#keeping organized

The other day I was at Walmart and couldn't pass up on this colorful desk calendar. I use it just for keeping track of my writing! Since it's out in the open and we sometimes have family over, every project is mentioned in abbreviations only 😅 but I know what I mean. It's been helpful for tracking word count and what I work on for that day!

Hello lovelies!

I’ve been trying to think about how the hell I’m going to find my ‘thing’. No one follows an author (unless they’re a reader who’s legitimately interested in their writing) unless they feel the author in question has something to give back to them.

I’ve been trying to think of what exactly I have to give back to my fellow authors who follow me (thank you by the way, I’m happy to have you!), and for the readers who have a particular interest in seeing the behind the scenes of what I do.

Having a “want list” is nice, but I’ve also learned it’s a good idea to keep a running “need list”. To be honest, I have two of these.

 The first “need list” that I keep is really a grocery list “with a few more things” on it.  These are the items that I would pick up on a regular weekly shopping run.  I keep the list on the table where I have my coffee in the morning.  As I realize I need something from the weekly shop, I put it on the list.  Then, when it’s “shopping day,” I can grab the list and I’m ready to go.  I’ve kept track of what I need all week long, so I’m set to stop in the store and pick it up.  I try to go strictly by the list (though every now and again something else sneaks into my cart) and therefore I manage to avoid a good deal of waste.  

 The second “need list” is a list of things that will be wearing out/running out soon.  These are the things that I know I need to replace soon, but I don’t absolutely have to replace them right away.  They can all be gathered, at once, in a special shopping day or they can be spread out.  This list is particularly good for people, like myself, who have “shopping moods”. When those moods hit, and I feel like I really just need to buy something, I can shop for the items on the list.  I know they’re things that I need—and things that I ultimately intended to purchase—and I don’t have to feel guilty about making those purchases.  It keeps me from impulse buying things that I don’t need, but it also allows me the act of acquiring something when the mood strikes.

 The list doesn’t have to be complicated.  It also doesn’t have to include anything fancy or out of the ordinary.  I’ve learned that when the mood to shop strikes, any purchase I make will help it to pass.  It’s the act of going, seeing, selecting, and bringing my purchases home that I need.  It doesn’t matter if those purchases are a new shower liner, a pan to replace the not-so-non-stick one that I have in the kitchen, or some new underwear to replace the tattered ones that had to be tossed out.  The act of selecting those items and making the purchases will make me feel like I’ve gone shopping—because I have.  

 And the best thing about it, honestly, is that items that come from the need list are guilt-free purchases.  They’re things I know that I will use and they’re things that I would have bought any way.  There’s no wasting of money.  

 Lists, I’ve learned, help me keep control of my impulses.  They keep a check on my shopping.  And, honestly, they keep me organized.  If I keep a list, I always know what I “meant to get” and I can avoid that annoying habit of ending up with things that I don’t want or need.

 The want list is good for my unnecessary-but-desired items, but the need list covers everything else that I will simply have to replace someday.  

Who Said Colour Coding Was Crazy? (And Other Tips For Keeping School Stuff Organized)

Hey, Wildflowers! Let’s talk about something serious. That’s right – we’re talking about colour coding. No, stop giggling. It’s pretty damn serious. To me, anyways. I started colour coding my classes in my first year of University, and my only qualm about this trick is that I didn’t keep it up. Between the hustle and bustle of post-secondary education life, the system totally fell off my radar.…

[just organizing this fic]

Title is a nod to trashy soap operas.

Rating: PG

Summary: Follow Sam and Peter on a fluffy/drama/angst domestic AU adventure for Spideynova week4. Ups and downs all around. Words: 7,612

Links: Tumblr: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

AO3 | FFN

As always, please let me know of any mistakes I miss! (Feel free to anon me if you are not comfortable doing so!)

I have yet to figure out how to reply to comments on posts….

But: