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moonbeambucky · 4 years ago

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Hey Neighbor (Part 11)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 3245 Warnings: fluff

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: A huge thank you to my wonderful beta Sam @buckyofthemyscira Feedback is always appreciated!

PART 10 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

It was cold. No, that was a massive understatement. It was freezing. It was the type of weather that caused a chill to settle in your bones before you had even stepped outside, and you definitely did not want to be outside. Not when the mere action of standing outside for more than one second caused your face to burn from the frigid winds.

You forgo style, bundling up in the thickest jacket you have with gloves, scarves and a hat. You were sweating under all your layers but it was better than freezing. Thankfully the wine bar you were meeting Wanda at was only a few more frozen steps away.

It’s warm in the small restaurant, packed with people looking to escape the cold just as you were. Wanda waves at you from a table and you questioned how she was even seated before you had shown up, considering the crowd this seemed like the type of place that wants your whole party available before seating.

“The owner is Sokovian,” she smiled, shrugging her shoulders proudly. “And we’re going to order the paprikash.”

There was no arguing with Wanda, though you did choose the other menu item you would be sharing. You liked tapas and sharing so you could have a bit of everything but what you wanted the most right now was some wine.

Time seemed to move by so slowly at the hospital today and you really couldn’t wait to get out. It was Saturday night but only you and Wanda were available to hang out and you didn’t mind that at all, in fact you really wanted to speak with her.

“So I wanted to talk to you…” You took a dramatic pause, taking a sip of wine for courage. “...about Bucky.”

Wanda’s eyes widened with intrigue as she leaned closer, a smile spreading across her face as she was ready to listen.

“That kiss on New Year’s was…”

Her hands shook with glee. “Oh my god I knew it!”

Your face scrunched with confusion. “What do you know?”

“You and Bucky! I knew this would happen. I called it and ahh I’m so excited.”

“Slow down there,” you chuckled, motioning your hands for her to settle down. “Wan, what I’m trying to say is that kiss was incredible.”

“Aaaannnnd?” Her mouth hung open wide with a smile.

“Wanda, this isn’t about Bucky!” Her expression dropped into a frown, she pouted as she took a large sip of wine. “Kissing him was amazing, seriously, he’s a fantastic kisser but kissing him made me realize how much I miss being kissed.”

When you first began college you were casually dating someone, wanting to enjoy life as a young student in New York. Then your world turned upside down. Working full time and going to school left you without a lot of free time and putting yourself out there to meet new people seemed more intimidating the longer you put it off. It was easy to just convince yourself that you didn’t have the time to devote to a relationship and everything was fine up until recently.

Wanda was right in a way, Bucky had a big impact on your life. Your friendship with him led to the larger friend group and soon you began to see things for how they looked on the surface. Everyone was in a relationship except you and Bucky, and you knew his opinions on dating.

Bucky’s kiss sparked so much inside you and ever since you’ve been trying to reconcile the feelings that you can’t let go of, longing and loneliness. Bittersweet thoughts plague your mind as you think about how much of a gentleman Steve is, placing his jacket over Peggy’s shoulders when she was cold, or how Sam knows just the way to get Wanda to burst out with joyful laughter; or Natasha and Clint and how they know each other so well as best friend’s do, their hearts filled to the brim with love.

You wanted all of that but truthfully you would settle for a fraction of affection. Maybe it was time to finally download some apps, go out a bit more and meet someone. It was a scary thought, too scary for the moment, but thankfully the wine helped distract you.

By your second glass you felt nice and cozy with warmth spreading across your cheeks. You eyed the last crostini, staring back at Wanda with a big hopeful expression because it was so delicious. She waved an approval, laughing as you cheered under your breath before grabbing it and taking a bite.

“So you’re going for it?” she asked, nodding to your phone on the table and the visible Tinder logo.

Wiping the corner of your mouth with your napkin first you answered, “Yes? I don’t know. I want to be but...”

Wanda grabbed your phone and tapped on the screen, much to your horror. “Look, there’s no harm in downloading the app, okay? That’s step one, easy. I won’t force you to sign up but you really should.”

“I’m scared Wan. What if no one likes me? What if I don’t have anything to say to someone and can’t hold a conversation? They’ll think I’m as boring as burnt toast and it’s gonna make me shut out the world forever.”

The wine comforted you again as you finished the glass, setting it down on the table and finding Wanda’s sympathetic eyes staring back at you.

“Y/N, you are not boring. You’re developing an organization with Tony freakin’ Stark! You’re a hardworking, kick ass social worker who saves lives– ”

“Wanda I– ”

“Don’t interrupt me while I’m hyping my best friend!” She said firmly while pointing her finger in your face. “You’re the glue to our whole group of friends. You’re an amazing, talented, beautiful, kind person and anyone that doesn’t see that isn't worth your time.”

Your lips had slowly pulled into a smile the more she went on. Leave it to Wanda to always have your back and know just what to say.

“Love you Wan, thank you. Okay, I’m gonna maybe try and make a profile by the end of this weekend…. Or next weekend.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “In the meanwhile you could always knock on Bucky’s door if you really wanted to.” Her brows rose mischievously.

“If I didn’t think it would ruin our friendship I would absolutely make out with Bucky every second of every free moment I had. Wanda, I swear you have no idea what those lips can do.”

Talking about Bucky suddenly made you feel a lot warmer and Wanda didn’t miss the large lump you swallowed as you took a drink. She smirked, holding back a comment she could have made. Instead the check arrived, saving you from any further embarrassment.

That night you stared at the app on your phone, contemplating whether you should make a profile or not. Craning your neck around you looked at the wall you shared with Bucky.

You hadn’t seen him much since the kiss on New Year’s, and your anxiety made you wonder if you had already ruined things. It was a silly thought. You shared a kiss, nothing more and as you are well aware, Bucky does not grow emotional attachments like that.

Opening your phone to your messages, you wrote a quick hello but then realizing it was a Saturday night you deleted your text without sending. There was no noise coming from next door meaning he was probably out, and the idea of interrupting him if he was with someone (which was a big possibility) made you feel really uncomfortable.

Tomorrow would be a new day, you can text him then when he’s alone.

You woke up with ambitions to be productive but the steady fall of snow that began to cover the city made you change your mind. Today was not a day to do anything despite needing to. You bundled yourself up in your comforter and made breakfast, carefully setting the bowl of cereal down on the coffee table as you tucked your feet into your blanket burrito.

Scrolling through Instagram you saw Bucky had posted a story from early in the morning, a black and white video of the snow coming down which reminded you to message him. You replied to his post, asking what he was doing up so early, then sending a secondary message realizing he might not have been up early but still awake.

Then your nerves got the best of you, thinking if that was in fact the case then you were probably disturbing him with all the messages you were sending now. You sent a final text, apologizing for bothering him, which probably made it all worse.

You shook your head, tossing your phone beside you as scrolled aimlessly to find something good to watch so you could distract yourself. Thirty minutes into a movie you heard a knock at your door.

Still bundled up, you shuffled towards your door, looking through the door and were surprised to see Bucky standing there.

“Hey,” you said, smiling as you opened the door.

He was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt and light grey sweatpants. His hair was loose and looking a little bit wild, as if he had only combed it through with his fingers.

“Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine. What’s goin’ on?”

Bucky looked relieved, dragging a few fingers down his temple. “I messaged you back and I don’t know… you didn’t respond so I thought… well I don’t know what I thought but I’m glad you’re alright.”

A soft smile pulled at his lips as he stared back at you which set your mind at ease. “Did I wake you earlier?”

“Nah, I was up. Couldn’t really sleep last night.”

“That sucks. I kinda wanted to sleep all day since it’s so gross outside but I know it’ll mess me up for tomorrow so I’m just being a potato.”

Bucky chuckled, giving your “outfit” a once over as he seemed to approve. “So, what do potatoes do?”

“Well this potato is finally watching Back to the Future.”

Bucky blinked rapidly, his mouth falling open with bewilderment as he stared at you. “What do you mean finally? You’ve never seen Back to the Future?” he asked, with a hint of exasperation in his tone.

“I mean…” you looked everywhere but at Bucky, pressing your lips together as you tried to break the news to him gently, “I’ve seen clips here and there and I know things about it… Doc Brown, the DeLorean, flux capacitor...”

Every word broke Bucky’s heart. “You’ve never seen Back to the Future?” he repeated.

“Wrong, I’ve seen about thirty minutes of Back to the Future.” You laughed as Bucky threw his hands up in shock. “Do you want to watch it with me?”

Bucky gladly accepted your invitation, locking up his place before he went into yours.

He muttered under his breath, still in disbelief that you haven’t seen this movie as he made himself comfortable on your couch. “The score! Do you know about the score and how amazing it is?!”

“I can’t wait for you to tell me,” you winked, anticipating an earful of musical knowledge. “Can I get you anything?”

“Nah, I’m good.” A chill ran down his spine that he tried to shrug off. “Maybe a blanket? Oh wait.”

He turned around to pull the fuzzy blanket over himself but it definitely wasn’t thick or large enough to keep him warm in this weather. The only real blanket you had was currently wrapped around your body so you wanted to share.

You took it off your shoulders and sat beside Bucky, removing the fuzzy blanket so you could drape your own across both of you. Then you placed the fuzzy blanket on top of that to add an extra layer of warmth.

You smiled looking at Bucky as you asked if he was ready to watch the movie though your eyes drifted to those lips of his, perfectly pink and so much softer than you imagined. The memory of your kiss makes your heart stutter and it takes a moment for you to realize you need to press play and not think about kissing him.

It doesn’t help that you’ve shuffled closer to each other. It’s for warmth, nothing more. Bucky tried his best not to distract you from watching but he was squirming in his seat, itching to talk about the music.

“See how the score begins softly? You hardly notice the drums. Then everything gets stronger, the drums, the horns, and as Doc spots the car coming down the empty street the score amps up even more signaling the danger. It’s fantastic!”

You didn’t say anything, you couldn’t. Somehow Bucky’s passion for his work had stunned you into silence and all you could do was nod, smiling so genuinely your cheeks began to hurt as you listened to him. Bucky may not realize the way he glows when he talks about music but you see it, he’s shimmering brighter than snow in sunlight.

It was nice to spend a lazy Sunday with Bucky, two potatoes that continued to watch movies and order in food when you were hungry. Plans with everyone for the following weekend were brought up but not once did he mention the New Year’s party. Not that you expected him to. It was nice not having the kiss awkwardly hang over your friendship.

“Blanket warm. I don’t want to leave,” he whined before getting up.

You walked him to the door, stealing a quick look at the way the sweatpants hugged his ass. Clearing your throat in an awkward cough you wished him goodnight, “I’ll try not to sit on my phone the next time you text me.”

Bucky leaned in to hug you goodbye but his lips made a detour, feeling them press against the soft skin of your cheek.

“G-goodnight Y/N.”

You stood in your doorway, waiting to let the breath out that you hadn’t realized you were holding in until after he closed his door. It’s nothing, just a friendly kiss on the cheek, nothing more than that.

“Hi Mr. Napoli.” You smiled as you approached the older man in his hospital bed. “I spoke with your son and he said he’s on his way.”

You had to repeat yourself louder a few times for him to understand but he gave you a gummy smile when he finally did. He had come into the hospital late last night after falling in his apartment and breaking his hip. Living alone had apparently become more difficult over the last few months so you’ve prepared options to discuss with his family when they arrive.

As Mr. Napoli continued to speak with you, your ears perked up at a loud conversation. Looking up for a moment you caught the gaze of a man staring at you as he stood over the bed of another man. He was tall and slim, dressed nicely in a suit under a wool peacoat. His hair was dark and slicked back though it was cropped short on the sides, with stubble peppering his face and neck.

He smiled, nodding as if to convey an apology for the noise he and his friend made. You felt your cheeks pulling the corner of your lips slightly but focused your attention back to Mr. Napoli.

“Miss, can I have more water?”

“Of course, let me ask,” you replied.

Scanning the area you checked for any nurses that might be around. Unable to find any that weren’t in the middle of something, you told Mr. Napoli you’d be right back with it. The ER kept the refreshments for the patients in a locked room so you walked towards the nurses’ desk in hopes someone there could help you.

“Thanks Stacie.” You smiled back as she needed to call the doctor to make sure this wouldn’t interfere with Mr. Napoli’s pre-surgical prep.

As you turned to step away from the desk you nearly walked into a body. Gasping, it took you a moment to realize it was the man from before.

“Sorry about that,” he said, chuckling lightly. “I wanted to apologize about before. Hope my buddy and I weren’t interrupting your work.” His tone was soft with a heavy New York accent.

“That’s alright, you didn’t,” you said, studying his features up close. His eyes were much darker than you realized, like deep chasms that were full of mystery. Pale pink lips pulled into a smile as he extended his hand towards you.

“I’m Billy.”

You shook his hand, able to tell right away that he was the type of guy that takes pride in taking care of himself. His hand was lotion soft, not a strand of hair was out of place and his skin looked so flawless you were a little jealous.

His gaze fell to your ID badge. “So, Y/N. How long have you been in social work?”

“So eager getting to know me, Billy?”

Billy shut his eyes as a smile crept across his face. “I can’t help it, I’m very observant.”

Your lips pulled into a smirk as you stared at him skeptically until Stacie called your name. She told you to wait a moment as she got the okay to give Mr. Napoli some water. Turning back to Billy you noticed his stance was taller and stiff.

He raised his hand to salute. “Former Lieutenant William Russo, US Marine Corps.”

“I get it now. You’re not just a creep that reads people’s name tags.” Your smirk gave way to a tiny smile and Billy relaxed.

Through a laugh he replied, “I try not to be.”

His smile was pretty, making his whole face light up, those eyes sparkling like onyx gems. Your attention was turned away for a moment as Stacie handed you a plastic pink pitcher full of water.

“Well, I have to get this drink back to my patient. It was nice to meet you.”

As you began to walk away you heard Billy’s footsteps rapidly catching up behind you.

“Wait, Y/N.” You turned to find him digging out something from his pocket. “Maybe I could take you out for a drink one day?”

He handed you a sleek black card which you put in your pocket. “Goodbye Mr. Russo,” you said, giving him a tiny salute that made him smile again.

Later that evening as you were getting your coat on in preparation to leave you felt something digging in your hip. You remembered Billy’s card from earlier, pulling it out now to finally read it.

The card was as dark as his eyes and in bold white text was the name of the company, ANVIL. Beneath it was his name and title, CEO. No wonder he dressed so well. His number was staring back at you.

You thought back to your conversation with Wanda, maybe you should go for this. You were still too scared to make a profile on Tinder, worried about what strangers might think of you but after meeting a gorgeous man that actually wants to take you out it gave you some renewed confidence.

Not wanting to seem too eager (or desperate) you waited two days before texting Billy. A day of back and forth texting led to plans to go out. Your heart raced with anxiety; maybe you weren’t ready after all.

PART 12

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes series

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amritpalsinghsachdeva · 4 years ago

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Amritpal Singh Sachdeva - His forgetfulness resulted in creation of FREE Digital Cards Platform & App

Few years ago, Amritpal Singh Sachdeva (an Indian working in the UK) went for an important business awards function in London. It was quite an impressive gathering of influencers and opinion leaders of London. He met one of the most talked about entrepreneurs of the UK in that function who was keen to connect with Amritpal. However, Amritpal was unable to give him his business card. Simply because he had forgotten to carry them! He was not only embarrassed but regretful as well for missing such an important opportunity to network and cast his influence.

Had it been a stand-alone event, Amritpal would have forgotten it easily. He made the same mistake again after two months and ended up losing both his peace of mind and self confidence. His forgetfulness gave him guilt and sleepless nights. He spent some night searching for an alternative to a business card. Even the websites Google directed him to, didn’t solve his problem. It was in one of those nights he conceived the idea of Zozter. Zozter - A Free Business Card Platform was created initially to help people like him who arrive in important meetings and conferences without their CV, Resume or Business Cards. By putting in a lot of time, effort and resources he was able to develop Zozter as a business networking platform.

Creation of Zozter has been hailed especially by start-ups, MSMEs, professionals, consultants and freelancers because the platform allows them to create their brand digitally with its offering of paper-less, environmentally-friendly, customized and smart digital business cards FREE of cost. The portal Zozter is available as an App on both iOS and Android as well. Its user-friendly interface ensures that every user can receive his/her business cards even if they do not have the App installed on their Smartphone. Talking about how the idea was created and developed, Amritpal shared, “I must thank my family who in my moments of guilt and regret encouraged me to think of a digital solution for people like me who keep on forgetting their business cards every now and then. Later, I decided to enrich this platform with many features. Now, Zozter allows the users to create their business profile on the platform

detailing all the significant information that will add weight to their work including certificates, achievements, and glimpses of their work. The users can edit or share this profile within seconds as and when they want.”

What makes Zozter functionally impressive is the fact that it allows in-platform search about other business organizations, professionals, individuals, with little details of their industry. The added advantage is that it helps people find business solutions better than Google. For example, if you are looking for a printing company, simply type “Printer” or “Printing” and you’ll get a list of all the businesses/professionals on your screen which can be customized as per your geographical region and other preferences.

And since we are talking to a generation that utilises more than one gadget in their daily routine; Zozter digital business cards can be accessed, edited and shared from any smart device including smartphones, laptops, etc. This is indeed a big ecologically beneficial point considering Zozter’s contribution in saving paper and resources that go into the making of a physical business card. Amritpal smiles on being asked about Zozter’s environment-friendly features.

“I have grown up hearing and following the philosophy of Guru Nanak. Guru Sahib showed us the way to serve the humanity when he gave the world ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’ principle which means blessings for everyone. Zozter is an endeavour in that direction. I also firmly believe in Guru Sahib’s words ‘Pawan Guru Pani Pitah; Mata Dharat Mahat’; so Earth is the Mother and we must take care of it in any way possible. If through Zozter, I succeed in contributing to building a paper-less economy, I would be very happy.”

Indeed, Amritpal is as simple as he sounds. He was born and brought up in Chandigarh and came to London in 2001 at the age of 23. He began settling in this foreign country doing odd jobs. His first job was of a mail sorter and he doesn’t hesitate sharing that he wasn’t given better jobs because of his turban. He chose to withstand the pressure but did not change his Sikhi appearance. His commitment to work and pleasant nature helped him in getting better jobs. He was promoted from being a warehouse person to the General Manager of a company called SUN MARK LTD in London, within a span of 10 years. He was also nominated by the

company to get the Queens Award from Queen Elizabeth herself in the year 2016. Amritpal dedicates this venture to Lord Rami Ranger, his business acumen, vision and ever helping nature.

Amritpal is deeply influenced by the principles of Sikhism and wishes to contribute to both India and the UK through meaningful actions.

