Note from Jessa: Today we have Paty Jager telling me how to GET ORGANIZED. Paty is an author of Western and paranormal romances AND she is a rancher in real life. So I figure she probably has some good words of wisdom on staying on top of things.
GET ORGANIZED advice from:
Paty Jager
Author of Secrets of a Mayan Moon
I have my own system of organization. I’m not someone that has to have a pristine desk or sparkling house around me to be able to function. But I do need order. There may be three piles of items on my desk but those are piles that pertain to what I’m doing. One pile has research for the current book, another pile has marketing and promotion things I need to tend to, and one is my list of to do’s and calendar/date book. Sometimes they get mixed together, but that’s because I may be working on all of it at the same time, like now. ;0) Writing my latest work in progress, promoting the last book, formatting the next book, and keeping up with the places I’m blogging.
My house is the same. My closet holds the clean clothes, and the top of the trunk at the end of my bed may have a good pair of jeans draped over the top and my “town” sweatshirt. My pjs are at the foot of the bed. Books I read in bed or when taking a bath are on my night stand. My room doesn’t have to be immaculate …it needs to be functional. I don’t live in clutter, but I do leave things out that are used frequently. I like my house to be comfortable and have a lived in look.
I have a system that works for me. I believe that as long as you know where things are, what you need is within reach, and the rest is tucked away, life is good and stress free!
Places where you can connect with me:
Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
Another Jessa note: This is such great, practical, no-nonsense advice, just as I’d expect from a lady rancher! Now, if I could just get Paty to train a herding dog to keep me in line on my organizing… Today I’m posting with Maggie Jaimeson on her resolution to take a vacation. This is one resolution I can totally support!
Stops on the “Resolve 2013” tour: January 1-9, 2013
Maggie Jaimeson – Take a Vacation
Jessa Slade – Get Organized
Paty Jager – Volunteerism
Linda Mercury – Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life
Jenna Bayley-Burke – Eat Healthier
Cassiel Knight – No More Procrastination
Cathryn Cade – Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions
Su Lute – Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss
Jamie Brazil – Shrink My Closet
Jessa Slade 
In our house, it’s the dog herding (walking) jackets and pants and so forth that tend to get left out. I always marvel at the amount of outdoor wear that collects in the entry every winter. Then again, with so many types of precipitation in Oregon, what can I expect? Paty, I think I need to hire your daughter to come over and sort us out here.
LOL Jamie, You should be at my house right now! With the weather we’ve had everyone has been putting on extra layers, so the laundry room where all the outer wear is kept, looks like a bomb went off now matter if we just straightened it or not. With four pairs of adult snow boots, two pair of kids snow boots, then work boots, shoes to slip on to do a quick trip out to feed a dog or turn off the cow water, and coats and overalls… My even my tidy daughter can’t keep up.
I like your approach, Patty. I’m kind of the same. I will add that I firmly intend to keep up with the bills and the filing. My new motto: don’t wait until the task is so big it freaks me out. 😉
Carole, That’s the key. You can have piles as long as the piles don’t get out of hand. Because they do “freak” one out when you see a huge task to deal with. Thanks for stopping in and commenting.
Ugh, the outerwear! Regular walking pants. Rain pants. REALLY raining pants. Shoes. Boots. Quick-gotta-go-to-the-compost-bin flipflops. Sweater #1 and #2 with hood. Regular hat. Not-too-cold hat. Regular scarf. Long scarf. Regular gloves. Allegedly-waterproof-but-really-not-even-dog-spit-proof gloves. Ugh!
Yes, Jessa, and times that by 6! I can’t wait until they get moved into their house!!!
I recently took December to go through a big de-cluttering of the house. I’m not a pack rat, but I do neatly save things that I think I may need 10 years down the line. Like three bins of barely worn girl baby clothes and one of baby toys that 6 years later I didn’t need – because I had a boy this time! 🙂 I like a lived-in look to a house and always remind my hubby “people live here”. From now on I will tell him our house is functional.
Thanks for sharing!
Melinda
Melinda, You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping in!
Paty, I also have piles on my desk, nightstand, dining room table (it rarely gets used for eating), etc. Some are neat piles, some not. I have my treasured cleaning lady coming tomorrow which means I’ll be scurrying around picking up stuff. (I can’t do much cleaning without my wobbly legs giving out.) After she leaves, it will take a day or two put all my piles back where I want them. But at least the dust bunnies will be gone. 🙂
Lyn, You need to teach your cleaning lady to clean around the piles or lift them one at a time and put them back so you don’t have to pick them up and then put them back.
Pat, I have to confess to my alias is Mrs. Clean when it comes to being organized. Hubby says I organize my organizations. I just smile cuz when he wants something, I can produce it. 🙂 That said, my writing office is often an organized mess and I do resort to the piles esp. when I’m researching a new book. Really, I’ll have stacks in a semi-circle around my chair and more across the floor bordering my bookshelves. So yeah, piles, I definitely get. 🙂 Char from WITS.
Char, If you make the piles and know what’s in it, then it is organized. Especially if it’s research. At least that’s my thinking. ;0)