Productivity @ Home

Way to Go Milo!

Congratulations to my good friend Lisa Umina of Halo Publishing and her buddy Milo for their recognition this week

in winning the Christian Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award for their tremendous book Milo and the Green Wagon.

At the time this book was released, I said of it, "Milo and the Green Wagon is a true gift for families. This precious story teaches children that they, too, can make a difference in our world by reaching out to people in need; Small efforts can add up to tremendous results! Author Lisa Umina and Milo teach us that there is true joy in giving to others." In the time since that review was written, Lisa and Milo have been working hard to educate kids (and their parents and teachers) to the fact that "ACT - Action Changes Things".

The award won by Milo and the Green Wagon is greatly deserved and a vote of confidence for the message that books can change minds and hearts. If you don't already own Milo and the Green Wagon, please consider purchasing this book to share with your favorite child. You will love it as much as she does!

Nap Solutions from a Professional

Work @ Home parents frequently rely on "nap time" as a gold mine of personal productivity.  When napping is disrupted, so is mom or dad's work day.  Most of the work @ home moms I know accomplish more in two hours of naptime than many office-working professionals do in an eight hour shift.

Since nap time is so precious, I'm thrilled to share with you a great new book by parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley entitled The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems .

Over the course of the next few weeks, I am going to be sharing some excerpts from Elizabeth's great book and want to give it my highest recommendation.  You will welcome the practical tips and suggestions offered by Elizabeth and will likely want to check out several of her other parenting books as well.

Why Short Cat-Naps Are Not Good Enough
By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems

If your child’s naps are shorter than an hour and a half in length, you may have wondered if these brief naps provide enough rest for your little one. You might suspect that these catnaps aren’t meeting your child’s sleep needs – and you would be right. The science of sleep explains why a short nap takes the edge off, but doesn’t offer the same physical and mental nourishment that a longer nap provides.

It takes between 90 and 120 minutes for your child to move through one entire sleep cycle, resulting in a Perfect Nap. It has been discovered that each stage of sleep brings a different benefit to the sleeper. Imagine, if you will, magic gifts that are awarded at each new stage of sleep:

Stage 1 - Very light sleep
Lasts 5 to 15 minutes
The gifts:
Prepares body for sleep
Reduces feelings of sleepiness

Stage 2 - Light to moderate sleep
Lasts up 15 minutes
The gifts:
Increases alertness
Improves motor skills
Stabilizes mood
Slightly reduces homeostatic sleep pressure

Stage 3 - Deep sleep
Lasts up to 15 minutes
The gifts:
Strengthens memory
Release of growth hormone
Repair of bones, tissues and muscles
Fortification of immune system
Regulates appetite
Releases bottled up stress
Restores energy
Reduces homeostatic sleep pressure

Stage 4 – Deepest sleep
Lasts up to 15 minutes
The gifts:
Same benefits as Stage 3, but enhanced

Next Stage – Dreaming
Lasts up to 9 to 30 minutes
The gifts:
Transfers short-term memory into long-term memory
Organizes thoughts
Secures new learning
Enhances brain connections
Sharpens visual and perceptual skills
Processes emotions
Relieves stress
Inspires creativity
Boosts energy
Reduces homeostatic sleep pressure (The biological process that creates fatigue and irritability.)

Longer naps
For as long as your child sleeps
The gifts:
Repeat all of the above stages in cycles

In order for your child to receive all of these wonderful gifts he must sleep long enough to pass at least once through each stage of sleep. Longer naps will encompass additional sleep cycles and provide a continuous presentation of gifts.

Newborn babies have unique cycles that slowly mature over time. A newborn sleep cycle is about 40 to 60 minutes long, and an infant enters dream sleep quickly, skipping several sleep stages. Infants need several sleep cycles to receive their full allotment of gifts. If your infant is sleeping only 40-60 minutes at naptime it is an indication that your baby is waking between cycles instead of returning to sleep on his own. We’ll cover a plethora of ideas to help your baby learn to go back to sleep without your intervention.

Now you can clearly see why a short nap doesn’t provide your baby or young child the best benefits of napping. You can also see why a mini-nap can fool you into thinking it is enough – since the very first five to fifteen minutes reduce feelings of sleepiness and bring that whoosh of second-wind energy that dissipates quickly, resulting is fussiness, crying, crankiness, tantrums and whining.

From The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems . by Elizabeth Pantley (McGraw-Hill, January 2009). For information and more excerpts visit http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/

Organize This Life

If you're looking to truly get your act together and get things done, I want to recommend one of my favorite new books, Organize Now!: A Week By Week Guide To Simplify Your Space And Your Life by author and blogger Jennifer Ford Berry.

