Category: Holidays & Every Day

I Bet Having A Robotic Clone Would Boost My Productivity

robot

Speaking with a client last week, we decided we need our own housekeeper to take care of stuff for us! But as I am unlikely to find an electronic Me any time soon, I need to accomplish my tasks as efficiently as possible!

I recently wrote about Finding Productivity in little bits of times (click here for the article: http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/5-ways-to-find-productivity-in-little-bits-of-time/).  As I wrote that article, I recognized that several of the Errands / Tasks listed, “Post office, newspaper, library, make banking deposit”, could be completed electronically.  For example, I bank and pay bills online, receive subscriptions via my IPad and read books on my kindle.  Since then, I have worked to simplify my errands and tasks using technology.

Even before the Productivity article, we had eliminated a number of regular errands through technology or automation, and you can try these, too!

  • Our regular prescriptions come by mail in 3 month supplies.
  • Our vitamins and nutritional supplements come by mail every three months, too.
  • I upload digital photos to the Walgreens website and pick up the printed items in-store.
  • Since 2012, I shop for cleaning supplies and personal items directly with a manufacturer that is USA based, eco-friendly, cost effective and ships directly to me. (If you would like to hear more about this opportunity, I encourage you to call my friend Mary Damiani, 708-699-6538, who shared it with me.  She can help you understand the value, plus answer your questions.) I’ve saved time and money by NOT shopping in stores for these items! Once a month, I place my on-line order and my items arrive a few days later.
  • Last November, we subscribed to Amazon Prime through Amazon.com. We pay an annual fee but no shipping costs for Amazon.com orders.  The membership paid for itself by Christmas.  Now, instead of shopping in stores, I check Amazon – for example, my husband has been watching Amazon.com prices on a replacement electric razor, and ordered it during a sale last week, with free shipping, of course.

To save even more time running errands, since July, I have tried these, and you can, too:

  • Set up my IPad to download books from my library.  It’s free, easy and I read more now than ever!
  • Fully embraced my PayPal Reader, so that I can receive client payments on my smart phone.
  • Downloaded my bank’s mobile app, but decided for safety sake not to make deposits from my phone.  I am, however, exploring how to deposit checks from my home computer.
  • Established a credit card for my business, so that I can use electronic transactions more.
  • Ordered items on-line for pick up in actual stores, like Lowes or Home Depot.  I don’t have to walk around the store and find what I need, instead its waiting for me when I arrive.
  • Downloaded apps for favorite restaurants to view menus, order food and / or organize special offers.

There are still some errands and tasks I have to complete in person.  Dropping off our dry-cleaning, getting a haircut, trying on clothes, getting my vacuum repaired.  But when I do run errands, I plan ahead.  I know exactly where the vacuum repair shop is located, or I make a haircut appointment so I don’t have to wait.

So, look at your errand or task list this week.  Imagine how you could simplify your list and your life by taking care of some tasks electronically!

Other great blog articles I read this week re Productivity:

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/10/amazons-brick-and-mortar-store-shouldnt-come-as-a-surprise/

http://bennisinc.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/have-you-fallen-into-the-deadly-trap-of-time-management/

Our Food Was All “Some Assembly Required”… Or “How I Spent My Sunday Afternoon”.

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We are all back to school and routines now.  The calendar is full and busy, but manageable. I have to admit, though, the 013extra-long holiday weekend last week messed me up in one area – Dinner.

Don’t misunderstand me – an extra-long weekend is always a good thing!  I just felt unprepared for the week.  We had plenty of food, but as I discussed with my teenager, everything was “Some Assembly Required” food.  We often survive busy school nights on weekend left overs, so we got into trouble when there were NO weekend leftovers!

So I tried a new strategy yesterday, menu planning on a larger scale than ever before.  Considering this week’s menu plan and the contents of my kitchen, I wrote down 11 food items to make in one Sunday afternoon.  Here is the list:

  • Oatmeal-butterscotch-dried cherry cookies, for lunches and for care packages for two beloved college students004
  • Banana bread, also to eat and send away, and to use up the overripe bananas in the freezer
  • Peach and plum crisp, for Sunday dessert005
  • Hard boiled eggs, to peel and have on hand for snacks and quick breakfasts
  • Tuna salad – all protein for me for lunches this week
  • Egg casserole, for the high-schoolers to heat up in the morning before school
  • Bread crumbs, for the meatballs and to have on hand
  • Meatballs, for a new recipe later in the week
  • Pork Roast and broiled potatoes for Sunday dinner
  • New recipe, Cheddar and Bacon bread, because let’s face it – you can’t go wrong with cheese or bacon!
  • Browned ground beef, for taco casserole Tuesday.006

What I learned from this process:

