Never Can Say Good-Bye: Five Ways To Do This

This is the season for send-offs, goodbyes and farewells. Students everywhere are returning to school, some for the first time as they are now off at college. We are also bidding adieu to another summer season and welcoming the fall season. These are indeed tough and bittersweet endings.

Would you like to make these easier? Here are a few ways.

1. Take lots of pictures and look at them about once or twice/week.

We are in a photo and video taking and making era. Therefore, capture as many of these moments as possible for keepsake and nostalgic purposes.

2. Stay in touch but give some distance.

Cell phones and social media make it easier to keep in touch with someone that has moved away. However allow them to properly adjust and don't hold on to them too tightly. Basically talk to them about two-three times per week, not everyday. Absence can truly make the heart grow fonder and the adjustment smoother.

3. Have a farewell bash/dinner.

This can apply to even the end of summer. You see plenty of Labor Day weekend parties and such, signifiying the end of summer. Also, these shindigs are appropriate for your loved ones as well. You are showing them how much they mean to you, and you are happy about the next chapter of their lives.

4. Plan to get together at least twice/year.
You want to keep the friendship and relationship going. Therefore you and your friends/family should make it a priority to get together at least twice/year to stay connected and reminisce.

5.  Live, laugh, love and continue to make new connections.

Certain people and times are irreplaceable. However, continue to make your own fun by meeting others, expanding your circle and enjoying life. Pause things for a minute, but don't press the stop button on your life. It is precious and must continue despite not having someone special around so much.

What are some ways that you cope with someone leaving you? What are some tips that you use for saying farewell or goodbye?

Five Classes They Should Not Stop Teaching in Public Schools

We are near the beginning of yet another academic school year. Each year, it seems more and more classes are considered unnecessary or too expensive and cut out of the budgets. Our students need many of these classes to reach their full potential and survive in the working and business worlds. Here are five such classes that do not need to go.

1. Cursive handwriting

I did a blog on this entire subject last year. It's sad when anyone born after 1994 cannot properly sign their name or has poor penmanship. There is very little excuse for this.

2. Home Economics.

Either Home Ec has been phased out of schools, or restructured into family and consumer science. Now why I don't believe we should simply be training students to be stay at home housekeepers, there are many useful skills that home economics teaches. You have cooking and sewing of course, taking care of home, and overall being and living healthy. This skill set cannot be lost on our youth.

3. Physical education.

Children nowadays are already inactive and obese enough. Physical education (P.E.). teaches physical skills, activities and health and wellness, all essential for good living as an adult. No one seems to play as much as recess and score is rarely kept in sports. Kids need to understand the importance of staying active and fair play.

4. The arts (music, art, band, chorus)

Playing instruments and being creative enchance the brain. Also, there may be those that want a career as a musicial or a conceptual artist. No child should be left behind, or otherwise Iimited.

5. Honors and AP classes

Students of higher intellect are challenged more in these types of classes, and it helps tremendously in college prep. Plus it's always a bonus if one can earn college credit.

Please let's not limit our young students. It's bad enough that many schools have curriculums setup to teach to standardized tests. How about we teach our students to think, be creative and offer them a wide variety of choices and options? I believe it would help us become more competitive with other countries as well.

Which classes do you think they should reinstate? Are they any classes that you think are unnecessary?

10 Effective and Maximizing Time Management Tips

It is too often I hear folks speak of being super busy and not having enough time to do certain things that they like to do. They talk of having too much going. I feel time, like money, can be managed well and maximized. We all have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. Ultimately we do make time for the more important things. However, here are 10 tips that have helped me through the years that allow me to work a full time job, write and blog, workout four-five times/week, and still have time to go out, get proper rest, and do other recreational activities.

1.    Buy yourself a notepad.

 

Wal-Mart sells notepads extremely cheap. They could supplement a day planner or your organizer on your smartphone. You can write down things and reminders throughout the day, add things to various lists (to-do, grocery, honey-do). Notepads can be awesome even in our technology age. You can always use a sheet of paper for something, and these notepads can help you plan and organize more effectively.

2. Set a daily and weekly schedule.

Map out your schedule, day by day, hour by hour, for the entire week. Consider it like a time diary. After about a week, you will start knowing where your time is going and where to adjust. A consistent routine helps as you eventually condition your body and mind to do certain things on certain days at certain times.

3. Plan ahead for big dates and events.

If you know an important birthday, holiday, or occasion is on the way, plan ahead for that. See if you need to take time off from your job, make the time to buy anything necessary for that day. If you're traveling, plan your route carefully. Before I got a GPS, I would use MapQuest and plan my route down there and back, and have all my directions on one sheet.

4. Make time for family and friends, and even relaxation.

Being a busy working parent and adult can be taxing. Your family and friends deserve your time, and you should allot a certain period for them, preferably a couple of days, maybe even a week. They won't be around forever, so you want to see them while you can. Also, schedule and take personal time for yourself.  An hour per day can make a huge difference. This is important for refocusing, recharging and relaxation.

5. Sacrifice things that are insignificant and irrelevant.

Often you need rest and time to yourself, and to sacrifice other things to accomplish your tasks. You may not be able to go to that movie or that football game, but there is work to be done. It is a balancing and a prioritizing act. You must know what is most important to you in your life and what can be left on the back burner.

6. Check your daily schedule/routine daily and make adjustments as necessary.

Adjustments will often be needed. You may have to pencil in something or someone into a packed day, or you may be needed at some capacity (working late, taking on a different project). Or,  more time may have opened up, or you may get sick. Stay organized but also be flexible.

7. Account and prepare for emergencies and setbacks.

This is an extension of #6. There are many things that happen that are out of control, such as acts of God, or family problems. Become self-disciplined enough so when these situations arise, you aren't left all paranoid on how you will get things done. There is no room for procrastination.

8. Prepare and plan constantly and consistently.

There's an old saying "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Often you must forecast beyond unforeseen circumstances. Again, don't procrastinate and put off certain things. It could get worse, and end up being more time consuming. It's similar to maintaining your body, house and/or vehicle. Proper planning can help keep you on track.

9. Learn to say no when overwhelmed.

The word "no" can be your friend. Be flexible but if you cannot fit it in your schedule or budget, don't worry. Also, don't double book yourself. That can cause you not focusing your full attention and wearing you out.

10. Make sure your time and money are consistent and sync up.

Time is money so be mindful of how you spend both. Manage your vacation time at work so when you take off, you have enough days for other occasions. Also, don't plan for a week's vacation when you can only afford three days. Both time and money are valuable, and cannot be used loosely. You have to make you what you're doing with both is worthwhile.

 

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