Tuesday, October 5: Living Room Pick-up

So far, I had been doing a pretty good job of keeping things picked up in the living room. However, slowly but surely, things began to spread out and I can see the clutter starting to build. So, even if I spend only 15 minutes a day, I want to make some progress toward de-cluttering and/or organizing each day. This is the start I will make for today.

I also want to exercise, even if only for 15 minutes a day. Admittedly, I feel much better when I exercise longer, but that is not something I can do on an everyday basis during school. So, before it gets any later and I wait any longer, I will do 15 minutes of exercise and 15 minutes of de-cluttering TODAY!

Sunday, August 15: Office at School

As you may know, school starts next week so I decided to take a brief detour yesterday and work on my office at school. Below is the "before" picture. I'm not sure if you can tell how cluttered my office is. There is actually quite a bit of stuff on the floor in front of this desk as well as all the stuff piled on my desk.

What did I get done yesterday?
I was there for almost 5 hours and sorted through almost everything that was visible up to, but not including, the Lance Armstrong poster. Behind the Lance poster, there are several stacks of stuff that have been there at least a year. While I am not eager to look at what is there, I know that I need to eventually. I also need to be able to move a lot of the books and notebooks out of my office but that will be difficult to do since I cannot get my car very close to the building where my office is located (due to construction:-( I am hoping that as we get closer to school starting, I will be able to park closer, but in the meantime, I was able to carry out several loads of books and papers... which means I have more work to do at home!!

Guess I better get back to the work I brought home with me!

Thursday, August 12: Furniture Updates

Here are more updates on the furniture that I completed yesterday (Wednesday, August 11). The first is the hutch, which was already completed, but needed to be added to the smaller desk next to the computer desk. Since I could not lift the hutch onto the desk by myself, I was able to do that with Lori's help when she came yesterday. It may not mesh perfectly (probably because one desk has been there longer than the other), but it looks pretty good to me. More importantly, this now includes a cabinet of drawers in which I will be able to file a number of things, such as bills and/or receipts.

The second piece is a large filing cabinet on which another hutch will be built. I built the filing cabinet yesterday while Lori was here. I had started the hutch for this cabinet before but had to put it on hold when I realized that I needed the lower cabinet on which to put it.

What is left to do in terms of building furniture?
1. Finish hutch and put it on file cabinet.
2. Build two book shelves.
3. Build large desk for middle of room.

I am hoping to finish these pieces by the weekend. But more importantly, I need to make significant progress toward organizing the stuff that goes into my new office. (Any ideas?:-) Hopefully by next week, I can send photos of how the finished product looks!

Saturday, August 7: I need to get motivated!

This morning was graduation, which meant I had to get up much earlier than I am accustomed to getting up. I won't complain because I know some of you get up in the middle of the night to deliver papers (LeeAnn:-) Anyway, my plan was to stay at school and work on organizing my office. However, after I got home, I realized that I have not done much since taking the 'before' pics of the dinette. In fact, since I have not yet posted those pics on my blog, I thought I would post them here so you can see where I am, and perhaps offer some words of encouragement. I seem to be at that point in the summer where I know there is a lot more stuff I need to be doing--I just don't know where to start! It did help to talk to Mary Jo earlier today, since she told me that she struggles with getting motivated, too. It helped to know that I was not alone. But how do I get past the fact of always feeling tired and not having much energy?

Anyway, the two pics below are different views of the dinette. Looking at it, I can see that there are about 3 big bins that I need to sort through. That is the most overwhelming part of it--where to put things when I sort. Included in the papers are bills, receipts, notes and readings from classes, as well as work that I have done on research.

Oh yeah, and there are some newspapers in the above photo, which means they must be significant because I haven't ordered a regular daily newspaper for awhile. Still, I need to figure out where to put everything as I sort through it. For now, my plan is to work in this area for about an hour and see what I can do during that time. Hopefully I will have some progress to report by tomorrow. Hope you are more motivated than I seem to be!

Where did July go?

