Fun Things to do During Boring Sermons
Posted in Friday Funny
- Pass a note to the organist asking whether he/she plays requests.
- See if a yawn really is contagious.
- Slap your neighbour. See if they turn the other cheek. If not, raise your hand and tell the preacher.
- Devise ways of climbing into the balcony without using the stairs.
- Listen for your preacher to use a word beginning with ‘A’ then ‘B and so on through the alphabet.
- Sit in the back row and roll a handful of marbles under the pews ahead of you. After the service, credit yourself with 10 points for every marble that made it to the front.
- Using church bulletins or visitor cards for raw materials, design, test and modify a collection of paper airplanes.
- Start from the back of the church and try to crawl all the way to the front, under the pews, without being noticed.
- Raise your hand and ask for permission to go to the rest room.
- Whip out a hankie and blow your nose. Vary the pressure exerted on your nostrils and trumpet out a rendition of your favourite hymn.
- Chew gum; if the sermon goes on for more than 15 minutes, start blowing bubbles.
- Try to indicate to the minister that his fly is undone.
- By unobtrusively drawing your arms up into your sleeves, turn your shirt around backwards.
- While people are locating the announced congregational song, step out in the aisle and begin waving your arms as if directing the hymn.
- Sit close to the front, and during the prayer, turn around backwards, point, and count softly how many people do not have their heads bowed and eyes closed.
- See how many hard candies you can stuff in your cheeks before your mother catches you.
- Begin coughing and get louder and louder until you get to excuse yourself and leave the room.
- Choose a different song than was announced and begin singing it as loud as you can.
Here’s a case of “what goes around, comes around.” This has been floating around the ‘Net for years. It’s originally from a book that Youth Specialties published eons ago (actually 1984). It was titled “101 Things to Do During a Dull Sermon” (a Wittenburg Door book) by Tim Sims and Dan Pegoda - a very fun book with great illustrations by Dan. So, enjoy this collection from the book (although I imagine some have been added or changed during its extensive run through the ‘Net).
Eco-Friendly Pest Control
Posted in The Simple Life
(NC)-With the warmer temperatures here, many Canadians are spending more time outdoors working on the yard. Unfortunately, a common problem in many gardens is weed and insect infestations. Not only is it important to know how to effectively treat your garden to keep it pest and disease free, it is also becoming increasingly more important to find alternatives to traditional chemical practices. To care for a healthier garden all summer long, the lawn and garden team at Canadian Tire has the following integrated pest control steps and techniques.
What is Integrated Pest Management?
Integrated Pest Management is an environmentally sensitive approach to pest management. It is a series of steps and techniques to effectively control and maintain pests at an acceptable level using non-chemical or biological practices.
Tips to Pest Prevention
- Add good soil with ample depth and organic matter for nutrition
- Improve drainage in wet areas and/or replace lawns with other types of landscaping
- Check lawns and gardens regularly for first signs of insect, weed and plant disease. Unfortunately, many of the stages of pest disease occur below the surface of the lawn, which can be difficult to monitor. However, you can look for signs such as brown spots or already dead or dying patches of lawn that pull up easily for signs of disease
- Remove diseased leaves, plants and branches to eliminate rotting organic matter. Choose an ergonomic product such as Fiskars telescopic stand up weeder to help protect your back
Use Reduced-Risk Solutions
- If preventive and mechanical approaches to solving a pest problem have been unsuccessful, consider using a reduced-risk pest control product first
- Look for the bylaw friendly logo to find reduced-risk products
Use Pest Control Products when necessary
- Before resorting to using a pesticide, consider all your alternatives such as physical methods like hand weeding, before resorting to chemical solutions
- Correct timing of a pesticide application is essential for effective control and to ensure the least amount necessary for control is used
5 Advantages of a To-Do List
Posted in Productivity
One of the fundamental tools for time management is that list of things you need to get done. It consolidates all your tasks in one place. From there you can prioritize them and tackle the important ones first.
There are 5 key advantages to maintaining a to-do list:
A to-do list doesn’t forget
Your brain is not the most efficient memory tool and will only trust systems that it knows works. Good memory recall is as simple as finding those things that will jog your brain at the time it needs to remember. Having a written list helps us remember when things have do be done so we do not miss anything.
