Monday Listicle: 10 acronyms

This week's Monday Listicle is an easy one for me, because my daily life is all about acronyms and my efforts to make writing more clear to the reader. Here are my pet peeves about acronyms, working in an environmental engineering/consulting firm:

• Don't use an acronym unless you have to (if the term is long and you'll be using it again)
• Don't use an acronym if you only refer to it just once--just spell it out!
• Don't use an acronym to show off! No one is impressed...what's the use unless it makes the reading easier?)
• Don't use an acronym if it will make the reading more difficult...
• Spell out the acronym when you first use it--don't assume people will know what you are talking about 

Just a few of the acronyms I use regularly at work:

1. EPA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
2. EIS (environmental impact statement), EA (environmental assessment), etc.
3. BG (business group)
4. BDS (Business Development Services, the group that writes and manages proposals in my company)
5. SR (Sustainability Report, which is what I've been working on in the past few months)
6. ESBG (Environmental Services Business Group, which is where much of my work comes from)
7. PDX (Portland, Oregon--both the airport and the acronym for our Portland office)
8. HR (Human Resources)
9. IT (Information Technology)
10. PTO (the most important acronym in my job--personal time off!!)--even though I feel lucky to get paid for a job I love, what I love most of all is my PTO!!

And extra credit, my favorite acronym outside of work, the most important person in my life, my DH (dear husband), who is a saint! I was gone all weekend at a women's music weekend, the Northwest Women's Music Celebration, and I'll also be gone the next two Friday nights on other various women's getaways. I so greatly appreciate my husband's support for my need for female companionship. I love you, DH!

With my friend Lois and my mom at women's music camp

Join in the Monday listicles fun at The Good Life, sponsored by Stasha!