Remember when I said I would be posting on this blog daily? Well, I obviously have not done that. But it does not mean that I haven't been busy (and in some cases productive) over the past month or so. It is now just about two weeks until we start meetings for school, and three weeks until school starts. That reality always evokes a certain sense of panic. Of course, if I had been teaching summer classes, I would still have this week of classes to teach. So at least I do not have that. But I still feel a sense of urgency, as I am sure most of you do as well.

The past several weeks have been especially eventful, as Mary Jo, Jenny, and Lee Ann can attest. About two weeks ago, I flew out to CA to visit the Rangel's for a week. It was a great visit (from my perspective) and without a doubt the hottest weather I have experienced all summer! Besides getting to visit with Raul, MJ and Kev, Courtney drove to Bakersfield from San Diego and visited for a couple days. I also got to see my friends John and Rebecca McMillen, who drove down from Fresno to have dinner with us (MJ and me) on my birthday. All in all, it was a great visit!

Meanwhile, back in OH, Chuck, Lee Ann, and Jenny were dealing with Mom and Dad's increasingly demanding needs for care, since Dad was admitted to the hospital, and Mom needed 24/7 care. It all came to a head while I was in CA, when Mom and Dad were admitted to Manor Care Nursing Home, thanks to arrangements made largely by Lee Ann and Chuck. I had to wait till the end of this past week to see them. Below is a pic of them when we visited this past Saturday. After posting this photo on facebook, a former student wrote: "You have the happiest parents in the world!:-)" If only he knew how happy Dad is to be in a nursing home...

Anyway, all of this is to say, it has been (unexpectedly) busier than I had anticipated. Of course, there could not have been a better time to spend with family than during the summer. But it also means I have not been quite as productive as I would have hoped.

Nonetheless, I wanted to catch up on what I have been doing and let you know what remains to be done. I am pretty sure that I will not complete all that was on my "To do" list posted several months ago. However, I have accomplished more than I had anticipated. The important thing is to do what I can to make the most of the remaining weeks before school starts (i.e., to "maximize my potential," as Dad would say). Below is what I have put together of the furniture that I got from Sauder's. John (McMillen) suggested that I do one piece per day when I got back from CA. I haven't been able to do that much but I have almost completed the fifth piece which puts me almost halfway there. The hutches have been the most difficult pieces to build.

I won't make any promises about when I will post next, but hopefully it will be sooner than last time, and even more hopeful--I will be getting a lot done in the next few weeks.

"But I don't know where to start..." That's NO EXCUSE!

You've probably all heard me say (at one time or another) that "I don't know where to start!" Maybe you've even said it yourselves:-) Yesterday, when I met with Trudy, I heard myself saying it once again, until I realized that it was just an excuse. I had to decide if I was going to continue to make excuses, or determine to move forward. I have chosen the latter, but as always, I need your help.

Trudy gave me some suggestions of things I need to do to get started. Of course, now I cannot find the paper on which I wrote her suggestions, which is one of my biggest frustrations! However, I am going to use that as motivation.

Here is what I remember:

1. Post "To-Do" list on blog entry. [I did that last night--see previous entry].

2. Set up Google Calendar. This is what I have so far: http://www.google.com/calendar/render?hl=en&tab=wc

3. Look online for new desks to put in office, which I am preparing to set up in the front bedroom (formerly a mess). The desks below are examples of some that I found online. As you can see, these are quite nice, but I have no idea what they would cost. One of the things that sometimes deters me from organizing is that everything I have is such a mishmash. I would like to have things match, and maybe even get furniture that I don't have to put together:-)

These look like sets that belong in a house that is bigger than mine, but they also contain some elements that appeal to me. I like the arrangement of the one below with the desk in the middle, and lots of storage. I am also looking for a desk on which I can put the keyboard. The desk I now have has a small slat that pulls out. In order to type on it, I cannot sit close to the desk. Also, the monitor is about 6-8" higher than the height of the desk, which gives me a crick in my neck whenever I use it!

