Resolve 2013: Organize my life–Please!

A note from Jessa: Today, author Cathryn Cade shares her thoughts on my resolution to GET ORGANIZED. Since Cathryn is a former teacher and I’ve seen what kids can do to a schedule (heck, I think I WAS that kid who trashed schedules) I’m sure she’s learned to perfect staying organized.

GET ORGANIZED advice from:
Cathryn Cade
Author of Hawaiian Heroes III; Blooming in the Wild

I love to cook. And I love to buy cookbooks. Must be a book thing.

Confession time; I also save recipes out of the newspaper, and I sort of rip them out of magazines at the doctor’s office (shameful, I know) and I find them on the internet.

So … you can imagine what my cookbook shelf looked like. Yup, like the cooking section at Powell’s Books exploded. The good news is we moved recently, so I got rid of stacks of old recipes that I was never actually going to use. But I still had a problem. All those cookbooks.

Then a miracle happened. My new daughter-in-law asked me for some of my son’s favorite recipes. So I typed them up on my computer, saved them in a Word file in My Documents & emailed them to her for the cute new 3-ring-binder cookbook I bought them.

And suddenly (!!) I realized that now I could get rid of like seven old cookbooks, because the only recipe I ever used out of each was that one family favorite. And if I bought myself a cute new 3-ring binder cookbook, I could put my recipes in it. Tah-dah! Lightbulbs flashing, drumroll please.

I feel so stoopid. I could have done this so long ago. Oh, well. Sometimes it takes that friendly nudge, or that hard kick in the patootie.

I guess it was just time, ‘cause that organization thing started spilling over into my writing. I made more new folders in Word, and typed up notes from conferences, classes, etc. And then I threw away the papers, notebooks, etc. Whee, less office clutter!! (And yes, I back my computer up every day with Carbonite. My whole writing life is on this machine.)

And then I bought a new writing program, and started organizing the way I plot my books.  And now that has become so much easier. Good grief, girlfriends, the next thing you know I’ll be running for governor and organizing the whole state of Montana. (Okay, not happening.)

But just wanted to say, when you do something positive, it can spill over in wonderful and unexpected ways.  So what’s on your list? Begin today, rule the world tomorrow!

Happy New Year,
Cathryn Cade
… red-hot romance!

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Another Jessa note: Ah, this is brilliant! Put the “resolve” part of resolution on somebody else’s head! I do find it’s easier to do when someone else is expecting it of me. Although — confession time — XY just removed all his stuff from my art closet because he said he could never find anything in there. Um, I think that is NOT how I’m supposed to become more organized — by scaring people away! Today I’m posting with Cassiel Knight on how to eliminate procrastination. Even though clearly I have MASTERED procrastination by not cleaning my closet and thus forcing XY to move out of it. Victory!… Uh, I mean… Shame, shame.

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

Resolve 2013: Getting organized? Hmmm…

Note from Jessa: Today I am hosting my friend and fellow author Susan Lute who is obviously a little too much like me in the “GET ORGANIZED? But why?” department. I guess that’s why we’re friends 🙂

GET ORGANIZED advice from:
Susan Lute
Author of Dragon’s Thief

I’m always intrigued by the New Year’s resolution to “get organized”, mainly because I’m so bad at it. But when I’m trying to be good, sometimes I organize too. Here’s what happens.

I say to myself, “I think I’ll organize my office today.”

Good girl, says the little angelic being sitting on my shoulder.

Really?, snorts the rascally companion pulling the tangled hair on top of my head.

Ignoring that one, I dutifully dig in and get about half way done before I realize how thirsty I am…and hungry…and distracted because all these things have to go into their proper places. Before I know it I’m out of the office, with the promise I’ll be right back, and five minutes later it’s a done deal. All interest in organizing the office has evaporated into thin smoke.

The good news is it usually looks better. And I can live with that.

That’s the thing about getting organized. There are some things that must be organized, like household budgets and how to write a novel. There are other things that…well…pick your battles. What’s important and what’s not? What makes life easier? What doesn’t? Sometimes that’s the best barometer.

What organizational tips work for you? Do you have a favorite? Who knows, maybe the next time I organize the office, with your advice, I’ll stick with it to the end.