  1. I enjoy cooking, and I’m so glad I dedicated some time to making delicious, convenient and nutritious food for all of us this week. However….
  2. Five hours in the kitchen was a VERY long afternoon, and then there were still dishes to do after dinner. Next time I will cut back on my expectations and the allotted time.
  3. Start with clean counters and an empty dishwasher. The clean counters are obvious, but the empty dishwasher would have saved me clean-up time.
  4. Line up everything needed on the counter, with recipes, pans and ingredients, to make sure you have everything you need.
  5. Make double batches. A double batch of anything is no more trouble than a single batch.
  6. In addition, double up your prep. I used my Cuisinart and chopped onions for 3 recipes all at once. Not one tear shed!  I used my food processor to shred 2 pounds of cheese and to pulverize the bread into crumbs, too.
  7. I will ask for more help, either with cutting / chopping, or with clean-up. 
  8. I am already thinking about what to make the next time I do this, probably in a couple of weeks.

007If your weeknights are busy, considering cooking meals on the weekend to eat during the week.  Make your plan, lay out your supplies, crank up your favorite Pandora channel and get cooking!

Get Baking for National Cookie Day!

toffee cookiesDid you know?  December 4th is National Cookie Day, so this week’s blog is all about Holiday Baking!  I carry wonderful memories of baking with my mom as a child, and now my kids and I do the same!

Before you bake the first cookie, examine your personal Christmas traditions and expectations.  Do your traditions add to or detract from your enjoyment of the holidays?  Do you have traditions that you love? Do you have any that are more trouble than they are worth?

An example:

My mom made frosted butter cookies every Christmas.  There was mixing, chilling and rolling of dough; frosting and sprinkles; assembly and display.  It was a lot of fun.

A few years ago, in addition to our annual favorites, I decided to add the butter cookies to our list.  Yikes, what a chore!  I quickly realized the secret is the time spent together in loving and creative ways, not the actual frosted butter cookies.  So we now stick with our specialties, I call and thank my mother, and I let others frost and sprinkle.

One meaningful family tradition that we keep is making lemon bars on Christmas Eve.  The story goes, I was making lemon bars on Christmas Eve many years ago when I realized I was in labor for our oldest son.  He loves that story, so the tradition stays.

After you examine your traditions, Create Your Plan!

Pick your cookies.  Keep the list reasonable, don’t go crazy.  Here are our favorites:

Look at your list, read all the directions and ask yourself some questions (my answers are listed, too):

When can I bake?

  • I realized  that baking on a weekday in addition to regular life is just too much, so  I’m sticking to weekends.
  • Then again, I can prep my cookie dough on weeknights when I am making dinner, ball it and freeze the balls, then bake them on the weekends.

For what events are the cookies needed? 

  • We give cookies as gifts, plus serve them at various parties.  The first party is December 16th.

What cookies freeze well?  Make those early.

  • Toffee cookies and biscotti.  So I will make those soon, bag them up and freeze them.

What dough requires chilling?

  • Magi’s turbans.  So I assemble that dough first on baking day and chill it while baking the others

What recipes tie up my pans for a long time?

  • toffee cookies tie up my cookies sheets for hours of cooling, so I make 4 pans all at once, and nothing else

What recipes use specialty pans (and free up the cookie sheets for other things)?

  • Peanut butter cup cookies require my mini muffin tins, so the cookie sheets are free for something else.  So I will probably make those on the same day as the biscotti or Magi’s turbans.

So, considering my answers, here is my plan:

  • Today      – toffee cookies (4 pans cooling on the counter right now)
  • 12/9           –      2 types of biscotti, peanut butter cup cookies
  • 12/15        – magi’s turbans and just-for-fun cookies
  • Oreo           truffles are optional for the day after Christmas for a late-in-December party

Other tips:

  • Share specialty spices, supplies or baking dishes with friends or family to defray baking costs.
  • Enlist Aid.  Most of our specialty cookies require some type of candy.  My sons are great about helping with assembly and un-wrapping, and we all enjoy the time spent together.
  • Assemble cookies all the way to placing the balls on cookie sheets.  Instead of baking them, put the cookie sheets in the freezer and freeze the balls.  Store them in a freezer bag, and when you want fresh cookies, make a dozen or two as needed.  No need to defrost, the frozen dough can go straight into the oven!
  • Don’t store peanut butter cookies or mint cookies with anything else, or everything will taste like peanut butter or mint.
  • Try a cookie exchange:  Plan an event with 5 or more friends.  Have each attendee bring many dozens of their specialty cookie, and then swap at the cookie exchange.  Everyone goes home with a variety of yummy homemade cookies, and you can concentrate on one type you make really well.

Enjoy your baking and have a great Christmas season.  As for me, I need to go clean out my freezer to make room for the first batches of cookies!