The Nesting Doll Chores Trap

Happy Monday, Blogger world!

I intended to do some serious Cafepress housekeeping today.  I did work on my Cafepress, but mostly in the way of adding new products.  It wasn't nothing, in fact I got a lot of work done, just not the work I intended.  This brings to mind a blog post I read just today by a promising young blogger, which I will link to here:

http://jadarendir.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/a-guide-to-practical-procrastination/

This practical-procrastination thing might be a good way to deal with one of my least favorite chores/work day conundrums - something I call The Nesting Doll Chores Trap.  This is when a task looks small, but leads to one extra job, then another, then another, and so on until you just spent half your day on this string of chores all in the name of getting one thing crossed off your to-do list.

Example:  I go to put something in the compost.  The compost is full, so I have to empty it out.  Then I realize I'm out of compost box liners, so I get more of those.  I do groceries at the same time, because I have to do that anyway.  Ultimately, putting something in the compost took 2 hours.

I've run into a version of that in my Cafepress chores.  I wanted to pare down the extra things in my shops, but first I must organizing my shops so I can keep track of what I've sold (so I don't delete any of those things).  Organizing my shop has lead to having to open other shops because I've run up against the limit of how many sections I can have in a shop, not to mention the fact that going through my shops is making me noticing everything else that's missing/needs doing my shops.

Obviously these things can manifest any way.  Want to do a quick repair job?  A missing part leads to a trip to the hardware store, right after a trip to the bank, then leads to another trip to another hardware store if they don't have what you need, leads to a trip to the gas station because of all the driving around (or a trip to the corner store to get more bus tickets), etc...

There are ways of minimizing these repercussions.  Only go to the grocery store for the compost bucket liners, or save the compost run for later.  Prioritizing can feel a lot like procrastination when you've got more of a to-do-list than you can realistically do in a day.  For me, it's gotten to the point where everything feels like procrastination, because everything ultimately 'needs' doing.  I'd love to take the time to do a good job on things, and sometimes I can manage that.  But the longer I take, the less worthwhile it seems.  This goes double for things I don't get paid for - mainly cleaning.  It doesn't matter how good a job I do, nobody's going to pay me to clean my own home.  It's still important, but not as urgent as the growing vacuum in my bank account.  Perhaps if I alternate between job hunting, cleaning my place, and working on something I actually want to work on, I'll feel like something got done in the end...:/

Anyway, that's my thought for the day.  Thanks for reading!  'Till next time...

Following Your Dreams

365 day project, # 31:


February 23rd, 2013:  Aang and Sketches by ~Eseopia on deviantART

Now to business.

Good Day Blogger world!

Following your dreams.  A lot of people - including reputable minds - are for this.  But lots of people see a problem.  Most of the time, it's to do with sacrificing the practical for your "dream".  I would like to weigh on this.

I'm sure you know the practical and the dream need not be in opposition - for some lucky people, they will be one and the same.  But I would go further to say that what is practical may be an integral part of achieving this dream.  We know they don't have to be opposed, but we do tend to see them in opposition, just as part of a narrative that we've come to accept "life".  Consider this - suppose follow your dream doesn't mean giving up that job at Tim Hortons to live your dream, but working overtime at Tim Hortons to save up the money to go to the school that will lead to the achievement of your dream?  Or working at Tim's while taking those classes that will ultimately lead to the achievement of your dream?  Or just working there long enough to save up the money to buy that plane ticket that will help you achieve your dream?  Perhaps what the Follow Your Dream-ers are saying, is that it's worth the extra work to achieve your dreams.  After all, it's entirely possible to work at Tim Hortons for the rest of your life and be "comfortable".

Having said that, I'd like to look at another thing we take for granted - that to achieve anything in life, you must suffer, sacrificing your physical and mental health for whatever that prize is at the end of the line.  There will be sacrifice, and pain, but are these the things that get you there?  Probably not.  Commitment would seem to be the thing that gets us there.  There is no law of nature that says your level of suffering is directly related to your level of success.  Also, while hard work is a very safe bet, it's perfectly legal for a lucky break to be part of your success story.  It's OK if you find a different way of getting there than most people.  Chances are you'll have to struggle somewhere along the line, so you might as well save your strength for that.  But staying committed seems like the best strategy.  

Finally, there are no rules as to what your dream has to be.  If you can actually be comfortable and happy working at Tim Hortons, there is no rule against it.  I find my dreams and goals hard to define sometimes.  I love making art - nothing will keep me from doing that.  I'd LIKE for it to be what I make my living on, because then I could spend more time doing it.  But I'll never not make art, so that's one thing I have.  At the same time, I know that's not all I want to do.  I won't digress to far on this - I'd just like to say there doesn't have to be just one way to achieve one's dream, and dreams don't have to take just one form.

