by AJ
Giant in July? Oh-oh, serious Time Management needed!
April 22, 2009 in AJ's musings, Featured by AJ
At the end of March, there I was just pootling along nicely. I had 30 lenses to my name and thought “OK, time to make that push for Giant”. That gives me three months, (91 days) to make 20 lenses – OK make it 22 to be on the safe side. Gets out the calculator, approx one lens every four days. Hard, but not impossible as I already had an idea that would produce 13. Plus another “niche” that I had not even started on.
Then the e-mails started arriving.
HQ – 01 April
Q: Would you like to be an Angel?
A: Ooo, yes please!
Chef Keem – 09 April
Q: Since you have so much free time, would you like to become an author on SquidLog?
A: Actually you have just caught me at a time when I have completely lost the will to live because of all the stuff I have to do and I am heading up to the roof.
Ten minutes later
OK, I am back from the roof now – Ooo, yes please!
HQ (again) - 13 April
Q: Would you like to be among the first group to test drive a new group on Squidoo called “RocketMoms”? We will be setting various tasks, including publishing one lens every week for six weeks.
A: Ooo, yes please!
Then life got in the way. It was Easter. The girls were off school. It was my Mum’s birthday. Dad ended up in hospital for a few hours. Sparky had projects to do for school. Lizzie was just… Lizzie. Hubby decided to fix the old valve in the cold water tank in the attic. You know the story of the child with the finger in the dyke? Well that was me for a few totally heart stopping minutes as the simple DIY job threatened to go disastrously wrong, when all I cared about was that I was due to go out with a friend in an hour and I just HAD TO HAVE A SHOWER!
Two visits to see the new Golden Retriever puppies (ahhhh!) to help my parents choose one – oh joy, puppy pee on the carpet, whenever they visit for the next few weeks and please, please, please someone make sure our German Shepherd does not bury it nose down in the garden as that is what she likes to do with socks and cuddly toys!
So here we are, 22 days into April. I now have 31 lenses to my name and there’s 70 days to go until the Giant deadline to make 19 lenses. OK, make it 22 to be on the safe side. Gets out the calculator, approx one lens every 3.333 (recurring) days. Harder but not impossible. But OMG! (That’s Oh My Gosh – my Englishness is showing.)
I saw a comment recently by a Lensmaster who commented if you spend two hours making a lens, and it was said in the context of what a long time to spend(!), then you should invest some more time promoting it. Two hours? Whaaat! Can someone please tell me how to make a “quality lens” in two hours? I have managed to make a couple of lenses in just under three hours, but TWO hours?
It usually takes me at least two DAYS to make a lens. One day for research, including key words etc and then another day to add the pics, links etc.
So just where has April gone? Well, I produced one new lens (Squidoo Angels), I have been carrying out my Angel duties (just about into a routine now), I have been visiting the SquidU forum, I have tried to keep up with my two blogs (failed miserably), I have been looking at One Week Marketing (interesting stuff) and I have been managing my time VERY BADLY.
Gets out all her old training manuals. (I used to train people in Business Startup.) Now where is the manual on Time Management? Rifles through box full of business “stuff”. Bingo!
But I have a confession to make. As I was sorting through the box, I got kind of distracted. I sorted out some folders that had nothing to do with the aim of finding the manuals. I ended up doing some tidying in the office, so I could find room for the manuals to go in the book case, which meant that I had to sort through some other files to make space……
Yep, I certainly need to get into some serious time management.
To be continued….
[ratings]
With thanks to 
Overheard on twitter...
And I thought I was in a rough spot
drifter0658’s last blog post..Eyes To The Left: How Eyetrack III Can Help
Welcome, author! Same predicament. :/ Hope you get it situated before it turns into something like 22 lenses in 15 days. Whew! But, I believe you’ll find a way. ….Somehow. Hopefully.
MiMi’s last blog post..Word Game on Twitter
Welcome, AJ! You’ll be just fine. Don’t forget – the Giant Squid Committee looks at the ‘big picture’ when evaluating the quality of a lensmaster’s content. Even if you make a few shorter lenses, YOU will always provide an interesting read. Not all pages have to be long masterpieces to count toward your Giant application.
Ah, yes! I certainly identify with all of your comments and frustration — and then computer gave me the blue screen of death on Saturday. Sometimes there is nothing to do but laugh!
I really have reached the point that I just do the best I can every day – and move on. I am not the best angel or the best team captain or the best blogger or the best lensmaster — but I am in there day after day doing the best I can. And for now, that is enough.
We just have to learn to know our limitations and stay off the guilt trips! lol lol Preachin to the choir, as they say in the South! We are all in the same boat!
I can totally relate. For a few seconds I was considering a push for Giant 100, after I postponed already for the last 2 deadlines. Looks like June isn’t going to happen either, but ok… there’s always September!
Thank y’all for such a lovely welcome! You are right dear Chef when you say long masterpieces dont have to be the norm – just trying to figure out how to hit the brakes when I am planning a new lens. I map it out, then I get more ideas, then more ideas. Am sure some of the lenses I have in WIP could actually be made into two – now there’s an idea…..
AJ’s last blog post..Announcing my new lens
Just dropping by to ask, so are you still on target to complete 50+ lenses by the deadline? Didn’t I see that you are quite close now. Can’t wait to see your next lens — bet it will be a good one.