In fact, I honestly don't understand people who aren't! How can you nutty non-planners possibly keep track of all that has to be done without writing it down? Without a to-do list how do you wild and crazies live with that fluttery feeling that you might have forgotten something?!?!
I also adore symmetry. And even numbers (petrol gauge, volume on the TV, even always). I like stripes and spots. I love black and white. I adore renovation shows but would happily only watch the big reveal. All that neatness! And tidiness! And paint that's yet to be marred by a single dirty fingerprint! The unclutter movement is my bliss. I've done KonMari. The William Morris quote “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” gives me happy chills!
And yet - in the eternal dichotomy that is human existence - I don't see mess. It's comes part and parcel with my (diagnosed) 'Off With the Fairies' disorder. How can one possibly keep ones house tidy all the time when there are imaginings to be imagined? For example, I could walk over a bobby pin sitting on the stairs a dozen times and not notice it. Or if I do I'll tell myself to pick it up later. Just ask my husband - he's the one with the (undiagnosed) Just Pick It Up when You See It condition. This also comes down to the fact that I have no willpower. Am distracted by bright shiny things. And happily lose great tracts of time to faffing.And thus, in order to maintain a base level of sanity, my eternal pursuit for Being Organised is real.
Here are a few mantras and hacks that have helped me at least feel more organised:
DO IT NOW
Answer emails, texts and invitations the moment you read them! The longer you leave them unanswered the more weight they place on your shoulders. And it just keeps piling up.
WRITE IT DOWN
Think of something you need 'to do' write it down. On a scrap, on your hand. Keep a master list somewhere - I use my Bullet Journal.TICK IT OFF
Ticking things off you to do list is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It's been scientifically proven that you'll get a dopamine hit every time you make that tick. And you feel physically lighter!
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| @TheOrganisedWriter |
Before getting to the meat of my day (the writing of the books) I now know I need to do a few things to clear my head first. Admin things, preparation things, creative things. For me its a form of meditation. Cleansing of the creative palette.
UNPLUG
Once the preparation is done - unplug. Switch off. Put your head down and work. Distraction is the key to your undoing.
IF IT ISN'T BEAUTIFUL OR FUNCTIONAL, LOSE IT.
I'm a big one for finding your bliss and swimming in it till you're all pruney. So ditch the clutter and surround yourself with things that give you joy. Lighter and brighter all the way, baby.
And if anyone has a magical piece of organisational advice to add, please share! My learning on this score will never be done.
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Anyone coming to the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Brisbane this month, I'm holding a workshop entitled The Organised Writer in which I'll share hints and hacks to help others like me to organise their space, their time and their heads in order to write more, write clean, write better. Head over to The Organised Writer facebook page for more.https://www.facebook.com/theOrganisedWriter/
I have had words of the year. Ruthless was so that I would throw out/give away/repurpose items around the house. Balance was because I was doing more for others than myself. Cleanse was similar to Ruthless, but also included cleansing myself of poisonous friends. I used Nike's mantra of Just Do It, similar to yours. Recently I started my Is It Healthy for Me stage, so now I'm watching what foods/drinks I put into my mouth and when, trying to do sit-ups when watching my shows, and going to bed earlier so I won't be tempted to snack in the evenings (always a problem).
ReplyDeleteLife is an ongoing process. Always trying to improve. Always taking a step or two forward and another step back....
Thanks for mentioning about a bullet journal. I'm going to round up my notes and write them into one easy-to-carry book. Right now.
You'll love Bullet Journaling - I promise! Google the originator to see how its done with simplicity. Instagram and Pinterest will show you the pretty :).
DeleteLove this post, Ally. I'm a pantser and a gunna girl. Which is quite messy really, but somehow I get there - most of the time.
ReplyDeleteBut I am going to act on 'If it is beautiful then lose it'. Starting later today. :)
A "gunna girl". That's soooo me! Love the "keep only if it sparks joy" mantra. I like joy :).
DeleteOMG Ally - your hubby and mine have the same undiagnosed condition!
ReplyDeleteI amn a list keeper and I think ticking things off lists is the closest thing you're ever going to have orgasm with pen and paper. I'm more write it on any scrap of paper kinda girl though but it is why adore post it notes - like they are my drug of choice.
I also abhor clutter and regularly declutter. I'm thinking seriously about attacking my kitchen cupboards and linen cupboards over Christmas because there's just TOO MUCH STUFF I NEVER USE!!! Can you tell how much it annoys me?
:-)
Now, if only I can get hubby to do the same with all "shed stuff"....
I cleaned out the corner cabinet the other day. The place where all the gifts and commemorative mugs are kept. Soooo good to empty it out!
DeleteAh, I'm torn by your post Ally. I love it! But sadly there's a difference between doing and theory. I love a clean space. I love order and yes I have lists and, like Amy, post it notes galore. Trouble is I never seem to find time to clear away the clutter as there's always some other urgent task just waiting for me to do.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I am totally like you. I WANT to get stuff done, but the times it happens are rare. Perhaps that makes them all the more satisfying!
