Saturday, May 23, 2020

Organizing or Obsession by Laura Ashwood

In an attempt to become more organized, I have began to wonder how fine the line is between being organized and being obsessed by organizers. I've tried an embarrassing amount of planners along my quest to find "the perfect" planner for me.

One was too plain, the other too large...so I bought a fancier, smaller one. It was too small. The other was too fancy. Then I thought maybe stickers would be fun. So I bought sticker packs...so many sticker packs. But one of the fun things about having anxiety is getting easily overwhelmed. Too many stickers.

Then there are printable planners and digital planners. So many planners. The photo on the left represents just three of the multitude of planners I tried this year. I'm still trying to make the one in the middle work.

So then I thought, maybe I just need a good calendar. So I started using my Google calendar app on my phone. That's only good if you remember to open the app and look at it. Whoops! So I bought a large calendar to affix to the door in my office. (Have you noticed a pattern here yet?)

I like the calendar but the squares are too small to really use it as a way to stay organized so I put my publishing schedule on it. I mark the days I am actively drafting (not plotting or editing). And yes, April was dismal (hello COVID stress).

Then I decided I needed to try a kanban board.












I color coded my books by genre (pink for contemporary, green for historical). This is on the wall behind my office door.

So has any of this helped me become more organized or has it just identified what might be a planner obsession? I think the jury is still out, but I'm leaning toward the latter.

Do you use a planner or organization system? I'd love to hear about what works for you.

Laura

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I'm excited to be part of the North & South: Civil War Brides series. My book, Arkansas Bride, takes place in Arkansas smack in the middle of the war and will be published in November. Have you read any of the other books in the series?

This series focuses on finding love during a time when the country is torn by war. The books are all sweet romance and focus on the relationships, not the war. I hope you check it out.


Laura Ashwood writes sweet contemporary and historical romance, with a sprinkle of faith. She lives in NE Minnesota with her husband and very spoiled chihuahuas.

12 comments:

  1. I use a calendar book. It sits on my desk where I can see what needs to be done each day.

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  2. Laura, I can relate to your planner "journey." I have used paper planners of various sizes and shapes. (A pet peeve is weeks starting on Monday instead of Sunday.) But: so many, many pretty planners! Also for a couple of years I had a 2' x 4' dry marker board. Now I use Google calendar exclusively. I like that, wherever I am, as long as I have my phone I can check it or make additions. But I still stop in the stationery aisle and look at planners...and maybe I could use my marker board in kanban style?!?

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    1. I tend to use my google calendar more than any other too but really want to make a paper calendar work LOL

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  3. For work I have a cheap calendar book and for home a desk size calendar with plenty of writing space.:)

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  4. I put the things I need to remember on my Outlook calendar so when I log into my email, it pops up to remind. Otherwise, I am not a planner. I write by the seat of my pants, and I pretty much live my life that way. It does get me into trouble from time to time. :)

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  5. I use a calendar, Laura. That seems to work best for me.

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    1. I've been using Google Calendar more and more myself.

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  6. We use Google calendar app on our phones & it's linked to our kids- then it's set as a widget on our phone front page. We just have to look at it.

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