Reading: Fragile Things
Music: Bounding Main
TV/Movie: Comedy Central Presents Lewis Black
Link o' the Day: ARRR!!! - Pirates of Brown University

I'm a list maker. It's the one thing that I have found that has the most success rate when it comes to reminding me to do things during the day. On any day, I could wake up with a stack of things to do that day, and remember to do perhaps a third. If I make a list--usually written on an index card and kept in my shirt pocket, I am more likely to accomplish 3/4 to all of that day's tasks, chores, and goals.

It's not a perfect system. Not everything gets listed because it's too big or obvious to forget. Sometimes I forget the list is there. (Sometimes I forget to make the list!) Other times there simply won't be enough time for everything. Or perhaps I don't have all the resources I need at that moment. That's okay, though. It can go on the list for the next day. Yesterday I had 14 items on my list, and checked off ten. Today I have 16 and, including the reminder to make this journal entry, I have checked off eight. Four of the items I cannot do until tonight (lack of resources). One or two will not get checked off (lack of time). But if it weren't for the list, I'd probably be further behind than I usually am.

What's weird for me is that despite knowing this system works well for me, I'll go weeks or months without doing it. That's usually when my productivity is low. When I am doing the list each day--productivity is high.

Maybe I stop doing the lists when I truly need a break? I don't want to think about various projects or chores. I want to watch a stack of movies, or play some music. Or just read a book.

Huh.

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The other day I mentioned "Pact Anthology" coming out in Bound For Evil. Coming out in May from Dragonmoon Press will be my story, "Dragonscaling!" in the anthology A Firestorm of Dragons. This was basically a story looking for the right themed anthology, and last I checked, it was the lead story. Go me!

Here are shots of the front and back cover:




The back cover is still from the proof stage, so the blurb area along the bottom is just an Ipsum Lorem.

Two stories coming out this year so far. Not bad. I know I'm in the good parts of two slush piles and should know more by next month.

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Today's link visits ARRR!!! - Pirates of Brown University. I picked this partly because it's a local university (right around the corner!) but because they have a fairly decent page full of lyrics to a treasure chest full of sea shanties--of which I'm a big fan.

Cheers!

--John