I Like Wednesdays

I like wednesdays.  Nothing much every happens on a wednesday.

I was born on a wednesday, a long time ago, to be sure, and I am certain I had no idea what day of the week it was at the time.  When I was learning to read and spell I thought everyone spelled it wrong.  I thought it was "Wend's day", like my own personal day.  Why shouldn't I have one day, every week that is just for me?  (Children really are self-centered aren't they?  Apparently I was no exception.)

Even though that misconception has long been dispelled, I still like wednesdays.  It's the only day that feels balanced.  It brings symmetry to the calendar. It is impossible to divide a week in half evenly.  The work week has the same problem.  Seven is not an even number, and neither is 5.   Only the weekend is even, and 2 is just too small of a number, and the weekend far too short, to be worth dividing in half.   If a week can't be divided in half, at least it can have a middle.  That's something anyway. Wednesdays are a nice center point in the week, the same number of days behind as ahead.  They are the eye of the storm.  By Wednesday the craziness of Monday has worn off, and it's too early to be distracted by the weekend. 

Oh, and it's the night the trash goes out, that's the only reoccurring, weekly event on wednesdays for me.  It's a nice, clean, even sort of day.  I appreciate a day that isn't already booked full in advance. I can start the day with nothing on the calendar to predetermine my plans, nothing to work around, just a nice, clean, blank slate.   It is a day that can be whatever I make it.  It's the perfect day to be productive, get caught up and make things happen. 

Maybe there is a metaphor for life lurking about in this whole concept ..... life here on Earth is the middle point in eternity and is a blank slate to make of it what we will ..... kind of a deep thought for a wednesday ....

Today was another classic wednesday.  I cleaned up all the tasks that have been loitering around on my to do list, unfinished, since Monday (Ok, I confess, some of them have been there since last week, and I didn't get everything done.  I tried to buy black ink for my printer, honest I did.  Walmart was out of the one I need, and I was NOT going to another store the day before Valentine's day at 5pm.  When did Valentine's day become a major retail shopping holiday?  Seriously, Walmart was nuts and so was traffic!  I have little patience as it is.  The ink will have to wait another day.).  I had time to walk the dogs, do some laundry, clean the kitchen, and even cook dinner.   It's not even 10pm and I am writing a blog post, always the sign of a good day. 

Speaking of to do lists .....  My love of techno gadgets has been at odds with my need to physically write out my to do lists in a spiral notebook, (old school, pen and ink), for some time.  I have tried to ditch the notebook and make lists in the digital notebook on my phone, or actually use a to do list ap.  I have even tried emailing myself my daily lists. I just don't think in straight lines.  I don't WANT to type out my lists. It doesn't feel right.  I want to write it out, and then make arrows and check marks, and draw little side bars, etc.  I also DON"T want to take that notebook with me .  My purse, aka Narnia, is heavy enough.  I recently came up with what I think is a BRILLIANT solution .....  Before I leave my desk I simply take a photo of the current page in my notebook with my phone.  I have all my notes,  lists, etc there, in my gadget of choice while I am away.  It takes less than 2 seconds, way faster than typing that mess into an email, or ap, and nothing is lost in the translation.  It works perfectly!

My Desk is a Wreck

I am self-employed, and my office is in my home.  This arrangement suits me.  I am an independent creature, with a strong aversion to office politics.  I'm also not a big fan of time clocks, cubicles or dress codes.

Over the years my home office has been a corner of my bedroom, the dining room table, even occasionally it's own dedicated actual room.  Right now it is in a corner of the living room.  I could move it back to Ryker's room, now that he is gone again, but I am not sure I want to.  The living room has better amenities - A/C, TV, sunlight, and PEOPLE!

Right now my desk is a wreck.  Too much stuff, in too little space.  Way too many things "out" that should be "in" or better yet - "gone".  While the corner desk design is efficient, I am kind of sick of having my back to the room.  It feels like I am being punished all day, sitting in the corner.  About 15 degrees to my right is a HUGE window (It's dark, so the blinds are closed in this photo.), so it's not without any view.  A quick 180 and I'm looking at the TV.

I think what is bugging me the most is the half dead desktop computer lurking in the background, taking up desktop space as well as foot room. It still technically "works" but, not well.  The monitor colors everything excessively pink, and then sometimes straight black.  The CPU is LOUD - sounds like a jet engine or something, and it is super s l o o o o o w.  That hunk of metal really just has to go.  It's time has come. 

I have been looking at design ideas.  My ideal home office would be very white (I am a big fan of white space) with bright color accents - something like this .....

Source: bhg.com via Wendy on Pinterest

or this (Without so much decoration.  What are those brass things??)....

