GON Reader Letter #1
Wipe Now or Scrub Later!
I tend to be a procrastinator, especially with things I don't want to do. To fight this, my mantra is "wipe
now or scrub later." This works not only for cleaning spills in the kitchen but for other non-cleaning things too.
For example, that thank you note won't get any easier to write later, but if you wait too long you have to include an apology for being so tardy with
it.
Or if you procrastinate on tidying that guest room, you will need to scramble to prepare it for when your friend comes to stay.
Your future self will thank you for doing it, whatever it is, now.
-- Karen Brill, Bay Village, OH
GON Reader Letter #2
I Love to Keep Things Simple in My Garden
Few people think of a garden as being organized, but I love to keep things simple. I choose inexpensive plants that take little attention, bloom all summer, or have 3-season interest, and make great, quick, last-forever mixed bouquets without water.
Three of my favorites (in Wisconsin) are artichokes (yes, the vegetable) started by a greenhouse or early, hydrangeas, and Autumn Joy sedum. Artichokes are large, beautiful, gray, spiky plants that mix in well at the back of a sunny perennial bed, and fruit in late summer. I eat some of the artichokes and pick the rest of the fruit on the long stems after the first frost, bring them in the house, and stick them in
with the hydrangeas and sedum bloom-stalks in a large empty, (yes, no water) vase.
Within 2 weeks, huge lavender cactus-like artichoke blossoms appear and grace my table for a month before fading. No messy vase water here!
-- Janette Strasburger, Neenah, WI
GON Reader Letter #3
This Has Increased My Motivation to Work Quickly and Efficiently
Here's something that has increased my motivation to work quickly and efficiently and also incorporates rewards into a
busy day:
I set an alarm for a set amount of time (say 90 minutes). I have a list of what I want to accomplish in that amount of time. If I finish all items on the list before my time is up, I do whatever I want for the remainder of the time.
I get things done much more quickly, and am having fun too!
--Ruth Powers, Carbondale, CO
Kahhak Fine Arts
and School