Those are my thoughts on the subject.  If you're (understandably) a little uncertain about my expertise, you may want to hear what someone with some serious achievements to his name has to say:



'Till next time, Blogger world :)!

Do I really have to sign up for everything?

February 16th 2013:  Priorities... by ~Eseopia on deviantART

February 15th 2013:  Another Day... by ~Eseopia on deviantART

February 14th 2013:  Wriggley Oversees... by ~Eseopia on deviantART

Hello blogger world!

I'm trying to edit this entry to make it sound more civilized.  I am writing today with regards to the amount of signing up that is involved in job hunting these days.  Some places still accept a resume and cover letter and let you let that be that.  Others, as I may have mentioned before, have full-on psych exams to fill out so they can make a profile of you, to go with your resume of course.  Ideally, this makes it so that if you want to apply for multiple jobs, you can just select whichever ones you want and they do the rest.  What really bothers me is the number of passwords I have out there.

There are a number of things you may have to sign up for during your job hunt.  With some places, you just have to create a profile with the company itself.  This on its own can lead to quite a few profiles depending on where and how many places you apply.  Some companies hire through job search/hiring sites like CareerBeacon.com.  This can potentially cut back on the number of passwords you need to create, but only when applying for jobs at places that hire through the site.  And of course, you have to sign up for the site itself.

One thing that has become a little bit irksome for me is when I find a job I want to apply for on one of these sites, only to find that it's been posted by another, similar site, who is doing the hiring for said company.  In theory it's good to have profiles on 2 sites instead of one, but I've often found the second site to be a little more weakly structured, and honestly, it's just one more layer of 'security' I don't feel comfortable being compelled to deal with.

Beyond that, I recently discovered a new potential layer of password-guarded security.  While applying for jobs at Michael's (arts and crafts), I was required to create a profile with PeopleAnswers (the site that created the questionnaire I had to fill out for my Michael's).  Granted, this ultimately made it easier to apply for job openings, but it occurs to me that my information is getting spread around quite a bit in an age where information is a hot commodity.

So let's review:  There's the company itself one may have to sign up for, and the job search site that lead you to that company (and potentially the job search site that posted on that job search site on behalf of that company), and even, potentially, the company that created the questionnaire you must fill out in order to create a profile on the original company's site.  So far I haven't run across that many levels of passwords, but in theory, it could very easily happen.

On that note, it's easy to feel gypped when job searching.  I can't help thinking someone out there (probably a few someones) are making money on my efforts to find gainful employment.  I'd like to be making money too here.  Every site I have to sign up on starts looking like a password guarded information eater.  Maybe I should ditch the job hunt and start an internet job search engine.

So that's been my pet peeve of late.  Thanks for reading!  :)

'Till next time, blogger world!

About Work From Home Ads And Affiliate Programs

Hello Blogger world!

Sorry for being in absentia :(.  I return with more of a a game of catch-up to play than ever, but play I shall!

February 6th, 2013

February 5th, 2013

February 4th, 2013

Fortunately I haven't been completely idle in my blog work.  I've been composing entries sporadically, one of which I finished today:

I've seen these ads, as you probably have, boasting $55/hour earnings working part time online.  I've checked this out a couple of times.  Never taken it so far that I can actually say how effective it is, but it appears to be some website that claims to make it easy to make money through the Amazon Affiliate program.  The sense seems to be that they take care of the technical stuff, so you don't have to be a web designer or some such.  This kind of thing seems to be cropping up everywhere, not just on facebook.  Sifting through local online classifieds, these ads are all I see in some categories.  They promise work-from-home opportunities with handsome part-time earnings.  With the Facebook ads, they even specify that they are looking to "fill positions" in my local area.  Maybe they are, but I'm finding myself doubtful that the Amazon Affiliate program needs people specifically working in certain areas for this kind of thing.

I've looked into the Amazon Affiliate program.  THAT seems legitimate.  That they had any part in those Facebook ads is something I doubt, but the program does exist.  It's something you can plug into a website or going online concern that you already have, not something you can start from scratch with and expect to have it work.  You need to have a "thing" already.  With the Amazon Affiliate program, you can run ads for products related to your content.  You can even have your own little "shop".  I've searched some videos on this.  Here are a couple of youtube videos to give you an idea of what the Amazon Affiliate program is like (They are both pretty realistic.  Despite the title pic of the first video, the narrator points out right off the bat that she doesn't make a lot of money with the Amazon Affiliate program, though it is enough to make it worth it for her.)