Where to find me 🙂 Goodreads, My website, Facebook, Twitter and See Jane Publish. Sign up for my newsletter and have a chance to win a gift card to Amazon or BN. And don’t forget to support your local authors by becoming a “fan” on Goodreads.

Another Jessa note: I have to admit, I’m tempted to go with the “GET ORGANIZED-ER” idea here 😉 Baby steps, right? Today I’m over with Jenna Bayley-Burke offering my suggestions on eating healthier. Where I’m probably going to be about as helpful as Susan was on getting organized! #eatmorechocolate

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

Resolve 2013: Virgo shames us all

A note from Jessa: Today, author Jamie Brazil wonders why I have so much trouble with organization. I’m tempted to drag her into my office to show her! At least I don’t have a pink flamingo on my desk!

GET ORGANIZED advice from:
Jamie Brazil
Author of Lost and Found, Virgo Edition

A long time ago, I had my birth date examined by a professional astrologer.  Her computer software revealed that I had nine planets in Virgo, and my true calling in life was hotel management.  Nothing about writing or publishing.  Get thee to a Best Western!  Decades later, my experience in the overnight hospitality sector is staying in hotels… not running them.  (Though the ongoing training of dogs that sniff out bed bugs in hotels fascinates me, Bloodhound fanatic that I am.)

I digress.  The subject at hand is organization. Mine.  Apparently, all the Virgo influence in my chart equals superior organizational skills.

It also translates to being completely anal.

When it comes to putting things back where they belong I can be a little obsessive, but the reality behind that personality quirk (a.k.a. control issues) has a lot more to do with moving 18 times as a child than astrology.  I don’t like not knowing where thing are.  And it pisses me off when stuff gets lost.

Fast forward a couple decades.  I married the love of my life in 2004.  He’s a sentimental pack rat who doesn’t put his toys away, and seems to have hundreds of note-strewn scraps of paper orbiting his person most days.  As much as I’d like to think that my vows to him included the phrase, to love, honor and organize, they didn’t.

I truly do not understand how he can work at a desk that is pure chaos. If I look at it too long I start to twitch. He claims his desk reflects the nature of the Universe and Buddhism, but all I see is a jumble of notes and clutter seeking order.  Still, I don’t touch his desk… much.  I confess, there are times I just can’t help myself.

My resolution for 2013 is to leave my husband’s creative chaos alone. I’ll look the other way.  Organize the garage, or the garden shed. Maybe even get out of the house for a bit… I hear the Best Western down the road is hiring.

Let’s connect on Goodreads and Facebook!

Another Jessa note: “desk reflects the nature of the Universe and Buddhism” Ha-ha! I’m so using this line from now on: “My desk is a study in entropic decay. Deal with it.” Today I’m posting with Linda Mercury on her resolution to live a creative life.

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

Resolve 2013: Wherein we get resolved!

Resolve 2013: How it works

With the start of 2013, a group of my favorite author friends and I will be helping each other with our New Year’s Resolutions. Each resolution is different. Mine is to GET ORGANIZED. (I think of it in all caps, in the hopes that caps will motivate me.) Each writer will be guest posting on my blog about her ideas to GET ORGANIZED. Scroll down to the next post to see their advice. 

Admittedly, GET ORGANIZED is a perennial resolution for me, but still. With help from my friends (and special thanks to Jessie for organizing this) perhaps this year I will finally conquer the beast that is my office/desk/closet/other closet/hard drive/etc. After they’ve had their say, I’ll wrap up with how I’m going to make this resolution work for me. In turn, I will be posting on each of their blogs to help them with their resolutions too. (Bwa-ha! Little do they know!)

Here’s the list of writers and resolutions. Please hop around and visit us all with your helpful (or off-the-wall) suggestions. I suspect some/many/all of their resolutions are on your list too!

Resolve 2013: 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

Resolve 2013: Embrace My Organizational Style

A note from Jessa: Today author Maggie Jaimeson dives into the mess of my GET ORGANIZED resolution for 2013 and offers her insights. Let’s see how she does… Wait, in the first sentence, she is laughing at me!