DeleteI love organisation, being organised and keeping things tidy etc. Unfortunately you wouldn't know it by looking at my flat. I have a very long to do list that I call my master to do list, but I have yet to find a sustainable way to stay on top of housework that accommodates pain flare ups and doesn't include hiring someone else to clean.
ReplyDeleteLyn, I made a master list with every section of my house. Every time I clean out a drawer, or a shelf, I colour in that little bullet point. It's very satisfying ticking off that list!
DeleteOh if only I was like this Ally I really need a big de-clutter here at home but alas the time spent doing things lie that would take away reading time :)
ReplyDeleteI am a gunna do that I know what needs to be done and I will get there one day I hope
Have Fun
Helen
It rally is the BEST feeling tossing stuff away. A lighter load makes for a lighter heart. I have a friend who follows a site that gives a daily task. Clean out one drawer. Clean out one shelf.
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ReplyDeleteI am going to your workshop I love the reveals like the Block and quite easily miss the rest. I love the end product. However I do need to de-clutter my house, all my kids stuff from childhood, but to me it is their stuff, not mine, and they need to do the de-clutter, so I can have more room for my books! :D My hubby has a list mainly because he has a big to do pile and no time to do it, because of work. Working 6 days a week at the moment. Someone's has to pay for my yearly trip lol. Not really I save up all year. I surround myself with the things I love, books, music, and my Middle East collection, and always feel at peace, when I get to my writer's room. Fingers cross daughter doesn't come back again ;)..... (only in emergency)
ReplyDeleteI love that you "feel at peace" in that room, Jan. It's the "surround yourself with things that spark joy" philosophy that I so agree with. Take the bliss!
DeleteTicking off items on my To-Do List is one of life's pleasures, Ally. Unfortunately, like you I walk around in a daze most of the time...and come back to earth with a thud when I realise how utterly cluttered and disorganised my house has become while I was in dreamland. Oh, well, I tell myself it's in the higher pursuit of stories. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is the price we pay for being dreamers :).
DeleteHi Ally - alas, I am disorganized and messy. I never write anything down, I never write a shopping list or reminders to pay bills or use any kind of diary on my phone or electronic devices. Still, the bills get paid, the deadlines get done and the day job ticks along without any dramas. I do love the idea of being a planner - but I live as I write - no plotting, just a vague idea of the what the story is about and then start with Chapter One...kind of like I live my life everyday. One thing is for sure...it's never dull (much to the despair of my much more organized hubby) Your workshop sound awesome :)
ReplyDeleteYou know what Helen, the only reason I crave to be organised is to feel like I have a modicum of control. If you feel fine without it, then I wish I was you! You've got your bliss just as you are. Enjoy every second.
DeleteI'm another you loves ticking things off my To-Do List. Triples my sense of accomplishment, just ticking that box! I'm compulsively organised in some parts of my life -- I'm a Natural Born Planner -- but have some trouble with the follow through. If I happened to watch home-reno shows, I'd be riveting by the planning episodes, bored by the doing ones, and thrilled with the big reveal.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could de-clutter but am also a compulsive hoarder and gatherer. I need to get that under control. I need to start a plan...
You are my kindred spirit, Bron. I love your spreadsheets and your to do list ticking. But yep, the follow through is the hard part. So long as we aim there is always hope :).
DeleteI love the "if it isn't beautiful or functional, lose it" piece of advice! I've done a lot of clearing out the past year or so and was shocked at how much crap we had accumulated in only 3 years living in Canada. It piles up so quickly!
ReplyDeleteMy biggest tip is to "make sure everything has a home" - floating objects mean constant mess. So I try to always ensure household items have a proper place to live so it's quicker and easier to tidy up :)
Too true! Though having three kids means everything has a home on the floor, the couch, the desks... It was amazing to me having girlfriends come to stay while hubby took the kids away last weekend and apart from a coffee mug or three I didn't have to tidy a thing! Hmmm...
DeleteI'm like Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone except I also have a family and a day job! I have post-it-notes everywhere in the house, in the garage, in the car. I need my headspace for writing, editing, revising and creating. Doesn't everyone or only passionate romance writers?
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a blog post with the word 'faffing' in it! That's why I will love you forever!!!! Anyway, I loved this article! I'm the most chaotic person in the world. Where you see order, I see a multiverse of options, and so I'm forever trying to impose some structure into my process (though after two years of loving my Bullet Journal even that fell by the wayside). But interestingly enough - while lists and order don't work for me - I do a couple of things on your list! I meditate every morning and will also often stop during the day to take a few moments to ground myself. I also have a similar philosophy to you for my home - I only have stuff that I absolutely adore (or if it's orange - because vintage orange things make me laugh!).
ReplyDeleteJust re-read this post and the comments and love the post as much as I did when I first read it.
ReplyDeleteAlly - just saw you response to my original comment, and I have a sudden urge to redo my master to do list in a way that allows colouring when completed.
I'm thinking that I'll print the post for referring back to the tips/ideas in future too.