This is for avid bloggers and people who know how to get traffic to websites.  Having a pre-existing  following is what really makes this work.

What these ads seem to promise is to make this process easier for everyday people.  But can they really do that kind of work for you - generating a following and everything?  And even if they can, is it worth paying them, or putting your trust in them?

The Amazon program isn't the only affiliate program out there either.  There are more than a few big companies out there who are willing to pay ordinary people a little extra to advertise for them.  That's what this comes down to.  Businesses want advertising time.  It's what allows Youtube to remain a free service, and it's why events have sponsors.  We've had it for quite some time, but now people not necessarily in the biz can benefit in a small way.  Maybe that can even be a big way, if you've got the mind for it.

Where am I going with this?  Bottom line, I still don't trust these work-from-home ads, but I think they're cropping up everywhere because they're just inside the boundary of legal.  Kind of like pyramid schemes.  If I were interested in affiliate programs (and I'm not saying I'm not) and had a going online concern with a following, then I would go straight to one of the programs themselves.  I don't believe there needs to be a middle man if this is really going to work.

My First Youtube Upload! Also, Recent Work.

Good day, blogger world!

I just finished uploading a short video to youtube - finally, after years of having an account, I have actually uploaded some content. It's not much - mostly a test, but it features one of my current projects. 




Usually I don't go quite this largescale, but I've had the idea in my head for a while, and I wanted to try it. 

Life is interesting.  I am still in 2 jobs, and the problem with the latest one has become not so much the job itself, but rather the co-worker element.  Specifically working with the same co-worker who answers every question with annoyance and or frustration and deals with her stress by browbeating me each time I make a mistake.  Asking her to explain things yields precious little, as she is low on patience and clearly unimpressed with the fact that I was not borning knowing how this particular workplace works.  Every gaffe on my part is a source of grief, and I've come to think of this job, or rather this job situation, as a form of torture.  Fortunately I don't do full-time hours there yet.  Unfortunately, my earnings between both jobs are only just covering my mortgage payments and condo fees.  So the job search continues.  On the plus side, I have been making a little more money making art lately.  I've had a couple of commissions, and some sales in my Cafepress.  Not much, but it's not nothing. 

To wrap this up, I'd like to show you one more piece of my latest work.  The inspiration was a beautiful performance by Anya Nesvitaylo of the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, dancing the part of Carmen in a short pas-de-deux during theABTC's  "Intense" Gala. 

 

 

Anya is one of the principle dancers of the ABTC, and her roles have included Christine in Phantom of the Opera and Lady X in Don Juan.  The ABTC has had some really good work out these past few years, pushing boundaries with established storylines, and more recently addressing serious issues, as in the production "Ghosts of Violence". 

 

I have to wrap this up now.  Thanks for stopping by, Blogger world, and I'll see you next time!  :)



I am an (artistic) anxiety machine O_o!

    Just give me a few crossed wires, a little pressure, work that requires speed and accuracy combined, some verbal cues to over-analyze, and off I go!  You'd think after a while it'd just become white noise.....But no.  How is it that I keep putting myself in jobs that require speed and accuracy?  Not deadline speed, but spur of the moment speed.  On the plus side, having an extra job means I have a little more freedom to look for a job that fits me a little better.  In theory I have the skills and experience to do this job, but efficiency has been a problem in the past.  Hopefully I'll get faster as I get used to it - more hopefully, I'll find a job that fits me better.  I've got a job that fits me just fine, in addition.  That's why I'm hanging on to the 2 shifts/week I'm getting from that one.

    On the online front, I made another cafepress sale today :)!  2 of them in fact (2 different greeting cards) - first time in a while.  Seems to happen every time I go into an extended frenzy of uploading - and it's almost never any of the things I upload O_o.  Perhaps seeing my new items, customers also see some of my older stuff go by.  Hey, I'm happy with that :).  I also made an order of swatches to Spoonflower, so hopefully I'll have a lot more designs in my shop after that arrives.  My exploration of Spoonflower has lead to one entry for my hitherto hypothetical list of dream jobs:  Fabric print designer.  I'd love to just make the designs, get paid royalties for them, and see them put on fabric to be made into all kinds of things by people all around the world.  I'll have to develop this list.

And now, since you've been so patient, I have new work to show you :).  Actually it's recent work colourized in Photoshop, but I feel really good about it:


Art Minis - Dragon I in Colour by ~Eseopia on deviantART

It is available on items in my Deviantart Printshop, and in my Cafepress. 

That is all for now.  Thank's for visiting today, and come back soon :)!