Arkansas Living wins Arkansas Country Music Association’s Magazine of the Year Award
Arkansas Living magazine, the largest circulation publication in the state, won the Arkansas Country Music Association’s Magazine of the Year Award at the organization’s inaugural awards program on June 4 in Little Rock.
The award ceremony highlighted and honored Arkansas musicians in 27 categories ranging from entertainer of the year to lifetime achievement awards.
According to Nathan Hunnicutt, who produced the event, his goal is to recognize the rich history of the contributions of Arkansans to the country music genre and the support that magazines and other media provide the performers.
“Country music truly appreciates the long-term support that Arkansas Living has provided for Arkansas’ independent musicians,” Hunnicutt said. “There is nothing more satisfying than Arkansans helping other Arkansans to succeed, and the electric cooperative magazine certainly has always helped.”
Arkansas Living is produced monthly by Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AECI), a statewide service organization owned by Arkansas’ 17 electric distribution co-ops. Formed in 1946, it reaches more than a 1 million readers each month. Members of Arkansas’ electric co-ops receive the magazine as part of their co-op membership.
Read more about the awards and the full slate of winners on page 18.
Tips for better time management
Are you busy? Would you like ideas on better time management to do more with what little time you have? Let’s stop wasting time and get to it.
Eliminate time-wasters and distractions.
Modern life has many distractions. If you know you’ll be tempted to check Twitter or anticipate too many knocks at your office door, take steps to limit interruptions before you start. Close all programs and tabs except those you need. Let coworkers know you need to focus, close your door or put on noise-canceling headphones. Put your phone in a drawer.
Plan ahead.
Before a big day or before beginning a complicated or multi-part task, sit down and make a plan. Picking out what you’ll wear, pre-packing your lunch, checking to make sure your bags are packed with everything you need and reviewing your itinerary (including transit schedules, directions, meetings, after-school activities, places to fuel your car and body and making sure you have enough time between things) can make any day feel less stressful and frantic. Before a project, creating a plan of action with estimates for how much time each task or portion will take can prepare you mentally for the work ahead, allowing you to notice and solve time-related problems ahead of time.
Prioritize and set goals.
Once you’ve assessed all you need to accomplish, prioritize urgent and important matters. Set daily or project-based goals based on your priorities. For instance, finding new luggage for your trip can wait a few weeks, but you absolutely must call the plumber before the tiny leak worsens, schedule your semi-annual dental appointment and research Spacely Sprockets for your boss today.
Track your time.
Put a clock in a prominent place or use a timer to keep you on task. Stop when the time you’ve allocated is over and move on to the next task. Be sure you allocate time for breaks and transitions between tasks.
Don’t multitask; focus.
Studies have shown multitasking, or task-switching, isn’t as productive as focusing on a single task. In fact, multitasking takes more time to complete tasks and increases the number of errors you make.
Delegate or outsource.
Productivity is not worth your sanity. If you cannot reasonably accomplish everything on your to-do list, enlist help. Delegate appropriate tasks to coworkers, your spouse and children. Ask a friend or neighbor for help. Outsource big jobs that take too much time or energy, like yard work, or use services that take tasks off your plate, like grocery delivery or laundry services.