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Wendy on Pinterest

What I'm looking for is simple - clean and neat.  I want lots of organizer bins, baskets, and shelves.  The organization tools I currently use are - LAME.  So lame that I don't really use them.  I haven't added anything new to that stack of plastic drawers in at least a year.  Unless you count replacing the printer cartridges as I use them.  I have taken out a row of staples from the box, once or twice.  Other than that - the contents of those drawers hasn't changed in well over a year.  The open bottom drawer - It's full of unused electronic devices, old cell phone chargers, cords, cables and the like - pointless ... Then there is that plastic "in box" thingy that hangs on a wall.  It is jammed with papers and sitting on the bottom shelf of my desk.  It has stuff in there from a couple years ago, and some recent receipts.  I don't even want to talk about the plastic shopping bag that contains my business records for the last 2, or is it 3, years.  Why is it sitting out there for ready access?  I have NO IDEA!

For Christmas my wonderful husband bought be a FANTASTIC new desk chair!  I love this thing!  It is from the Big and Tall collection.  I am neither big, nor tall, but it is one luxurious chair!  It is so comfy, my back doesn't hurt after long hours of sitting, and it leans back when I'm ready to relax.  Best Christmas Gift Ever!

Now I need a desk to match - Not necessarily from a design standpoint, but definitely in function.  The first step is to de-clutter, get rid of that half-dead Dell, file the paperwork, clean out the drawers, blah, blah, boring, boring, blahbity, blah blah...  Maybe by then I will decide just how I want to rearrange my little corner of the world.  I spend a LOT of time here, I really should make it more loveable.

It's Time for a Meeting

I have a lot of work right now, which is good, cause that means I will have a lot of income coming my way soon.  It is also good because it is important to me to have a purpose.  I need goals to accomplish, deadlines to meet, and stuff to do.  I've got plenty of stuff to do!

Large organizations have regular planning meetings.  They have a yearly plan, a quarterly plan, etc. I think I need to have a planning meeting with myself.  I have so many irons in the fire, the demands are varied, and scattered across the globe. I really need a plan.  I think my organization needs some revamping.  My inbox is out of control.  I can't stand it. I HATE to have anything unread, unfinished, or incomplete at the end of the day.

My task list isn't much better.  There are too many carry overs from days past.  Too many items hanging around down there at the bottom without a due date.  Without a deadline, they are in effect, dead.  They aren't going to get done.   They are just going to hang around down there mocking me, "nah nah nah, your work isn't done, look at us, we are still here waiting for your attention". I could just delete them all, or at leas assign them some due dates.

A clone would be nice.  Another me to do the stuff that I don't want to do, or can't seem to find the time to do. But then that clone would probably have some overly aggressive agenda of her own, and would just make the stupid list twice as long.

That's it, I've had it.  Before I do one more thing I am calling a meeting. Everyone has to be there, the president, treasure, secretary  - oh wait, those are all ME! At least the meeting will be easy to schedule - only one calendar to check.

If you're weary, it may not be from what you're doing. Your weariness could be caused by what you continue to put off doing. ~Ralph Marston

My Notebooks

A long, long time ago a great boss taught me a simple trick to stay organized. Ed kept a simple, spiral notebook on the desk at work. Each day the date was written in the center of the next blank line. Anytime a phone call was answered, or placed it was recorded in the notebook. The time went out to the left in the margin. All the notes from the day went in that notebook. If multiple people were working in the office, you put your initials next to what you wrote. When you called a person back, or finished a task, it was checked off in the left margin. All orders that came in over the phone were also written in this notebook. The start date and end date are on the front cover.

I started my first notebook when I worked for Ed, in 1991, before Ryker was born. Somewhere, in a storage unit, I have stacks of notebooks filled with my daily activities and phone calls for years of my life. On many, many occasions, the notebook has saved me. I have been able to make copies of pages and prove that a critical conversation happened. I have been able to go back and look up the date and time an order was placed, and repeat that order for a customer.

I have been self employed, with an office staff of me, myself and I for many years. The notebook went everywhere with me. I started writing my daily to do list in it at the beginning of each day. I also balanced my work and personal check book in it for a few years. I wrote the list of the passwords I was most likely to forget on the back page for awhile, and when I was traveling often, my frequent flyer numbers.

A couple years ago I started playing around with the organization features on my Black Berry. I love gadgets and gadgets can do all that my notebook does. I started to stray from my notebook habit, and would put some stuff in my google calendar which synced with my phone. Then about a year ago I got the iPhone, which can do anything. I found an ap simply called, "to do list". It is really good. I used it for a while, even until last week I was still trying to keep things current in there. It is really well done, and lets you sort the way I like, by project, due date, location, and priority. Of course you have to enter all of your items into this software.

I found myself writing daily lists on blank pieces of paper as well as putting the important stuff in my phone. There is just something about sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and filling it with words that I like. I think that somehow seeing my lists, or my thoughts, or my conversations, written makes they real. They become tangible when I put pen to paper. I see them on the page and my brain takes a picture. I know my list today was about half a page and the shopping items still need to be done, and that phone number, for the new client, is written in red sideways across the right side. Weeks, or months later, I can quickly scan through the book for that red number on the side of the page and find it.

I also enjoy checking of the items on a list. I like to see them all neatly checked off at the end of the day. Having an entire spiral notebook full of pages with checked off lists, is very satisfying. Having boxes of those notebooks stands as a witness that I accomplished something.