“I believe India is my mother and the UK is my father. While India gave me culture and values, Great Britain has given me many opportunities and platforms to prove myself. Zozter is dedicated to both the countries and to the spirit of innovation. My dream is to see Zozter playing an active role in the journey of creation of many new and successful startups and new-age entrepreneurs.”

#Amritpal Sachdeva #Amritpal Singh Sachdeva

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mechadress · 5 years ago

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Saw a literary challenge to write about one of your average days in quarantine. They picked Tuesday May 12th. Since all of my days keep blending together, I thought it would help me set a benchmark for how I handled quarantine. So here it is-

May 12th 2020,

My alarm goes off at 7am. I roll over to turn it off and promptly go back to sleep. This was a normal practice even before the world shut down. I don't have set hours at work, but I prefer to start around 8am. Since my work computer is only across the apartment, the motivation to wake up before I absolutely have to is extremely low.

8am rolls around and I can't bring myself to leave the bed yet. It all seems so pointless as no one seems to care what hours I keep and I don't have any early morning meetings. I scroll through Facebook and Tumblr on my phone, I check my email more times than I really need to, and pet whichever cat is closest, usually Sierra. I find a post from a page that I follow that talks about Victorian parlor games and I share it to the Steampunk group I administer. There hasn't been much content in the group for awhile. I wonder if it's because steampunk isn't as popular as it once was or if no one has anything to say. It gets a few likes and one 'Care' emoji. I think it's because it indicates that people miss hanging out together.

Around 8:15 I need to use the toilet, which is enough to get me out of bed and sign into my work computer. CY yells out from his work station at the living room table to remind me to buy the camper table and a spray bottle he wanted for grilling. I order them from Amazon and feel guilty about getting nonessential items in the middle of a pandemic. I spend the first few hours of work scrolling through FB or Tumblr and knitting. While I knit I watch an hour and half long youtube video from ContraPoints about different types of second-hand embarrassment or 'cringe'. I identify a lot with what she says.

I am knitting a pair of socks simply because I have the yarn and I've never done it before. I tested out the gauge to make sure I had the right sized needles and I do. They are long dpns that were given to me by CY's mother once she realized I enjoyed knitting. Apparently she used to knit as well, but it would hurt her hands so she gave up on it. I had tried to use the dpns as intended, even looking up a video and practicing a few times, but I kept dropping stitches and getting annoyed with them. I eventually decided to order a circular needle from Amazon to use instead. I felt very guilty about this since there's all sorts of post-people and delivery people out there who are at risk moving all these boxes around, and here I'm ordering a stupid pair of needles that are a duplicate size to ones I own, but I just don't want to use. The circular needles are extremely nice and easy to work with and it is a pleasure to knit the socks. I still use the dpns as a stitch holder while I knit the heel. Today I'm connecting the insole and knitting along the foot. It's easy and enjoyable work especially after already completing the first sock.

I eat a prepackaged ube cake while I drink my tea and appreciate the nice pairing of flavors.

I feel bad about not getting more of my actual work done. However, I can't bring myself to concentrate on anything related to work. I keep moving my mouse around every 10 or so minutes so it looks like I'm active.

An old D&D friend of mine named Sam posts on FB about how he is proud of his company for continuing to let people work from home despite Ohio loosening some of the Stay at Home restrictions. I reply "We were told to expect to work from home until at least August. I'm grateful since it's one less thing to think about." Sam and I go back a forth a bit more, expressing gratitude and an interest in meeting up again once its safe. It's the first I've interacted with him in about 5 years and it makes me glad to hear from him.

I start lunch early because I don't have anything better to do. For lunch I make myself and CY a sandwich. We have some really good Italian bread we got from the grocery store that we can make into a decent replica of a Philadelphia style hoagie. I already chopped up the veggies so I can just take them out of the fridge and start layering them on. CY likes his sandwich with mayo and turkey. I don't like handling either of those things, but it's easy enough. I make his first then make a veggie version for myself. We use the new hoagie oil which isn't as bad as I had originally feared, but it isn't as good as the name brand one we had before. Pity they were out of it at the store when we went.

My 2019 tax refund from Ohio lands into my investment account. I plan to use it to invest in assorted stocks I feel will bounce back once the economy recovers.

After lunch I watch a few more youtube videos while I knit. One is a career review of the one-hit wonder band 'Living in a Box' and another is a recording of 'the world's worst singer' Florence Foster Jenkins. I had found an article that talked about people who had a medical condition which made them unable to percieve how poorly they performed a skill. In her case, she was a renowned as a very poor singer who believed she was very good and people would come to watch her ironically. I try to watch a congressional hearing where they discuss the health crisis with Dr. Fauci, but it's too depressing so I stop.

My anxiety related to work continues to grow. I figure that I'm not able to bring myself to do any investigation on my own, but I'm still able to ask people questions. I reach out through Skype to a colleague who I believe had worked with this business group before. I am surprised by how helpful she is and how quickly she is to respond. We get on a call and she shows me some reporting she did that is similar and directs me towards a table she thinks would have the values I'm looking for. She recommends another colleague to talk to and I schedule a meeting with him for the next day since he was busying for the rest of today. I feel instantly better. My anxiety about my work plummets and I find the energy and motivation to start investigating another task I've been given. I quickly find 1) the task was way easier than I initially estimated and 2) the data I want isn't available where I thought it would be. I even find out a new way to pull code out of Tableau and I excitedly share my discovery with another colleague. Around this time it's getting close to 4pm, my usual time to stop working and just become available for questions, should anyone need to reach out to me. I feel better about myself and allow myself to take more pleasure in my activities.

I start to prepare for the online D&D game I host each week, Tuesdays at 7:30pm. One of my favorite things about quarantine is that it's given me the time and ability to play again. I've missed having a regular D&D game badly. We had a very good game the previous week and I'm excited to make new material for this new game. I decide to include a villain who is a Banksia Man, one of the anatognists from the Australian fairy-tale Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. CY had helped me over the weekend come up with a cool backstory for him. I take notes and save some pictures so I can display them to my players through screen share.

A group of our friends are doing a Plank Challenge while we try to stay in shape while in quarantine. Colette set up a FB group with a list of exercises to do for 13 days. Each day, you do your assigned exercise then you post to the group to indicate you completed your day's tasks. CY and I made a point to work out for a bit each day after work and were already doing a fair amount of planks so the challenge as it was written was too easy for us. We tend to double the amount of time for each exercise or we double up the reps. My tasks for today are 30 seconds each of planks, rocking planks, hip dips, and up downs. I do all the exercises straight through twice with a short break in between sets then post to FB in the group.

After doing planks, CY and I go out to a nearby park to walk for a bit. We go for about 2.5 miles. It's a nice day, nearly 60 degrees. I am happy to see wild flowers starting to sprout up and the leaves coming back to the trees. Most people in the park are polite and keep their distance. It's rare to see people wearing masks while they are walking or running, so it almost feels normal.

We make it back with enough time for me to start getting my notes ready for game. CY offers to make me food and asks what I'd like to eat. We had just gone to Trader Joe's the weekend before and gotten a truly ridiculous amount of frozen food. He insists I pick something from the freezer to eat. In the end we decide he'll cut up the jackfruit crab cakes and make them into 'seafood tacos'. He even makes some sriracha ranch to go with it. The crab cake is surprisingly greasy, but it's very tasty and filling. Not sure I'd get it again though.

I go into the gaming group call and we quickly realize that only Gene and Aaron are going to be able to join game. We don't think it will be enough to continue the campaign I prepared for so I offer to do a one-shot just for them. I show them a cute rpg I found awhile ago called 'Fuck! It's Dracula' and we give it a shot. We have fun but I feel a bit unprepared since I have to ab lib most of the plot and come up with secret plans on the fly so they can be betrayed by their NPCs. The game is much shorter than I initially anticipated and we finish up around 9:30pm, much earlier than normal. I don't feel like Aaron and Gene enjoyed this game as much as they would have enjoyed the larger campaign I made, but at least we got to play together for a bit. I appreciate the social contact at the very least.

We dismiss ourselves from game and I join CY on the couch. He is watching some cooking tutorial videos, trying to teach himself how to smoke brisket properly. I go back and forth between different apps on my phone, not really paying attention to the TV. I try to read for a bit, but we eventually settle down to sleep before I get very far. I feel good about how the day went and I'm proud of myself for getting work done on the sock and researching my projects. I feel better about my life than I did when I first woke up this morning.

#journal writing #quarantine #may 2020

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zeroconnectionn · 6 years ago

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alternate music video for Sucker by Jonas Brothers feat. jaime and brienne in fancy clothes chase-dancing each other through a museum. I’m keeping it under the cut because it’s super long (it’s just text... in bullet points again bc i can’t write unless it looks like lists... mayhaps there is a drawing at the end...)

so pretend this is one of those music videos with an obnoxiously long introductory scene where the music starts late in the video. We see doors being pushed open and Brienne storming out of it with tears in her eyes, Jaime following closely behind her, calling out to her.

When he catches up, he starts apologizing for something that happened inside (he’s not at fault). Maybe they bumped into nasty Lannister relatives at the function or maybe the press was annoying them with questions about their relationship, either way it soured her mood and she just wants to go home.

(btw Jaime’s looking sharp in a fancy suit and Brienne is in a tailored dress that fits her perfectly because obvs Jaime got the measurements right!)

We see them walking briskly down the street, Brienne assuring him she’s fine (she’s not) and stops to hail a cab. Jaime doesn’t want the night to end yet, not like this at least, so he looks around to find a place they can be together a little longer, away from people. He spots a museum across the street and grins, tugging her arm and walking them there. Brienne groans and shakes her head all the way there. Jaime tells her ‘Trust me, it’ll be fun’. They approach the man at the counter who tells them they have 30 minutes before the museum closes. Jaime pays for the tickets, thanks the man, and ushers Brienne into the first exhibit. To their relief, they seem to be the only ones there.

Jaime starts cracking jokes at everything he sees, animatedly gesturing at things as an attempt to cheer her up and distract her. Brienne offers him an appreciative smile but stays mostly quiet and crosses her arms, distant and still feeling insecure from earlier events. Jaime sees this and sighs. He doesn’t want her to think that he’s uncomfortable with being seen in public with her, like he’s ashamed to call her his girlfriend. Like he doesn’t enjoy her company. He plots a way to save their night (and possibly their relationship).

At the second exhibit, he tells Brienne he has to go the men’s restroom but actually goes to see the man behind the counter for a favour. When he comes back, they walk around the exhibit in silence, examining things separately. Brienne sighs, a little frustrated and turns to him, "Can we please go now?". Jaime stays silent but holds a finger up, motioning her to wait. Brienne looks at him confused but before she can ask, pop music starts playing from the speakers. Jaime grins at her. And Oh, she Knows that look too well, he's planning something. Brienne watches him closely, one eyebrow raised.

Jaime, still grinning, walks a few paces away from her, then turns around and does a dramatic popping arm wave and passes it to her. He raises an eyebrow at her, encouraging her to accept the wave. Brienne scoffs at him, bewildered but secretly amused. She turns her back to him and walks away. For a second, Jaime’s worried he's pushing things too far tonight with the sudden dance, afraid she’ll leave. As his arm lowers, Brienne rolls her (BEAUTIFUL MUSCULAR BARE) shoulders and cracks her neck. A pause. And she tentatively extends her arm, bends it 90 degrees and does a robot wave, passing it back to him. Sucker starts playing, ‘We go together’. Jaime's face immediately lights up, captivated by her and her trust in him. Brienne looks at him embarrassed but determined, wanting to give this a try.

And they dance. Brienne totally does that Pick Up Gown/Skirt And Sway It Left And Right like Emma Stone did in La La Land. There are also disco moves, attempted hip hop moves, a little waltz here and there (Jaime leading and dipping her effortlessly, sometimes Brienne twirls him), looking at each other while doing the side shuffle from The Breakfast Club

When the chorus hits, ‘I'm a sucker for you, you say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly’, they’re running around exhibits, touching things they're not supposed to, Jaime twirling her, Brienne teasing him, Jaime chasing after her, Jaime doing the splits and failing (and Brienne laughing at him)

Everything is magical and playful, bokeh lights everywhere. In one of the hallways, they do the back and forth shimmy towards each other. In another exhibit, they sit on a bench and do something like the tap dance scene in La La Land

Also like.. the best thing about brienne's dance moves is that it's based off her longsword training. The way she spins her body and arms? Her wrist and feet? She's channeling her training, but it’s a little different from Arya’s water dancing. Brienne’s movements are more masculine and powerful but it makes her feel so good because it's what she's familiar with. And Jaime loves it, heart eyes and admiration 24/7. But Brienne also dares to step out of her comfort zone and try more feminine movements, because she Wants to and Jaime + empty museum is giving her a safe space to explore that side of her. "And you're making typical me break my typical rules" <3

For our viewing pleasure (lmao), their movements start having more finesse and we watch as they transform into skilled contemporary dancers. We see Brienne grabbing his tie and pulling him towards her, pressing her palms onto his chest to push him away, Jaime’s hands running down her sides before she slips out of his hold, Jaime picking her up and pressing her close against him, LOTS of almost-kisses, and the finale... Jaime on his knees crawling towards Brienne as she grips his tie tightly in one hand and a high heel on his shoulder WITH LEG PEEKING THROUGH THE DRESS AAA

This dance is totally trying to parallel their fight in the books.... it’s just.... sex guys....

Eventually, they stumble into the lobby and Jaime is tryna steal a kiss but the song abruptly stops. We see a security guard staring at them with a flashlight. He tells them the museum closed 10 minutes ago and they need to go now. Brienne and Jaime awkwardly apologize and leave in silence, Brienne covering her face in embarrassment... but once they're outside, they burst out laughing uncontrollably, sides hurting. Jaime wipes a tear from his eye and fishes out his phone to book them an Uber. We see Brienne touch his wrist and shake her head, "I have a better idea”. She smirks and juts her chin towards a building down the street. Jaime gives her his famous s7 “fuck loyalty?” confused look

In the next scene, the song continues with the chorus “I’m a sucker for you” but this time they're in some downtown club, wearing the same clothes, pressed closely to one another, beaming and bopping to the music. Time seemingly slows down, we see Brienne and Jaime doing shots and letting loose, having so much fun on the dance floor. And even though it’s packed, their eyes are only on each other.

As the music fades out, the scene transitions to the next morning, we see Brienne drooling and sleeping naked under the covers, hair disheveled, their clothes scattered on the floor. Jaime, equally disheveled, rises up quietly and presses a kiss to her temple. He walks to the kitchen to make them coffee and as he’s waiting for the water to boil, we hear a shit ton of notification sounds from his phone. He unlocks it and it's from.... everyone. He opens his chat with Tyrion first. "Had fun last night??? Father is gonna be so pissed. Proud of you two". Confused, Jaime scrolls down and opens a link Tyrion shared. It's an article about him and Brienne's night at the club from the night before. The title is something like "Lion of Lannister parties hard with Mysterious Tarth Girl". Whoever wrote it (in my head it was Ellaria Sand hehe) said very interesting but glowing things about Brienne, which amuses him. He’s not at all surprised by how fast the media works by now but he’s grateful for the pleasant change in the way the media is reporting their relationship today.

He scrolls through the gallery of pictures attached to the article and stops at a somewhat blurry but candid picture of Brienne, looking confident and free. He stares at the picture for a solid minute, drinking in every detail. Her arms thrown up, legs bent, eyes wild, toothy smile. Brienne living in the moment. Brienne being herself. Brienne happy. Jaime doesn’t think twice before saving that picture and making it his lock screen picture. As he switches back to the messaging app to reply Tyrion, there's a loud crash and scream coming from the bedroom. "They said WHAT about me!?" Jaime shakes his head as he laughs, pours them both a mug of coffee and walks off screen with their mugs. The music video ends.

I have no life so I also drew this!!!!!!!!!

Also for whatever reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about music related AU’s like:

Music and Lyrics AU: Jaime, the former 80′s pop music heartthrob and Brienne, his neighbour who’s looking for more jobs to pay her rent. Imagine them writing and singing Way Back Into love again

Pitch Perfect AU: Brienne, the new Barden Bellas recruit and Jaime, the leader of the Treblemakers. Everyone knows they’re in love except them.

The Office’s Jim & Pam Wedding March but it’s Jaime and Brienne and Sansa + Tyrion (together or not together, up to you) planning it

Lip Sync Battle. Who wins? What are the two songs they perform? How extra were they?

#jaime x brienne #The Umbrella Academy had a very corny dance scene that I loved a lot!!#I couldn’t stop thinking about Jaime and Brienne having their own impromptu dance scene in a modern AU so this happened #braime

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tazusher-blog · 6 years ago

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Stranger Danger!

Are anonymous chat sites a dangerous playing field for internet users?

With an abundance of social networking apps to choose from these days, we have plenty of opportunities to chop and change our profiles to deliver online identities which are much more favourable replicas of the ‘real’ us. Having free rein over our profiles enables us to control how others perceive us and who/ what we interact with. Even better, such platforms give us the freedom to hide what we perceive to be the less attractive aspects of our lives. So no, the guy you fancy on Instagram doesn’t have to see what you look like first thing in the morning, and your work colleagues on Facebook won’t be able to see your drunkest state on a Saturday night. These choices of what we do and don’t share online are enabled by what are referred to as Involvement Screens.

What if Involvement Screens enabled you to hide your identity all together?

Whilst social networking sites are popular for their ability to connect internet users in a way that saves the time and effort of face to face interaction with real life friends, the enormity of the WWW also allows individuals to engage with people they may never have met in the real world. This advancement in the field of social interaction is a benefit highlighted by the Hyperpersonal perspective on social networking which favours the convenience of online interaction over face to face encounters.

However, when it comes to talking to ‘strangers’, users gain the power to perform self-censorship over their profiles; meaning they can create a new version of themselves which can be as similar or dissimilar to their real selves as they desire. In unique cases, this might involve the use of a new name or avoiding the declaration of an identity all together. Some areas of the internet even allow users to become anonymous.

What are the benefits of anonymity online?

Advice networks are an ideal example of platforms where anonymity can have huge benefits for users. Want medical advice on something your too embarrassed to visit a doctor for? Instant chat platforms, such as webdoctor, provide anonymous advice services which individuals can engage with in the comfort or their own home. Likewise, the site ‘Kooth’ was founded for young people to seek advice and understanding from people other than their friends, whilst ‘Chat to a Potato’ allows users of any age to chat to someone tackling issues similar to them.

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‘KOOTH- anonymous online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people’

For some, the ability to become ‘anonymous’ is a revelation. It offers the chance to completely disconnect from the real word and engage in a fantasy world where judgements and reputation have no value. However, the power of anonymity has also been shown to encourage negative responses such as the performance of inappropriate behaviour including harassment and flaming (Jones & Hafner, 2012). Even more, whilst anonymous chat rooms provide opportunities to talk to new people, it is not guaranteed that interactions with these strangers will always be worthwhile and enjoyable. In some cases, they may even be unpleasant.

