New Year, New Goals: A Story Told in Ice

(Crosspost from See Jane Publish.)

My long holiday weekend got a little bit longer thanks to a lovely White Just-Missed-Christmas topped with an icing of, uh, ice. But since I was stuck at my computer, I figured there was no excuse not to sketch out my plans for the new year.

At first I wasn’t too excited about it…

Goal-setting is a little intimidating. I have to think ahead for a whole year?! It’s hard to see that far ahead, sometimes, and the path is slippery.

But ’tis the season for new year’s resolutions…

I know my big plans can only be achieved through drip-by-drip word counts and daily goals…

And so I start planning. At first it seems like a wild tangle, my brain is just a chaos of ideas and wishes and wannabes. These are my synapses on goal-setting:

But then the pieces start to come together and smooth out. Everything starts to move in the same direction. I can see a way forward through the wilderness of A. what I want to accomplish and B. what is possible. (Since I don’t have a stop-time machine.)

Eventually, my twelve-month to-do list starts to look — dare I say — rather impressive and stately…

I actually feel even inspired! I see potential brilliance hidden inside these small beginnings!

It’s early days, I know — very early days! — but I see the shape of what is to come.

With attention to my deadlines, I’ll be mowing down my goals!

If you have suggestions for launching with enthusiasm into the new year, please share in comments. And Happy New Year!

Resolve 2013: Organizing my organization

So I’ve had eight days to contemplate a lot of great advice on how to GET ORGANIZED in 2013. (I’d like to point out that eight days is only two days more than it took God Almighty to organize the universe; just sayin’ that, considering the state of MY universe, trying to GET ORGANIZED in a few days less than a year seems a wee bit ambitious…)

I’m composing this post a few days before the end of the 2012 (See how I’m TRYING to GET ORGANIZED?) because I’m frantically busy at the moment. I’m finishing one book (Sheerways #2), starting another (Steel Born #3), and organizing the launch of a third (Steel Born #2) first thing in January, like, as you are reading this right this second. I’ve already marshaled my tools to keep me on tracks. Here you can see:

• My calendar with days slowly fading away
• Sticky notes
• Lined notecards
• Print-outs of checklists
• My color-coordinated pens (alternating black and red for “needs to be done now” and “OMG needs to be done right now!!!”)
• Mini bottle of J&B… How did that get in here?!?… Ooh, look, there’s still a little left

Already, I’m seeing a failing in my resolution to GET ORGANIZED. I have too much to do. It’s not even 2013 and I’m already doomed. THIS IS WHAT THE MAYANS WERE TRYING TO WARN US ABOUT!!!!

No, no, calming breath. If we can survive the ending of one epoch, certainly we can survive the beginning of another. But I am going to think smaller, with more bullet points. Instead of trying to organize my universe, I am going to organize my office. There, that sounds more reasonable. My office is where I spend most of my time and it directly impacts my writing, which is what I love, so I should be most motivated to do this, at least to start.

Organizing my office lends itself nicely to bullet points and checklists:

• Organize desk drawers and filing cubbies
• Organize armoire
• Organize bookshelves 1-3
• Organize closet

Okay, this I can do. As soon as I finish my current projects in February…

All my author friends will be posting their wrap-up thoughts on their chosen resolutions — including procrastination and shrinking closets. How convenient! I think maybe we should reconvene on December 31, 2013 and see how we did!

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: Priority organization

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

Resolve 2013: Organizing: Start small & intimate

Note from Jessa: Today we have author and bellydancer Linda Mercury suggesting ways to GET ORGANIZED. If I tried dancing in my office right now, I’d break an ankle in all this clutter!

GET ORGANIZED advice from:
Linda Mercury
Author of the Blood Wings Series from eKensington
Dracula’s Secret | Dracula’s Desires | Dracula Unleashed

Often lost in the mist of “get organized” tips and tricks is one inescapable truth. Organizing is an act of profound self-love.

Organizing reduces anxiety and promotes a harmonious life. The smallest act of creating order from chaos will soften your shoulders and create a space for you to flourish. That’s why I recommend you always start organizing in your bedroom before anywhere else.

Your bedroom is where you dream, dress, love, cuddle. It is the most intimate place, where you are the most vulnerable. Forget the bit about having other people over. Invite yourself to the feast, first.

Bio: Linda Mercury left behind her varied careers as a librarian, art model, and professional clown to pursue writing. She’s interested in writing, romance, Middle Eastern History, reading, organizing, cooking, hand-made silk Turkish rugs, and the Nike of Samothrace.

Find Linda: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Another Jessa note: I like the idea of starting with an “easy” room first. My bedroom is so small, it only gets somewhat cluttered. (Just don’t open the closet!) Today I’m posting with Jamie Brazil on her resolution of taming her closet. Oh man, I hope I can offer something coherent.

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: Laughing in the face of organization

A note from Jessa: Today’s GET ORGANIZED advice comes from author, mom and perpetual motion machine, Jenna Bayley-Burke. She always has something going on, so I know she’ll have great suggestions on how to keep it all together.

GET ORGANIZED advice from:
Jenna Bayley-Burke
Author of Drive Me Crazy

I’m excited to see all the tips everyone else has during the Resolve 2013 tour. Alas, organization is not my strong suit. I’m always forgetting something. And most of my tips have to do with kiddos, not writing. But here goes…

1. Carpool – Any and everywhere you can. I trade ride duties for the kids preschool, chess team, matholympiad, yearbook club, play practice, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, ballet – if I can get out of driving half the time, it’s beyond worth the work of scheduling. I even carpool to the gym for Zumba because it gives me time to chat with a friend.
2. Menu Plan – It is boring as all get out, but planning a week’s worth of menus before you hit the grocery store can save time in many ways…you don’t have to think up what to cook and it really cuts down on trips to the store.
3. Recycle – This is very easy here in Oregon. The recycling goes in a giant bin at the curb that is collected every other week. It gives me the deadline to make sure all the newspapers, junk mail, cardboard and magazines have made a mass exodus from my kitchen counter.
4. Donate – I cannot throw away a book. Ever. I can, however pass them on to those who need the distraction. I take a bag of books with me every time I visit the hospital. (Sadly, I know where the family lounge rooms are and like to keep the shelves stocked with romances.)  I donate books the kids are done with to the local library. I’ve even been known to sell books back. For more books. Not really helpful with the whole organizing bit.
5. Bankers Boxes – OK, so this is going to sound crazy. But I bought a pack of bankers boxes for like ten dollars. And when the pile on my desk gets too high…I load the whole mess into a bankers box. And then I date it. And if a year goes by and I haven’t opened it in a mad search for something important…it hits the recycling bin. It’s all paper anyway.

Find Jenna : Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Pinterest 

Another Jessa note: The bankers box idea is brilliant! The clutter builds up in massive, dated chunks, so I should unearth it in massive, dated chunks. Nice. Today I’m posting with Susan Lute on her resolution to reduce stress – find and follow your bliss.

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