Here's a brief overview of this great resource:

With a unique week-by-week approach, Organize Now! gives readers simple and effective tools to organize every aspect of their lives. Jennifer Ford Berry walks the readers through each step of the organizing process for 52 different topics, dealing with each topic one week at a time. Organize Now! is not only easy-to-use but covers a wide variety of topics from paperwork, time management, mental clutter, pets and specific rooms to special events such as moving or vacation planning. The advice is proactive, straightforward and presented in checklists so that readers can see immediate results as they work. Advice for monthly and yearly maintenance is provided. Due to the structure of the book, readers can follow the book from start to finish for a full organizational makeover, or work through the book in any order they wish, targeting the problem areas for their life.

Offers practical, effective and easy-to-use instruction on organizing 52 specific problem areas and is structured so that readers can take a week-by-week approach if desired.

Printed on uncoated paper so that readers can easily mark off the checklists and write in their own notes and ideas.

I've been loving Jennifer's book, as well as her super blog at Organize This Life!  If you're looking for a book that will help you to systematically get things organized around your home, this one's a winner!

Organize Now!: A Week By Week Guide To Simplify Your Space And Your Life by Jennifer Ford Berry

"Telework" Resource

On Monday, I share my thoughts on Working @ Home. 

I'm fortunate to have the joy of working @ home, and am convinced that I would have a truly difficult time transitioning back into a traditional office environment - I'm spoiled by the fact that I am ultimately my own boss.

My work thrills me.  My hours suit my family's schedule - I work around my responsibilities to them in a way that helps me to feel productive, yet not overwhelmed.  Granted, I could probably be earning more in a corporate position, but my happiness and job satisfaction can't be measured in dollars.

If you're currently working in an office setting and want to consider working at home for your current employer, you may want to check out Work From Home Handbook: Flex Your Time, Improve Your Life b(USA TODAY/Nolo Series) by Diana Fitzpatrick and Stephen Fishman.  Here's a quick overview of the book:

Haven't you ever wished that you didn't have to waste hours in rush-hour traffic on your commute to the office? Had more time with your kids? Or simply had the luxury to go to work in your pajamas?

Co-produced with USA TODAY, The Work From Home Handbook is an excellent resource for anyone who dreams of a work-from-home career. You can find the option that best suits your personal, financial and professional goals through the book's systematic, step-by-step advice.

This book shows you how to:

• Find out where and how you work best
• Prepare a great proposal for your current employer
• Demonstrate productivity in your home office

If your current employer is inflexible, this book also covers finding a new "beyond the office" job, or becoming an independent contractor.

Filled with solid tips, real-life examples, practical advice and - best of all - inspiration, The Work From Home Handbook can help you transform and achieve a healthy balance in your life and career.

Seventy-nine of Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" last year allowed - even encouraged - employees to work from home at least 20 percent of the time. More than two thirds of all American companies offered some telework options in 2005. And the country's largest employer - the U.S. government - encourages employees to work from home "to the maximum extent possible." Don't be left behind. Find out how you can chose this career option for yourself.

If transitioning from the office to a work at home environment is a priority for you, Work From Home Handbook: Flex Your Time, Improve Your Life b(USA TODAY/Nolo Series) would be a worthwhile investment.  The authors provide information to help you consider the option of "telework" from an informed perspective, offering tips to help you make the case to your employer if you determine that it's the best option for you.  I'd say that this book is more geared towards currently employed "teleworkers" as opposed to those seeking to work for themselves from home.  That being said, it offers helpful information on freelancing and finding work at home options (and avoiding scams) as well. 

As someone who is living my dream of working at home already, I found the final chapter "Strategies for Work at Home Success" to have a few helpful ideas - I'd love to see the authors expand on this topic in their next book!

Back to School and GTD Go Hand in Hand

Back to School doesn't only mean a return to the classroom these days.  It also means a return to the "madness" of the schedule - soccer practices, scout meetings, dance recitals, music lessons and don't forget the homework!  I have often joked to friends that my "real" work day begins in the school parking lot when I pick my kids up at 2:50.

That being said, with the commencement of school it's more important than ever that we, as families, get organized.  If you're someone who's primarily responsible for getting everyone where they need to be, you know that the after school hours can be a frustrating cycle of drop offs, pick ups, and hours spent next to a field, court or studio.

But the good news of GTD, Getting Things Done, is that the system gives us a "smarter way to live and work".  By defining, capturing and organizing all of the items on our to do list into concrete "next actions", you and I can make the most of those little ten and fifteen minute blocks of time that seem to populate our busy afternoons.  By having a good list of Next Actions that ultimate contribute toward the list of projects we currently have underway, we automatically know what to do with the time spent waiting in the school parking lot when Johnny is kept after for ten extra minutes. 