Take the international site ‘Omegle’, for example. You may remember this anonymous chatroom from your secondary school years. I certainly remember my classmates spending lunchtimes on the site, exchanging hilarious messages with strangers and trying as hard as possible to generate the weirdest conversations with their randomly-generated strangers. However, despite the hours of amusement Omegle provides, it has also been cautioned for its danger and explicitness arising from cases where the site has been used to groom and manipulate younger, innocent, users; enabled by the anonymity of their identity.

‘OMEGLE- Talk to Strangers! Anonymous online chatroom’

Too good to be true?

Sometimes, social networkers’ anonymity is less obvious than we think. Remember the American TV show, Catfish? This reality-based documentary exposes both the fairytale and nightmare realities of online dating by accompanying internet users to their first ever face to face encounters with online love interests. The individuals featured on the show have met and expanded their relationships solely through the medium of online chatrooms. And, in more cases than none, the final scenes of the episodes result in the exposure of a ‘Catfish’; someone who has created a false representation of themselves using a fake online profile. This tactic is an extreme instance of what is referred to as Impression Management.

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‘CATFISH- 10 Most shocking Catfish reveals’

The internet is an infinitive space; characterised by user generated content, interaction, and, of course, actions. Yes, the invention was a revolution for social networking and connectivity, but, without the internet, maybe we could learn to love ourselves for who we really are…

References:

Jones, R. & Hafner, C. (2012). Understanding Digital Literacies: A Practical Introduction. Oxon: Routledge.

#socialnetworking #onlineidentity #fakeidentity #connectivity #selfpresentation

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petri808 · 7 years ago

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20 Questions

We had a power outage on Friday that lasted for like 10 hours, but it inspired a story. Hope you like it :) NaLu AU. No smut, just fluff. Some strong language.

It’s about 9 o’clock in the evening as the budding writer clacks away at her computer desk. By the time she entered high school, Lucy knew that what she wanted to be when she grew up was a successful fiction novelist. But the literary world was not a forgiving place, just getting a publishing house to look at your work was difficult enough, and getting it published was even harder; not to mention once you do get that opportunity you now had to prove to the fickle world of readers that you weren’t just a one-hit wonder.

And that’s where she was.

Two years ago, a small publishing company, Fay House, Inc was intrigued by her fantasy type stories and took a chance on the young woman. While the book had sold a fair amount of copies in the year it has been on shelves, and some critics deemed her a person to watch in the future, she still had a long way to go before she could quit her day job as a proofreader for the Crocus Gazette and focus all her energy on writing.

By day, she went to her regular job but at night and often through most weekends she spent it huddled over the keyboard hard at work on the second book of her Golden Key Series. It was due to her agent in 6 months and she had only completed about half of it so far. If all went to plan tonight, Lucy hoped to finish the chapter she was working on so that maybe, she could take a break and go to a concert this weekend with her best friend. He’d been bugging her to go ever since their favorite band announced they’d be performing in their hometown.

Typing away… ‘…She reached out to the shimmering metal in utter disbelief, could it be that this really was another zodiac key? The young girl already possessed three, but they were so rare and hard to come by, and more than once it had turned out to be a fake, touted as a reward for a mission completed only to end up being worthless….’

Without warning, the light of her laptop screen dims and blinks out as the blonde is left in total darkness. “No!” she bangs on the keyboard. “Ahhh! Damn it, Damn it, Damn it,” she hits it again, “I didn’t save…” Lucy slumps in her chair, two hours of work gone in a flash because she forgot to charge up the battery. Turning on the flashlight app on her phone, she makes her way to her window and that’s when the gravity of the situation reveals itself; the whole city, as far as her eyes can see is completely black. “Just great!” she throws her hands in the air. “It’s gonna take them all night to fix this!”

Two blocks away, Natsu and his roommate Gray are bickering at the TV screen, game controllers in each of their hands when the power goes out.

“Fuck!” The dark-haired man laments, “And I was winning too!” tossing his controller down in front of him.

“Yeah, for once!”

“What they hell bro, I kick your ass most of the time!”

“Tch, only at this game cause you play it more than me!” Natsu looks over at the window, “Whoa, it’s really dark out there.”

“Of course, it’s dark, idiot, it’s night time and new moon.”

But he stands and walks over to it, “No, moron, like the whole towns gone dark.”

“Seriously?” Gray joins him and seeing it for himself exhales, “Well so much for a rematch tonight.” His friend drops his controller on the couch and heads towards the front door. “Hey where are you going?”

“To check on Lucy, I bet she’s screaming at her laptop right now.” Natsu checks his pockets; keys, phone, ready to go. “Don’t wait up on me.”

“Right… you’ll be back by midnight.” Laughing. “You are so pathetic man, how long you gonna stay in the friendzone before you give up and move on.”

“Prick.” Natsu sneers back. “It’s not like that with her, and you know it.”

“Yeah I know.” Jesting. “You two have only been ‘friends’ since Grammar school cause you never had the guts to ask her out.”

“Whatever,” he raises a finger before shutting the door behind him.

Natsu manages to navigate the two blocks between their apartments despite not being able to see where he was going. Hell, he’s travelled it so many times he could probably do it blindfolded, even drunk, which has happened on more than one occasion. A couple of times instead of going home to his apartment from the bar he ended up at her door step. Maybe it was the wishful thinking of a tipsy man… Oh, she would whine and complain, ‘not again,’ but always let him in to crash on her couch and sleep off the effects of that night.

But his friend had been right about one thing, Natsu’s had a crush on the pretty blonde since they were children, but he was never very good at admitting his feelings, especially ones that had the potential of becoming embarrassing. He and Luce, which was his personal nickname for her, had grown so close that at times it was uncanny how one could finish the others sentence or would just know if something was bothering the other. Like tonight, he would bet money that as soon as the power went out, she had been sitting at her desk writing, screamed and cursed when the screen went blank because she probably hadn’t saved whatever she had been working on, and is now sitting on her couch pouting with the plush dragon doll he won her at a fair clutched in her lap.

Lucy hears a knock at her front door, “Hey Luce, it’s me.” She stands up from her couch and walks over to open it.

“What bring you here Natsu?” she moves out of the way to let him in before locking the door.

He kisses her on the cheek and chuckles at what she’s holding in her arms, “Hi to you too. I just wanted to make sure you were alright…” grinning, “and didn’t break your computer ranting at it.”

“Tch.” She crosses her arms around her doll. “No. But I lost everything I wrote tonight.” Sigh, she plops back onto her couch. “I don’t think I’ll have time to go to that concert with you this weekend… and I was looking forward to it too.” Pouting.

He sits beside her and puts his arm around, prompting her to rest her head on his shoulder. “I have faith in you Luce, you wrote it once so I’m sure you’ll be able to whip it out easily the second time.” Looking around her living room, she’s set up a few candles around the room giving it that cozy, perfect to cuddle in, kind of ambience. He lets out a sigh, “Did you eat dinner? I know how you sometimes forget to when you start working on that book.”

She shakes her head, “But I’ve got snacks I can break open if I get hungry.” Cuddling a little closer to him, “Thanks for coming over… it was kinda creepy being alone in the dark.”

Leaning his head against hers, “You’re welcome. So… not much to do without power. Wanna play cards or something?”

“Hmm… not really…”

“Board game?”

“Mmm, no.”

“I could put some music on from my phone.”

“Alright.” He fishes the device from his pocket and turns on Pandora to a mild volume before setting it on her coffee table. She sighs, “That’s better than silence. What were you up to before the power went out? No wait, let me guess, playing video games.”

“You know me well, Luce.”

“And then you decided to come check on me, just because the power went out?”

“I told you, cause I knew you’d probably be upset.”

It was nicer having him there, although she’d never previously admitted that she wasn’t fond of the dark, somehow, he knew and simply came to her rescue. “Mmmm…” she hums, settling into the sanctity of his embrace.

The blonde falls silent, enjoying this little quiet time with her BF. With most people, Natsu is always goofy and gregarious but when it’s just the two of them, a more modest and subdued man shows up. She doesn’t mind it, but sometimes wonders why he’s like that, as if he’s hesitant in how to interact with her. Levy, her best girlfriend, swears it’s because he likes her and is trying to hide it but one would think by now, I mean all these years later, she’d have noticed something that told her if that was a possibility. Or the other explanation is, she chooses not to get her hopes up because it makes her nervous… Well nervous in that happy butterflies in your stomach kind of emotion and she doesn’t want it to turn into the sad, I wasted all these years waiting for nothing feeling. An incident a few days ago made the blonde start thinking about their relationship and what it really meant to him. Was she just his buddy? Being stuck without the benefit of distractions could be the perfect opportunity to ferret out the truth, if she was ready. She shudders at her thoughts.

He feels her tremble, “Luce, are you cold? I could grab you a blanket…”

“I’m not cold… I was just thinking about something.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No, it’s okay, really.” Faking a yawn. “Maybe I’m just tired.”

“Do you, wanna go lie down? I can just head out.”

She turns to look at him, “Would you stay tonight since the power is still out… I’d feel safer not being alone.”

“Sure, I’ll just crash on the couch.”

Biting her lip, “I meant stay with me in… my room…”

His heart catches in his throat. The fingers he has resting on his thigh, curl and dig into his skin trying to wake him up from the obvious dream he must be having because Lucy has never asked him to sleep in her bed, with her. Sure, it won’t be the first time they’ve shared an intimate space but it’s a little different when it’s a camping trip or group vacation with limited room that they must make due, and he has slept-walked in and woke up in her bed before… He blinks his eyes, but nope she’s still there, waiting for his response. “O-okay.”

She pats his leg, “I’m gonna change for bed. Would you mind snuffing out the candles before you come in?”

“Y-yeah, I can do that.”

“Thanks.” She kisses his cheek and walks to her bedroom.

Natsu bides his time, slowly moving around the apartment. ‘I wonder why she’s acting a little weird tonight. Maybe she was drinking before I got here… Nah that can’t be it.’ Just once, when Lucy had had too much to drink at a college party she came onto him, but he knew that wasn’t the case tonight. He checks the front doors lock, makes sure the windows are closed, empties his pockets onto the kitchen counter, turns off the music, and one by one extinguishes the 6 or so candles, Lucy had placed around the space. Before blowing the last one out, he scans one more time to make sure everything is secure before knocking. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah.” She calls out from behind the wooden door.

The light from her phone is the only thing illuminating the room as she sits on her bed in a cotton tank top and shorts type of PJ’s. Lucy pulls back the comforter as he silently breathes a sigh of relief that she’s not in lingerie or something more suggestive; the outfit she has on will be bad enough to be close to but that would have been much worse. She pats the bed. “Are you gonna sleep in that?” she points at his jeans. “Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable.”

He runs his hand nervously through his hair, yes it would be, but the alternative is what, his boxers and just the t-shirt? He grapples with the decision for a moment. “I think I’ll take um off. I-If you don’t mind,”

“I’ve seen you in just boxers before, remember, like that time when Gray yanked your shorts down during a wrestling match.”

“Right…” but that doesn’t make him feel better.

She turns off the light from her phone to give him a little bit of privacy, as he strips and get into her queen-sized bed. Pulling the covers up to her chest she lays there on her back staring at the ceiling and he does the same, remaining in that suspended reticence for some time before Lucy sighs loudly, “Are you asleep?”

“No.”

“I wanna… play a game.”

“Now? But I thought you were tired?”

“I lied.”

Natsu turns to his side and props his head up to look at her, but she continues to stare at the ceiling, “Well, what did you wanna play?”

She can hear the irritation in his voice knowing that it’s because of the lie. Sighing again, “I wanna play… 20 questions…”

Now his interest is peeked, but his anxiety also kicks in. What brought this on so suddenly? It’s obvious to him that there must have been something on her mind earlier and this ‘game’ is just a ruse to bring it up. But why go through all the trouble just to ask a few questions unless they are a touchy subject? He can feel his heartrate pick up and his skin flushing at just the notion, things could become uncomfortable, very, shortly… He exhales and lays on his back again, “Fire away Luce.”

“We’ll take turns asking each other questions, no subject off limits, and we have to tell the truth no matter how hard it is.” He cringes, yet at the same time, if he’s gonna be asked some awkward questions then it’s only fair he could finally get answers that have been burning in him too… “I’ll start. What’s my pen name?”

Breathing a sigh of relief, “That’s easy, Lucy Ashley. My turn, um…” ‘I think she’s testing how well I know her…’ “…How old was I when I was adopted.”

“6. When did my father lose his company?”

“You were 16… I think.”

“Close enough, I was 17.”

“What’s my favorite color.”

“Red, specifically reddish-orange cause it reminds you of fire.” His eyes light up, ‘Damn she pays close attention!’ “Who’d I go to the Junior prom with.”

“Tch, Loke.” Hearing the disgust in his voice makes her smile, maybe Levy was right after all… “But at least I got to take you Senior year…”

“If it bothered you that much, you should have asked me to go with you.”

“Never mind, can’t change the past.” exhale “It’s my turn again, what’s my… favorite food?”

‘Is he too afraid to ask something harder?’ Lucy starts chuckling, “Is that a trick question? You’ll eat anything but I guess I’ll say, spicy stuff are your favorites.”

He chuckles too, “Very true, I’m not a picky eater.”

“Alright, my turn,” she takes a deep breath. “W-why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

‘Ouch! She went right for the jugular.’ His face paling, “B-because I didn’t… I-I…” exhale “…was too afraid to ask you out.” He feels her turn on her side, senses the stare even in the darkness but he gives her no chance to respond yet. “Same question Luce.”

Sigh, “Because I was waiting for you to ask me out. How long have you had a crush on me?”

“5th grade.” Now her eyes widen, she thought maybe he might say high school but grade school! “Same question Luce.”

“8th grade, PE class.”

Shocked, “You remember it down to the specific time?!”

“It’s not your turn to ask a question, but the answer is yes.” He feels the bed shift as she turns to face away from him. Even though she’s the one who started this, it’s still uncomfortable to say the least… “I always thought you were cute, and you were already a close friend but… that was the first time I saw you without a shirt on…” she’s biting her lip at the memory and he can hear that slight mumble in the way she’s talking even though he can’t see it and his heart is beating as a fast as a hummingbird’s wings to finally know the truth. “… and I remember thinking wow, you had really started to develop over the summer.” ��Exhaling “My turn. If I asked you to hold me, right now, would you, do it?”

Thrilled by her question, his answer requires no verbal response as he spoons up behind her and puts his arm around her waist breathing out his next question, “What’s your favorite thing about me?” expecting her to say maybe his personality or even his body which he keeps maintained just for her…

“Your hair and your eyes.”

“Seriously? ‘Didn’t see that coming…’ My hair?”

“I like the color. Do you… want a girlfriend Natsu?”

“Maybe… If I asked you to be my girlfriend, would you say yes?” His breathing stops in anticipation.

“Yes.” Lucy can’t help but giggle when he lets the air back into his lungs. “Were you that worried I’d say no?”

“Hell yeah, that’s why I’ve never asked you before.”

Taking a deep breath of her own, “Natsu, wanna know why I wanted to play 20 questions?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Because this way I could test your reactions… cause, I was afraid you didn’t like me either…”

“What brought this on anyways?”

“I saw you checking out a girl at the café the other day and…” she bites her lip, “I was worried you were moving on…”

He squeezes her waist and buries his face in her hair. “That girl just had a cool tattoo on her arm, so you needn’t worry Luce… no one could ever take your place.”

She yawns and relaxes against him, “Could you give Gray a message?”

“What’s that?”

“Find a new roommate cause you’re moving in with me.”

Natsu feigns shock, “Hold up, who said I’d agree to that?”

“Oh please, you can’t lie to me. I know you’re thrilled about that idea.”

“Damn you know me too well…” she giggles. “Well if we’re moving so quickly why don’t we just get married too while we’re at it?”

She stops giggling and turns around in his arms. “Are we still playing 20 questions?”

“Does it matter? A question is a question.”

But she punches his chest, “Ugh, you know a girl would prefer something more romantic if their being asked for their hand.”

“Yeah and what about me made you think that was gonna happen? I thought you knew me better?”

Lucy does her best to pout but can’t stifle the giggle, “Can’t fault a girl for trying.”

“So, are you gonna answer the question?”

Turning back over quickly, “Nope.”

“What!” But she starts giggling. “Ooh you!” he pulls her onto her back and starts tickling making her laugh harder. “You’re so mean to me!”

Doing the only thing she can think of to stop his torture she grabs his face and pulls his lips against hers. It works as he stops to return the kiss. Smiling, “of course the answer is yes Natsu, though it wouldn’t have killed you to try and be more romantic.”

“Fine.” He climbs off the bed and starts to put his pants back on.

“Wait!” Lucy scrambles to a sitting position fearing she pushed him too far. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back,” kissing her cheek. “I’m taking your key so I can let myself back in.”

“But where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about it Luce, I just need to grab something from my apartment.”

Natsu leaves his nervous girlfriend hanging as he makes his way out. ‘How the hell am I supposed to come up with something romantic at 1 in the morning, no one’s open, and hell even if they were there’s no power!’ Flying up the stairs at his building two at a time, he finds Gray talking on his phone to his girlfriend.

“Knew you’d be back!” he calls out as Natsu just bypasses him for his room like a man on a mission.

“I’m not, just came to grab some things.”

“Wait what?” “Juvy I gotta call you back.” Hanging up, he walks over to his friend’s room and sees a flustered man searching around in the closet. “You’re goin back to Lucy’s?”

“Yeah. Why is it so hard to believe?” Gray can’t see what Natsu shoved into his pocket but can see him throwing some clothes into an overnight bag.

“Whoa, you really are spending the night there!” following Natsu to the bathroom where the man is adding other personal necessities to his bag. Snickering, “I take it things are going well between you?”

“As a matter of fact, it is.” Zipping up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “You know, maybe you should move in with Juvia.”

“Why, sick of seeing my face?”

“No, I’ll be moving in with Lucy…” Grays mouth hangs open. “…as soon as you find a new roommate or maybe move in with your girlfriend, like I am.” And now his jaw drops. “Oh, and by the way yes she’s now my girlfriend and we’re engaged.”

Following Natsu to the front door, his friend grabs his arm, “Are you fucking with me? That’s kinda rushing things, I mean you weren’t even a couple and now you’re moving in and getting married!”

“Well not this second, but shit. Even though we weren’t an official couple all these years you gotta admit it’s what we practically were.”

“Yeah but still…”

“Look, I gotta get back to her so can we talk later.” He leaves his stunned friend behind.

When Natsu returns to her apartment, he finds Lucy in the kitchen making sandwiches. He chuckles, “got hungry while I was gone?”

“MmHmm.” She mumbles through a bite. “Want, I made for you too?”