The next one has a lot of storage. I'm not sure what kind of wood I would like in the room where I will have my office, but I am thinking lighter rather than darker would be better. Most of the book cases I have are some variation of oak, so that would always match. I don't think any of these examples are oak.

The next one looks neat and functional and would fit with anything I have. Let me know what you think of the three arrangements. In addition, if you come across something simpler, let me know that too. I found these at the following website: http://www.closetfactory.com/home-office.php

Continuing my "to-do" list:

4. Clear out stuff in front bedroom so I can move office into it. Thankfully, Lori helped me to get started by transferring a lot of stuff to the basement. I still need to put all of my video tapes somewhere, but I will return to that later.

5. Once I have cleared everything out, I can sweep and clean the carpet to get it ready for setting up the office.

There is one more link that I found while I was searching online and that was Julie Morgenstern's website, so I wanted to include it here: http://www.juliemorgenstern.com/Organizing.php

Tomorrow, I will continue with steps 4 and 5, AND will post another blog entry so you can see how I am doing with the "To-do" list.

btw, several people said they could not remember how to post a comment on the blog. One way is to sign in to your gmail account. The other is to write a comment, and then when you go to post it, it will ask for the account or password that you use. I'm not sure if that helps, but I hope it does. Thanks, in advance for everyone's help and support!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Things to do

Note: I wanted to post another blog entry today. As you may remember, I spoke about making a list of things to do. I actually started this list about two weeks ago, but never finished it and consequently never posted it. I am going to explain more and also indicate which of the following I have completed. But, since I would like to get to bed before midnight, I will leave it at this for now.

Doctor’s and other appointments:

1. Dentist (Dr. Trent Hire): teeth cleaning
a. Implant (upper left)
b. Sensitivity (front teeth)
2. Eye appointment (check with Dr. Archer in BG, Diane Euler’s recommendation)
3. Ck. on results of tests at Dr. Horrigan’s
4. Hair appointment (mid-June)
5. Pap smear
6. Mammogram
7. Foot doctor (in Toledo) to check on arch support and plantar fasciitis
8. Massage
9. Check-up on thyroid (Cleveland Clinic)
10. Appointments with Trudy

Grad Students

1. HMSL 6350: Sport & Society
a. Provide feedback on Group (Olympic) project
b. Finish giving feedback on blogs and journals
c. Organize notebook with readings
2. Bryan Gasser (check online posts)
a. Meetings typically at 4-4:30 Fridays
b. Poster Presentation: Tuesday, June 22
c. Final Project due: July 29
3. Nick Porter: not registered
a. Poster Presentation: Tuesday, June 22
b. Final Project due: July 29
4. Adam Brill: moving to AZ at end of June
a. Meet to decide how to complete project
5. Nathen Eldridge: meeting times vary
a. Not graduating until next spring
b. Working on project with Mickey Cochrane
6. Grant Wallace: need to find time to meet
7. Steven Wright: finished in Spring
a. Grade interview assignment
b. Submit letter with change of grade

Undergrad Students

1. SM 3950: Sport in the global marketplace
a. Go through and select readings
i.Submit selected readings for E-Res
b. Make up course outline
c. Determine topics/speakers for each session
i. Invite speakers [Geoff/Adrian (soccer/futbol); cricket; Sungho (Korean
golfers)]
d. Make up assigned reading list: submit with selected readings to E-Res
2. SM 2210: History & Philosophy of Sport
a. Organize stuff from Sport Centennial Project
i. Decide what to include for Fall semester
ii. Submit stuff to Archives at Jerome Library
3. Generally need to keep up with requests to meet and/or do paperwork
4. Go through list of advisees (n = 100)
a. Update advisees with files
b. Remove files of students who have graduated
c. Make files on computer to update messages

Living Room

1. Sweep carpet
2. Put away videos
3. Arrange books in book shelves
4. Finish arranging furniture, including lights
5. Put up pictures
6. Decide where to store guitar and music
7. Take “after” photo for blog

