5 Ways to Find Balance in Productivity

What are some pairs that don't go well together? Creativity and exams. Productivity and busy work. Deadlines and relaxation.

Yet these same pairs come together all too often in the life of anyone who has a job or attends school and still wants to channel creative pursuits. Putting these pairs together is like assembling furniture with directions in another language: stressful and in need of some clever planning to maneuver through. During the academic year, I am a part-time employee and a full-time student, so I know this feeling all too well: I am constantly asking myself "when will I be able to create again?"

I haven't figured out a foolproof strategy yet, nor do I get to all of the creative projects I would like to had I not decided to be a full-time/part-time anything, but I would like to impart some of the ways that I balance these two halves of my life. Take a moment to assemble some ideas with me about personal vs. school/work productivity.

Politics with a Youthful Twist: Working for the Washington Bus

I am a young voter - there, I've admitted it. I'm on par with the unicorn in my rarity and have only been voting for nary 2 years now. However, I have worked on campaigns before. In my high school days, I registered people to vote when I was not yet allowed to touch a ballot. I cheered on President Obama's election without being able to send in my vote. And, I must admit, I became a little bit worn out.

I distanced myself from politics when I moved to NYC - there were so many more interesting things to do with my first year at college than canvassing for change, right? I also found myself in a new place, so I had no clue what the important issues were for that area. Instead, I took national and global politics as my weathervanes to gauge the state of politics and left local work behind.

I am happy this summer to return to my local roots in Washington. I have had the great fortune to be chosen as a Summer Fellow at the Washington Bus, a youth-oriented movement that wants to bring young voters out of their unicorn status and get their voices heard when the ballots drop. They have reconnected me to the local Washington landscape in a way that has surprised me: they have forced (if the word 'force' can be taken as a gentle shove) me to go to events like Seattle Pride and have taught me all about local politics. Today's post is about my first week and experiences with the Washington Bus, and what it feels like to get back into the political game.

Are you a youth voter? Let me know what you think about politics in the comments! And if you're not a youth, what are your views on youth voters/the youth population in general? Let me know!

Caught My Eye: This American Life Ep. 435

This American Life Episode 435.

This week, I am featuring one of my favorite episodes of This American Life! I listen to most of my podcasts while walking and/or jetting off to the next location, and This American Life always provides me with both entertainment and food for thought. This episode in particular really got me thinking as I made my way to the coffee shop that morning, so I hope you enjoy it as well.

Otherwise known as "How to Create a Job," this episode is about job creation and how much involvement the government really has in the process. The podcast dissects the idea that government can create jobs by first asking the seemingly innocent question: how does one create a job?

This American Life shows that the answer is more complicated than you might think, and not just from the perspective of government officials. They explore job training programs and conventions of professional economic developers in order to show all sides of the issue. Ultimately, this episode caught my eye (and ear) because it was informative and honest - although it did present a pretty unsatisfying answer to how a job is created. I'll leave it to you to be the judge of how effective our leaders are at keeping their promises to workers in the US.

Any fans of This American Life already out there? What's your favorite episode?
Also, I am always looking for new podcasts to listen to, so share yours in the comments! Your favorite ones, ridiculous ones, even very specific ones (I listened to one about the history of knitting fibers before) are all welcome.

Check out more media with the ongoing Caught My Eye series.
You may also be interested in listening to my audio posts Pressing the Record Button and Is Blogging "Giving It Away For Free"?

Which Cows Should We Use?

Though it is unnecessary to explain what the above title means, I thought I'd acknowledge that Heathy and I are crazy enough to want to take cows all the way back to New York. It might work... ya never know.
I should probably be working on things, but something about the contagious 'it is summer' attitude just hit me. A little late, but probably because in NY we were always doing something. Now all I want to do is sit at home and take long walks and paint my nails red. I guess it's some type of existence. But, what I've been doing with all this time at home nonsense is I've been making grand plans again. So! I now have both a financial and environmental plan for our lives next year. I am already having talks with the Man In Charge (Da) and he approves mostly. Perhaps there are some quirks to hammer out, but that will be for later.
My financial plan consists of closing off all frivolous spending, such as outside food, accessories such as books and clothing, and gas for the car. In this way, we will save money for the essentials like fixed computers and house repairs (as an added benefit, bike riding tones the legs!). As well, I am going to stipend myself on going out to places and doing things that cost money while simultaneously attempting to get a job. In this way, my preparation for college should be much easier - and I won't blow all my cash once I get there.
My environmental plan is not yet fully developed, but our first step will be to become completely bag-less. I can easily use scrap yarn to knit bags for us [and there are attractive patterns on Knitty] as well as the multitude of reusable tote bags given out by/really cheap at different establishments. Along with driving less, giving away/moving out inutile items [like clothing never worn, things that take up space], and buying organic, I think we will move to the next step in environmental ness.
These are all things to lead us to a better life and better world because, frankly, we need to start taking measures into our own hands. We don't need all this stuff and we certainly don't need to pile on more while a. wasting money and b. not using it. Hopefully things will work out and I can go to college already trained to work on these same factors.
See? Sometimes my grand schemes are LOGICAL [alongside these same schemes are the 'finish all your work in the next two weeks' and 'lose weight' plans however...]
I have successfully stopped biting my nails by the way, I consider this a big step in hygienic living.