Now on to the serious stuff.
Sadly, it seems I have come down with an severe case of NETS.
No, not that kind of NETS.
No, not that kind, either.
The kind of NETS I'm talking about is Not Enough Time Syndrome. I'm guessing I'm not the only one suffering, either. Probably 99% of us have it from it to one degree or another. As much as I wish this were going to be a post about how to overcome NETS, I'm sad to say it isn't. I haven't quite gotten it figured out myself. In fact, if you looked at this past week alone, I'd say I've THE OPPOSITE OF figured it out.So what about you? Have you figured out any great ways to be more efficient with your writing? Blogging? Blog visiting? How about tricks to do all those NON-WRITING things we do? What things do you skip when you feel a time crunch?
Give me a suggestion, and I'll love you forever. Wait, what? I already love you forever? Okay, I'll up it: I'll love you forever AND I'll think of you fondly while I'm implementing your great suggestions. Who knows? Maybe I'll even do a post with some tips I thought were particularly helpful and link back to you.
And if you don't have any ideas but want to commiserate, I AM HERE FOR YOU. (But only until tomorrow. At that point, we are going to FIX everything so we no longer have N.E.T.S. Deal?)
Have a great day! And best of luck to everyone in recovering from however badly you're suffering from NETS.
31 comments:
I'm always suffering from NETS. Especially as of late. Ugh. My life sucketh. And I'm sick. grrr...
Yes, NETS is awful. I don't enjoy the priority-arranging it requires... My conclusion is usually, "There is no need to vacuum every day until Baby learns to crawl and starts putting every last piece of dirt into her mouth." And: "Freezer pizza is not a sin."
I one heard Eileen Spinelli, who wrote while raising 5 children, I believe, say, "I wrote in the cracks of the day."
I try to do that, to always have a notebook handy or my laptop open, so I can grab moments and accomplish things that way.
Good luck!
I don't have kids myself but I've heard friends talk about a way to find more time for yourself...
Play dates!!
Course that means you have to return the favor and watch someone else's kids for a while, but it definitely gives you time to yourself...
NETS is my life, I just grabb the moments I find and hold on to them for dear life. I wish I some advice for you, until I do, happy hunting for extra time. ;-)
NETS is a perfect way to describe it, and it kind of sounds like a disease--which is fitting.
I'm not an expert by any means on blogging, but I do two things. 1)I schedule posts ahead of time. Sometimes weeks ahead of time. 2) I limit my time blogging, usually two half hour spurts. I can get a lot accomplished like that. Good luck! If you figure out the secret--tell the rest of us.
For me, I find that not stressing out about it is the best way. There was a point a couple of months ago when I was really worried becasue my blog wasn't getting the pageviews it used to get. I was frantically running around spending all my time wondering what I did wrong. When I finally came to terms with it and let it go, and decided I didn't need to spend every waking moment on it, everything fell into place.
Still, I rarely get more than six hours of sleep, but I'm not freaking out anymore.
#1) Compartmentalization (one thing at a time). #2) Diet Coke to keep going (even though I'm trying to kick the habit). #3) Cheating (sometimes I blog while I'm supposed to be drafting a Trust at work). Those are my top 3:)
I've spent a liftime saying exactly that - never enough time. Especially when the kids were young and I worked full time. I always had this idea that when they left home I would have lots of time to do all the things I wanted to do... But guess what? there is still NET! I still overfill my life and I STILL don't have enough time to cram in all the things I want to do. Time truly is the most precious commodity we have!
I so know what u mean. We just can't do everything. It is impossible. I've accepted this fact for myself, and I think just by accepting it I've learned not to feel too guilty when I don't get to blog, visit blogs, read, write, tweet, clean the house, take a shower, etc. etc.
I do know that one trick that has really helped me keep up with social media is using my iPhone (which at the moment is busted, that's why I haven;t been online as much lately). I use my iPhone to tweet, read and comment on blogs (though it's a pain because of the small screen and some blogs are too slow downloading), and to check my emails. It's small enough that I can do these things anywhere and whenever. iPads would be better but too big to be carrying around. (Ok, now I feel like I'm an Apple salesman. LOL! Not trying to sell anything here.) It's really helped me tons. I don't have a laptop so when I have to write it's down to my cozy basement where my desktop awaits me.