He puts his bag on the couch and joins her. “Awe, so romantic, deli meats by candle light…” he grins. She rolls her eyes as she takes another bite. “But I’ll eat in a minute.”

“Suit yourself.”

Walking up behind her he wraps his arms around her waist, “The candles are as romantic as this is gonna get,” and holds something shiny in front of her face, “Lucy Heartfillia, will you marry me?” Lucy’s hand trembles as it puts down the rest of her sandwich and he lifts her left hand. “Well?”

So, in shock she manages a fervent nod while he slips the ring onto her finger. “H-how… you couldn’t have bought this tonight?”

“I mugged a lady I found on the street.” She slaps his arm. Chuckling, “No I saw it, a couple of years ago at a store and thought it would look stunning on you.”

“T-two years ago?”

He turns her to face him. “Well maybe more like several years ago… just in case this ever happened.”

“You had hoped for a power outage?”

“What?” laughing he tilts her head up, “So smart until those blonde roots get the best of you. No, if I ever had the chance to be your boyfriend… and eventually your husband.”

“That story… it’s so romantic… you had been thinking about me like that for so long…”

He squeezes her waist again. “I guess it’s a good thing you caught me checking out another girl…”

“Excuse me!” she tries to push him away, but he holds her firm.

“Well it’s what prompted the 20 questions game, right?” she stops pushing. “and led to this. By the way, Gray thinks it’s crazy that we just hooked up and are gonna get married already.”

“Everyone chalked us up as a couple for years… so it’s not like we just met and rushed into things.”

Laughing, “I said the same thing!”

She tiptoes and kisses his grinning lips, “It’s scary how well we know each other…”

#nalu fanfiction #Nalu #love #au story #natsu x lucy

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myavhishek · 4 years ago

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helloecoleglobale · 5 years ago

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Understand the Dark Side of Snapchat For Your Kid

one of the best schools in india Ecole Globale says that Snapchat is the most popular application for mobile devices that enables users to send photos and videos (called snaps) to other users. However, in contrast to with photos or videos sent via text or email, those posted on Snapchat disappears seconds once they're viewed—the sender gets to determine how long a photograph can "live," from one to 10 seconds, once it's viewed. The idea is that users will send time-limited photos that may be embarrassing or just silly without a significant worry that it'll realize its way to other social media sites where it'd live forever. Sounds great, in theory, but the problem is that there really are ways to capture and recover images, that is why no one should develop a false sense of security about sending them. Some times smartphones are not allowed in girls boarding schools in India which is better for their future.

How SnapChat Works

Once the Snapchat app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, the user registers and sets a password, it then accesses your contacts on your mobile phone to load friends to the application; otherwise, you will add other friends manually.

Once you load the app and log in, you'll be able to take a photo, edit it, add a caption or other "doodles." Then you choose the friends to send the photo to and set a timer from one to ten seconds. once the photo is sent, the receiver has the time set by the timer once they access the app to appear at the picture before the message "self-destructs."

Friends will then take their photo to reply or just send a message back.

Parental concerns

Despite its quality, parents are right to be concerned about Snapchat—there are a host of problems that will compromise children's safety. Some school in Dehradun have the policies that mobile phones are not allowed so students may get a quality education.

First of all, for parents who used to monitor their kid's smartphone use, Snapchat doesn't save pictures and messages sent; thus, you'll be able to see them later. If you've got a software package that enables you to see the content of your child's phone remotely on-line, you won't be able to see what was sent so automatically deleted, which will raise some issues.

Secondly, whereas the photo message disappears from the phone once a few secs, it doesn't prevent the receiver from taking a screenshot of the picture whereas it is life. To Snapchat's credit, when a receiver takes a screenshot of the picture, the sender is notified on the app, but that may not be enough to prevent the photo from being shared later with others.

Also, if a receiver is aware that a message is coming, he may take a picture of the mobile screen with another phone or camera. Therefore the sender would ne'er apprehend that their supposedly evaporating photo would be alive and well on somebody else's device.

Finally, because of the lower risks of getting a photo, eventually creating the rounds of the internet, it's additionally tempting for teens to use Snapchat for "sexting." Snapchat itself admits that up to 25 % of users could send sensitive content regularly "experimentally."

One father, whose child was being bullied via Snapchat—a reportedly all-too-common occurrence—was ready to use this workaround for good once he recorded one of the bullying snaps by taking a video of it on his own phone.

Parents who permit their youngsters to own Snapchat need to have a serious discussion with their children to debate the risks associated with the false sense of security that Snapchat could offer.

Other Snapchat options

Since its creation, Snapchat has added other options that parents ought to be aware of.

Snap Map

Introduced in 2017, Snap Map permits users to share their real-time location with anyone on their Snapchat friend list and track the locations of their Snapchat friends who do the same. The feature may be a way to use the situation services already available in several other smartphone apps. Since a number of their Snapchat contacts might not be real friends, this is often a big risk. Unless there's a particular event and it makes it easier for friends to know every other's location, specialist advises leaving Snap Map off or using it in "ghost mode," that permits you to see the real-time location of friends who haven't hidden their locations.

Discover

Launched in 2015, the Discover feature permits you to see content from popular media channels—many of which offer sexually oriented content. Though Snapchat's terms of service discourage specific content, these channels include images posted from magazines, tv stations, and alternative content providers which will be inappropriate for youngsters.

A lawsuit filed in California in 2016 cited a number of the offensive Snapchat Discover content together with "people share their secret rules for sex" and "10 things he thinks when he can't make you orgasm." Not several parents would be comfortable with their tweens and teenagers having immediate access to articles like these.

Safeguards

It's vital to note that Snapchat will have a minimum age of thirteen, that complies with the Children's on-line Privacy Protection Act. When it's downloaded on your mobile, Snapchat asks for your date of birth, and—if you're under 13—you're redirected to the child version, referred to as "SnapKidz," that is more restrictive than Snapchat (for example, you can't add friends or share anything). That said, it's not uncommon for underage children to find a workaround (that is, using a fake birthdate) so that they can open an account.

Snapchat is the most popular application for mobile devices that enables users to send photos and videos (called snaps) to other users. However, in contrast to with photos or videos sent via text or email, those posted on Snapchat disappears seconds once they're viewed—the sender gets to determine how long a photograph can "live," from one to 10 seconds, once it's viewed. The idea is that users will send time-limited photos that may be embarrassing or just silly without a significant worry that it'll realize its way to other social media sites where it'd live forever. Sounds great, in theory, but the problem is that there really are ways to capture and recover images, that is why no one should develop a false sense of security about sending them. Some times smartphones are not allowed in girls boarding schools in India which is better for their future.

How SnapChat Works

Friends will then take their photo to reply or just send a message back.

Parental concerns

Despite its quality, parents are right to be concerned about Snapchat—there are a host of problems that will compromise children's safety. Some boarding school in India have the policies that mobile phones are not allowed so students may get a quality education.

Secondly, whereas the photo message disappears from the phone once a few secs, it doesn't prevent the receiver from taking a screenshot of the picture whereas it is live. To Snapchat's credit, when a receiver takes a screenshot of the picture, the sender is notified on the app, but that may not be enough to prevent the photo from being shared later with others.

Parents who permit their youngsters to own Snapchat need to have a serious discussion with their children to debate the risks associated with the false sense of security that Snapchat could offer.

Other Snapchat options

Since its creation, Snapchat has added other options that parents ought to be aware of.

Snap Map

Discover

Safeguards

youtube

#Girls Boarding School #girls boarding school in india #ecle globale #ecole globale international school;#snapchat

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gyrlversion · 5 years ago

Text

Phone book, whats a phone book? 20 everyday tasks that nobody does anymore

With new and efficient technology, these 6 tasks have fallen out of our daily routines. USA TODAY

Daily necessities are vanishing one by one, thanks to new and efficient technology. Stamps, maps and cookbooks still exist, but we hardly ever need them. Why place a personals ad when you can just “swipe left?”

The standard electronics, gear and ways of yesteryear have vanished as if it was never invented at all. As old formats disappear, that leaves us with the task of what to do with our memories.

Even services that seem new are vanishing in the name of progress; Apple is killing off iTunes, for example. and here’s what it means to your music and movies.

Here are some rituals that are no longer required in many households. If you’re 40 years or older, you’ll probably smile with nostalgia. Share this list on social media. Others will enjoy this trip down memory lane too!

1. Memorize a phone number

Pop quiz: How many phone numbers do you know by heart? Some people don’t even know their spouse’s numbers. How times have changed. Now, you tell your smart assistant to call someone in your contacts, or you touch their name on your phone.

The earliest cellphones required you to transfer your entire directory by hand, from the old unit to the new one; now, with cloud technology, your contacts are automatically downloaded.

What happens if you lose your phone, say, at a Disney theme park? This couple got separated and turned to Facebook for help.

2. Use a phone book to find a company to do work around your house

Generation Z may not even know what “Yellow Pages” refers to. They may not have ever seen a phone book.

Online consumer services like Angie’s List and Yelp have made finding service people easy, plus you can read other users’ ratings. One of the newer ways to find ultra-local services is Nextdoor, which has a special section for “recommendations,” along with crime watches and other local info.

3. Sell your car with a cardboard sign stuck on the windshield

Unless you’re selling your vehicle to someone you know and trust, these transactions can get sticky and even a little dangerous, especially with all the trolls. Craigslist started more than 20 years ago, and it’s still going strong, although it, too, still suffers from trolls and weirdos. If you want to sell your car, here are three sites that may be better than Craigslist.

4. Figure out math in your head

Few of us ever carried calculators with us to the grocery store. In contrast, pretty much everyone with a smartphone uses it to do basic calculations, no matter where or when you need it. In fact, you don’t even have to jab numbers anymore, physical or virtual: Tell Siri to solve a math problem, or command Alexa to do that pesky long division for you, along with countless other handy skills.

5. Call and ask a family member, “Where are you?”

Find My Friends changed the family-safety landscape by geographically connecting iPhone users. This app was a life-saver for parents with kids, adults taking care of aging parents, and countless others. Phone Tracker is a free app for iPhone and Android-powered phones that not only tracks location but also messaging and web activity.

Analog clocks may be teetering on extinction. (Photo: robas / Getty Images)

6. Tell time by hands on a clock

Like cursive writing, analog clocks may be teetering on extinction. Few people with smartphones bother with watches anymore, unless they’re fashion statements or fitness trackers. With digital clocks dominating our computers and hardware, those 12-numeral timepieces may become pure novelties.

Even your trusted alarm clock has received a tech makeover. Click or tap for three apps that monitor your sleep cycle, and wake you up when you’ll feel the most rested.

7. Make photo albums

It’s hard to imagine printing an image at a one-hour photo store, taking back your packet of 4×6 snapshots, and then meticulously pasting them into a faux-leather photo album. Given the ease of digital photography, and the innumerable images you could produce on a regular day, you’d fill up entire shelves in no time.

Photo-sharing services like Flickr and Amazon Cloud and have existed for some years, and now some apps will help you organize your photos and keepsakes, some of them from well-known companies like CVS and Walgreens.

8. Have a CD or record collection

Wasn’t it cool back in the day to walk into a shabby-chic apartment and see those shelves of CDs? Wasn’t it a joy to flip through boxes of vinyl records? Napster was the first sign that music could exist as a tiny, virtual MP3 file, and then iPods basically dealt the death blow.

Today, music exists as a digital index on a screen. Purists may love their turntables, but CDs have probably gone the way of the wax cylinder.

9. Make mixtapes

There was something so special about a mixtape. We spent hours finding the right song, then lining up two cassettes to copy a song. So many lovers cemented their relationships using a blank tape and a few dozen favorite albums.

Now, you can drag and drop a digital playlist in seconds.

10. Call a theater to get movie times

Back in the day, you’d dial a theater and listen to its endless-loop recording of movies and times. Sometimes, you’d catch it mid-loop and have to wait for it to start at the beginning to get all the movie.

With Google, type “movie times,” and the search engine will list films based on your location. You can also ask your personal assistant, such as Google Home, what films are playing at the cineplex and what time they’re on, along with tons of other tricks and Easter eggs.

Blockbuster: There’s only one store left in the entire world

Perks: Amazon expands free one-day shipping for Prime members

11. Record your favorite programs on tape

All year, we’d wait for “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “The Wizard of Oz” to pop up on TV. When they did, we’d push a VHS tape into the machine and wait until the proper moment to press “record.”

When TiVo emerged, it streamlined this process by making scheduled recordings even simpler. Now, with streaming services, web archives and easy-to-purchase downloads, the timing of a broadcast barely matters anymore. But as you cut on the cord on traditional cable television, make sure you pick the services that best meet your interests and budget.

12. Watch shows when they are broadcast live

In the same vein, we rarely have to sit in front of the television, eagerly waiting for a “major network event.” Services like Hulu and YouTube convert a huge amount of national television into a digital format, and local news stations log most of their important segments onto their websites.

13. Run to the store for a last-minute gift

Curses! You forgot a Mother’s Day gift! Should you change your whole schedule so you can rush to the store and hurriedly pick something out? If you have Amazon Prime and live in an Amazon hub, there’s no need. You can order same-day delivery and have that gift couriered to your front door.

It’s just one of the many benefits you probably didn’t know Amazon offers. Click here for more than 20 lesser-known perks that come with your Amazon Prime membership.

14. Cut things out of the newspaper

When I was a kid, my dad used to cut out articles from the newspaper and put them in my lunchbox. I miss those days. If Dad were still alive today, he’d do what most of us do: Tap or click a button to share content by text or email. Speaking of sharing information, do you get my newsletters? Dad would like that!

15. Send a handwritten letter

Don’t get me wrong: It’s still wonderful to receive a postcard from faraway places. You might say that email, texting and video conversations have made handwritten letters even more special. But no one is forced to transcribe their thoughts by hand and drop those letters in a mailbox. Heck, nowadays, we use voice dictation to write messages.

16. Looking up the spelling of words in the dictionary

Spellcheck is nearly as old as word processors, and many of us have grown up expecting Microsoft Word to underline our mistakes in red squiggles. But autocorrect takes this concept a step further, guessing what we intended to write and correcting our errors.

This can be handy for clumsy thumbs, but it can be embarrassing when autocorrect guesses wrong.

Rare is the phone booth where you handle a dirty phone and put in a coin to make a call. (Photo: Jefferson Graham)

17. Use a phone booth to make a call

Phone booths are making a comeback in open floorplan offices where there is no privacy. But rare is the phone booth where you handle a dirty phone and put in a coin to make a call. The last holdouts may be an airport or a particular part of town, but even international travelers can usually nab a SIM card the moment they step off the plane. Did you know you can use your cellphone as a walkie-talkie? Here’s how.

18. Carry cash

I remember my dad telling me, “Always carry a ten dollar bill because you never know when you’ll need it.” In a world of debit cards and P2P apps (person-to-person), we rarely have to carry cash anymore. So what happens when your phone is dead, there’s no one around and all you have is a phone booth? Luckily, most public phones in the U.S. are outfitted with credit card strips.

19. Use a travel agent

Travel agents can be essential for elaborate vacations, but for general flights, services like Kayak and CheapFlights have completely transformed how we book our passage. You can compare hundreds of airlines and agencies in seconds for the best deal. If you’d like to save even more, use Google Flights to find the cheapest airfare. Here are five ways Google Flights can really help you save as long as you’re flexible with your travel schedule.

20. Getting your old checks back from the bank every month

Oh, people still write checks, and physical paychecks are still routine methods of payment, but I doubt this antiquated practice will last much longer. Even depositing checks has become digitized, thanks to ATMs that scan the piece of paper and print a facsimile on your receipt.

That said, online banking does open a whole universe of security risks. If you’re not sure whether your phone’s banking app is secure, there are three critical steps you can take.

Any long lost tech you’d like to add to this list? Drop your ideas to me on Twitter.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.

Read or Share this story: http://bit.ly/2F6VWto

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daehquns · 7 years ago

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( * kyong dae-hyun. )

♡ — * » KYONG DAEHYUN looks so cute on the beach !! apparently, ( he/they ) come from ( south korea ) and are a ( twenty ) years old ( pansexual ) ( demiboy ) ( med student ). other hotel residents described them as ( gentle + sage ), but also ( ambivalent - faint-hearted ). don’t you think they look a bit like ( PARK JIMIN ) ?

WARNING: this is really long, my dudes. so long.

hello hi hi, it’s SKY ( 2-o, she/her, cest tz, but an insomniac ) & this is my smol blob of confusion, so if their story confuses you, i succeeded. also this is easily my absolute favourite character ever, so ,,, idk random info. ALSO: i have an exam tomorrow, my peeps, so i don’t think i’ll be around till tomorrow but !! i can’t wait to plot & interact with all of you.

SORTA BIO THING:

[ MISCARRIAGE TW ] kyong daehyun was born in daegu, south korea on the 22nd of february 1997. they were sort of a miracle baby bc their mom went through two miscarriages before them ( she’s rh negative & the babies were rh positive n ,,, i wont explain the biology behind it, im sure yall know that ). they’re an only child. they’ve always wanted a sibling ( an older one ,,,, they always want the impossible things smfh ). so yeah, they were a bit lonely while growing up

they were a very weak child who’d fall ill quite often (their family used to call them aga/aggie/babybc of it … sorta stuck with them to this day ), so much that it affected their education. the poor bean skipped a lot of classes, so eventually their parents decided it was best for them to leave school. they were homeschooled !! altho they now have incredible work ethic bc of this, they didn’t have many friends while growing up :( they sorta didnt even get the chance to develop n test their social skills. they came in contact with their parents, nannies, parents’ business partners, etc … long story short, they were surrounded by adults. this made them VERY mature for their age, even back then.

the greatest discovery of their life was the internet. they had little interest in sports & going outside, so they’d spend their free time glued to the screen of their laptop, either watching movies, youtube videos & tv shows or getting to know strangers from across the world thanks to various websites & apps. they’d often stay up all night n ruin their sleep pattern in order to talk to their friends from other timezones. they made them so happy. so. happy.

their parents sort of made them pursuit a medical career, though, they literally have -10 interest in it. not 0. -10. they just want to make them proud, ok ?? especially since they’ve always been an incredible student n studying came easily to them. they were praised while growing up, so naturally they started thinking they were exceptional as well.

COLLEGE ! they. hate. it. hate it. like, they are fallin apart n are like “wow so what is this, i thought i was smart ?? they told me i was the most intelligent kid in the world wHY cant i do literally anything now w o w im so average yUCK”. i mean, they still get good grades, but they ARE struggling.

