Lost Parent Diary

Ways of Utilizing Piggy Bank Time

Once piggy bank time has been defined and located, it’s time to smash that piggy open! These are the main ways I take advantage of my piggy bank time:

MP3 player and podcasts - This is the silver bullet of piggy bank time. I have an iPod shuffle and it is absolutely fantastic! I strongly recommend this model because of the clip, which lets me attach it to my belt, shirt, or inside pocket of my jacket… this makes it virtually ubiquitous (still trying to figure out how to make it work in the shower, but I’ve got some ideas). It’s far more convenient than most other models which have a leash or you just put in your pocket.
Plus, the headphone you get with them are very comfortable, too (I had a Samsung MP3 player and the headphones were not nearly as nice). Invest in a good one because you’ll end up listening to it all the time!I subscribe to tons of podcasts (check out my blogroll) and a few times a week I dump the old and load the new. If I’m listening to something interesting, I’ll even keep in on while I’m driving.
Car radio and audiobooks - I have a car radio that plays MP3 CDs, which fit far more onto a single disc than an audio CD. I prefer to listen to audiobooks and lectures in my car because they are usually a longer investment than podcasts and need to be listened to in a specific order. It can take me a month of listening to one CD in the car this way and it’s time really well spent. I’m not the first to suggest using driving time to listen to things other than music.
A great way of combining your MP3 player with your car radio is via an FM transmitter. All in all, I use the iPod and car radio in tandem: iPod for podcasts, car radio for audiobooks and lectures.
“Reading Materials” folder - When I see a very challenging or long blog post, I prefer to read it on paper. I print it out and stick it in a special folder I keep with me in case I have an unexpected free moment of time. I may not be able to read it in one sitting, but slow and steady wins the race, after all.
“Do anywhere” folder - If you practice GTD, you know about the “anywhere” context. This is a list of action items that can be done just about anywhere (hence the name), all I need is a piece of paper and a pen, for example (again, the shower poses a problem). These may be brainstorming activities like, “how to I foil Brain’s plot to take over the world”, or writing an outline of a blog post or an important email about my rocket car. It’s good to have this kind of folder because I know I spend TONS of time on the computer, so if I can do anything beyond it, that’s always a plus!

WRAP UP

I really enjoyed writing this series. I’m still a relatively new blogger and it’s encouraging to see that my readership is slowly but steadily getting bigger… I must be doing something write!

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think about piggy bank time and other productivity topics. I hope to write more articles on parent productivity in the future, and I hope other people are interested in it to.

Piggy bank time is something that has really changed my life. The amount of information I take in is huge, and on one side it’s overwhelming, on the other side it just whets my appetite for more! Using other methods Dr. Birkenbihl suggests really helps maximize brain power. In the future, I hope to talk more about her and the work of others who explore the potential of the human brain.