A to-do list helps you set priorities
Making a to-do list is an important first step but prioritizing that list ensures that you focus on the most important items rather than giving in to the temptation of working on less important items because they may stand out more or because they are easier to do. Once you have a list of the things you need to complete, set priorities and decide which jobs should be done first.
A to-do list lets you coordinate similar tasks
A to-do list helps us to avoid repetition of labour. For example, if we have to deliver a document at an office and collect a document from another office which is on the same block, both these tasks can be done together.
A load of time is lost in the starting, stopping and changing of different levels or types of activity. Save time by performing like tasks together. Make all your outgoing phone calls at the same time; organize your errands into a single run; reply to e-mail; etc. You will find this a more efficient use of your time.
A to-do list tracks your progress
Using a to-do list enables you to mark off the tasks you have completed. At the end of the day, when you look at the list, it will give you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It might also have the effect of waking you up if nothing has been marked completed.
A to-do list makes it easy to carry-over tasks
If anything remains incomplete at the end of the day, it can be carried over to tomorrow’s list. This is an easy way of preparing a to-do list for the next day; by examining the to-do list of today and carrying forward any task that is incomplete.
When we talk about preparing a to-do list, there are a couple of helpful points to remember:
The to-do list should be realistic.
Don’t include more on your list than can be accomplished in a day. Projects that will take weeks or months to complete should be organized and tracked in a different way.
Prepare more than just daily to-do lists.
Regular tasks can occur on a monthly cycle: e.g., paying bills. You can create date-based lists that will remind you to complete task which are regular, but not frequent. A calendar is the easiest place to track such a list.
A to-do list can be as simple or as complex as you need. Write down the tasks that you have to complete, break large tasks into component steps, assign priorities to each item and get to work.
39 Phrases Everyone Should Know and Use
Posted in Communication
I had to pick up a couple of parcels at Greyhound this afternoon. As I walked through the door, I heard a customer berating an agent in loud and abusive terms. The customer had expected something to be there for pick-up and it wasn’t.
The more the customer screamed and threatened (and it was screaming), the more agitated the agent became. The confrontation resembled a playground fight between two children, not a business transaction.
I felt sorry for the agent. Her manager was sitting in an office behind the service area, aware of what was going on, but not intervening. I wanted to give the manager a boot and say, go out there and support your staff.
The agent also seemed ill-equipped to deal with the situation. If she had any training in dealing with angry customers, it wasn’t apparent from her actions.
A dozen or so years ago, I attend a workshop on interpersonal communication skills. One of the “tools” handed out was this sheet of phrases that could be used to communicate in different types of situations.
I’m not suggesting—as the workshop presenter did—that memorizing a sheet of phrases is going to solve all your communication issues. I can’t imagine the Greyhound agent would have been well served by having this list taped to her station, along with a communication flow chart.
Interpersonal communication is too complex to be bound merely by fixed rules. However, effective interpersonal communication skills need to be learned and developed.
Any complex skill needs a foundation on which to build. This list of phrases can serve as such a foundation. Look at areas which are weaker communication skills for you and then look at the kinds of phrases you need to add to your lexicon.
Always appropriate
- Please
- Thank you
- You’re welcome
Reaching out to people
- Hi, I’m… What’s your name?
- Excuse me, I see you every day in the hall and I want to introduce myself. I’m…
- I understand how you feel.
- I would feel that way too in your situation.
- I can see this matter is very important to you.
- This is what I hear you saying.
- Tell me more about it.
Cooperating and compromising in a conflict
- I gather you don’t agree. What’s the reason for your objection?
- Why won’t this work?
- I have a problem I’d like to discuss with you.
- Let’s talk this over. When is a good time for you?
- Let’s see how we can reach our mutual goal.
- It’s in our common interest to reach an agreement.
- How can I help you meet your needs?
Giving and receiving criticism
- It’s important for our relationship that I tell you about an issue that is making it hard for me to work with you.
- I’m not blaming you for my feelings. I’m just describing how I feel.