Kitchen

1. Clear off counter (permanently)
2. Arrange stuff in shelves so that things are more accessible (e.g., bill paying,
letters)
3. Decide where to keep exercise bike?
4. Throw out stuff that I’m not using! (e.g., empty medicine bottles)

Dinette

1. Take “before” picture
2. Sort through containers and furniture
3. Finish shredding papers
4. Move big circular chair out and decide where to keep it
5. Clear off kitchen table
6. Decide which books to keep in kitchen (or move book shelf to another room)

Saturday, June 12, 2010: USA vs. England in World Cup

This will be a brief entry today since it is already late afternoon and I still have not finished writing and revising the chapter that I had hoped to complete by today. Earlier, I took time out to watch the World Cup game between the U.S. and England (it ended in a tie, 1-1, which is a virtual victory for the United States, in case you have not been following the coverage). In any case, I tried these two arrangements of furniture.

View 1: Couch is to left (facing it) of coffee table and color of vase picks up colors in the two pics.

View 2: This arrangement was suggested by my friends Antonia and Geoff, who visited a few nights ago. In this view, the couch is closest to the wall, and sits at an angle, while the coffee table is to the right.

The one other thing I might change is the arrangement of pictures. When Mary Jo did them before, she had them at different heights and I liked that better. So, I am thinking that I will put the middle picture higher, and the picture on the right lower. Let me know what you think.

Friday, June 11, 2010: New Beginnings

I have now finished putting the living room back together and here is what it looks like: The top photo shows where the new TV is.

The second photo shows where the small couch is. I like this arrangement, at least for the time being, because it opens things up and will make it easier to have company. Now I need to decide where to put the pictures that were formerly on the front wall (where the TV is now). I really liked the arrangement Mary Jo did before. Any suggestions?

The following is what I wrote earlier in the day, so my next blog post will be tomorrow. I'm baaack!:-)

A few days ago, Mary Jo asked if I was keeping up with my blog. And I had to say that I had not made any recent entries. I have written here sporadically, even though I had intended to write on a daily basis. The idea behind keeping up with this blog was that I wanted to do what I have been doing with research. Almost two years ago, I joined the Academic Writing Club. It is a network of academics who need external motivation or structure to keep up with writing on a regular basis. Each day, people write their goals for the day, and how much time they spend writing and/or reading. My ultimate goal is to spend about 2 hours per day on research. By doing it on a daily basis, and prioritizing, I find that I have greater continuity. I had hoped to transfer that same principle to organizing and managing my time. However, it was easy to put that aside since I had not yet prioritized; therefore, if the French Open was on, or I didn't get as much sleep, I excused myself from following through. Today I realized that if I do not set this as a priority, it will never become a habit. So, I wanted to start today by saying: this is a priority. For now, this is all I will write, because I am going to work on research. But I will be back later today to provide more input about what I want to accomplish--today and in the days to come.

One other thing I want to add: one of the motivations of doing the Writing Club is that there is a "community" of others who have similar goals. Therefore we are encouraged to write comments or give "applause" to those others as they meet or even strive for their goals. That is why I have asked you to read and provide feedback for my project. I want to thank and express my appreciation for each person who does that. Thanks for now. I will return:-)

My goal for today: clear off the counter in the kitchen.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

I know it has been over a week since I last posted on my blog. That was because I decided to take a real break until after the French Open. I have still been working during that time, making gradual changes in the living room, doing research, and trying to keep up with student advisees (an ongoing responsibility). The first pic below shows the results of cleaning the second half of the living room. The carpet is now dry and I have pretty much put things back together, including my new big-screen TV (2nd pic below). The first picture was taken about a week ago when the carpet was still drying.


The second picture shows the big screen television I got about 10 days ago. While it arrived and I have been able to watch it since a week ago Sunday, I had to make a number of adjustments, so it wasn't fully operational until this past Friday. If you ever get a big-screen with HD, you will need to get an HDMI cord to plug in to the TV and the cable box (it cost about $20). I didn't have it at first, and the picture was not as clear as it now is.

