Then and Now: Notebooks, Planners, and Other Brain Back-Ups

 

I was just talking about notebooks and planners in my writer's group last week, which is when this post was supposed to run. Apparently my brain really does need back-ups -- I never hit the publish button.

Better late than never? Sigh. It's a process.

Then: 

I am the notebook queen. As a writer, I never want to risk losing a good idea, so I have notebooks in a variety of places: the car, the chest beside my bed, my office, the kitchen. Inside every purse I own.

These notebooks collect my writing thoughts, but they collect other things as well. The titles of books I want to read. Things I have to do. Stuff I want to remember.

As organizational systems go, they're not the best, but I don't expect them to be. Their purpose is to work as a temporary measure until I can get the information where it belongs -- in my calendar or on my to-do list. Without my notebooks, a lot of information would slip away, or, just as bad, I'd be forced to try to remember it all.

I guess you could call them my brain back-ups.

When you think about it, multiples are common in organizational systems. We don't have just one cabinet in our kitchens or one drawer for all our clothes. Multiple tools in various places or serving various functions can be efficient if we have a system for their use. And they work especially well if we use them to target our weak spots.

For me, keeping track of everything in my head doesn't work (weak spot), and seeing reminders of what I have to do does. Sure, I could put it all on my phone, but that doesn't work as well for my I need to see it personal style as going "old school" with paper and a writing implement. And, using notebooks instead of scraps of paper helps keep things contained, as well as limiting the number of places I need to look to see where I might have written something down.

Is there a weak spot in your system? What measures can you put into place to shore it up?

Now: 

The older I get, the more brain back-up I need. As I've shared previously, I have an entire (shallow) drawer devoted to my various notebooks, including several planners that have been pressed into service as a cross between a notebook and a calendar.

Although I still have more notebooks than any one person needs, I've begun to streamline my process a bit so that every notebook in my drawer has a specific purpose, whether it holds plans for a book, interesting markets for my work, or a place to keep track of time spent writing. 

Finding a planner that's set up to mesh well with the way my brain works (a key element to a brain back-up) has helped a lot, taking over the job of a catch-all notebook and making it easier to assign time slots to to-dos. I like it so much, in fact, that I asked for another one for Christmas (and ordered an extra just in case) so I could move seamlessly from one into another when I ran out of pages in the first one. This week, I started Volume 2.

It can take a while to find the right tool and, until we do, it can be easy to convince ourselves that we are the problem. We aren't. A tool should always work in our service and, if we keep our styles in mind and surrender to the inevitability of experimentation (at least sometimes), the journey to the right tool can be fun in and of itself.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Steps to Solving that Organizing Dilemma

  Earlier this week, I set out to find a new home for my growing collection of purses. I've been splurging on Kate Spade lately and hanging my purses in the mud room among book bags and jackets was dealing them -- and me -- crushing blows (emotional in my case). 

That's no way to treat a splurge. I needed something that not only gave my new acquisitions the respect they deserved, but made sure the time they'd last justified the numbers on the price tags I'd just removed. In addition, I wanted to keep them accessible. There's no point in owning something you don't use because it's too hard to get to.

I started out by browsing on Pinterest and I got lucky, moving from idea to implementation in one day. Here's how.

Once you've identified the problem:

Identify your styles. This will ensure that you work toward a solution that works for you, not someone else's pretty proposition. Believe me, it's easy to convince yourself that the right tool will solve the problem all by itself. If that tool doesn't also match your styles, that is never the case. 

Brainstorm & browse. I love using Pinterest for this purpose because it makes browsing (getting ideas) and brainstorming (adapting them to fit my space and styles) a two-way street. If I have no ideas of my own, I simply type what I'm trying to organize into the search bar. In this case, it was "purse organization." If I know what I'm looking for (purse hooks, for example), I can get more specific. 

Make a match and try it out. Because I've been organizing by STYLE for quite some time, I quickly zoomed in on style-specific ideas. From there, the next question was whether or not I had the space to implement them. Once I decided on an idea and a location, I looked around for things I already had that would give me a rough idea of whether or not the idea would work. 

I got lucky, finding and implementing a Phase One fix all in the same day. Why a "Phase One" fix? Repurposing something I had works, but I think something else (something I don't already have) might work better, especially since the tool I used was doing another job somewhere else, leading me to have to do a little re-vamping there as well. I ordered something else I want to try from a store I'm familiar with (and whose return policy ensures I'm not stuck with it if it doesn't work). Once it arrives, we'll see if Phase One is a keeper, or if Phase Two works better.