Find a larger planet to live on. Gravity slows down time. If you find one sufficiently large enough you'll save days. Black holes have no time in them at all. That would be just perfect :)
Cleaning is optional.
Food is all the same once it gets to your stomach so it doesn't really need to be fancy.
TV is great for kid's brains.
I mean, me too. Right? Three kids? House? Husband? Job? I'm right there with ya.
So...#1 is the netbook. But I know you are all about that already.
#2 is the timer. "I am going to crit for one hour." Set the timer for an hour, and until it beeps you only do that task. When it beeps, you stop. That's it.
#3 (for writing) is accountability with your CPs. I just started trading daily goals with a CP and it has already improved my productivity SO. MUCH.
#4 - Sleep less. Stay up one hour later or get up one hour earlier.
#5 - Work out. If I feel sleepy or can't focus, exercising for ten or fifteen minutes helps.
NETS. I think I like that. Maybe we should have a blogfest commiserating the symptoms of NETS. That, of course, could turn out to be counter-productive to getting better at that whole time management-handling-thing.
But as far as suggestions, I think a clone is in order. You do the stuff like love the kiddos and husband and write incessantly. Send the clone to work and have the clone clean the house. If it were my clone, I'd have it cook as well since no one would really know the difference.
comment more with less words =)
Totally suffering from NETS, too! It's a daily disease for me, I think! I make myself a list of all the things I want to accomplish for the day, and I try to portion out time for each thing. Laundry, kids, blogging, writing, etc. I don't always cross every single thing off, but I get a sense of accomplishment to see a few things scribbled out at least!
Uh oh. Don't ask me. The first thing I sacrifice is sleep. (You couldn't have guessed that after yesterday's comment, right?)
I make daily lists of everything I need to get accomplished. Seeing things laid out like that helps.
...Wait. *Gasp* I'm a day plotter!
We all sufferer from NETS, whether we know it or not. I have put off pursuing writing as a passion for too long. Before that, I was teaching and surviving teenagers.
Now, I only hope I have enough living time left.
'I am typing as fast as I can...."
NETS! I knew it had a name. I am suffering too. In fact I'm starting to get the "emotionals" that come after you've had it for awhile combined with NESS (not enough sleep syndrome.) It's killing me. Please find a cure! Please!
I find that the best way to deal with is it is to...
Oh, is that the time? Sorry, must dash!
I lobbied for adding 2 more hours to every day, but it didn't work out. Plus, I'm not sure that 2 extra hours would be enough.
Since I'm doing Nano this year and already know that I won't have enough time, I plan to go to bed early (since I'm less productive at night since my brain is fried from the day) and wake up at 4:00 a.m. to write each weekday. So there are my two hours. If I can manage it, I'm hoping it will turn into a habit. We shall see.
Oh, and to keep up on reading I listen to audio books as I drive to and from work (or do housework). Two birds with one stone and all that. :D
Good luck finding your "extra" time.
Were you reading my mind? NETS has been affecting me for the past month in particular.
I've found cutting up the blog visiting into chunks can help; I reply to comments, visit blogs, and read things in Google Reader at different times during the day.
I have a whiteboard blu-tacked onto the door with a To-Do list that I hardly ever follow. Sometimes wish I was a Twilight series kind of vampire that never has to sleep - ever. But then if I was a vampire I'd procrastinate for years thinking, "Oh, I literally have forever to complete that!" Argh, I think I'd rather have NETS than have eternal goals.
I've suffered from this all month! Finally someone has found a name for it. Thank you, Peggy. Now to find a cure for NETS so I can be more productive again. :)
Erin-- Being sicketh definitely sucketh. Especially when it comes to NETS!
Faith-- That's what I need to do! Write in the cracks of the day.
Cynthia-- Hold on for dear life-- LOVE it! Happy hunting to you, too. :)
Angela-- It sure feels like a disease! I love posting ahead, too. I'll have to try out the 1/2 hour spurt thing!
