midnightmusings: Getting things done

Liddys Links

Friday, June 23, 2006

Getting things done

Finding time to do anything is getting to be more and more of a challenge. Is it for you, too? I can't believe that it's just me. I feel like every time I turn around, I have a longer To-Do list.

Capture that fabulous idea, get that new story outlined, turn in the next book.

Feed the cats, change the filters in the fish tank, scoop the litter pans.

Get to the market, put the wash in the dryer, clear the dirty dishes out of the sink.

Pull together material for another newsletter, send the new review links to my webmistress, and BLOG!

I adore my new web site design. In case you hadn't seen the teeny-tiny print at the bottom of each page, Moonglade Designs now handles all of my designs and updates. M.L. Benton is a treasure. I highly recommend her. She has a waiting list, and rightfully so. I'm tickled that I found her, and that she consented to work for me.

However (don't you love how there's always a "However"?), I have to admit that I got a lot more than I expected when I hired M.L., and certainly a hell of a lot more than I'm paying for. She doesn't charge nearly enough for her services, but don't tell her that, okay? Her list of services on her site doesn't begin to cover everything she does for me.

Yesterday she picked up the phone and called because I had failed to answer or acknowledge her command for me to get some text up here on her beautiful blog. Now, Moogie (my mom, and yes, she is named after Quark's mother on Deep Space 9) does that when I don't call her back right away, but I cut her some slack. Moogie's over 80 and she's begun to claim she can't predict how much longer she'll be around, so if she has something to tell me or ask me, she wants to get it done right now. A good line, and I'll just bet she's been waiting years to use it. The woman walks three miles every other day and is healthier than I am.

As for why I hadn't gotten back to M.L., I was busy trying to whittle that To-Do list down to a more manageable length before I added anything else to it! I've got a looming deadline and all those dishes in the sink, you know? Well, she was worried that something had happened to me. (It had. My To-Do list was wrapped around my neck, choking me!) At any rate, I was touched by her concern, and while she had my undivided attention, she gave me a bunch of other things to add to that pesky To-Do list.

Get that newsletter material to her. Schedule some chats and interviews and line up some book signings. Let her know as soon as I get that fully-executed contract back for the next book. And, of course, get all the details to her so she can fill some of those pages on my new site.

I wonder if I can use the GMail function and M.L.'s messages to replace my To-Do list. It would be so much safer to track my tasks on-line, where I won't find the list threatening to kill me or lose track of one list in the papers on my desk and start another. (Hey, wait a minute, weren't computers supposed to get rid of paper? They've just made it easier to print multiple copies of the document you don't want right now!)

If it weren't for M.L. and her fond nagging - to say nothing of that whip she keeps handy, I wouldn't be blogging right now. I wouldn't have some cool new stuff coming from her, like crossword puzzles and postcards and a photo gallery. I wouldn't have a few articles up on the site, including one on time management. I think I'd better review that one. I might pick up a trick or two.

Now let me know, is it just me who has trouble getting things done? And how do you manage to accomplish your work, household chores and still have fun?

Currently reading and enjoying: LOOT by Aaron Elkins

posted by Liddy Midnight @ 7:46 PM

4 Comments:

At 10:39 PM, Rene` said…

Hi Liddy,

I just read your blog, and I COMPLETELY understand how you feel about that to-do list. Thank goodness for Mary and that whip she cracks. She does the same for me and I'd be totally lost without it.

You have an absolutely beautiful site. Good luck with all your works.

Hugs
Rene Walden-Wilson, owner
Forbidden Publications
At 4:27 AM, Cathryn Fox said…

Hi Liddy,
Loved your post and relate completely to that ever growing to-do list. Your new site and blog are gorgeous. ML did a wonderful job. I just love her too, she is a gem for sure. She definitely keeps me on track and you're right about all the extras. You should see what she just did for my daughter!! On my recipe page, she created my daughter her own page displaying the cake she just made. My daughter was thrilled!

Happy blogging, doll. I'll check in often.
At 10:13 AM, Ann Cory said…

I completely agree with you Liddy, and I LOVE what ML did for your site and blog! Absolutely crazy about your awesome logo!!!!

I don't know a thing about HTML and my blog showed that instead of showing me as a writer. Thanks to ML mine looks professional, lol.

I'll be popping in to say hi every now and then :)

~Ann Cory http://www.anncory.com
At 11:12 AM, Liddy Midnight said…

Wow! People are actually reading this! C'est magnifique!