"Allow me to re-introduce myself"

I’ve written about sports, politics and everything under the sun. It’s time for something new.

That’s why it’s time to introduce you to Dr. Kevin, the new advice columnist for Clovis Media Inc.link

Let’s get the boilerplate warning out of the way: Dr. Kevin is not a doctor of anything, having done the minimum amount of college credits necessary for his degree and taking the easiest possible course when he only needed courses to fill out credit hour requirements.

Dr. Kevin gives no guarantees that his time in astronomy or intro to theater will be worthwhile advice, and at no time does Dr. Kevin ensure readers that he follows his own advice.

But let’s be honest, if you’re following this guy’s advice, chances are you have a long history of not following warnings.

Dr. Kevin: I’m having a tough time getting things done. It only seems like I have a half-hour of free time to go around. — Time-Starved in Too Lazy to Make Up a City.

Time-Starved: Do you have a phone with a timer? Can you set it to five minutes? Set it, name a small task and do as much of it until the timer goes off. Find something else to do, use the timer again.

The point is you can do anything for five minutes, because it’s just long enough to challenge yourself but not long enough to get bored. Plus, by the time a week is over, you’ve dedicated 35 productive minutes to the task.

Dr. Kevin: Any advice for being productive at work? — Overworked in Officetown, USA.

Overworked: Remember the five minutes advice? Get back five minutes early from lunch. First benefit, you get an amazing parking spot. Spend your five minutes doing things that will make your work easier over time. Create a shortcut key. Look at a form you use every day and think about how you could make it more efficient. The five minutes you save now may save you 30 minutes down the road.

That’s the time you can use to be unproductive but look busy.

Dr. Kevin: I’ve got to write something in a hurry to impress people. Anything I should do? — Writer’s Block in Imaginationville.

Block: Might I suggest an advice column?

Kevin Wilson is a columnist for Clovis Media Inc. He can be contacted at 763-3431, ext. 313, or by email:

[email protected]