[ PROFESSOR/STUDENT RELATIONSHIP THING TW ] … idk maybe someone’s triggered by that. anyway, there was a class that made them 11/10 done with life & they were sure they’d fail it n ruin their entire life, so they approached the professor ( who ,,, was rly hot n made hyunnie weak in the knees ok ) n were like “i will literally do ANYTHING in order to pass this class ,,,,,, pls”. like, they had 0 shame bc they were so done with it. n ,,, long story short, they ended up sleeping with the professor … ,,, multiple times. t was bc of the grade the first time, but … they’re pretty much in love with him now. and they’re a bit foolish, they hope he’s in love with them too. n idk they sort of dream about being in a real relationship with them. l mao … my poor kiddo.

COOLER INFO THING:

nicknames include: hyunnie, dee, mochi ( i have to steal that from jiminieeee bc yes. my squishy bol of cuteness ), aga/aggie/baby. or just call them dae or hyun honestly

daehyun is a demiboy ( they/them or he/him. if you refer to them as she/her, they will feel uncomfortable, but they will not have the guts to correct you. lmao one time they watched a woman make them european-style pancakes with nutella & cherries, even though they asked for a nutella/banana combo. they did not correct her. they ate half of it, left with a pout on their face n were sad for the rest of the day tHATS HOW ANXIOUS N SHY THEY ARE BYE ). anyway, as i said —— demiboy. panromantic ( very romantic, a huge dreamer. the type to imagine cute scenarios with their crush before falling asleep ). pansexual, though the most attracted to masculine physique buT !! they’re too self-conscious n emotion-dependent that they can’t have sex with just about anyone. n o. byee. like, the thought of getting naked in front of someone is terrifying to them, so they really need to trust n know the person. i wouldn’t call them demisexual though, since they do experience sexual attraction without having an emotional bond, they just … can’t let go of their ~stupid insecurities~

[ FOOD TW ] they don’t eat meat. yes, they do love animals n feel sad about those poor things, but that’s not the main reason why they don’t eat it. the smell, the look, the taste of meat makes them incredibly sick. when they were smol & had any sort of meat for lunch, they’d sit at the table for 5 hours n eat everything BUT the meat. most of the time, they used to give it to their dog who was v chubby bc of them. lunch was the worst time of the whole day for them, it was suuuuuuuper bad, especially since their parents didn’t understand their problem n called them spoiled. now that they are away from home, they’re super happy cause they can eat whatever they want ( sweets n pastries ). this bish ALWAYS has a lollipop in their mouth n a candy bar with them.

why are they obsessed with lollipops ? thanks to them they destroy their nails n cuticles LESS when bored, since their mouth is occupied. you can determine how life’s goin for daehyun just by looking at their hands. when everything’s good, their nails are painted ( the execution n design also say a lot about how much free time they have n how clear their head is ). when everything’s shit, they aren’t painted, they are bloody and sore, skin completely damaged, so much that it hurts to touch items with the very tips of their fingers. everything burns n they’re wincing 25/8.

they always have literally everything with them. you need a tissue, a comb, a hair brush, a band-aid, a hand sanitizer, a nail polish, some water, something sweet, a set of stem cells & a cure for every illness in the world ?they have it all. they’re always prepared for every situation. this is bc of their huge fear of facing a situation for the first time unprepared. also … you should never make them order food on their own or make a serious phone call or wtvr bc .. they can’t do that.

they’re fluent in english, but pls don’t throw big words at them :( they feel so embarrassed when they don’t know what something means. they go home & write the new word on one of their colourful cards, along with its translation to korean, a smol explanation & an example sentence n they have loads of those cards that they reread whenever they have time. when they learn a new word, they love showing off lmao dumbass

while they were back in korea n spending time on youtube, they used to watch a lot of kpop mvs + makeup tutorials n fell in love with makeup n wanted to look as beautiful as the people in those videos. they started stealin their mother’s makeup n used to be awful at paintin’ their face, but got better with time. they used to save money for eyeliners n primers n highlighters n all sort of shit n they’d hide all the products in their room n play with them whenever they were home alone. they know it’s their true passion& call, but they are so discouraged by the fact that they can’t even walk outside wearing makeup. they aint confident enough & still don’t think they can pull it off.

they made a new youtube account with the intention to post their own tutorials, but … mm, there’s still 0 uploaded videos on that channel

i’ve been struggling to decide which hair colour to go with … black, platinum blonde, silver or pink n i chose …pink.

they’ve never been in an actual relationship. never cuddled, or did couple-y things. their professor took their virginity, so … ya. that’s one of the reasons why they’re refusing to let him go.

[MEDICATION TW] as i mentioned before, they were a weak child who was often sick and had bad migraines ,,, this sort of got them hooked on medication ?? like, they will convince themself that their head is hurting and jus pop a pill without any need to do so ,,,, like, they are 110% sure they need pills to function normally every single day.

nature !! the world !! they love it.

aesthetics hoe !!!!!!!!! will sell their soul for the things that please their senses

they know how to draw well. they lololololove drawing comic book characters. like, they have their own characters already

dancing !!! especially contemporary ! bc ,,, i have a lot of those gifs n icons that i gotta use

loves apples ?

wants a cat. d e s p e r a t e l y

PERSONALITY:

i think it’s quite obvious that they’re a very anxious, shy & alert person 24/7 and i guess that you can see how their upbringing had a lot to do with it. i don’t view their shyness as cute and adorable, but they definitely aren’t grim either. they’re just closed-off. they’re not used to sharing personal stuff with other people, at least not face to face. online, everything’s different.

most of the time they’re like … “uhhhhh, people - i’d rather not. that can get me in a lot of awkward n uncomfortable situations n i’d rather avoid that’. they don’t find solitude depressing. they enjoy their alone time, they find comfort in it. they are very aware of the fact that their social skills suck & as i said a part of them doesn’t give a damn, but … another part is worried bc if they truly want to be in the makeup world, they will have to learn to be a people person, have a fantastic charisma n ,, talk to people ? lmao

their zodiac sign is pisces n they HATE IT lol they’re like “i’m not a whiny baby emo dreamer ew go away” so they keep telling people that their zodiac sign is aquarius bc it’s close enough n they find them cool n admire the description of the seemingly stoic sign that goes through life with their brain rather than their heart. they love to think that they’re strong n logical, that they’re not emotional … but that’s not the case. it’s all an act really

once you demolish their shell, you’ll find the most adorable creature in the whole entire universe ?/ they also love tellin stupid jokes. they almost never finish them bc they laugh too hard at em

they get attached to people VERY easily n then they can’t live without them n that freaks them the fuck out. like. they fall in love ten times a day. im. not. kiddin.

they’re all about living life to the fullest, they just have a bit different vision of what true livin is lmao

philosophical af ? hates small talk, always wants to talk abt deep shit

the type to send you memes and stuff that reminds them of you

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

this is so important. online friends. they met online a couple of years ago ( we’ll figure out how ) n now they’re both here and ? hyunnie is so scared to meet them bc they’re afraid that person won’t like them irl, but the desire is bigger than the fear !

similar to the previous one, but it was a long distance relationship ( it ended bc the distance was too much ig ). they only chatted, but they know everything about each other. they were infuriated every single day bc they couldn’t physically feel each other, but they still planned a future together, or at least meeting irl … maybe they now finally have a chance ?

crush. as i said, hyunnie falls quickly for a person. it can be unrequited. it’s just someone they daydream about n sigh over. or it can be the other way around, but hyunnie is quite clueless n doesn’t pick up on their hints.

friends ?? the plot depends on your charrie tbh but dw about it, i usually have 57430865026701348 ideas, so ya.

i have no idea what else ,,,, imma go make a wanted connections tag n reblog some plots probably. bUT HEY feel free to send plots my way, i luv that

#corfintro

7 notes · View notes

dachyun · 7 years ago

Text

( * kyong dae-hyun. )

✧—* » [PARK JIMIN, DEMIBOY, TWENTY]—-oh shit! is that [KYONG DAEHYUN], [MEMBER] of [ALPHA TAU OMEGA]? [HE/THEY] is/are a [JUNIOR] and a [BIOCHEMISTRY] major. That’s probably because they’re [MAGNANIMOUS] but have a tendency to be [TIMID]. I guess you’ll just have to see.

WARNING: this is really long, my dudes. so long.

hello hi hi, it’s SKY ( 2-o, biochem student myself, she/her, cest tz, but an insomniac ) & this is my smol blob of confusion, so if their story confuses you, i succeeded. also this is easily my absolute favourite character ever, so ,,, idk random info

SORTA BIO THING:

they were a very weak child who’d fall ill quite often ( their family used to call them aga/aggie/babybc of it … sorta stuck with them to this day ), so much that it affected their education. the poor bean skipped a lot of classes, so eventually their parents decided it was best for them to leave school. they were homeschooled !! altho they now have incredible work ethic bc of this, they didn’t have many friends while growing up :( they sorta didnt even get the chance to develop n test their social skills. they came in contact with their parents, nannies, parents’ business partners, etc … long story short, they were surrounded by adults. this made them VERY mature for their age, even back then.

their parents sort of made them pursuit a medical career ( currently biochem major ), though, they literally have -10 interest in it. not 0. -10. they just want to make them proud, ok ?? especially since they’ve always been an incredible student n studying came easily to them. they were praised while growing up, so naturally they started thinking they were exceptional as well.

they moved to the states bc COLLEGE ! they. hate. it. hate it. not the country, but the classes they are in. like, they are fallin apart n are like “wow so what is this, i thought i was smart ?? they told me i was the most intelligent kid in the world wHY cant i do literally anything now w o w im so average yUCK”. i mean, they still get good grades, but they ARE struggling.

COOLER INFO THING:

nicknames include: hyunnie, dee, mochi ( i have to steal that from jiminieeee bc yes. my squishy bol of cuteness ), aga/aggie/baby. or just call them hyun honestly

[ FOOD TW ] they don’t eat meat. yes, they do love animals n feel sad about those poor things, but that’s not the main reason why they don’t eat it. the smell, the look, the taste of meat makes them incredibly sick. when they were smol & had any sort of meat for lunch, they’d sit at the table for 5 hours n eat everything BUT the meat. most of the time, they used to give it to their dog who was v chubby bc of them. lunch was the worst time of the whole day for them, it was suuuuuuuper bad, especially since their parents didn’t understand their problem n called them spoiled. now that they live alone they’re super happy cause they can eat whatever they want ( sweets n pastries ). this bish ALWAYS has a lollipop in their mouth n a candy bar with them.

they always have literally everything with them. you need a tissue, a comb, a hair brush, a band-aid, a hand sanitizer, a nail polish, some water, something sweet, a set of stem cells & a cure for every illness in the world ? they have it all. they’re always prepared for every situation. this is bc of their huge fear of facing a situation for the first time unprepared. also … you should never make them order food on their own or make a serious phone call or wtvr bc .. they can’t do that. literally, coming to the US all alone was so tRAUMATIC you don’t even know.

while they were back in korea n spending time on youtube, they used to watch a lot of kpop mvs + makeup tutorials n fell in love with makeup n wanted to look as beautiful as the people in those videos. they started stealin their mother’s makeup n used to be awful at paintin�� their face, but got better with time. they used to save money for eyeliners n primers n highlighters n all sort of shit n they’d hide all the products in their room n play with them whenever they were home alone. they still do that now that they are in america & they know it’s their true passion & call, but they are so discouraged by the fact that they can’t even walk outside wearing makeup. they aint confident enough & still don’t think they can pull it off.

they made a new youtube account with the intention to post their own tutorials, but … mm, there’s still 0 uploaded videos on that channel

i’ve been struggling to decide which hair colour to go with … platinum blonde, silver or pink n i chose …pink. they’ve been dyeing it pink ever since they came to the states.

nature !! the world !! they love it.

aesthetics hoe !!!!!!!!! will sell their soul for the things that please their senses

they know how to draw well. they lololololove drawing comic book characters. like, they have their own characters already

dancing !!! especially contemporary ! bc ,,, i have a lot of those gifs n icons that i gotta use

loves apples ?

wants a cat. d e s p e r a t e l y

PERSONALITY:

most of the time they’re like … “uhhhhh, people - i’d rather not. that can get me in a lot of awkward n uncomfortable situations n i’d rather avoid that’. they don’t find solitude depressing. they enjoy their alone time, they find comfort in it. they haven’t actually made an effort to make friends here ?? like …,,,.., i don’t think they care. they are very aware of the fact that their social skills suck & as i said a part of them doesn’t give a damn, but … another part is worried bc if they truly want to be in the makeup world, they will have to learn to be a people person, have a fantastic charisma n ,, talk to people ? lmao

once you demolish their shell, you’ll find the most adorable creature in the whole entire universe ?/ they also love tellin stupid jokes. they almost never finish them bc they laugh too hard at em

they get attached to people VERY easily n then they can’t live without them n that freaks them the fuck out. like. they fall in love ten times a day. im. not. kiddin.

they’re all about living life to the fullest, they just have a bit different vision of what true livin is lmao

philosophical af ? hates small talk, always wants to talk abt deep shit

the type to send you memes and stuff that reminds them of you

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

professor’s kid. yup, hyunnie is sleeping with their dad. n they found out ?? yikes.

first irl american friend. they literally helped them so much, explained how things work n stuff. they’ll forever be in their debt.

friends ?? the plot depends on your charrie tbh but dw about it, i usually have 57430865026701348 ideas, so ya.

i have no idea what else ,,,, imma go make a wanted connections tag n reblog some plots probably. bUT HEY feel free to send plots my way, i luv that

#ksuooc #ksuintro #sighs #idk

10 notes · View notes

adamcairnsorg-blog · 8 years ago

Text

How To Crush It With The World's Ultimate Productivity Tips

The Ultimate Productivity Tips Roundup

What happens when you type "Productivity Tips" into google?

You get masses of hits containing hundreds of results. The problem is how to find the grains of gold?

You could start ploughing through each result one by one and see what they say (don't do that!).

Here's what you do instead.

I've been through hundreds of the best productivity tips from experts around the world. I've sorted them, chucked out the stuff that doesn't cut it, deleted duplicates and organised it into a single uber-list.

It turns out that the advice from productivity experts can be categorised and that's what I've done to make searching for exactly the kind of advice you're looking for easy to do.

So whatever kind of productivity advice you're looking for, there's going to be a tip here for you.

The headings below are broad categories. Click on the title and it will take you to that section. Then you can scroll down until you find something that interests you.

1. Focus On What's In Front Of You And Avoid Multitasking

2. Batch Your Jobs and Tasks

3. Build Consistency In The System And Methods You Use

4. Set Things Up A Day Ahead

5. Delegate It

6. Deal With Distractions

7. Eat That Frog

8. Look After Your Health

9. Manage Meetings Better

10. Organise Your Workspace

11. Outsource It

12. Develop A Positive Mindset

13. Use Rituals To Create New Habits

14. Say No

15. Build Your Self Awareness

16. Simplify It

17. Step Back From It

18. Manage Your Time

19. Use Travel Wisely

20. Use Technology

21. Write It Down

1. Focus On What's In Front Of You

Prioritise Your Most Important Tasks

What The Science Says

Our brains are actually not evolved to multitask. When we were first walking about on the savannah, it didn't pay to be distracted. You generally got eaten.

Task Switching as it is known has a quantifiable impact on the time taken to complete tasks. The general rule is that lost time increases with the complexity of the task involved. The cost involves the brain undertaking two switches. First the task of changing subject, from one task to another. Then the second task of finding your place in the task you are switching to.

Although these costs are quite small, they do add up.

One tactic to minimise task switching which experts suggest is to prioritise your most important tasks. By focusing your attention on your most important tasks, you will reduce the likelihood that your attention will waver.

Nicole Fallon Taylor takes up the suggestion that "goals are the most effective way to prioritize what’s important so you can delegate or eliminate the most unnecessary tasks that slow you down". In her article published on Business News Daily she shares some advice from Kathleen Kobe, founder of Smart Business Mom who states categorically that we should avoid multi-tasking. says, don't do it and I agree. You can read the rest of Fallon's article here.

We Just Aren't Evolved To Multitask

Robin Sharma makes the point that multitasking can also reduce our cognitive capacity. He cites research which "confirms that all the distractions invading our lives are rewiring the way our brains work (and drop our IQ by 5 points!)." The Daily Muse puts it this way:

"Stop trying to multitask! We're really not built for it, and while it may feel like you're getting more done, everything will ultimately take you longer."

Brandon Turner, reflecting on a past year of improved personal productivity writes:

"This past year, I made a commitment to multitask less and focus more on the task at hand"

The Take Away

Check to make sure you're spending time focused on your most important goals. To increase your effectiveness, create opportunities to zero in on one thing at a time and avoid the temptation to try to focus on more than one activity at a time.

References:

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html

http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/09/become-the-most-productive-person-you-know/

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254432

http://www.apa.org/research/action/multitask.aspx

2. Batch Your Jobs And Tasks

Use Time Slots

One way to deal with the damaging effects of multitasking is to chunk your jobs or tasks into time slots. I call this batching. Brandon Turner explains what he does. "Simply take your to-do list and give each item a place on your calendar. it doesn't matter if you use a physical calendar or an online one; simply block out time to work through each item on your list".

Graham Allcott speaking on ITV News suggest we should undertake a 5-minute re-boot whenever our attention or energy level is waning.

"Do you find yourself staring at the screen, feeling a bit jaded? The average attention span is typically 25 to 45 minutes, depending on the person and the time of day. So every half an hour, take a five minute re-boot – get up, grab a drink, focus your eyes on something else - even a couple of minutes away from the screen will help stop your attention from waning and keep you fresh through the day".

Match Your Work With Attention Span And Energy Levels

Organising your work so that it matches our natural attention span seems like a sensible manoeuvre. The Daily Muse even suggests allocating a time slot for you favourite distractions:

"Budget limited time for your favorite distractions".

"Knowing that you'll get to spend 10 minutes on Pinterest after you work for a couple hours can help you avoid wasting time on it now. Plus, using that as a reward for getting through hard work can help you stay motivated."

The advice to allocate time to tasks doesn't just apply to your daily activities. As The Daily Muse suggests, allocating periodic time to administrative tasks can have a big pay off too.

"Once a quarter, do a massive inbox clean and archive all messages older than 2-3 months. (Seriously, answering them at this point would just be embarrassing.) As emails you're subscribed to roll into your inbox, make a snap decision about whether you actually read them or if you should unsubscribe".

The Daily Muse continues:

"If email's really getting you down, try Time Management Ninja's system for only checking it twice a day…Only check email at specific times during the day, and try to limit it to only 4-5 times a day. If you don't have nearly this much self control, use a tool like Inbox Pause to keep emails from showing up in your inbox until you're ready for them".

Robin Sharma batches his email activities to match his energy levels.

"Check email in the afternoon so you protect the peak energy hours of your mornings for your best work"

You can have a look at my own advice on email management here.

