we have leftover at the end of the day to spend on things and people we love.
Amy’s dad is ill and she must temporarily move in with her grandmother. She cannot anticipate the adventure that awaits her when she discovers the fairy land of Titania.
This is the first book of a well-written series. The characters, whether human or fantasy, are carefully detailed and endearing. Language is descriptive and appealing with enough twists and turns to keep the plot lively and interesting.
I would highly recommend the book to its middle-grade target audience, but I must admit adults will find it just as enjoyable.
Looking for more book suggestions for all ages? Subscribe and check out this blog every Wednesday and Sunday.
What Am I? Christmas: A Picture Book of Read-Aloud, Rhyming Christmas Riddles
Written by Shana Gorian
Illustrated by Art Porta
A beautifully illustrated Christmas holiday picture book!
Children (and adults) love solving riddles. This book could easily become a family holiday tradition passed down from one generation to another. These rhymes contain riddles about easily recognizable holiday objects appropriate for all ages from preschool on up.
Suggested for families and classrooms. Siblings or classmates might even want to turn the fourteen riddles into a competition to see who might get the most correct answers. Fun for all ages.
LOOKING FOR MORE FAMILY FUN?
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG FOR MORE REVIEWS EVERY WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY.
This past year has been a hectic year for many all over the world. People have been coping with all that life brings in many ways. One way is working on self-care practices. There are many reasons why introducing practices of self-care into your life can make a pivotal difference in your life. For many, these practices and habits get overlooked in the chaos of the day, particularly during the busy holiday season.
What Is Self-Care
Self-care is defined as any activity that is intentionally meant to care for our mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual health and wellness. Certain activities are common self-care practices. This means taking care of yourself so that you are healthy physically, and mentally.
You are at your best so that you can work, interact with friends and family, and you can do all the things you need to and want to in a day. This can look very different for each individual but some common self-care activities are listed below.
Self-Care Practices:
Yoga
Taking a hot bath to relax
Enjoying a cup of tea
Journaling
Meditation
Spirituality Practices
Getting a massage.
Listening to calming music
Cutting down on screen time.
And many more.
Why Is Self-Care Important
Adding self-care practices to your life has many benefits. Self-care is shown to reduce stress. In addition, many people feel that making time in their lives for self-care practices improves their own mental health greatly. Many people also report greater levels of happiness in their daily lives when incorporating self-care practices.
Taking care of yourself can also improve physical health. In addition to self-care on a personal level, self-care is a factor when facing illness, disease, or disability. Many health care professionals are adopting an integrative health care style approach that includes checking in with patients to help them seek balance in all aspects of life. This helps people facing illness or disease recover faster, better, and more successfully overall.
Tips To Practice Self Care In Your Life
Get enough sleep
Balance your commitments and priorities
Make a weekly schedule
Say no to optional tasks or events you don’t want to take on.
Stay on top of physical and mental health
Exercise
Allow quality time for friends and family.
Making space for self-care in your life provides great benefits to physical and mental health. Some aspects of self-care are personally enriching and fun.
Self-care is not selfish; it is vital to being a well healthy and balanced person. This lets you face whatever life throws at you without breaking your stride.
Are you tired of shopping frantically trying to find that perfect gift? I wanted to share with you an Advent calendar that focuses on the giving rather than receiving.
Read down to the end of the page for instructions on different ways to assemble and use this calendar and get into the holiday spirit!
How to Put Your Advent Calendar Together:
1.Print background on one-sided on paper or card stock.
2.Print next two pages double sided on one piece of paper or card stock.
3.Cut out the daily shapes and then arrange the pieces on your background. You can tape or glue the top of each piece and fold over for the message on each day of the month.
Alternatively, you could print last two images double sided, hang them on a string with a clip or tape and then remove one new circle each day.
This mystery appeals to me on many levels. Annie embarks on summer vacation with her Aunt Jill to Fire Island, but her aunt is a detective secretly working on a case.
Annie hopes to find some people her age. She is excited to learn that Ty is visiting neighbors. He is close to her age and soon becomes a romantic interest. Soon Annie discovers they are both adventurers. They will team up to solve the mystery of a ghost reported to haunt the island.
At first glance, the reader might guess this is a book for a middle-grade or young adult audience, but this is not the case. I found myself engrossed in the story and every character. Frank has a background in forensics which allows her to describes the smallest detail. She paints a vivid picture of the setting. The dialogue between the characters is so authentic that readers can visualize themselves in every scene.
A bit of romance, an intriguing mystery, a touch of paranormal and fast-moving events combine to make the book an interesting and unique read for ages eight through eighty-eight.
Looking for more book reviews?
Subscribe to this blog to get new reviews every Wednesday and Sunday.
The author targets this book for a middle-school audience but I would say it is a book for all ages.
It follows the journey of a kitten named Brownie which takes readers on an emotional journey. Brownie is separated from his mother and that is when his troubles begin. Will he become a house cat or a stray? Who will take care of him until he is old enough to fend for himself? Can he trust humans? Will Brownie overcome stronger cats who want to bully him?
The book is an emotional journey that pulls the reader into the characters. The author is perceptive and weaves a compelling narrative with appealing feline characters. Recommended for cat lovers of all ages.
WANT MORE BOOK REVIEWS
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG FOR NEW REVIEWS EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY.
The Forgotten Horse – Book 1 in the Connemara Horse Adventure Series for Kids. The perfect gift for children age 8-12. (Connemara Adventures)
Written by Elaine Heney
This is Book 1 in a series. The author has trained thousands to develop and care for their horses. She also creates films featuring the human equestrian relationship.
Primarily intended for a middle-grade audience, Heney creates beautiful characters. Readers learn about a close-knit Irish farming family that faces hard times. Clodagh immediately falls in love with the grey pony that she names Ozzie. Clodagh knows one day she will work with horses.
The book is filled with issues that usually pop up for its target audience like bullying and learning to cope with school peers determined to look down on her. Throughout the book, Clodagh reveals her steadfast determination to overccome these obstacles and find a way to keep Ozzie.
Highly recommended for any reader who loves horses and down-to-earth family stories.
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG FOR NEW BOOK REVIEWS EVERY SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY.
March 1, 2023
bamauthor
Comments Off on WHY YOU MUST LEARN TO BE A CRITICAL THINKER…
Barbara Ann Mojica's BLOG 
You must be logged in to post a comment.