Meanwhile, I've had a couple of days to live with the new solution and, you know what? I love it. If the new hooks don't work in the space, I can stick with this imperfect solution until a better one comes along. If the new acquisition is even better, I can return my placeholder to its rightful place.

As with all organizing, it's a process. Sometimes the first idea works; other times, it leads us to something that does. Either way, we get closer to easy upkeep, one step at a time.

Throwback Thursday: The Elements of a Container

I’m an educator at heart – and by profession. Consequently, I sometimes look at my Throwback Thursday posts as an opportunity to review basic concepts, especially early in the year when many of us are working on a New Year’s resolution to get organized. Today’s reminder? A post from 2015 on the elements of a container.

Containers come in many shapes, styles, colors, patterns and textures. Some are functional, some are fashionable and some strive to be both. Large, small, lidded, open, clear, colored, round, square, rectangular....the choices can be overwhelming.

Despite their variation in appearance, all containers have just three components: form, function and style. Form refers to the size, shape and physical attributes of a container, including features such as lids and sections. Function is exactly what it sounds like - the purpose the container will serve once you get it home. A container’s style comes from its aesthetics - color, texture, pattern, attractiveness.

All of these attributes matter. How much each one matters depends on what needs to go into the container, where it will be stored, and -- you guessed it -- the personal and organizational styles of the person using it. Your mission will be to try to find containers that will help you to create systems that are both appealing and functional so that they’re easy and fun to use and maintain. 

I love stuff

If you're an I love stuff organizer, the key to containing your belongings lies in corralling both collections and odds and ends. I love stuff organizers may see the containers themselves as collectibles, or as ways to house or display items of importance -- or perhaps both. This tendency to collect things usually means the more you like a container, the more likely you are to use it. 

I love stuff folks often prefer open storage and unique containers that allow them to see what they have. But, since too much visibility can turn into visual clutter (think about the difference between one sheet of paper on a desk and haphazard piles of papers), it’s important to strike a balance between what’s gets displayed and what gets put away. 

For the I love stuff person, container selection is a breeze because almost any type of container works. Clear, color-coded or labeled containers with or without lids can all work well. Clear containers let you see which valuables are inside, while color-coding and/or labeling can be a visual reminder of what goes where. You may also like unique containers because of their aesthetics; in addition, the uniqueness of the container may serve as a visual remember of the location of your valuable stuff. You may want to match containers in terms of color, size or style, or decide on a color scheme or other unifying theme, especially if you want to mix and match containers. The key is to come up with a combination that allows everything to be away, but still visible and/or accessible.

Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay

I love to be busy

Time is at a premium for the I love to be busy person, which means the best containers are those that require as few steps as possible. If you're an I love to be busy person, you may benefit from subdivided containers that allow you to see at a glance what’s missing as you hurry from one activity to another. 

Separate storage for each activity (e.g. a separate bin or bag) can also be helpful because this prevents items that are needed for one activity from getting mixed in with materials for something else. Like their I love stuff counterparts, I love to be busy people may also like clear, color-coded or labeled containers that help them keep track of the minutiae of their varied pursuits. And, depending upon their organizational style, they may be able to use each of them with equal facility. 

rayedigitaldesigns via Pixabay

I need to see it

The name says it all! Anything you can do to appeal to the visual will help you if your style is I need to see it. As a general rule, open storage (no lids) is best because it helps the the I need to see it person put things away without putting them out of sight, preserving the need for visual prompts. Clear, labeled or color-coded containers can work, too, for the same reason - they provide visual cues as to where things go. 

Whereas those with other styles can be coerced into putting their belongings into drawers and closets, I need to see it organizers will resist this. For them, the line between visibility and visual chaos is very, very fine. 

I need to see it folks, like their I love stuff counterparts, often enjoy a visually stimulating mix of containers -- colored, patterned, unique -- and this variety can help them remember where they put things, making it easier for them to make the transition from leaving it out to putting it away. Avoid monochromatic color schemes; without visual variety to remind you where you put things, you'll quickly become frustrated and return to leaving everything out where it can be seen.

kaboompics via Pixabay

A word about size

Remember how you used to buy your kids clothes with “room to grow” when they were little? Regardless of your style, you can use the same concept when determining the right size for a container: Choose containers that are the right size for what you currently own, with a little space for future acquisitions.