Yesterday I handed an Amazon free-return package to a UPS driver just before 5:00 PM. I see this morning that by 6:24 PM Amazon had issued a refund. So relying just on receiving the scanned label information, they played the odds I was returning an item in appropriate condition, or that I was returning it at all. Or more likely, they know I have a reliable return history.
I have wondered how efficient the new distribution scheme is, in the long run. Are the trucks like red blood cells coursing through the body delivering oxygen exactly where needed? And if taken to the extreme of having no retail stores at all, would maximal energy efficiency be reached? It's all very convenient, I must say. Of course there is a lot to be said for drifting through a department store, looking and comparing.
I have ordered two very similar hanging toiletry bags which look like they may have been made by the same company, but one is duded up with zipper tassels and a maker label. The $16 one has free returns, the $11 one I can give away if it does not work out. I want to find out if the cheaper one has elastic bands across the back of the large compartment, and how much I mind that the more expensive one has a black interior. As you may have surmised by now, my personality profile is FN.
Showing posts with label efficiency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label efficiency. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
In the trunk: time
"Now, since there is not an hour left to [gather my tax papers to send to the accountant], so I send an email to Cassie:
I’m teaching you about about working with people, okay? You don’t work with Paul and he doesn’t take orders from you. So it’s insubordinate that you emailed him. I don’t care, and I don’t think he does either, but I think you have no idea that this is jarringly awful office politics that you exhibit here. I think it’s why people hate working with you.
And Cassie writes back:
Paul and I have a system, which we created because you are so terrible at office politics. Everytime you send him directions to change something he calls or emails me to find out what you are talking about. You give him such vague instructions that he has no idea what to do.
Stressing over whether I am incompetent at management takes the rest of my hour.
...On the drive home I don’t even pretend I’m going to do taxes because good time managers are realists. So I read my articles from my folder of articles to read later. One is about the book Happier by Tal Ben-Shar. The research in his book says we would be happier by doing these things:
-Create rituals around the things we love to do.
-Express gratitude for the good things in our lives.
-Set meaningful goals that reflect our values and interests.
-Play to our strengths instead of dwelling on weaknesses.
-Simplify our lives — not just the stuff, but the time.
And then I realize: The way for me to be better than my parents isn’t to do my taxes on time. That would be nice. But really I need to not give myself choices about how I spend my time. The more choices I have throughout the day, the more decisions I make, the more willpower I need, the more I get distracted from paying attention to the building blocks of a fulfilling life: gratitude, meaning, and ritual. [my emphases]
Being productive means simplifying how you use your time. Which in turn, simplifies your life."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are thought-provoking suggestions for a master procrastinator such as I.
What does "simplify our lives — not just the stuff, but the time" mean to you? I'm thinking along the lines of sticking with a structured day. Instead of getting carried away watching several episodes of a favorite show, stop at two. Instead of spending three days in a row making quilt top, restrain yourself to one three-hour stretch per day. How else will housework, gardening, and birthday card sending be accomplished?
I like, "create rituals around the things we love to do." That puts me in mind of the first cup of coffee looking out the kitchen window or making bath time special with a creamy scented soap and a cup of tea. It puts me in mind of Hilda.
Any thoughts, insights, or suggestions on the five tips?
I’m teaching you about about working with people, okay? You don’t work with Paul and he doesn’t take orders from you. So it’s insubordinate that you emailed him. I don’t care, and I don’t think he does either, but I think you have no idea that this is jarringly awful office politics that you exhibit here. I think it’s why people hate working with you.
And Cassie writes back:
Paul and I have a system, which we created because you are so terrible at office politics. Everytime you send him directions to change something he calls or emails me to find out what you are talking about. You give him such vague instructions that he has no idea what to do.
Stressing over whether I am incompetent at management takes the rest of my hour.
...On the drive home I don’t even pretend I’m going to do taxes because good time managers are realists. So I read my articles from my folder of articles to read later. One is about the book Happier by Tal Ben-Shar. The research in his book says we would be happier by doing these things:
-Create rituals around the things we love to do.
-Express gratitude for the good things in our lives.
-Set meaningful goals that reflect our values and interests.
-Play to our strengths instead of dwelling on weaknesses.
-Simplify our lives — not just the stuff, but the time.
And then I realize: The way for me to be better than my parents isn’t to do my taxes on time. That would be nice. But really I need to not give myself choices about how I spend my time. The more choices I have throughout the day, the more decisions I make, the more willpower I need, the more I get distracted from paying attention to the building blocks of a fulfilling life: gratitude, meaning, and ritual. [my emphases]
Being productive means simplifying how you use your time. Which in turn, simplifies your life."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are thought-provoking suggestions for a master procrastinator such as I.
What does "simplify our lives — not just the stuff, but the time" mean to you? I'm thinking along the lines of sticking with a structured day. Instead of getting carried away watching several episodes of a favorite show, stop at two. Instead of spending three days in a row making quilt top, restrain yourself to one three-hour stretch per day. How else will housework, gardening, and birthday card sending be accomplished?
I like, "create rituals around the things we love to do." That puts me in mind of the first cup of coffee looking out the kitchen window or making bath time special with a creamy scented soap and a cup of tea. It puts me in mind of Hilda.
Any thoughts, insights, or suggestions on the five tips?
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