- I’m not attacking you as a person; I want to focus on your behaviour that is preventing you from moving ahead.
- That never occurred to me, but I’ll give it some thought.
- I’ll consider that and get back to you.
- Let me think over what you said and then discuss a different approach.
Acknowledging errors and mistakes
- I’m sorry.
- I was wrong.
- I accept responsibility.
- Yes, it happened and it was a mistake.
- I don’t have an excuse. I have an explanation if you want to hear it.
- You have a right to feel the way you do.
- Here’s what I learned from the situation and what I’ll do differently in the future.
- We know what the problem is. Let’s focus on solutions.
- How would you like the problem resolved?
- What do you think a fair solution would be?
- Here’s what we can do to correct the problem.
Gossip and rumours
- I understand you have been saying…
- Do you really mean what I hear you’ve been saying?
- I’ve heard that, but it’s just a rumour.
- If it’s not true, it won’t be said anymore, will it?
- This may be an isolated incident, but I’m going to conduct my relationship with you quite differently from now on.
9 Ways to Keep Your Attitude at Its Peak
Posted in Motivation
Attitude is a mind-set, and a successful attitude is all in your head. To a large extent, it’s determined by your thoughts. If these thoughts are positive and directed to the future, they’ll help you achieve your objectives.
If, on the other hand, they are negative and mired in the past, they’ll sap your energy and stall your growth and development. Lurking in the back of your mind, they can sometimes be behind problems like procrastination, low self-confidence, poor time management, and a general lack of direction.
Focus only on what you can control—yourself. Take responsibility for your problems. If you blame others, it will rob you of control over your own life.
Turn negative situations into favourable ones by making a list of [...] Continue Reading…
Quotes - May 12
“We become what we think about.” —Denis Waitley
“Doubt is most often the source of our powerlessness. To doubt is to be faithless, to be without hope or belief. When we doubt, our self-talk sound like this: ‘I don’t think I can. I don’t think I will.’ …To doubt is to have faith in the worst possible outcome. It is to believe in the perverseness of the universe, that even if I do well, something I don’t know about will get in the way, sabotage me, or get me in the end.” —Blaine Lee
“To build your confidence, repeat over and over, ‘I feel happy! I feel healthy! I feel terrific!’” —Brian Tracy
“If your sunshine wants far outstrip your cold morning desire, have a talk with [...] Continue Reading…
Happy Mother’s Day
Image credit KaCey97007
10 Things My Mother Taught Me
Posted in Friday Funny
This is one of those old list jokes that predates the Internet, e-mail and office fax machines. It keeps hanging on. So, in honour of Mother’s Day:
My Mother taught me LOGIC…
“If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me.”
My Mother taught me MEDICINE…
“If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to freeze that way.”
My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD…
“If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job!”
My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE…
“What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you… Don’t talk back to me!”
My Mother taught me HUMOR…
“When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”
My Mother [...] Continue Reading…
The Four Laws of Simplicity
Leo starts his article with the quote from Leonardo da Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” He then makes the point that most systems for simplifying tend be be complicated. He has a simple method of simplifying, The Four Laws of Simplicity, and How to Apply Them to Life.His four laws of simplicity:Collect everything in one place.Choose the essential.Eliminate the rest.Organize the remaining stuff neatly and nicely.You can’t get much simpler than that.There’s been a lot of verbiage written on organizing and simplifying-not the least of which, is here on Ian’s Messy Desk. If you tend to get bogged down in complex systems, click the link above and see what Leo has to offer.
ScribeFire 2.1 Released
The ScribeFire blogging client has been sitting dormant in my Firefox add-ons. It’s a long time since I gave it a try. About a week ago it was upgraded to version 2.1. As I have been poking around with Tumblr for the last little while, I was interested to see Tumblr support as a new feature.If you’re looking for a blogging client that integrates well with Firefox (and Flock) check out ScribeFire. You can download it from here.ScribeFire - ScribeFire: Fire up your blogging New features * Added MySpace support. (issue #33) * Added Tumblr support. * Categories will now be available for Blogger blogs (issue #201) * Entering a YouTube [...] Continue Reading…
