The Post to End the Silence

I have been busy. My life is evolving. I am re-evaluating what is important. I am finding more time with the kids and myself, less time for work, blog, and yardwork. I am very happy; I am proud if this change. I am satisfied with the direction I am taking.

The blog is not going away at this time. I still see its usefulness to me as a journal to develop my thoughts with, a tool to track my thought-life over time, and a method of sharing myself with the world--whether they like it or not. I am not as inspired as of late to write about anything. I actually have three drafts that I have not published because I started with something to say but couldn't complete the thought concisely.

I would like to find a way to shorten my posts more. That will be a great benefit from this blog if it teaches me to write more concisely. I will work here on my communication skills; getting my point accross before the other person passes out or clicks onto the "Next Blog" button.

I wrapped up an 8-week class at the Community College, which occupied some time. I am hot and heavy to achieve my CCNA certification, so that occupies a lot of time. My daughter is beginning to discover how enriching books can be, and we are spending a lot of time together reading--that is the best part of my life right now. I also have a lot going on at work to keep me out of trouble. Altogether, life is busy but not to a stressful level. It is a near-perfect level of accomplishment, activity, and stimulation.

In November, I will sell my soul to the corporate devil and begin my MBA program at Baker University. I have already applied and been accepted, it is just a matter of when classes begin. I have put the M.A. of International Studies from KU on hold; for several reasons I determined that this was not the best time to pursue that option. The Baker MBA should be more useful in my immediate future and it will develop my Graduate-level study and research skills for future use. In addition, I think it will affect my family and current job less, which is very important at this point.

I hope to finish my CCNA certification by November. If not, I really need to finish it this year; I am very close to achieving it and it will reap immediate benefits at work. That certification has been on my "to-do" list for seven years, though I have often considered it more of a dream than a goal. Right now, it is a "must-have". If I can check off both the degree and the certification in one year, then 2008 is gonna be unimaginable.

An update on my Organizational Challenge with myself. My office at home and work are improved. My garage is functional. My basement is useful for workouts (and yes, I am using it sometimes.) My van remains highly organized, and trash remains only in the trash-can.

In other words, I have achieved a new standard. I have plenty of room for improvement, but I cannot believe that I used to be such a filthy pig. I am now very careful about my van. My desk at work and home has a tendency to get cluttered still, but that is temporary and I am still much better off now than I was 3 months ago. It is amazing what a little medicine and understanding can do to transform a life.

I am still thinking about Corporate Social Responsibility on a regular basis, and I plan on using this blog to talk more about it. I hope that I can apply my growing understanding of CSR to my MBA studies and perhaps find a way carve my own niche in this field.

Again, I do not know how to conclude here. I am determined to post something on this blog, even if the conclusion is a clunky, sudden halt. Therefore, here it is: the final period at the end of the sentence that concludes my blogging silence.

A New Blog

Now that I am finished with my Undergraduate studies, I have four areas of focus:

1. The family, as always.
2. My Self: to improve my health and wealth.
3. Organization of work and home: this consumes as much time as possible until it is attained because it touches every aspect of my life.
4. Cisco Certified Network Associate; the coveted CCNA. This is a certification in my field that will improve my current and future employability/promotability. It has been a goal for seven years; I have attempted it twice. I will pass it this year, preferably by the end of September 2007.

The CCNA is a "must-have" if I wish to remain in my industry. It should have been attained a long time ago; I should be pursuing higher certifications now; this lack of certification has cost me jobs, promotions, and who knows what else; this certification will have a profound effect on my future.

Organizing my life is my primary focus. Everything else is sacrificed until I have attained my organization goals. However, I have a secondary focus for borrowed and free time: my CCNA. Soon, organization will consume less time and I can focus all my resources on the CCNA.

If I can finish my degree, my CCNA, and get a handle on my organization in 2007, what can I accomplish in 2008? I will need to learn to dream bigger, I think.

In order to focus on my CCNA, I am taking a class at the local community college. I do not think it will be enough to pass the exam, though. I need a deeper method of study. I have many options available to me, including books, software, websites, tutors, and lab practice. I think that by developing a networking blog I will create my own valuable resource, in addition to my other study methods. I learn more when I write, and when I try to teach my knowledge to other people.

Therefore, today I have created a networking blog: http://slobonetworks.blogspot.com/ If this blog you are currently reading ever hits a dry spell in the near future, it is probably because I am focusing on that blog. Perceptions of Reality will always be my first love and my primary blog. I will always return to this blog because it serves such a useful purpose in my life. In addition, I can never keep quiet when it comes to society and current events. However, it may have to take a backseat occasionally as I focus like a laser on my CCNA.

