The organizing.

Last night I stayed up late working on organizing. I swear I do really become that person who puts more effort into the planning and by the time the event arrives I’m done for. Like cooking Thanksgiving dinner and sitting down not wanting to eat a single bite.

I try and refrain from that in my work and writing but planning, scheduling and organizing are a big deal to me…and ever working at being perfected.

Right now I’ve been dabbling at the use of  an online calendar (I never keep up with it but see it would be more handy if working and meeting with multiple others)  a calendar book (I just bought a super pretty new one to finish out 2017 and prep for 2018 but have yet to figure out what goes in and what doesn’t in limited space) which brings me to bullet journaling which gives me some relaxed but defined artful focus on what I need to do…track what I actually do…am doing, have done, and whatever range of works I am in including random thoughts and notes. The bullet journal (another new cute one started for the last three months of the year) gives me that hands on writing moment to stop and think but be creative and let my mind flow as well. Test my limits in how I use my day….and it’s pretty. It can also be time consuming and I’ve been known to fall off keeping up so we shall see how the last bit of 2017 goes.

I’ve been asked a lot recently how I am a writer and of course as a writer I’m nearly obsessed reading about how others do it…so why not make it a regular topic here? To write about writing is what I am writing about…sort of…or something like that. Sigh. I’m already lost. Which notebook did I write what I was going to actually write about?

Blogging about writing isn’t for attention as a writer, or some connection to the writing world and mixing it with being yet another blogger….or doing what everyone else seems to do with this crazy-blogging world (though that may be a tad bit of it). But it is for allowing me an external place to think out loud about my writing…a place where we writers who think very internally and within ourselves can see the words, the idea, the plan with some form of voice…until the final words finally meet paper.

What is my process? Well…let me map it out and at the same time sort of share it…create dialog, conversation with others…or just ramble into the endless abyss of the internet because I am sure those who know me (my poor Joe especially…and the cat) are a bit sick of hearing it. You may or may not read it…but either way, I’ve still said it.

So, as I study and go through routine, I’ll also discuss it….so if it seems random and like half the time I am busy chasing butterflies…I probably am. I do have a new puppy and also a cat who enjoying leaping onto my keyboard so often I come a bit off course anyway.

Last night I worked on Day one October 4^th of my bullet journal. I am not great at this yet…there is no second nature. I mess it up all the time and I’ve half started about five different books. But here I began again…I cut my year into three month spaces of time in most typical aspects. In my schedule I work for 4 weeks and vacation for 2. As of now work began again today and preparing a bit last night after Joe left for his job yesterday afternoon…out I drag my materials, my books, my many scraps of paper I might not ever look at again but will never throw out. I sat down with my scheduling materials and began writing out my bullet journal. I still don’t have decided how to best utilize my day planner….not enough space for too much and what am I missing? Perhaps use is for actual places to go and things to do such as lectures and book signings? Not just the daily everything in the works? We will see and until then I’ve scribbled a little.

The bullet journal I found is a real cute one for now which inspired me and I do think that is the first step of a bullet journal…a place for a little down home child like inspiration. It’s cute..a nerdy chick carrying a stack of books with more books scattered on the floor. Very me. I don’t try to look “librarian” I truly wear these glasses because I am blind as a damned bat.

So…first…be inspired by the journal/book itself. And sometimes give yourself room for a little less seriousness in your life.

Then…give yourself space to be inspired within. I’ve seen some really beautiful examples of bullet journals and as I have a total lack of talent in that direction I only admire while mine now looks like a kindergarteners work. I’ve tried new and different things with each book through the past couple of years…and this one is no different. How I lay them out and use them has yet to be found the golden ticket for me.

This time, I have my little table of contents and though with another notebook I tried organizing exactly what I needed on that page I’ve ended up filling it out as I began filling out the book….all plans never go as planned I tell you…and frankly even after some trying at this prior I still seem not to know where to start.

This month I began with a To Do: October for some general need to have crossed off my to do list in this months time. This includes a few get rid of the extra shit on the RV type of things and projects of focus. I then have Notes (each of my pages numbered to then list on my table of contents). Notes was simply a space for the month and moment to throw down random thoughts and junk with no clear idea yet where to put them. Then I move onto two pages for My October, where I hope to journal in my plans  and goals for the month…this beautiful inspiring crisp month of fall. I had planned to fill that out over coffee this morning but have yet to follow plan half way through this day.

I move onto October 4^th– My Day for my detailed needs to get done and scheduled out plan…also not all followed as of yet but practice makes perfect and habits can be built by working at them, I do hope certain aspects of my day will become more habitual through the next months…such as more yoga and a better spending of my time in the morning. So…yes, things like yoga happen to be on the list as are my ways to work. This took up several pages for me as I filled in some details about what each task was.

I do have a morning thoughts section for the day played out…I think this mornings began “ My weakness was waking up late, going to bed late the night before…”

I have one page of Home on which I had some immediate things to attend to concerning my remodel today. The fun thing with the bullet journal is that you can really fit in day to day what each day needs…some will be more and some will take much less.

And I ended the day with a few tasks listed over all and reads of the moment which I do believe I will refine and today also began a spreadsheet on yet another attempt to log my reading (we will see how THAT goes in keeping up as well).

I do hope eventually that my scheduling will take less time and be more of a creative release but as I mentioned…habit…forming the right things that work for me will also make a big difference. In the meantime…what are your tips and tricks or organizing and scheduling your writing life?

More to come on the subject. Until then, consider this me Talking Out Loud.

#TalkingOutLoud