Bitsnarf

Category: Writing Prompts

  • Wasting time

    Daily writing prompt
    How do you waste the most time every day?
    View all responses

    Hello there! Today, I consider my time-wasters. So what is wasting time? I consider it purposeless procrastination.

    I prefer to change gears, focus on another task or topic to get unstuck. I find this a useful tactic at work. By focusing on ticking off the low hanging fruit, I get a useful idea to solve the more complex task. Staring out the window was great when I started my job in Vancouver. The view was glorious: Mt Baker in the distance, Burnaby, mountains, Harbour Centre. This month, my org was restocked and I moved to another building. My view is the back of the Vancouver Civic Center. So much for inspired daydreaming at work.

    For my off work hours, I would have said scrolling through social media. I don’t recall when the ads started creeping in, but nowadays, every third post is an ad. I don’t have patience to spend much time on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.

    We watch quite a lot of YouTube and pay for premium to avoid ads. I miss the scrappy days of YouTube, when everyone had a channel for their funky hobbies, untrained presenters and no budget. Old Times YouTube was like fringe theatre, with folks going for it on a low budget.

    I enjoy several hobbies and noticed an increase in haul videos. These were fun, at first. Then all the channels I followed had hauls and everyone was buying the same things. A few months later, these folks posted videos about “being behind “ and going on about all the supplies they have. A few months that, they’d post about holding a Destash Sale to get all this stuff out of their house. And the cycle repeats. For the most part, these creators stopped posting progress or tutorial videos.

    The last straw for me was a diamond painting haul video where the person stacked their haul on the dining room table. Diamond Art Club kits average $150 USD. This YouTuber must have purchased at least 30 kits. I literally felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t finish the video.

    My current YouTube viewing is purposeful: coloring tutorials, completed project videos, hiking videos, photography tutorials. Ballet Reign is a lot of fun.

    I wouldn’t call this wasted time. More like inspiration time that finds its way into my personal projects.

    We can’t be on all the time. Our bodies and minds need breaks and time to recharge. Stare out the window. It’s good for you.

  • Remaster the basics

    What do you wish you could do more every day?

    Hello Chaos Coordinators! As you may know, I recently changed departments and support 2 new leaders. Both teams create intranet apps that impact all Amazonians.

    Being new, I expected  a return to more tactical work while I learn to work with these l leaders and teams. As an experienced EA and career admin, I’m impatient to dive into strategic work.

    I remind myself to be patient and focus on the basics of scheduling, ordering catering, etc. Demonstrating the basics earns trust with my new coworkers. Taking on more strategic work will come in time.

    It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. Each time you change jobs, you have to prove yourself to a whole new group of people.

    I was at a turning point: after 4 years, I could stay comfortable with my leaders and coast for a while (as much as one can coast at Amazon). Or, I could take a chance on unknown leaders, learn something new and keep my skills sharp. With an opportunity to live and work in a new country?

    Yes, please!

  • My life today vs 1 year ago

    Daily writing prompt
    Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?
    View all responses

    There have been some changes since this time last year. Overall, life with my hubby is pretty much the same. No new siblings appeared, which is great because I was developing survivor guilt – the sister I grew up and I were the children my mom did not put up for adoption.

    I lost a dear friend to ovarian cancer after her fight over many years, far more than most women with Stage 4 ovarian cancer typically get. I’ll miss her so much. She was a truly good human.

    After a decade of planning, writing, learning, and taking over 1,000 photographs edited in Photoshop, I self-published my first graphic novel, The Takashima Extraction. It’s a futuristic crime drama set in Seattle in 2123. You can read more about this project and purchase a copy here.

    In February 2023, I launched this site and my coaching business, EA Mentor for executive assistants.

    This time last year, I was fully virtual at my full-time job. Now I’m back to the office three days a week, even though none of the people I work with is based in my city. I go to work as required and spend my days on calls with my team. The floor I’m on has a low attendance so there are days when I’m sitting by myself.

    I stepped out of my comfort zone at work and applied for an internal job supporting a VP. It was out of my league and I didn’t really expect to get the job but I prepared for it and did my best. I was seriously considered but not chosen. I received feedback on skills I’m missing and I’ll work on those in 2024.

    How about you? What’s changed in your life in the past year? Leave a comment & tell me more.

  • Writing prompt – what others say

    Daily writing prompt
    Tell us one thing you hope people say about you.
    View all responses

    What I hope people say most about me is that I’m a good teacher. Overall, I was a pretty good student. I skipped class once in high school to attend a concert.

    Mom wrote me a note so I guess that doesn’t count as skipping class, does it?

    My dad was an engineer by training but he was a doer not a teacher. I grew up in the era of New Math, which drove dad crazy. And…he was a bit short on patience. Every session ended with him grabbing my book and working out the problem for me.

    That worked out great for dad, who learned New Math without the pressure of pop quizzes or grades, but I didn’t get anything out of it. As much as I love my dad, I didn’t learn anything until I started doing my homework, leaving the hard questions to last, then asking dad for help.

    I was a solid B+ student without putting in a lot of studying. I went to class, took notes, read the material, did the homework. Maybe an assignment or two required some additional effort. Overall, school work was pretty easy for me. I did go attend public school in the US, so you know, take that statement with a grain of salt. 😉

    There was one class I worked very hard for: geometry. I put in hours of study and had three tutors. I just didn’t get it. I needed an explanation that would make the lightbulb in my head go off. That never happened.

    Geometry was the only class I flunked in my entire scholastic career. I got an F the first semester and the teacher acknowledged the effort I put in trying to grasp geometry and gave me a D for the second semester. My grades meant no advanced placement classes in my senior year and advanced algebra instead of algebra/trig.

    The lesson I learned: you have to teach material in a way the learner can absorb and use on their own. Or as my friend Candace says, “Teach them to fish.”

    This is always at the back of my mind when someone asks me for help. I try to find their lightbulb moment.

    What do you hope people to say about you? Leave a comment below and share your story.

  • Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

    Yes in college and my professional life. I earned a BA at a small university. A requirement of the arts is sharing your work. I’m not comfortable in the spotlight but I’ve developed my process to feel less awkward.

    I was a member of the college dance troup. For our year end performance, I was a Morel mushroom in a modern dance piece. This was a good first performance because I was encased in a giant hand dyed bag and couldn’t see the audience.

    My friend Marva and I performed a 2 person scene for our acting class final. The performance, as I recall, was for our classmates but might have been open for anyone to attend. I don’t recall. It was a blur.

    Fast forward a few years to when I was a project manager at Fred Hutch on a small smoking cessation project. Our study was invited to present results at a scientific conference. I asked the principal investigator if I could go. She agreed and I traveled to New Orleans. My presentation was scheduled in a small room that held about 40 people. Sixty people turned up and crammed themselves into the room and spilled into the hallway. I was terrified. This was my first time facing my audience in the harsh fluorescent light of a conference room. I focused on the project and data and did my best. Despite my fears, it went well and I received good feedback.

    Two years ago, I wanted to give back to the Amazon EA community. There is a quarterly training for EAs and other admins. It was a virtual training so I didn’t see the audience. I practiced extensively, which might seem funny because I have decades of experience with calendar management, my topic. My presentation went well and I received good feedback.

    Public speaking or performing is not my favorite activity but I have learned a few things about myself: I do well with preparation and practice, I ramble when I’m not prepared and to have some faith in my abilities.

    How about you? What’s your experience with performance or public speaking? Leave a comment and tell me your story.

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