Jennie-- Let it go. Don't stress. I might have to repeat that a few hundred times. :)
Jessie-- I've got #s 1 and 2 down. Must find a way to do #3....
Writer Pat-- Time is definitely the most precious resource! Funny how we think we will always have it at some future time, isn't it?
Cherie-- I love your philosophy! And clearly I don't make nearly good enough use of my iPhone. I do use it to check emails, but rarely to comment on blogs. And tweeting-- well, I just do that rarely in general. Dang I gotta get better at that!
Michael-- NUMBER ONE PLAN. Find another planet to live on that has less gravity. That would also make me weigh less, right? Kill two birds with one stone.
S.P.-- Hahahaha! Excellent advice. Tummies don't have taste buds. :)
Leigh Ann-- I knew you were right there with me! Your list is fab. I think I need to remember #5 a LOT more often. I completely agree, but when I'm tired and can't focus, I tend to go for a 16 minute nap instead of exercising. (I don't know what it is about 16 minutes, but it works for me.)
Angela-- Your blogfest comment KILLED ME! And an emphatic yes, please! on the clone.
Tara-- Hahaha! Done.
Cortney-- I make long to-do lists every day, too! I LOVE crossing things off, but HATE that, at the end of the day, all the things are NEVER crossed off. Maybe I should focus more on what did get crossed off, yes?
Carrie-- Yep! Totally guessed it. :) And snort Day Plotter! That might just be the funniest realization I have EVER heard! I guess it stands to reason that if one happens to be a plotter, they'd be a day plotter as well. Oh my gosh. Seriously love it.
Susan-- You just made me want to type faster. :)
Abby-- You just described my week. Let's hang out! Then tomorrow, we'll take the cure. We'll have found it by then, right? 'Cuz I really need it by tomorrow.
Iain-- Bahahaha! Hilarious!
CherylAnn-- I would totally take the two hours! Too bad that one didn't come through. :( And best of luck with your 4am plan! That's amazing. Definitely let me know how that goes!
Golden Eagle-- I thought there was two brains in here! ;) Chunks. Check.
Elizabeth-- I've always wanted to do the no sleep thing! And you made me laugh out loud at the rather-have-NETS-than-have-eternal-goals thing. So true!
David-- And knowing it's name is half the battle. :)
I'm suffering from NETS, and also NUMTW. Not using my time wisely. :(
Haha!
Wow I must be tired. I read this "What things do you skip when you feel a time crunch?" as this:
"What things do you do when you skip church?"
And I thought, oh, so Peggy's a church skipper. I had to go back and re-read.
Cracked me up.
No, I don't have any time saving methods for ya. Sorry. But thanks for the post and good luck to ya!
Not only am I also suffering from N.E.T.S., but I've decided to do NaNo this year, when this condition has kept me from attempting it in years past. AND I'm revisiting my desire to start crafting again. What is wrong with me?? My house will never be clean, my kids will never be properly cared for!
Love the NETS! ... well you know what I mean..
I came up with this great plan a couple of months ago to only blog once or twice a week, and visit 3 bloggy friends a day... today that quota has been blown way out... I wrote 3 blogs and have visited multiples of 3.
Unplug the internet.... I think that is my next best idea.
Oh wow! You have given a name to my life! :) Here's what I do when there's not enough time. Are you ready? I skip the vacuuming. Which is why I have little balls of dog hair under my couch. If only that were enough to really relieve the crunch...! :)
Kristine-- Ha! NUMTW! Yes, I believe I suffer from that much too often as well.
Maggie-- Snort! That's hilarious!
Kristen-- But wait. The busier people are, the more they tend to be efficient, fast working, and time conscious, right? So it's all good! :)
Michelle-- You're right. I work TONS better when I take my laptop somewhere away from the Internet to work. Unless... the work I need to do is ON the Internet. What do you do then? Oh, I know! Unplug the washer, dryer, and dishwasher! ;)
Susanna-- And suddenly I'm picturing a town of little ball-shaped puppies living under a couch. Any plan that can create an entire village sounds like a good plan to me!
That Rocked!!!!
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