Put Time In Your Schedule

Stacia Pierce has a different take on batching. Her advice is not just to make a list – something a lot of us do. She goes further, recommending:

"Give yourself an allotted time to get things done. When I am planning for events, I often block of chunks of time weeks in advance so that I can research, plan and write my presentations. I often use my morning hours to get it done…Blocking time allows you to get into a zone. You can use the Rescue Time app to eliminate distractions from your computer and devices so that while you’re in the zone you are completely focused".

Laura McClellan argues that this principle applies to lots of things we do each day.

"If the demands of your day include routine tasks, try to group similar tasks and schedule certain times during the day to knock them out. Answering emails? Returning phone calls? Entering expenses into a spreadsheet? Instead of interrupting your other tasks to do these things piecemeal, batch them".

Use Tools To Help You

Stacia has some advice for us about dealing with the incoming tide of information hitting our inboxes and other kinds of content we come across while on-line.

"Create organized reading lists with the Pocket app and Instapaper. As you browse the internet these apps allow you to put articles, videos and other information in a virtual pocket for you to read at your own leisure. Facebook allows you to save videos and Instagram allows you to save posts that you want to reference later as well".

I'm a big fan of Instapaper personally. I use it not only to save items I'd like to read later, but I can also clip internet pages I might want to refer to again. Once I've reviewed them later, if I want to keep them I send them into Evernote.

Of course, we also need to manage our social media feeds. Here's Stacia again:

"Save time with Social Media. Let’s face it, social media is here to stay and it plays a major role in business marketing. To stay on top of it all, use Hootsuite, my tried and true app for years, to automate social media posts to Twitter, Facebook and more. The app has gotten more sophisticated over the years and offers many more social media management tools as well. Hootsuite has never let me down. I love that it organizes your time lines, direct messages and mentions so that you can review them easily".

Hootsuite is a great app, but today I use Sprout Social. I prefer the way it organises my feeds and I find the scheduling capability suits my way of working better.

Go On The Offensive

Rounding up this section on batching, The Harvard Business Review in a collection of articles from top leaders shares the approach Tom Rath takes. He makes sure that he can:

"Block out time to work away from email, programming your phone to only ring for select colleagues, and resisting emails first thing in the morning until you’ve achieved at least one important task."

Control Interruptions

Finally in this section, Bruna Martinuzzi suggests taking a leaf out of the restauranteur Danny Meyer's approach to managing people:

"He has his assistant group all questions that come up during the day in one list so she doesn't have to interrupt him repeatedly during office hours. Take a cue from this and see how you can ask others on your team to group questions, requests and other non-urgent inquiries so you're not distracted by interruptions that don't add value".

So that concludes the round up of top advice about batching jobs and tasks. Avoiding multitasking and batching activities can make a huge difference to our personal productivity.

The Take Away

If you're already implementing the advice to avoid multi-tasking it makes sense to create time slots in your day. Use these time slots to match work to your energy levels and attention span and allocate time in your calendar to tackle similar tasks in groups. You'll find this easier to accomplish if you deploy tools to help you. Remember to control distractions that could throw you off course.

References

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254432

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-01-28/top-10-tips-for-a-productive-workplace/

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

https://timemanagementninja.com/2017/02/7-tips-to-increase-your-email-speed/

http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/09/become-the-most-productive-person-you-know/

http://healthyleaderblog.com/blog/how-to-beat-email-and-quadruple-your-best-time

http://lifecoach2women.com/main/ten-productivity-tips-for-business-owners/

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/top-10-tips-for-productivity.html

https://hbr.org/2015/12/9-productivity-tips-from-people-who-write-about-productivity

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/productivity-tips-from-incredibly-busy-entrepreneurs/

3. Build Consistency In The System And Methods You Use

Build A System

With so much complexity around us and with so many ways of receiving information it is inevitable that without some kind of system we are going to get overwhelmed. This is one of the most critical steps any of us can take to become better organised and so more productive.

I've written a series of posts about my own approach to these issues. You can read my note taking method here.

Create A Schedule Of Activities

At its most basic a system has a schedule of activities that you follow in a pre-defined way. Brian Tracy puts it like this.

"Scheduling your time reduces stress and releases energy. The very act of using your organizational skills to plan your day, week, and month gives you a greater feeling of control and will help increase productivity throughout your day. You’ll feel in charge of your life. It actually increases your self-esteem and improves your sense of personal power".

There is a psychological aspect to developing a system – it creates a sense of order around you and that helps to reduce stress. When we are stressed our creativity and productivity drops exponentially.

Manage Your Diary

Scot Farquhar has this recommendation for diary management:

"Review your diary at the end of each week. Literally print it out and review it. Ask yourself three questions: (1) did we achieve what we wanted to (2) did I personally need to be there (3) could it have been achieved in a shorter time frame. It will transform how you spend your time."

This regular discipline can pay you back many times over.

Manage Your To Do's

April Underwood, Vice President at Slack reminds us of how important it is to have a system for managing all of your to-do's.

"Have a clear system for to-dos: whether it’s 'Getting Things Done' or the 'Checklist Manifesto,' just have a system and stick to it. I have a very specific method I use in Slack and in email that works for me, and knowing I have that system keeps me from feeling overwhelmed even when I’m behind or the to-dos pile up."

Big, Brave Goals Release Energy

Here's Robin Sharma again:

"Remember that big, brave goals release energy. So set them clearly and then revisit them every morning for 5 minutes".

Be Realistic

Regular and consistent seems to be the way. Larry Kim is dismissive of To-Do lists as they are not actually a system but actually in Eric Barker's words, a 'pipe dream'.

"Have you ever had that to-do item that simply wouldn't disappear? It hovers at the bottom of the list or scratched in the corner, petulantly scowling at you for days, weeks, even months! As more time passes, you feel even less inclined to give it attention. We've all been there--it's just one of the reasons I'm saying out with the to-do list and in with scheduling".

This means you have to be realistic about what is possible. Eric Barker suggests we should:

"Seriously sit down and consider your available time and what specific slots you can designate to completing certain tasks in a given day. To-dos are pipe dreams. Scheduling is a game plan. Studies show that even scheduling free time can be rewarding and can result in better quality of time spent – even if that time spent is playing PS4 or reading a Stephen King novel".

Always Have Back Up Tasks

The Daily Muse reckons we could all do with having a list of things we can turn our attention to when we are blocked from working on what he have planned to do.

"Always have backup tasks. There are times when life will try to derail your productivity: A person you need to talk to is unavailable, the internet is down, or you just can’t focus on the task at hand. Always have other options so that you’re able to get something done even when you can’t finish your primary task."

This method ensure there's always something we can move forward, even when our planned activity can't be worked on.

Clarify Your Three Most Important Goals

Many of the experts included in this round up recommend adopting a 'top three things' approach. J D Meier has written extensively about this method in his brilliant "Getting Things Done The Agile Way."

Writing about this Stacia Pierce suggests:

"Streamline your focus. Instead of trying to get a million things done in a day, write your list then choose the top three things to accomplish each day. These three things should be of the highest priority and once accomplished will leave you feeling satisfied with your productivity. Use the Streaks app to be reminded to accomplish your top 3 daily goals. You can also turn your most important daily tasks into new habits with this app’s features".

The trick is to ruthlessly prioritise. Kathleen Kobel, founder of Smart Business Mom makes this clear:

"If you can, set aside the low-priority items and come up with a plan to delegate or outsource them so that you can spend more time on the things that add more value to your position and the company."

Have A Great Filing System

There's so much information we now have available to us, that the premium on great organisational systems for storing and retrieving that information has never been higher. Brian Tracy suggests:

"Resolve to improve your organizational skills and use a filing system both at home and at work. …There are few activities so frustrating as spending your valuable time looking for misplaced materials because no thought was given to a filing and retrieval system".

He suggests that the best systems are probably the simplest. He recommends using an alphabetical system and then creating a master list which enables you to understand very quickly where everything is.

Never Procrastinate

Having a good system is one thing, but it is crucial that you develop some self-discipline too. Not only will this help make the system stick, it will also stop things piling up, particularly if you follow Anthony Tan, CEO and co-founder of Grab's advice:

"Just get it done right away. I don't wait until I get home, I take calls wherever I am. I execute on any feedback I get right away. That way the work never piles up."

The Take Away

To be a more productive person, build a system that you can trust. Manage your time, your to-do's, and major goals. Have a plan for when you get side tracked. Avoid procrastination.

References

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/productivity-tips-40/

http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/09/become-the-most-productive-person-you-know/

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

http://theweek.com/articles/444385/how-most-productive-person-office--still-home-by-530-pm

http://www.30daysofgettingresults.com/

http://lifecoach2women.com/main/ten-productivity-tips-for-business-owners/

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html

http://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/6-time-management-tips-to-increase-productivity-organizational-skills/

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/productivity-tips-40/

4. Set Things Up A Day Ahead

Prepare The Night Before

There are only 24-hours in each day. There's obviously a limit to how much time you have and what you can get done in a single day. Some productivity experts recommend getting a jump on each day by preparing the day before. Bharath Kumar writes:

"The family is asleep. They think the weekend is over. Monday morning is yet to come. Work through Sunday night, or at least till 3AM. You get at least 4 hours of extremely productive, thoughtful, non-interrupted time with no expectations. When you get work done on a Sunday night, your Monday is awesome. You meet colleagues with confidence, and can do meetings to plan the next week - all armed by a productive night."

The Rationale For Preparing A Day Ahead

Brian Tracy is another who uses this practice to increase his productivity. He explains the rationale for doing so like this:

"A major benefit of preparing your daily list the night before is that this exercise lets you sleep more soundly. A major reason for insomnia is your lying awake trying not to forget to remember everything that you have to do the following day. Once you have written down everything you have to do on your list, it clears your mind and enables you to sleep deeply. This will help you increase productivity throughout the next work day."

In a later section on looking after your health there are some further suggestions about how getting a good night's sleep can have a positive impact on your personal effectiveness. Thorin Klosowski discusses Barack Obama's approach to preparation:

"By the end of the day, most of us want to relax with some cable TV and zone out for a while before our next stressful day. Barack Obama reminds us that a better approach is to spend a little bit of time preparing for the next day".

He suggests that Obama would often stay up late into the night flicking through documents to help him get his thoughts organised. Klosowski suggests:

"The president’s job is much more stressful than yours, so implementing this as a daily routine makes sense. The rest of us can utilize this tip before big meetings, presentations, or deadlines".

Beat Monday Mania

Larry Kim uses this practice to avoid what he calls Monday mania. He suggests that it's not necessary to spend a lot of time working. It's more a matter of switching your brain on ahead of time.

"You don't need to make calls or even answer emails – simply assess what your Monday game plan will be, and you'll sleep a little more soundly".

It seems that priming the brain a day ahead creates some advantages. It enables the mind to start processing ahead of time and it means you feel more prepared and ready for the day ahead. Even a simple review of what lies ahead can help. Laura McClellan writes:

"The best way to hit the ground running is to start the night before. Before leaving your workspace, or before going to bed, take ten minutes to look over the next day’s commitments".

The Take Away

A stitch in time saves nine. Get a jump start on your day by preparing the night before. Just a quick review of what lies ahead will be enough to get your unconscious churning away so that when your day starts you'll have the benefit of that predigested thinking.

References

http://www.inc.com/ss/13-productivity-hacks-help-you-get-more-done

http://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/6-time-management-tips-to-increase-productivity-organizational-skills/

http://lifehacker.com/top-10-productivity-tips-from-former-presidents-1792454530

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/top-10-tips-for-productivity.html

5. Delegate It

You Are Not Alone – Use The People Round You

Mastering the ability to delegate is a crucial productivity competency it seems. It stands to reason that if we are faced with multiple demands on our time we need to maximise our ability to engage others in completing the tasks we have to complete. Laura McClellan offers some very practical advice. We can ask these questions she suggests:

"What tasks could someone else do, thereby freeing you up to focus on the things only you can do? Look around you: who is available to do some of those tasks? A secretary? A colleague? A family member? A paid helper? An important key to productivity is doing only those things that only you can do, and giving somebody else the opportunity to contribute by doing those other tasks".

Daniel Tan, a web entrepreneur is very clear about the benefits of delegation.

"Delegation is the most important fuel for productivity. Having more staffs should double, triple, quadruple, etc., your time."

Get The Most Out Of Delegation

To get the most from delegation he argues that staff should be set free, and not micro-managed.

"Let them fly with their wings. You hired them, they are surely good. Otherwise, why keep them? Since they are good, there is really no need to check on them all the time. Cultivate a sense of ownership and let them work like they are the boss. Things will go so well when everyone think they are the owners of the company and act in it's best interest".

The Take Away

Make the most of the team you lead. Empower them and increase not only your own productivity, but make their lives better too.

References

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/top-10-tips-for-productivity.html

http://www.inc.com/ss/13-productivity-hacks-help-you-get-more-done

6. Deal With Distractions

Switch Off

Laura McClellan hits the nail on the head when she says:

"One of the major productivity killers is the distraction of constant interruptions. Emails, phone calls, people appearing at your door… The technology that can (and should) make our lives easier and better also can make it virtually impossible to maintain the kind of focused attention that’s necessary to work efficiently and effectively".

There is a huge problem which is inadvertently created by the very technology which was supposed to make a work easier to accomplish and amplify our productivity efforts. The question is what can we do about it?

Bryan Guido Hassin makes a radical suggestion:

"After noticing that he got some of his best work done on long intercontinental flights, Guido established "Airplane Days" to help him get things done".

"On "Airplane Days," Guido restricts his Internet access, removes distractions, and churns through his high priority to-do items."

He offers some advice based on his implementation of this strategy which he claims creates the most productive time of the week by far.

"At the beginning of each week, I carefully look at my schedule and declare one day (or two half days) to be Airplane Time. I block it out on my shared calendar and treat it as if I were in the air: working out of the office, disabling my phone, and shutting off network connections on my laptop."

Dealing With Social Media

Social media can be a huge distraction, with it's constantly updating streams which can litter our screens and cause big reductions in our effectiveness. Roman Grigorjev has a clever hack for Facebook:

"He partially quit Facebook by moving all his friends to acquaintances."

He explains: "You can move everyone from 'friends' to 'acquaintances.' You will still get updates, but instead of 'check out what I ate for breakfast,' you will only be shown the most important posts, i.e. 2-5 new posts max a day from hundreds of your friends. That would save you lots of time and make you 5-10x more productive."

The Daily Muse recommends an app which can turn off our social media streams completely while we are at work.

"Try an app like SelfControl to block your access during the workday".

Larry Kim recommends turning off notifications – something which I totally recommend. I've written a post about my app set up which discusses how to do this this at some length.

It's not just social media that jostles for our attention. News feeds can also create unwanted distractions. Larry Kim offers this advice:

"The idea that we need to keep up to date on the news is largely outdated. Most of what passes as news today is prettily packaged garbage – it's trivial, depressing, and unreliable. If something major happens, you'll find out one way or another. Instead, focus your attention on what's useful and actionable in your life".

The Take Away

Learn how to control distraction and you'll already be ahead of most people. Try some of the methods suggested here and regain control of your time and what you seen it on.

References

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/top-10-tips-for-productivity.html

http://www.inc.com/ss/13-productivity-hacks-help-you-get-more-done

https://selfcontrolapp.com/

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

http://healthyleaderblog.com/blog/mobile-device-hero

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

7. Eat That Frog

Tackle The Worst One First

Brian Tracy's best selling book, Eat That Frog!: Get More of the Important Things Done - Today! is based on the idea that quite often the thing that weighs on our mind is the thing we tend to put off.

I've explored previously how this is a problem for us, these 'open loops' will continue to deplete our mind's mental energy store and make us less likely to make good quality decisions. Brian's advice is that we should deal with the most unpleasant task first. It's really surprising how doing this releases a ton of energy and some endorphins too as you realise you've actually dealt with that problem. He calls them Frogs because the idea of eating of frog to most of us is – well fairly grim. Anything we eat afterwards will seem much more palatable as a result.

Murray Newlands takes this philosophy and uses it to:

"Schedule the most vital activities first. If you first deal with your most critical tasks first, it'll be easier to discover time for less important tasks. If you permit yourself to become sidetracked on busywork or unimportant tasks, odds are you never will get to the things that really matter"

Alok Bhardwaj says that this is the way he starts every morning.

"Do the least desirable tasks first thing in the morning. Try to work 2-3 hours straight on getting stuff done first thing in thing in the morning, before email or anything else".

You'll Feel Much Better When It's Done

People develop their own rationale for eating frogs. Nicole Fallon Taylor tells us what her's is:

"Instead of waiting until the last minute to finish a task, get it off your plate as soon as possible. Your other tasks will seem less daunting by comparison, and you'll stop stressing about that one task all day, making you more productive overall".

Graham Allcott doesn't use the term "frog" but it's clear that he has his own method for dealing with the difficult or the unpleasant tasks we all have waiting. He has what he calls a "Power Hour" approach.

"So the Power Hour is a single hour each day, where you schedule in an obligation to tackle the difficult, or unclear, or scary, or tedious. Power through those things in an hour, and then you don’t have to think about them for the rest of the day."

Jason Kanigan adopts a similar strategy, terming it the "Golden Hour." These are times when you are functioning at peak performance.

"Figure out when your 'golden hours' are, and protect them at all costs. Permit no distractions during those times. Then 'Eat That Frog'– pick the biggest, hairiest, most difficult goal that stands between you and the next giant step towards success ... and Do It Now. "A small number of decisions makes up the majority of your life experience (the 80/20 rule strikes again!). Therefore, a small number of activity choices make up the large majority of your achievements ... or lack thereof."

Wrapping up this section, Brandon Turner has the simplest advice which captures the essence of frog eating. He puts things like this:

"This year, I made a change. I decided to tackle my biggest task first, before anything else."

The Take Away

Stop avoiding that job you have kept pushing away. You'll be amazed at how liberating it is not to have the anxiety these postponed 'frogs' create swept from your mind.

References

Eat That Frog!: Get More of the Important Things Done - Today!

http://www.inc.com/murray-newlands/11-awesome-productivity-tips-that-will-radically-improve-your-life.html

http://www.inc.com/ss/13-productivity-hacks-help-you-get-more-donehttp://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254432

8. Look After Your Health

Mental And Physical Well Being Matter

It’s important not to overlook the role that your physical and mental well being play in maintaining peak performance. There’s little point in designing systems and building workflows if the engine that drives them (that’ll be you) is faltering.

Eat Breakfast

Larry Kim’s advice is to start each day by re-fuelling, priming your mind and body for another day of peak productivity. He says:

“Eat Breakfast! Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day--it's not a ruse put on by Dunkin' Donuts. A morning meal gives you the fuel you need to be present and productive at work, so don't skip it”.

Laura McClellan confirms this noting that there is a lot of evidence which confirms the importance of beginning each day with a good breakfast.

"Healthy people are more productive. No matter how busy you are, eat a decent breakfast. It’ll fuel you for a terrific start to your day".