If you haven't already read David Allen's great book  Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, now is the time to put it on your "must read" list.  If you're too busy to read it, you can easily download it from iTunes or listen to the audio version - I actually keep my audio copy on my iPod for a refresher whenever life's feeling particularly chaotic.

I thought I'd also share the following tips and tricks for making the most of the time we have during the busy weekday afternoons:

• Have a system and the tools you need to GTD.  Whether you choose David Allen's method, Franklin Covey Day planner, an online service like Remember the Milk or Jott, or an old fashion paper and pencil "to do" list, have a plan.  Carry your list with you and keep it full of small items that can be easily accomplished in five to ten minutes (call the bank, send Aunt Louise a birthday letter, review an article, etc).  When you find yourself in a waiting situation, automatically turn to your list and get busy crossing something off of it!
• Have "to go" work.  I carry a bag with ongoing projects, articles and paper and supplies needed to take my show on the road.  I keep it with me for busy afternoons so that I can make the most of the time I spend shuttling my sons to their activities.
• Socialize.  If Social Networking is an essential component of your business plan, go mobile.  Use your iPhone, BlackBerry or PDA to keep in touch with your contacts on Facebook, Twitter or Plurk.  I find waiting time to be a terrific time to check up on these utilities. When I'm at my desk working, they can be a distraction, but catching up on them on the go is a fun and useful way to pass time.
• Think outside the box.  Use this time for other, non-work related items that may populate the list of things you'd like to accomplish.  During your son's soccer one hour soccer practice you could take a 3 mile walk, read a significant portion of a good book, take time to pray/meditate, have a long conversation with a family member who lives far away, or do volunteer work by offering to help coach the soccer team!

Enjoy the fresh opportunities offered by a new school year to get a new outlook on Getting Things Done and before you know it, it will be time for summer vacation again!

Bringing Up Geeks!

My good friend and columnist Marybeth Hicks recently announced the release of her new website at BringingUpGeeks.com in anticipation of her book of the same name.

Marybeth's book focuses on raising "GEEK"s - Genuine, Enthusiastic, Empowered Kids. I can't wait to see the book and have had a blast exploring her new site. Some of my favorite features of the site are the Geek Parent Community, What's Really Cool in Middle School and Fun Stuff for Geeky Kids.

I'll remind you in early July when Marbeth's book is available, but if you'd like you can pre-order Bringing Up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid's Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast WorldBringing Up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid's Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast World at Amazon now.

It's time to redefine what's cool for kids

GTD as a Family

This week, my family is getting a hands-on lesson in GTD.  While my husband and teenage sons may not be aware of it, they have have actual been involved in the vertical "natural planning method" described in David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.  The project at hand:  organizing our family's humongous stack of books into a usable library where one can actually locate the desired book because it is where it's supposed to be instead of under some stack.

The men who live in my house are motivated:  my boys, because they are great readers and my husband because the stacks are driving him crazy.  This library project is only part of my overall goal for the summer of better organizing our home.  Earlier this summer, I walked my house with a notebook, capturing all of the projects that need to be completed in each room.  Once I had all this information down in one place, it was easier to get a grasp on the individual tasks that need to be completed.

Getting back to the current library project, we are working our way through the five GTD elements in the natural planning method:

1. Defining the purpose - Have a usable family library to enhance our enjoyment of the books we own
2. Visioning the Outcome - Books on new, matching bookshelves organized alphabetically by genre
3. Brainstorming - I asked my kids how they felt about mingling their books with mine rather than keeping them confined to their rooms.  They decided to keep a few select favorites and became excited about the prospect of building the library.  They helped determine our needs: space, bookcases, decent lighting, a nice reading chair...
4. Organizing - The bulk of this naturally followed the brainstorming session, but a large section of it will occur when we actually begin to put the library together
5. Identifying Next Actions - 15 year old football playing son accompanied me to buy the book cases and lugged the boxes up the stairs.  Husband assisted in assembling the cases and mounting them to the walls.  12 year old son delivered water and encouragement.  The next action to take place today will be to gather all of the books from their current locations.

I'm fairly certain that if I handed my boys my dog-eared copy of Allen's book, I'd get bored looks in return.  This way, they are getting a hands on lesson in project management.  If this sparks an interest in learning more about GTD, at least they'll know where to find the book in our new library!

Home-work for today:
Walk your house and compile a list of outstanding projects in every room that need to be completed.

The Bookshelf:
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Reading Room Resources:
DIY Home Improvement Projects - Do It Yourself
HGTV Home Organizing Tips
Five Easy Dinners in July

GTD