I leave today's post with a great quote from a great author:

"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's yourself." -Aldous Huxley

An Organized Van

I am almost finished organizing my van. I have kept it clean and in order for several weeks now, and I think I can do so indefinitely thanks to some new, easy systems and Adderall.

I spend more time in my van than almost anywhere else due to my job. Therefore, keeping clean and organized not only makes me more effective and efficient, it makes me feel better to ride in a van, rather than a rat's nest.

Here is the "before" shot of the passenger side, which has been the normal state of my van for the last 4.5 years that I have held this job:

I added a trash can with a bag that I empty often--it is easy to do and makes the van so much better to look at. The trash can alone is a tremendous difference-maker. However, I am also making sure to empty my van of boxes and parts that I do not need to keep in there on a daily basis if possible. One thing I never do anymore is to throw something in just to get it out of my hand and out of my mind. I think about what it is and place it in a logical place to be dealt with one more time when I get back to my office.

This is how my van has looked for almost a month:

Where the trash can is now, last month there was a basket in its place. This is a Dodge Caravan, and Dodge includes this webbing to place between the seats as a basket to hold items in place. I would fill it with parts, tools, papers, pens, gum, cd's, books, and anything else that I no longer wanted to hold in my hand. I think Jimmy Hoffa was at the bottom of the pile. The "catch-all" is not a good idea in my van, and it is gone.

As I said, I have had this job for 4.5 years. The box below has been in my van the entire time; I inherited it from the last engineer. It has always looked like this:

When I put the lid on it, it is not so bad to look at, stacked with several other containers. However, if I need a part that would be kept in this box, I have a lot of digging to do. Oftentimes, it takes two or three passes to find a tiny and rarely used part in this box. It never occurred to me to organize this box any differently. Before Adderall, my brain was probably incapable of viewing this situation differently. However, yesterday I had the bright idea of making it look like this:

You may say, "Duh." I say, "Wow." It was an "Ah-ha!" moment for me, and I am really excited to try it out in the field.

This new system will keep the parts from being damaged in storage, it will look better, make it easier to find what I need, and help me keep a more accurate inventory.

I had no idea that containers and labels could make me feel better than drugs, sex, or cheesecake.

The Organization Challenge (with photos)

How am I supposed to get anything done when the places that I work in are cluttered, messy, piled up, scattered, stacked, neglected, and downright disorganized? I used to say that it was just my way, that I couldn't work any other way, and other rationalizations. Any head-shrinker will tell you that one of the most common symtpoms of ADD is disorganization, lots of piles of junk that move around, but never really diminish.

However, the fact of the matter is that no human being should live a cluttered life. I am no longer living like this. I could find reasons to blame my clutter, but it doesn't make me any better.

At least once a year, I kick myself in the pants and get something uncluttered. It takes weeks, it is painful and exhausting, but I do it anyway. Sometimes it is the garage, sometimes my van, sometimes my office. Once the space is uncluttered, I am so much happier and productive--it's like a drug.

Within a month, I have undone the program and I am living the cluttered life again. It takes place slowly, and there is always a great reason for it (a busy week, bad weather, sickness, the usual...), but eventually I am a messy, unproductive slob again. In fact, I was a slob all along, I was just a neater slob for a while.

I have tried many different approaches. Notes, bins, shelves, file folders, reminders, rewards, punishments. This has been an ongoing cycle since early childhood. My four-year-old son is like this, by the way, so it may be genetic. There is something inside of me that causes this, that either desires this clutter or cannot muster up the resources to remain organized.

I am less productive at work. I lose things, I procrastinate, and I take longer to complete projects do to my clutter. I am less productive at home. My wife, who tries to keep the rest of the house in order, hates the clutter and sometimes takes it upon herself to clean up the junk. That is not fair to her. My clutter also affects my kids: the sight of clutter may depress or demotivate them, and it sets a bad example for them.

Therefore, I have begun the Organizational Challenge. By September 30th, I will have cleaned up my van, my garage, and my basement (to include my office). On October 30th, I will have kept these areas in an organized state. By November 30th, I will have blown away any record in my life at staying clean and organized. By December 30th, I will be like a new man. If these areas stay organized into 2008, then there is no telling what I will be able to accomplish in the new year. Maybe I'll run for president, since the Republicans have offered up nothing exciting and the Democrats are determined to get their heart broken by another Clinton.

This link goes to my "before" photos. I will update the album (and my blog) when progress has been made. I would really like to see some comments or emails with some strategies on how I could best get my arms around this problem (without propellants or explosives). If this is a problem you have, and you would like to participate or compete, please email me at lslobodzian@gmail.com