GET ORGANIZED advice from:
Maggie Jaimeson
Author of UNDERTONES

Organizing the Office 

I have to tell you that I laughed uproariously at the idea of writing a post about getting organized.  Let me give you a description of how I work in my office (much to my husband’s chagrin).

One of the effects of being creative is that I tend to have a lot of ideas and interests. These often blossom into piles of books, papers and projects that build up around my office. Fortunately, they don’t escape from my office too often, because my husband is Mr. Uber-organized and a work-on-one-thing-at-a-time-until-it-is-finished processor. When my stuff occasionally escapes from the office to the dining room table I hear about it, and it is soon back in my office. To make matters worse, because all these ideas have multiple facets and various articles of research associated them, each one becomes it’s own “organized” (read pile) project. Of course, I have to leave everything out where it’s easily accessible because, if I put it away, I may forget about it and that would be horrendous.

When anyone asks how I can work like this, my response is: “This may appear like clutter, but really it is organized chaos. I know where everything is.” Okay you can stop laughing now. Really. The statement is true, at least in the beginning.

So, I admit that while I could never be my husband, at least once or twice a year I notice that my organized chaos has become a black hole and it begins sucking my attention and energy. That’s when I know I really do need to do something about it.  That’s when I take an entire day and go through everything, and put it into folders (usually I scan sticky notes, printed web pages, and hand-writte notes into my computer and then put them into folders). Whatever doesn’t get scanned ends up in the recycling bin. For at least a week following the aversion of black hole doom, everything thinks I’m Ms. Uber-organized. Honestly, that is the extent of my office organizing skills. I’ve learned to simply embrace my organizational style. J

Tracking Book Elements

Because I truly do have a problem with memory, and I’m a write-int-the-mist (panther) kind of writer, it is critical that I have an organized way to track everything I’ve created in a particular novel or series. I do this using a software product called Super Note Card.  I keep a deck of cards containing all my characters. Each card is a character and I record various things about them as I write them: physical characteristics, family and educational/career background, phrasing, GMC, love interest, etc. Another card deck is book chapters, and I include separate cards for 1st Turning Point, 2nd Turning Point, Black Moment. If I’m world building there are usually several decks including Geography, Mythology, Magic, whatever I need. The cool thing about this ver inexpensive software is that you can add or remove decks and cards at any time. You can also rearrange them. So, when I decide that Chapter 6 really needs to be Chapter 2 I simply drag and drop it to the right location.

Super Notecard has really helped with my continuity and, if I have to come up with a Synopsis, I can easily pull together the primary elements from the descriptions on these cards.  Previous to this software, I would take notes and save them in a folder with the book name. The problem is, because my thoughts are random, those files would end up being named note, note2, note3, etc.  And not easy to track or find things.  For me it works perfectly. Your mileage my vary.

Meeting and Event Scheduling/Organizing

Now one thing I am VERY organized about is time. That is because I have virtually no memory. I frequently forget even what day it is. Let’s not even talk about what time it is.  Thank the technology gods for smart phones and electronic calendars or I would be perpetually late or absent. I was an early adopter of the PDA and that has now morphed into the smart phone.

I put EVERY event, deadline, schedule, blog tour, trip, meeting, phone call, birthday, anniversary, holiday, etc. on to a Google calendar that is linked to my phone.  I do it immediately when I commit to whatever the date/time/deadline is.  Depending on the event, I put in various alerts—usually at least two deep. For example, for a meeting that takes me half an hour to drive there, I put an alert two hours before and another one 45 minutes before. The two hours is to make sure I’m awake. The 45 minutes is to make sure I’m actually getting in the car.  Electronic calendaring is an amazing invention and I can count on my cell phone always being wherever I am.  Now, if I could only find a way to remind me I need to charge it before I’m somewhere without an outlet. Hmm…I’m sure I can set up a daily alert for that.

Contact Maggie: Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Another Jessa note: Clearly, getting advice from writers on organizing is going to be like getting advice on dieting from chocoholics. Codependence, anyone? Still, I like the idea of making technology work FOR me for a change. I should make better use of my Google Calendar. Hey, I could start with scheduling this tour! Today (according to my Google Calendar) I’m posting with Paty Jager regarding her resolution on volunteering.

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