Stay Well Hydrated

It’s not just breakfast however, it’s also vital to make sure that you are properly hydrated. Robin Sharma makes the point:

Drink more water. When you’re dehydrated, you’ll have far less energy. And get less done.

Thorin Klosowski takes a look at what US Presidents have done to maintain their personal health. Here’s a quick summary:

“A large number of presidents have made it a point to add exercise into their daily routine. Obama planned for an hour of exercise a day, Clinton was an avid jogger, Teddy Roosevelt loved tennis, jogging, and boxing. George W. Bush was also an avid tennis player and jogger, while Jimmy Carter was a cross-country runner. John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan were all swimmers. Time and time again we’ve seen that exercise is as important for physical health as it is mental health, and in the stressful position of president, that seems to hold true”.

Benefits Of Exercise

The benefits of exercise on your mood can change how you feel. Your mood can be given a quick positive injection of productivity enhancing hormones that will help you power through the tasks in front of you. Larry Kim writes:

“It's been shown that exercising in the morning can greatly improve your productivity. Exercise energizes rather than exhausts you, contrary to what the couch potatoes might tell you. (Not that I'm judging. I can be very spud-tacular myself at times.) Exercising also promotes good health (quick, alert the press!), and some studies have shown that exercise can improve your mood for up to 12 hours following your workout. Less stress, more efficiency – it's definitely worth setting that alarm 30 minutes earlier”.

Why Exercise Makes Sense

If you want a quick summary of the reasons why you should start an exercise programme today, take a look at this article by Whitson Gordon. He lists 10 reasons to exercise regularly.

You’ll just be happier.

You’ll live longer.

You’ll get sick less often.

You’ll have better sex.

You’ll get sick less often.

You’ll sleep better.

You’ll de-stress.

You’ll boost your confidence.

You’ll improve your posture.

You’ll improve your memory.

The Take Away

There is a simple truth in the maxim: a healthy body, a healthy mind. Take action to improve your physical and mental well being and not only will you become more productive, you might leave longer and more healthily too.

References

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/top-10-tips-for-productivity.html

http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/09/become-the-most-productive-person-you-know/

http://lifehacker.com/top-10-productivity-tips-from-former-presidents-1792454530

http://lifehacker.com/top-10-reasons-to-exercise-regularly-besides-losing-we-1473616982

9. Manage Meetings Better

We Spend Way Too Much Time In Meetings

According to Scott Dockweiller if you’re a middle manager you’re likely to be spending 35% of your time in meetings. This figure climbs to 50% as you enter the C-Suite.

Given the huge time commitment that meetings require, it’s critical that you maximise the productivity you obtain from meetings.

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, is strict on the timing allotted for single-topic, non-operational meetings: He allows a maximum of one hour and 30 minutes. Fifty percent of the time is for the presentation, and 50 percent is for discussion”. Source: The Daily Muse

Adjust The Default Times In Your Calendar

One way to start is to adjust the default settings in Outlook or whichever calendar app you use to manage your time. Jeff Haden suggests:

"Whoever invented the one-hour default in calendar software wasted millions of people-hours."

Most of the time a meeting doesn’t need more than half and hour – often fifteen minutes will suffice. Parkinson’s Law will operate if you don’t do this. Re-set expectations and change the default. You can free up a huge amount of time by tweaking this one setting.

Plan Your Meetings

If you’re responsible for organising a meeting, there are some simple rules that just have to be implemented. The Daily Muse hass a super formula for conducting highly productive meetings. Start with a plan for the meeting, facilitate for focus – organising a distraction free environment if possible and keeping everyone on track, and then closing out effectively with a clear series of next steps.

As The Daily Muse puts it:

“Be incredibly proactive about keeping meetings on track. Send everyone an agenda for each meeting, and, if the conversation goes off topic, don't be afraid to rein it in . A simple, “Let’s schedule time to discuss that later if it’s helpful, since we only have 10 minutes left,” works perfectly”.

Avoid Pointless Meetings

Finally, remember that you always have a choice. Avoid pointless meetings at all costs. Graham Allcott makes this suggestion:

“Avoid pointless meetings Meetings can be a massive time-suck. Never take part in a meeting that doesn’t have a clear purpose, a clear agenda and clear start and finish times. But even well-organised meetings can be a time suck! The occasional sending of your apologies can all be good ways to reclaim some vital hours to put your attention to better use than sat in a boring meeting”.

The Take Away

Many of us spend a lot of time in meetings. These are therefore very important opportunities for us to maximise productivity. Avoid the pointless ones and plan the one's you lead.

References

https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-much-time-do-we-spend-in-meetings-hint-its-scary

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/productivity-tips-from-incredibly-busy-entrepreneurs/

https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/10-simple-steps-to-exceptional-daily-productivity.html

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-01-28/top-10-tips-for-a-productive-workplace/

10. Organise Your Workspace

Clutter Creates Distractions

It’s surprising how an untidy and cluttered working environment impacts on productivity. There are the obvious reasons to do with inefficiency. It’s much harder to find what you need in a disorganised workspace. It can be hard to lay out your work and make it easy to understand what you have to do.

The signal an untidy or disorganised workspace sends to our brains is more insidious. We know the place is a mess, so our mind wild it’s best to keep track of where things are. This is an unconscious process that will be stealing energy from the processing power you’ll need to perform at you best.

These are more of the mental “open loops” which will quickly drain your mind’s battery. It makes a lot of sense to create a well organised and uncluttered environment to work in.

The Daily Muse emphasises the impact clutter can have on your ability to focus:

"Just like multitasking, clutter overloads your senses and makes it harder for you to get stuff done. So if you find yourself having trouble focusing, look around at your desk (and your computer desktop) to see if any of them need a little tidying."

Organise Your Workspace

What do the experts suggest?

Nicolle Fallon, quoting Kristoph Matthews suggests a remedy:

“Before you do anything else, take a few moments at the start of each day to organize and de-clutter your workspace. Having a clutter-free environment helps you think more clearly and produce better results, said Kristoph Matthews, founder of on-demand storage company Boxbee. By cleaning up and organizing your space, you will greatly increase your productivity and limit the time you spend searching for items.”

The Take Away

A disorganised and cluttered workspace will leave you prone to distractions. Not being able to finds what you need, coupled with the 'open loops' such environments trigger in your brain will drain your mental reserves dramatically.

References

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html#sthash.tvZsA0SW.dpu

11. Outsource It

Value Your Own Time

Not everything that’s on your plate has to be dealt with by you personally. If you are lucky enough to have a team, you can empower them and delegate tasks to them.

Sometimes you need to go further. Two good questions to ask are:

Does anyone need to do this task? If no, then stop doing it.

Do we absolutely have to do this ourselves? If no, then consider outsourcing it.

There’s no doubt that highly productive people are very picky about how they spend their energy and time. Bruna Martinuzzi offers this advice:

“Do a cost/benefit analysis of how you spend your time and see if it's worth offloading some repetitive tasks so you can focus on what will bring value to your company”.

Some Outsourcing Options

Marissa Brassfield suggests there are some areas of your life which could be potential candidates for out-sourcing. These are:

Appointments, Reservations, and Logistics Coordination

Fancy Hands

TaskRabbit

Task Bullet

MyTasker

Zirtual

TimeSvr

For Call Handling

AppleTree Answers

Ruby Receptionist

MyReceptionist

VoiceCloud

Research

Fiverr

Freelancer.com

Elance

Graphic Design and Freelance

Fiverr

Elance

99 Designs

Guru

DesignCrowd

Putting Together Furniture, Dry Cleaning Drop-Off, and Other In-Person Tasks

Zaarly

TaskRabbit

Shopping for Fresh ProduceShopping for Fresh Produce

There will be many suppliers that can tailor an offer to your needs based on your specific geography. Marissa is very clear about the advantages she finds in out-sourcing:

“…the truth is, you can outsource more than you might think—for less than you’d imagine—using the tons of online virtual assistant and delivery services out there”.

The Take Away

You really don't need to do everything yourself. Leverage these resources to free your time up for the tasks that you and you alone can do.

References

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/productivity-tips-from-incredibly-busy-entrepreneurs/

https://www.themuse.com/advice/7-tasks-you-should-outsourceimmediately

https://www.fancyhands.com/

https://www.taskrabbit.com/

https://www.taskbullet.com/

https://mytasker.com/

https://www.zirtual.com/

https://www.timesvr.com/

http://www.appletreeanswers.com/

https://www.callruby.com/

http://myreceptionist.com/

https://www.voicecloud.com/

https://www.fiverr.com/

https://www.freelancer.com/

https://www.elance.com/

http://www.99designs.com/

http://www.guru.com/

http://www.designcrowd.com/‎

https://zaarly.com/

12. Develop A Positive Mindset

The Happiness Advantage

I’ve written a summary of the best books out there on how the mind works. One of the books which made it to the list was Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage. This books reinforces the principle that happiness drives success, not the other way round.

It’s no wonder that productivity experts emphasis the importance of cultivating a positive mindset as part of your strategy to become more productive. President John F Kennedy once said:

“Of course, while it’s important to learn from past mistakes, nostalgia for the past can be a boring, manipulative emotion that blinds you to the needs of the future”.

Having a growth mindset means that you will be on the look out for learning and will assume that even when things haven’t worked out, it will be possible to learn from them. They key is not to wallow in the mistakes and spend time recriminating.

Monitor Our Internal Conversation

We can also prime ourselves for improved future performance by being careful with the language we use in our internal conversations. Graham Allcott suggests you should:

“Use language to change your motivation. If you’re dreading doing a particularly boring task, don’t say “I have to…”, say “I get to…”. The language we use with ourselves is a key component of productivity psychology”.

The Take Away

The new field of positive psychology creates some powerful new insights for people interested in improving productivity. Maximise your personal effeorts by building an appreciation of positive psychology – reading the Happiness Advantage is a good place to start.

References

http://lifehacker.com/top-10-productivity-tips-from-former-presidents-1792454530

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-01-28/top-10-tips-for-a-productive-workplace/

http://amzn.to/2q1ydke

https://healthyleaderblog.com/blog/5-best-books-mind

13. Use Rituals To Create New Habits

Build New Habits

No-one can operate at 100% of their ability constantly. Optimising the periods of time when we are at our best is one of the principles behind improved productivity. You are looking for a way to organise your routines into some kind of consistent pattern which you know helps you work at your best.

Brigid Schulte puts it like this:

“…we have been seduced into thinking that if only we try harder and work longer, we can achieve anything. Top performers take a different approach. They recognize and honor their physical limitations by getting plenty of exercise and sleep, cycling between 90-minute bursts of focused work and short restorative breaks, and taking time to disconnect from email for some portion of their off-hours”.

Tony Schwartz, CEO of The Energy Project suggest four ways of setting up rituals to automate behaviours that will make you more productive. One of them is to define one task each day which you will prioritise – then start the day focused on that task.

"Force yourself to prioritize so that you know that you will finish at least that one critical task during the period of the day when you have the most energy and the fewest distractions," Schwartz says.

Building rituals is something that successful people have done over time as Robin Sharma describes:

“When I studied the creative lives of massively productive people like Stephen King, John Grisham and Thomas Edison, I discovered they follow strict daily routines. (i.e., when they would get up, when they would start work, when they would exercise and when they would relax).”

Meditation Helps Ideas Develop

Stacia Pierce has a meditation practice she uses to start each day:

“Every day, I spend time meditating before I start my day. Meditation for at least 15 minutes can get you focused and help to improve productivity. Insight comes early; if you sit quietly in the morning and meditate and then listen within, you will discover brilliant ideas are ready to burst out of you”.

Tackle Habits You Want To Change

The flip side of positive behaviours you want to encourage is those bad habits you’d like to change. Here’s one piece of practical advice from Larry Kim:

“Sometimes the best way to break a bad habit is to make things incredibly difficult for yourself. If you hate that you watch too much TV, keep the remote control in the upstairs closet”.

The Take Away

To be productive you need to master your own behaviour. Lots of our behaviour is driven unconsciously which is why habits and rituals play such an important role in driving improved productivity.

References

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/productivity-tips-from-incredibly-busy-entrepreneurs/

https://hbr.org/2015/12/9-productivity-tips-from-people-who-write-about-productivity

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

14. Say No

You Always Have A Choice

No is a very powerful word which you can use to regulate how much you have to do. It is sometimes difficult to say no, but developing a confident ability to recognise when you are already shipping water is a strategy many experts recommend.

Adam Grant’s book Give and Take reveals the findings from his his research into strategies for giving and receiving help. While his study demonstrates that successful people tend to be people who are prepared to help others without expecting something in return, he noticed something else too. The Harvard Business Review puts it like this:

"While giving can certainly help you succeed, Grant’s data also reveals that helping everyone with everything is a recipe for failure. So how do you do it right? Top performers, Grant argues, avoid saying yes to every helping opportunity. Instead, they specialize in one or two forms of helping that they genuinely enjoy and excel at uniquely”.

Learn How To Discriminate

Larry Kim offers a clear rationale for cultivating the ability to discriminate – to be clear what you can take on and what you really shouldn’t.

"Remember, it's not simply a matter of being agreeable – when you take on too much, all your work suffers. You may end up missing deadlines, and despite good intentions, you could end up disappointing others when you are unable to meet the extraordinary expectations you've created for yourself”.

The Take Away

Remember whenever you say yes to something, you're also saying no to something else. There are only so many things which it is possible to do in any allotted time. Learning how to say no, to discriminate between the important and the not so important can have major benefits to your productivity.

References

https://hbr.org/2015/12/9-productivity-tips-from-people-who-write-about-productivity

15. Build Your Self Awareness

Increase Productivity With Prime Time

Brain Tracy has made a career from providing advice to business leaders. His conclusions are based on thousands of hours of observation and conversations with some of the world's top business leaders. He suggests you should:

"Organize your life so that you are doing creative work during your internal ‘‘prime time.’’ Your internal prime time is the time of day, according to your body clock, when you are the most alert and productive."

By identifying when you are at your most productive, you will maximise your ability to work at your optimal level of productivity. This appears to be one of the characteristics of some of the most successful business leaders. Here's Ryan Smith, CEO of Qualtrics:

"The key for me is you have to understand how your brain works and when you are most productive. For me, I’m most productive and creative in the morning through early afternoon, so I’ve gotten rid of lunch meetings to keep my productive time going as long as I can. I make sure the tasks I have at the beginning of the day are the tasks that require the most creativity or, in other words, tasks I have never done before."

Think About Your Thinking

Henry Ford once said:

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probably reason so few engage in it.”

There are huge benefits you can obtain from spending time considering carefully about what you have to do.

"But quality thinking time is vital not only to our productivity, but to our sense of control and well-being at work. Regularly reviewing what we’re working on, what’s on our schedule and what’s coming up can help us spot efficiencies, empower us to be realistic and say no to requests, and get the clarity we need to create momentum and remove procrastination from our working week".

Psychologist Ivan Staroversky, a counselor, psychotherapist, NLP trainer, and Lifehacker, uses the knowledge he has acquired about how our minds work to help him be more productive. He says that he listens to his Ultradian rhythms which are natural body cycles that rise and fall throughout the day every 90-120 minutes. He explains:

"Approximately every 90-120 minutes, the mind and body give us clues signaling the need for rest and change in physical and mental activity. Ignoring these signals may lead to fatigue, stress, and ultimately physical (psychosomatic) illness. These rhythms suggest that its time to take a break and can help increase your productivity. Basically you have to: - recognize the signals - listen to yourself - make time for rejuvenation and awakening".

You can find out more about his work on his blog.

Cool Off Before Responding

If you're provoked, it's all too easy to snap back. Similarly, following our instinctive response can lead us to places we didn't ever intend. While there's nothing wrong with encouraging a creative exploration of other possibilities, sudden, reactive changes in direction can be a serious problem.

President Thomas Jefferson gave himself some rules to counteract these tendencies:

"When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred".

Allowing a pause between the stimulus and your reaction to it make a lot of sense. Bear in mind that if you can't always control what happens, you can always control how you respond to it.

Switch Locations

We are all made differently and one of our points of differentiation is how we respond to the environments we are in. For some people, changing your location can lead to a big boost in productivity. Meghan Khaitan, founder of seat belt buckle device MyBuckleMate said that a change of scenery can be a big help in boosting productivity.

"Head to the library or a local park (weather permitting), or find a place that's quiet and full of natural light. This can help spur new ideas or shed new light on an old problem."

Silence Your Inner Perfectionist

If you wait for everything to be in perfect alignment, for the absolutely perfect set of conditions, you might have a longer wait than necessary. This is a twist on the paralysis bu analysis maxim – which argues that enough information is enough information. Robin Sharma argues we should quit waiting for perfection:

"Stop waiting for perfect conditions to launch a great project. Immediate action fuels a positive feedback loop that drives even more action".

It's not just when we wait for the perfect situation to begin our tasks that we lose potential productivity opportunities. It's also when we try to perfect what we're doing. Larry Kim sums it up:

"Yes, a single piece of work can always be better, but what are you sacrificing by laboring over slight improvements? Do the best you can do in a reasonable amount of time, and then stop. Your inner perfectionist can be helpful, but it also needs to be kept in check".

Make A Verbal Commitment

If you're the kind of person who finds it tough to honour promises made to yourself – and let's face it many of us are, why not follow Larry's advice to make those same commitments to another person?

"It's easy to break a promise to yourself, but it's much harder to break a commitment you've made to another person. Words have weight and power--make vows to friends (and ask them to hold you accountable), and you may find it easier to keep commitments you wouldn't necessarily hold yourself to".

The Take Away

Build a better understanding of how you work at your best will pay you back handsomely. You will then be better placed to choose the times when you'll be at peak performance. You can choose more than when you work, you can also influence how productive you are by choosing where you work. Controlling your reactions to adversity and maintaining your focus are all skills which you can cultivate.

References

http://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/6-time-management-tips-to-increase-productivity-organizational-skills/

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/productivity-tips-40/ http://lifehacker.com/top-10-productivity-tips-from-former-presidents-1792454530

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html

http://www.inc.com/ss/13-productivity-hacks-help-you-get-more-done

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/09/become-the-most-productive-person-you-know/

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-01-28/top-10-tips-for-a-productive-workplace/

http://lifehacker.com/top-10-productivity-tips-from-former-presidents-1792454530

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html#sthash.tvZsA0SW.dpuf

https://staroversky.com/

16. Simplify It

It's Simple, Stupid – Focus On What Matters

Winston Churchill once gave a speech, which he began by apologising that it was going to be a long one. He hadn't time he said to write a short one.

President Woodrow Wilson said much the same thing:

"If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now."

One way to achieve a measure of simplicity is to narrow your focus.

Eric Schmidt, Google's executive chairman, says,

"I keep things focused. The speech I give every day is: 'This is what we do. Is what we are doing consistent with that, and can it change the world?'"

