Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Calendars- A tool for Organization

   Use your calendar to be more organized in both your home and work life.Calendars come in all shapes , sizes , and types.  One of the first major tasks is figuring out which kind works best for you.
There are also month at a glance, daily planners, weekly calendars, and personal size calendars.

  When a Calendar is used regularly and effectively it becomes an important tool to having a well organized life.  You want a calendar that you can  carry with you .

  Some tips on using a Calendar to be more organized.

1. Use only one calendar! Make it a size  where you will take it with you- especially if you are a working person!

2. A good calendar may also include : a telephone directory , an expense record, and extra pages for additional  places to take notes, makes lists. ect.

3. Write down EVERYTHING!  Even if you have an appointment the same day and time each week- write it down!

   In my planner, I have a monthly calendar, and a weekly calendar. Each week I check the appointments / meetings, and activities  and then write them down on my weekly sheet.  I will also add other activities and tasks that need to be done , both at home and at work. In this way, I keep ton top of all important items that need  attention.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Becky's Book Review Blog

   Becky's Book Review Blog is a site that offers many reviews of her favorite types of books.  She provides reviews of books from children to adults, mostly Ya to Adult. Becky loves to read and her mission is to promote reading/ Her focus on reviews will help Ya's , parents, teachers, and librarians to keep up with the best books.

   She gets books from publishers, the library, and the bookstore. She updates her blog at least 5 times a week.  She writes a review for every book she completes. She does not however complete every book she starts.  Her claim is promote the  love of reading and to connect books with readers. And yes, she has a library degree.  There is an extensive book review policy. She also offers tips on "operation Actually Read Bible" which encourages all to read the bible verses and keep track of it.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Gnooks- Discover New Authors

  Gnooks is a community bases system of the gnod engine.  On this site you can discover new authors , discuss your favorites and learn new titles that are similar to your favorites.

  The gnod engine also provides similar links to music, movies, and art.

  There is a search block for Gnods suggestions when you can impute your favorite authors. The site will give you a list of  suggestions of authors and titles to try.

   Under the "Map Of Literature" block you can type in an author. The site pulls up a 'wordle" of authors that write similar styles to your favorite.  The closer the name is to your favorite the more similar they are to the style and genre. When you click on an author it takes you to another 'wordle" of authors.

  The literature forum gets you into a discussion of a certain author and their works  The latest discussions are listing on the right hand side of the main screen.

  If you want to participate in all the functions of the site you need to be registered and logged in. They use Florke as the systems that provides members with the discussion community.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Manage your time with a Kitchen Timer

     Using a kitchen timers can help you manage small blocks of time. It may sound silly, but it does work.  Once you turn it on, then you have two goals: Finish your project before it dings or try to get done before it dings.  Then when you are done, you can cross off the job that has been completed.

  Use your Timer

1. To remind yourself to make a phone call.

2. Promise yourself to work on something for say 10 minutes on something you do not want to do.

3. Use  your timer to go off when you need to be reminded to do a specific task.

4. Divide yo your time/ day . Spend say 30 minutes on one project and another 15 on another.

5. Play ' beat the clock" and set your timers and try to get all your tasks done in that time period.

6. Use your timer to control length of meetings or discussions.  Each person gets a certain amount of time to speak / present their points.

7. Use your timers to work out length of time for specific regular tasks. Then continue to use  the timer to make sure you stay on task and complete items in the time frame required.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

RA For All - great Blog!

   The blog I  just discovered is "RA for All" and it is a great resource for public librarians who want information on good reads for their patrons.  Part of the mission of this blog is to help librarians in their quest to provide advice to both fiction and non-fiction readers.

  The author provides links, lists , and news about Readers Advisory.  He teachers a class in Readers Advisory( Dominican U- Graduate School of library and Information Science.) so he also shares some of his students work.

   There are also book review,s and links to other book review blogs to provide even more reviews.

 On the right hand side, three are links to book discussions, links to ideas for elementary librarians,( Sturdy for Common Things)  and other blogs with interesting content and book reviews.

The content here is interesting , informative , and addictive. I think you will find a lot of content to give you ideas and inspiration!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Managing Interruptions

  How do you manage interruptions?  Do you get interrupted  and then lose your focus to the job at hand?  Does your day seem like a feeble attempt  of getting your to do list and mostly a series of one interruption after another?

  Here are a few strategies  that may help you

Phone interruptions- the worst

  1. Ask your clerk or secretary to hold all calls. ( while you are working on a specific project during a specific time period.  ) If there is an emergency then of course  they would interrupt you.

2. If you take phone solicitations- again ask your clerk/ secretary  to get details . In my building, it is easy as we do not take phone soliciations as part of our policy- so the clerk / secretary can simply tell the telemarketer.

3) Let  your answering machine  work for you. Even easier if you have phone number id.

Work Interruptions

1) When you have a block of time for a special project ( and you have an office or cubic) shut the door and put up a sign DO NOT DISTURB !

2) When interrupted by a patron , student , or co- worker ask: How Can I help you?  Have them get right to the point. Help them with whatever- then get back to work!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Procrastination

   Are you a procrastinator?   Most of us procrastinate in one area of our lives or another.  There are many reasons why we procrastinate: fear of failure, wanting to do something else, feeling overwhelmed ,or being just plain lazy.

   First determine what situation cause you to procrastinate. The best way to overcome procrastination is to start small.  Figure out what it is you need to have done.  Take 10 or 15 minutes and tell yourself  you will just start the task.  (By breaking the task into smaller increments , you will feel better about starting, and you will see that you did accomplish a small portion of the task/ job.

  I like to break down large projects into do-able task.  The other thing that helps is writing down steps/ activities that need to be done and due dates when you want each segment done.

   Another help is to keep your written tasks in front of you , so you can grab a few minutes to do one part.
Then cross off /or date  each segment, and  you'll be able to see your self getting the job done.

   Some other tactics to stop your procrastination : offer yourself a reward/ bribe for the completion of the task or project, delegate part or all of the job, clean your workspace and leave only the task at hand out, or trick your self: I 'll only do one page today"

  Check out my book"The Organized Library" under the tab Books for Sale for more ideas on how to get more done.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Bookish

  Bookish is a great site that gives readers expert book recommendations. The mission of
Bookish is to engage readers with more stories , books, and authors,\.

  Bookish features great content about both new and notable books  Through this site you can read reviews , check ratings  , and read a sample.  If you are registered you can 'add to  your bookshel' and purchase books in various formats.

  You can get recommendations  to great reads by typing in titles, and then Bookish leads  you to other titles that are similar  or by the same author.

  You can also search by subject( cooking, children's, biographies,mysteries, romance, and Ya just to name a few.

  Check out down at the very bottom of the page  to just browse.  There are further recommendations lists of best sellers , and prize winning books.  I think you may find Bookish  an extremely valuable resource for both librarians and  book lovers.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Being organized- What are the Benefits?

  Being organized means being able to find what you are looking for, getting tasks m and activities done in a timely manner, and being in control of your life responsibilities, activities, and events.

  When you figure out which ( or all areas of your life that are not working, then it is time for you  to take the steps to learn how to be organized.  Start with one area that needs to be organized.  As you learn this skill, then you can select another area and continue to the organization bug spread to the rest of your life.

 You will  surprised how much more effective you will be and how much more smoothly  your day will go.

  If you are organized at work, then start to work on the other areas that need help.  I will be writing some posts that will give  you ideas to help you get started.