Tag Archives: reviews

Musings

2 minutes (or less)

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February is designated as National Time Management Month. In this ever-increasing fast-paced world that tries to cram more commitments into a constrained 24-hour day, it seems even more critical to find efficient ways of doing work and other mundane things that will free up time for more enjoyable, less stressful activities. In fact, this is totally in keeping with the idea of this blog for “Taking to smell the roses”.

I wanted to share with you a mindset that has helped me over the past couple of months regain some wasted time I was creating for myself before. It is the Two Minute Rule in tip 160 of Jamie Novak’s book 1000 Best Quick and Easy Organizing Secrets. It’s a really simple idea: if you can do a task in two minutes or less, do it right then.

There were so many things that I would put off until later that actually ended up taking so little time. Instead, I’d fret about them, and of course the longer this would go on, the harder and longer it would be to get back into doing something that should have been able to be done quickly.

The most glaring example was the counters where my mail would accumulate. Sure, I’d quickly (sometimes) look through what had come in, but then just put it back into a pile to deal with later. Sometimes envelopes or boxes would go for days (dare I say months) going un-opened. Reshuffling the pile periodically to see what I should have attended to already took extra time. It took extra time to repeatedly pick up the piece of paper and re-read something to know what it was. And even then I might just put it off. And there we go with another cycle of wasted time.

How silly, I know. But that is the habit I had gotten into. It was wasting time!

Now I have a little game I play with myself to see how quickly I can get through each day’s mail. Each piece is quickly given the 2 minute (or less) test. When the mail/packages arrive, they are brought to a place close to a designated trash can. Each piece is quickly given the 2-minute (or less) test. Junk mail is immediately trashed. All other is opened immediately and filed or put into the designated place where it will be dealt with (e.g. a bills due by date file).

I know … this all seems pretty obvious. And so are most of the other 1000 tips in this book. But this tip and others in the book are something that have helped jog me into action to de-clutter my life of time wasters.

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Musings

A Nifty Measuring Tape

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Here is a nifty little gadget if you are in the market for a new tape measure to take easier, more accurate and consistent body measurements. It is the Myotape Body Tape Measure.

The Myotape Body Tape Measure
The Myotape Body Tape Measure

I’ve sometimes found myself having trouble taking my own body measurements. For example, how loose or tight to pull? Or trouble holding the tape while attempting to take a reading at the same time?

This tape is spring-loaded and retracts into the handle when not in use.

The measuring tape has a little peg on the end
The measuring tape has a little peg on the end

The handle is well-shaped to grab onto, which I normally would do, except that in this photo my other hand is holding the camera, lol.

To use, just pull the tape out the handle like a normal retractable tape. The difference is the little peg on the end. After placing the tape around the thing to be measured, slip the peg into the indention on the opposite side of the handle from where the tape pulls out. Do you see that in the photo?

Depending on what you are measuring, you can either make a loop beforehand or pull the loose end around the part to be measured. Then slip the peg into the indentation. The nice thing is that you can keep the tape loose while you get it in place.

Place the peg into the indentation on the handle
Place the peg into the indentation on the handle

Then de-press the button on top of the handle to snug up the tape. The spring-loaded mechanism self-adjusts to a consistent tautness. No more guessing about how loose or tight (and no more cheating!).

You only need to hold with one hand because the unit has connected into its closed loop. It’s easy to read the total measurement at the side where the tape pulls out. I usually release the peg and read off the number rather than attempting to read the number while it is still around my body. Then depress the button on top of the handle again to release the spring and retract the tape into the handle until the next time it is needed.

By the way, there is 1.75″ built into the total measurement. This is to account for the distance between the sides of the handle where the tape pulls out and where the peg inserts. Thus, this tape cannot measure something much less than a wrist or ankle. For example, it could not be used to measure around a finger or toe. But then, that is not something you or I are probably doing very often.

Taking a wrist measurement
Taking a wrist measurement

Here’s example of where I am taking a wrist measurement. For this, I simply had made a loop with the Myotape beforehand that was large enough to slip my hand through. Then depressed the button on the handle with my other hand. In this case it is easy to see what the total measurement reading is. But if the reading were not easy to see while the tape was still in place, I would just slip the peg out of its indentation and move the tape to where I could see. Of course, you don’t want to depress the button to retract the tape until you have your reading.

So that’s the Myotape Body Tape Measure. I could have lived without it (I have plenty of other measuring tapes), but now that I have it I find it indispensable for consistently accurate body measurements.

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Musings

Bringing the past of audio listening into vivid imagery

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After having experienced a well-produced audio book like The Help, I am convinced that sometimes we rely too much on the imagery that TV shows and movies place before us.

I had never really been a fan of audio books before this — I just didn’t seem to be able to get into them. In talking to an acquaintance who is a fan of audio books, she was amazed that I would not like audio books. She asked me why and I told her. Then she countered with “you just haven’t found the good ones”. The Help was at the top of her list for me to try. I had already had good reviews from other family members who had read the print book, but I had just not gotten around to it.

I checked with my local library for The Help audio book and was able to get it after a short wait. The audio edition is an unabridged huge set of 15 CD’s … that’s a lot of listening time. Yikes – 15 CD’s – what had I gotten myself into? And then as I set aside some time each day with my knitting and listened to a CD, I started getting so interested that I was not looking forward to reaching the 15th CD!

This audio book was very well done. I particularly liked that different people took on the different characters in the book. I thought this was much better than just hearing the same narrator speaking throughout the story (however, they try to imitate different tonal inflections or fake accents, it always sounds like they are the same person to me and I sort of zone out). I began to be so involved in The Help story, I could just ‘see’ the characters and felt I was living in that time. It was better than any TV or movie production could be, because it was my own personal production of imagery in my mind’s eye.

I sort of felt like my parents must have felt when listening to weekly ‘shows’ on the radio. Do you remember “The Lone Ranger” on radio (ok, I know I am giving away my age). My first recollections of that as a very young child was hearing the clip-clop of horses hooves simulated over the air waves while my parents washed and dried the dishes after suppertime. Of course, it was later turned into a TV show. I guess that is progress.

If you haven’t read The Help yet, I recommend this audio version very much. And even if you have already read the book, I am guessing that you might enjoy this audio version as well.

p.s. Some of you might be wondering about the little heart doily that partially shows in the middle photo. I knitted this doily from “Valentine” Design on pages 61 -62 of Marianne Kinzel’s First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. I made the small doily version on size US 2 needles using some red linen from my stash. The doily is sandwiched between 2 rounds of plexiglas and stands vertically in a holder.

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