There are no forms to fill out in my notebooks. I can write anything I want. I am not limited to a list, or any categories. I can write or print in any color of ink. I can write upside down, or sideways. I can jot down a note in the middle of a list, or a phone number, or a quote I just heard that I don't want to forget. I am not limited. I can write something important in GIANT letters and then underline them in red and hit them with a bright yellow highlighter, just to be sure I don't forget. The blank pages beacon me to fill them as I fill each new day. The blank page is as if the blank day before me. I can cary over the unfinished business from the day before, or I can start out clean and fresh with something totally new. It is precisely, what I make of it.

But more importantly, I think it is the physical nature of a sheet of paper that starts blank, and then fills with words which are people, conversations, tasks, events, that come to mean progress, that is meaningful to me. That is why today, I went back to my notebook.

An Analogy

My closet mirrors my life. First off, I share a closet with my daughter. It is sort of divided in half, but not really. We wear each other's clothes, and some of them hang in the middle because they are not totally mine, or totally hers. Secondly, there are no doors on the closet. The underwear and stuff like that go in drawers, but the majority are hanging there, visible to all.

Some pieces I chose carefully. Others were thoughtful gifts from those that know and love me. Some items were cast offs that someone else no longer wanted. Quite a few were selected in a hurry, out of necessity. Many were great deals found on the clearance rack or at a thrift store. Some I like, some I love, and some I would be happy to get rid of.

What would my closet look like if I thoughtfully and carefully chose every item? Well, those pants that have snaps on the legs that rattle when I walk wouldn't be there! They were obviously purchased in a hurry. If I had tried them on, I would not own them. They drive me nuts! The shoes that pinch (cast off), the dress that makes me feel claustrophobic (clearance rack), and skirt that fits funky (thrift store), would ALL be gone.

I would keep the crisp blue wrap around blouse and paisley skirt that I fell in love with the first time I saw it. I didn't need them, just wanted them, and loved them. I would keep the Calvin Klein jeans I bought at Costco. They fit perfectly and were a deal. The skirt I bought with a gift card from my step dad years ago is a keeper. So is the velvety red bathrobe that was a Christmas present from my Mom. Every time I wear it I think of her. It's sorta like my daily Mom hug. Corny I know, but true!

So, how is your life like your closet? Do you share it with someone you love? Are your doors off and open for the world to know what's inside? Are your private things safely tucked away out of public view?

Is your life full of gifts that make you smile? Do you still have the one you fell in love with the first time you laid your eyes upon? Have you found your perfect fit? Do you cherish your daily hugs?

Is it time to say good bye to the things that hurt, annoy, or otherwise, just don't work? It is time to be more deliberate about choices. Everything that is offered, even if free or really, really cheap, is not worthy of closet space.

Mental Filing

I have always loved stationary and calendars. The stability of thoughts on paper is very reassuring. They can't get away so easily once you write them down. They can't dissipate like fog when the sun comes out.

Have you ever worked in an office and witnessed what happens when the filing piles up? You can't find anything, stuff gets lost, it's a nightmare. That is the sort of chaos that goes on in my brain when I don't write things down, frequently. Writing is mental filing. By writing them down, in their proper place, the thoughts go from unsorted chaos to to-do lists, reports, lessons, emails, letters, articles, poems, or stories. Mostly they end up on a list, specifically a to-do list. When I let it go too long, that is when things start to go wrong.

I need a list. Not just any old list, a good, well organized list. I need a calendar, preferably one that is tied into my list. A few years ago I tried to use one of those Franklin planner things. It's a great idea, just requires hiring an assistant to keep it totally accurate for you, or you never do anything but maintain your organization. Plus, they are big! I had to buy a bigger bag, just to haul that thing around. Hauling around that much paper can tweak your back. Thank goodness for technology. The system I use now is darn near perfect. The only real flaw is me. I still have to stop and put the information into the system.

The last couple of weeks my mental filing has gotten way out of hand. I have a pretty good excuse. I have had a rotten cold. I don't remember the last time I have been sick for this long. It wasn't anything serious, just annoying enough to render me mostly useless. I finally sat down and updated my list. It is a long list. It is kind of frightening. I have to get my courage up just to look at it.

After filing away all the business of life onto the list, I am still left with all those other thoughts that need writing down. While lounging endlessly on the couch for days I have had many interesting thoughts that need a bit of writing about. Too bad I was so lazy that the thought of writing them out was too daunting. I am afraid that many of them may be lost. I should at least try to make a list...

1. The Christmas Spirit - how to find it when it is 80 degrees and pouring rain
2. Families - missing them and the opposite of that
3. Why do kids grow up, and we stay the same?
4. Carl and I have been married 20 years this month - how did we accomplish that?
5. I want to write a story about all the lost shoes you see hanging on wires, and lying about on the road or in a parking lot. Who did they belong to and how did they get lost?
6. Am I prepared for a real tropical storm? What is the emergency plan for a flood?
7. It has been a year since I have had any caffeine.
8. Why do I think eating lamb sounds gross when I have never tried it, and beef, pork & chicken are ok?

Look for thrilling posts on the above topics soon. :-)