Jason Goldberg, CEO of Fab.com, has an alternative message:

Pick one thing and do that one thing—and only that one thing—better than anyone else ever could.

He argues:

"We can derive a great deal of power from developing a laser focus on our top business priorities. It's one of the attributes that sets apart the average businessperson from the more successful one.

The Take Away

When you commit to use your time, make sure that it is focused on your most important goals. That way you will make more progress. If you've got an important presentation to make, ensure you make enough time to deliver a short, simple message.

References

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/productivity-tips-from-incredibly-busy-entrepreneurs/

http://lifehacker.com/top-10-productivity-tips-from-former-presidents-1792454530

17. Step Back From It

Maintain Perspective

This article is about implementing productivity hacks that will help you get more done. Jeff Lawson reminds how important it is to keep a perspective on what you're doing. For example, many people advocate clearing your emails to zero each day – something which I do recommend. Jeff has his own take on this:

"Inbox zero is a fool’s errand. I don’t try to keep up. I feel perfectly fine picking and choosing what I want to engage in."

This is an an example of an important caution about following anyone else's advice. In the end, you have to make the choice about what'll work for you. No-one else can do that.

Step Away From The Daily Grind Too

As a Harvard Business Review makes clear, "in a knowledge economy, productivity requires more than perseverance — it requires insight and problem-solving".

HBR presents a strong case for allowing a space to open between the hurly-burly of the daily business hustle and gain some perspective.

"Research indicates quite clearly that we are more likely to find breakthrough ideas when we temporarily remove ourselves from the daily grind. This is why the best solutions reveal themselves when we step into the shower, go for a run, or take a vacation".

"Top performers view time off not as stalled productivity but as an investment in their future performance".

Larry Kim puts it succinctly, arguing that we you shouldn't drown in the shallow end of the pool.

"When a hundred little tasks are nibbling at your brain, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and lost at sea. However, a little perspective can do you good--remember to not sweat the small stuff. If you're going to worry, worry about the big things, not the little ones".

The Take Away

It pays to remember there's always a bigger picture available. Find ways to ensure you've got the ability to climb out of the detail from time to time and check to make sure your goal still makes sense. Finding time to regain a focus on your larger goals can help you recognise when it's time to reevaluate.

References

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/productivity-tips-40/

https://hbr.org/2015/12/9-productivity-tips-from-people-who-write-about-productivity

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

18. Manage Your Time

Expect The Unexpected

There's always something you didn't think of, and the chances are that it will make itself known to you when it's least convenient. Murray Newlands believes the problem is caused by over-tight schedules.

"If your schedule is so tight that you do not allow for the unexpected, you drastically increase your odds of feeling chaotic throughout the day. If you must be somewhere and you're able to make it in 15 minutes, permit 25".

"Leave tiny, unscheduled time blocks all through your day in order for you to have a buffer against the unexpected."

Use Deadlines And Time Constraints As A Positive

My father used to say: "if you want to get something done, ask a busy person". Busy people don't have time to procrastinate and often keep things moving as a result. However, there's also a false busyness where we feel like we're busy when actually we are caught up in distractions. Then it's too easy to let time just slip between our fingers, particularly when the world is full of so many interesting alternatives to the task in hand. The Daily Muse offers this advice:

"Even if you don't technically have a deadline on a task, set one for yourself. Knowing that you only have two hours to get something done will help ensure you don't waste an hour of it on the internet."

The fact is that Parkinson's Law does operate. The tasks we have have a habit of expanding to fill the available space. Of course the opposite can also be true as The ITV reported:

" The work we do in the two or three hours when our attention is at its strongest, are really what defines our productivity – not the hours we spend looking busy until the boss goes home".

Manage Meeting Time

As we've already seen, there are lots of things we can do to make sure the time we spend in meetings can be as productive as possible. Here's a further tip from The Daily Muse:

"Do not schedule more time than you need. Most meetings are scheduled for a full hour, when they should be 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or 45 minutes max".

Take Time For A Break

It's true that: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. In this context, "dull" means less sharp, weary and more liable to make mistakes or take longer to complete a task. Larry Kim suggest we should be kind to ourselves:

"Give Yourself a Break, Man! You work hard--you deserve a break! Maybe with a Kit Kat, maybe with a cup of tea, maybe with a walk in the park. It's easy to burn yourself out if you try to work at full throttle all day long. The truth is that our minds just aren't designed to work that way. For optimal productivity, try the popular and praised Pomodoro technique--work for 25 minutes, then give yourself a five-minute break".

Business News Daily took up this theme when discussing how to enhance personal productivity. It cites Kathleen Kobel, the woman behind Smart Business Mom:

"Take short breaks. Whether it's a walk around the block, a run to the nearby coffee shop, reading a magazine or visiting with a colleague, taking short breaks that are unrelated to your work can make a huge difference in your performance. Your productivity diminishes the longer you go without a break, Kobel told Business News Daily. Kobel explained that this is why it's recommended that people don't work more than 8 to 10 hours per day — at a certain point, your body and mind simply cannot produce anymore, she said".

The Daily Muse recommends you schedule plenty of breaks throughout your day. Building this into your daily schedule can be tricky, so they offer this tip for hard pressed and busy people whip struggle to male this happen:

"Try using an online timer to remind yourself to get up from your desk, grab a snack or some water, or chat with a co-worker for a few minutes before getting back to the grindstone".

For a more formulaic approach, here's Murray Newlands again, describing how he ensure that he makes time for breaks during his day:

"I utilize applied focus sessions where I do 45 minutes of focused effort, followed up by 15 minutes of something else. After 45 minutes, our ability to focus starts to taper off and we no longer optimally perform. I utilize those 15 minutes for strolling around, getting something to drink, answering calls, or anything else that distracts me from the activity at hand".

"Oftentimes, that's when my best ideas come to mind, and I wind up feeling invigorated and prepared to make things work."

Keep A Track On Your Time

There's always a possibility that time will pass without you noticing. This can be a big problem, particularly when we are concentrating hard on something. Over time these can lead to large amounts of time that we are unconsciously using. Bear in mind that time is a non-renewable commodity, it only moves in one direction. That's why so many people recommend we track our time:

"To figure out where your time is heading, attempt to keep a time log for one or two weeks. How much time is actually being lost on unimportant tasks? Where will the majority of your interruptions come from? Will they happen within specific periods of time or on certain days of the week? Once you have this data, it'll be simpler to eliminate time-wasting tasks, along with interruptions and distractions".

There are tools out there that can help you do this. They work in the background, keeping track of what you're up to. Here are are two that I've used:

Rescue Time

Toggl

If you use these tools you'll have a much better idea about how your time is being spent.

Over the course of a week or two, you'll start to get a sense of what the time-sucking culprits are—and be able to plan your attack for how you'll get rid of them.

The Take Away

Time is a non-renewable resource. To make the most of the time we are given is one of the more important productivity skills you need to master. It's also one of the productivity areas that spills over into the rest of your life. Find some ways to manage your time and you'll feel the benefits far beyond improved personal productivity.

References

http://www.inc.com/murray-newlands/11-awesome-productivity-tips-that-will-radically-improve-your-life.html

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-01-28/top-10-tips-for-a-productive-workplace/

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html

http://www.inc.com/murray-newlands/11-awesome-productivity-tips-that-will-radically-improve-your-life.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law

http://www.smartbusinessmom.com/

https://cirillocompany.de/pages/pomodoro-technique

https://www.rescuetime.com/

https://toggl.com/

19. Use Travel Wisely

Leverage Travel Time

Lots of us travel to work each day. Time spent commuting can feel like time that's lost. However there's lots of way we can leverage this time to become more productive. When driving I often listen to podcasts or Audible. Larry Kim makes the point:

"Those hours don't have to be wasted--consider scheduling calls in the morning that you can take during your drive to work".

Advice For Flyers

Flying is a whole other story. A few years back, Hughes Air West an airline that used to serve the western U.S. Made a study of the comparison between working when flying economy, first class and working in a normal office.

What they found was that one hour of uninterrupted work time in an airplane yielded the equivalent of three hours of work in a normal work environment.

As Brain Tracy explains

"The keyword was ‘‘uninterrupted.’’ If you plan ahead and organize your work before you leave for the airport, you can increase productivity by accomplishing an enormous amount while you are in the air."

See Travel As An Opportunity

Rather than thinking of travel as down time, Murray Newlands suggests we ask ourselves these questions instead:

"Can you find a method of listening to crucial data that you normally would need to read later?"

As he explains there's really no excuse for travel to reduce pour productivity.

"Have something around that you're able to do whenever you're stuck waiting around. Making use of time that normally would be wasted is an easy way to create more time for those things you have a desire to accomplish".

The Benefits Of No Distractions

As we've already discussed, the fact the airplanes enforce a restriction on connectivity on many flights, can produce a huge productivity boost.

The Take Away

Like a lot of the best productivity advice, travel is as much about our state of mind as it is about the situation we are in. If you can see your travel time as a productivity benefit you'll already be half there to improved productivity while travelling.

References

http://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/6-time-management-tips-to-increase-productivity-organizational-skills/

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

http://www.inc.com/murray-newlands/11-awesome-productivity-tips-that-will-radically-improve-your-life.html

20. Use Technology

Unlock Your Full Potential

Today's digital technology is amazing. In fact there's so much of it that it can sometimes be difficult to work out what to use and how to link things together. That's why I've written up the way I use my laptop and iPad. People where I work keep asking me how it all works so I thought I'd just write it down and share it.

If you'd like to see what I do you can read about it here.

The truth is that technology can be a big help in our efforts to become more productive – to spend more of our time, our energy and out attention on our most important goals. Adam Grant, a respected Professor of Psychology at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania writes:

"Most people type much, much slower than they think. Work on increasing your typing speed—or invest in voice recognition software. And then stop wasting time reading productivity tips."

Stop Repeating Yourself

On of my favourite tricks is to use keyboard short cuts to trigger large or small blocks of text to appear. It's one of the things that people have noticed when the see me working and it's probably the most commonly asked question I get. The Muse sums it up pretty well:

"Use canned responses to avoid typing the same things over and over again. For any email that you send regularly—or even just part of an email, like the wrap-up paragraph—create a canned response that you can pop in whenever you need it.

My favourite tool and in my opinion the best one out there is TextExpander.

Use The Cloud

There's no excuse for not having your documents, files and reference materials with you wherever you are and whatever device you're working on. There are many different cloud providers available. Some of the ones I use are:

Dropbox

Evernote

iCloud

Take a look at my setup here.

Stacia Pierce summarises the benefits:

"Take your important docs with you everywhere by using the cloud. Apps like Box.com and Dropbox enables you to access important docs, photos and music and more from any device and anywhere on the go. You can sync the files with your desktop so that you always have the latest version. Team members can comment on files, make revisions and more".

Help With Your Email Monster

Most of us have struggled with email occasionally (make that constantly - Ed.). I've written a piece about how I tamed my own beast which you can read here.

The Daily Muse has a recommendation of it's own.

"Use Boomerang to pull emails out of your inbox until you're ready to deal with them. This is useful for two reasons: First, it gets the message out of sight and out of mind, giving you space to think about other things. Second, it automatically reminds you about the email later on, giving you one less task to worry about tracking on your own".

Set up automatic filters to immediately pull emails out of your inbox and into the right folder. (This is a great option for things like newsletters that you want to come back to on your own time.) Daily Muse

Here's a great summary from Larry Kim detailing the technology he uses:

For tracking your time management, try Toggl or Yast.

Are you a savvy social manager? Go with Hootsuite, which offers a central dashboard for managing all your social media accounts. Also consider Buffer, which makes it super easy to share found articles across various social sites.

For saving articles to read at your leisure, go with Feedly, Pocket, or Evernote. These apps are compatible across devices; you can earmark a blog post on your laptop and read it later on the train via smartphone.

Sick of forgetting passwords (then resetting them, getting an email, and choosing a new password, which you'll forget again next time)? Try LastPass, which keeps tabs and secures all your various passwords for you. If you use numerous accounts in one day (and who doesn't?), this one can be a serious timesaver.

Personally, I prefer to use 1Password for keeping my passwords safe and Sprout Social for social media but this is a great summary nevertheless.

Have A Good Second Brain

Our brains evolved to think not to hold things in their short term memory.

Have a good second brain The human brain is incredible - but our brains are close to useless when it comes to short-term memory.

On average we are unable to hold more than five to seven things in this short term memory. But even this comes at a price – it takes a lot of memory power to accomplish even this meagre feat. That's why it makes sense to think of technology as a second brain – designed to be far more efficient at these sort of jobs.

ITV News reported:

"Keeping a good “second brain” – that is, a list of all the tasks we have to do, and a list of all the projects they relate to – allows us to free up our brain for the stuff it’s brilliant at, and not rely on our brain for the things it’s lousy at".

Don't Forget Your Browser Has Secret Powers Too

Bloggers have always used browser extensions to speed up their workflows. There's no reason why you shouldn't deploy the same tools to produce amazing productivity benefits during your day. Many of us spend lots of our time inside browsers, so each little moment that we save by using these tools can add up to significance numbers across the week.

Harsh Agrawal, a successful blogger offers this advice:

"Use Browser extensions Extensions or addons are great productivity tools for bloggers. Firefox is serving addons since long time. Recently Google Chrome also introduced extension. These extensions are very helpful for getting work done easily. You can use SEO tools to check website’s stats, YouTube extension to watch videos and also take notes without leaving your browser".

In my browser I have extensions for the following apps:

Instapaper

Evernote

Dropbox

1Password

The Take Away

It makes sense to deploy technology to do the jobs our brains aren't well suited to. My strong advice is to find a system and stick to it. There's plenty of good places to look for advice about how to do this. Start by looking at these websites and then make your choice.

The Sweet SetUp

Asian Efficiency

Healthy Leader Blog

References

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/productivity-tips-40/

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

http://lifecoach2women.com/main/ten-productivity-tips-for-business-owners/

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/23-best-productivity-hacks-of-the-year.html

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-01-28/top-10-tips-for-a-productive-workplace/

https://www.shoutmeloud.com/top-10-productivity-tips-for-bloggers.html

https://toggl.com/

https://www.yast.com/

http:/hootsuite.com

https://buffer.com/

https://feedly.com/i/welcome

https://getpocket.com/

https://evernote.com/

https://www.lastpass.com/

1Password

http://sproutsocial.com/

https://www.shoutmeloud.com/top-10-productivity-tips-for-bloggers.html

https://www.instapaper.com/

https://1password.com/

https://www.dropbox.com/

http://www.asianefficiency.com/

The Sweet SetUp

21. Write It Down

Understand Your Goals

There's something particularly committing about writing things down. It's not the same as tapping the same words into an electronic device. If you really want to build a productive day then why not follow the advice given from CEO Rachel Haurwitz?

"Know what significant goals you want to work towards every day. Many days, I start the day by writing, 'How I will build the company today' on a blank sheet of paper, and then I list a small number of high value tasks or goals for the day."

Clarify Priorities

Sometimes you can feel there after just too many issues jostling for attention. If you're leading a team one of your most important responsibilities is to provide direction, making sense of competing priorities and ordering priorities. Joe Zadeh tackles this dilemma head on.

"At the start of each week I write an email to my team to share what I’m focused on and what’s inspiring me outside of work. It not only forces me to prioritize my week, but the act of writing helps organize my thoughts clearly. It also means each week I’m making deposits into the 'context bank'; my team gets early transparency into what issues I’m thinking about. I find that all of these benefits accelerate me for the week by reducing confusion and need for 1-off meetings."

Fidji Simo, Director of Product at Facebook uses this weekly practice to stay focused.

"Write down your priorities on Monday morning, and rearrange your agenda for the week to make sure it will allow you to address these priorities. If I don’t do this, I find myself reacting to what’s most urgent during the week, instead of focusing on what’s most important."

Build Your World One Day At A Time

Sam McIntire believes that it is vital to stay on track and uses his daily goals to help him do that. If you can consistently spend time on your most important goals, then you will eventually achieve them. By writing down your daily goals you are making a clear commitment to spending some of you limited time and energy on them.

"Write down your daily goals. It's not always easy to keep track of everything you need to do, so start each morning by writing down your goals for the day. When your focus is broken or you find yourself procrastinating, you can use this list to keep you on track…"

Sam McIntire told Business News Daily.

"Write your list down on a Post-it or something that's clearly visible from your desk, then return to it when you need a reminder of what you should be working on."

Inspire Yourself: Make A Note Of What You've Done

Most things in life, if they are worth having, are not easy to achieve. That's why hard won achievements feel so good when finally we can say we got them done. You can build momentum for your self, as well as get a good old endorphin rush by building a practice of noting this successes down. Here's how Michael Peggs describes it:

"If I've already finished something, I write it down and check it off the list. It always feels good to see something get done."

Break Down Complex Projects Into Smaller Steps

When you want to accomplish something complex it's important to understand that even the most complex of undertakings is really only a series of steps which have to be taken. These steps are sometimes in sequence, sometimes running parallel to the main thread of what you're doing.

Before beginning any major project, spend some time working through all the elements that must be accomplished to deliver the end result. It's much easier to do this free form on a piece of paper.

The world renowned scientist Dr. Linus Pauling once said,

"The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas."

Most leaders and entrepreneurs are visionaries who generally don't lack good ideas; however, capturing all these ideas is often a challenge for busy people. Evernote is a popular, free program for collecting ideas.

There are also a lot of digital tools that can help you. There's a great list prof resources here. Some of my favourite ones are:

Evernote

MindNode

OmniFocus

You can read my advice about how to set up your mobile device here.

It's often easier to scribble while you're thinking. When you're blocked and unable to see what you have to do to get round a problem, Murray Newlands suggests:

"Think on paper. If you feel stuck, jot the issue down. Defining the issue on paper is going to assist you in sorting it out. Create a list of as many solutions as possible. Odds are, you have just solved your issue".

It's like this article from www.lifehack.org recommends:

"Every task, every commitment should be written down. This frees your mind from the energy- and attention-sucking job of trying to remember".

The Take Away

It can be easy to overlook the simple utility of paper and pen. As these experts can testify, there are many benefits to be gained from picking up your pen. Next time you are struggling to clarify your objectives, develop a plan for your big project, or problem solve, why not clear you desk, close your laptop and start writing?

References

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/productivity-tips-40/ http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5658-easy-productivity-tips.html#sthash.tvZsA0SW.dpuf

https://www.themuse.com/advice/45-productivity-tips-for-extremely-busy-people

http://www.inc.com/murray-newlands/11-awesome-productivity-tips-that-will-radically-improve-your-life.html

https://lifedev.net/2008/08/14/idea-capture-tools/

https://healthyleaderblog.com/blog/mobile-device-hero

#Productivity Tips

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