I will send another pic of the room after I do some more rearranging--hopefully later today. I have also made a list of all the things I would like to accomplish in the next 10 weeks. I got quite a bit done yesterday--not so much in the way of organizing, but doing errands at school. I will figure out a way to share the list.


Right now, the main thing I need to do is find a way to get a good night's sleep. After getting up around 11 a.m. yesterday, I have not slept at all, which means I am going on 28.5 hours without sleep. And I have taken two 20-mile bike rides in the interim! Hopefully I will still have enough energy to make some progress organizing today!

Saturday, May 22: Living Room

I just finished working in the living room and am preparing to clean the furniture and carpets. This is not necessarily the arrangement I will keep after I get the big-screen television. But it does open things up a lot more than it was. It really helped to have Lori here to help with cleaning and organizing. If I can finish doing the carpet and furniture, I should be ready for a new TV by Monday! The next picture you will see here will feature a new arrangement:-) The only thing I forgot to do today was take a "before" picture. I will be sure to do that for the next room! And oh, by the way, Lori is coming again on Tuesday!!

Let me know what you think!

Friday, May 21: Back in BG

I am back in BG after a brief visit to North Canton. This is a pic of Mom and Dad, after Mom just had a permanent. Although she is standing with some support, she has been using a walker to get around.

While I was in North Canton, I hoped to be able to catch up on reading from one (or both) of Julie Morgenstern's books--Organizing from the inside out, and/or Time management from the inside out. However, I read neither! Instead, I got caught up with Mom and Dad's schedule and ended up on "Mom and Dad Time" (MDT). So, I have returned to BG without having accomplished much of anything that I had hoped to do by the end of the week. And I still do not have a master plan that is written out. I have a "To-do" list but a list is not the same as a plan, as I may have mentioned earlier.

The good thing about this weekend is that tomorrow Lori is coming--she has been doing cleaning every other weekend, so I plan to work during that time as well. My goal is to clear away as much paper work as possible.

I noticed that there are some more comments since the earlier ones so I will go back to the last post and add my replies as well. Thank you all SO MUCH for your support! It really motivates me.

Monday, May 17, 2010: Getting (Re)started

Apparently this is not the first time that I have set about "planning" to organize my time and physical surroundings. In fact, I found a journal that I wrote after my junior year in college. On May 17, 1970, exactly 40 years ago, I wrote the following:

...I need to "just basically GET ORGANIZED!

On May 18, 1970, I elaborated:

"If I want to get really organized, it's going to take more than just a couple hours. It's going to involve sorting through things in the attic, like mail I've gotten for the past 20 years until now, putting it all together, filing and sorting and putting it in a useable system. There's lots of resources there, but it's a matter of organizing (just like with tennis--I have lots of ability but it needs to be put into a workable framework and that takes patience to develop and the ability to determine priorities). Besides correspondence, I have books to sort through and put in shelves in Mary Jo's old room and we could work out a way to fix that up as an extra room. After dinner, we can work out a plan of how we want that room arranged and then if we spend a small time each day we can come up with something satisfactory."

Many things have changed in the past 40 years--I have finished college, played and taught tennis professionally, called lines for the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match, lived in Texas, California, Illinois, Michigan, and now back in Ohio, got my Master's and Phd, and rode my bike cross country.

One thing has not changed--I still need to get organized!! Apparently, that has not been the priority that those other things were. It's time to make it a priority. Today it is.

After making a one page list of things that I need to do that are related to school, I came up with the following ideas to start in my living room:

1. Video tapes: need to be cleared out of the living room, labeled and put in a central location.
2. Magazines: sort and store.
3. Bills: file receipts for bills paid.
4. Paperwork: shred what is not needed; sort and organize notes, readings for future reference.
5. Clear out furniture.
6. Vacuum and shampoo carpet.
7. When all of above is completed: Buy a big-screen TV (in time for French Open)!

How does that sound?