All right, for this Writer Wednesday, we are going to talk about the importance of having an organized work space. I literally just spent TWO hours cleaning my office.
Now, my house has one large room where the living room, dining room and my 'office' is located. My hubby built me a cubicle of sorts. I have two four foot walls and a door to my office. It really is cute. See? (Behind the camera is the living and dining room and you can see the fridge from the kitchen in the photo.)
Having this little space is wonderful! When hubby is home, I can come in here and shut the door to keep a little toddler out! I put my headphones on, turn up the volume and voila - private space. Hubby can be a genius sometimes.
Anyway, as you can see, it's not very big. Why did it take two hours to clean up? Well - I got lazy. I had stacks of paper all over the place, post-it notes in piles for no reason, the printer was buried, and I even had stuff on the floor. Not good, especially with a toddler that likes to explore in the house.
Now, let's take a look at my desk. You can see that I use every inch of space available to hold all my stuff! (Do you see this post being typed up on the screen there? teehee)
It does look crowded, but there is a system to the madness. To the right, you have my novel notebooks and my writing books, along with the computer CD's like games and programs. The left has books I'm reading that haven't been moved to the regular book shelf, and three clipboards that I use all the time. The printer you can see on the far right is where I rest the current WIP that I am working on. At the top is just the speakers, the net router, the pencil holder and other random items that really can't be near the floor. (Toddlers are really grabby types of creatures).
See? There is an order to the madness there. What you don't see is the filing cabinet on the left which is literally stuffed to the gills with stuff. And the printer is sitting on a shelf where I keep my craft items like paint, yarn, sewing patterns, etc.
And that, is my office.
Now - why did I show you all of this? Because, I don't know about you, but I spend a good majority of my time in this space. I write for 3 blogs, have 16 novels in the works, run numerous workshops and writing activities on the web, not to mention I am currently enrolling in school. I have had so many people ask me HOW I do all of that and still spend time with my family. I have made previous posts about time management, but another key factor is organization. I have everything I ever need within arms reach.
You can see in the picture I have easy access to all my novels -each binder or folder contains character sketches, plot summaries, and notes upon notes upon notes. My clipboards have lists and other information that I need handy (like usernames, things to do, blog post ideas, etc). (Then of course the picture shows you my cigarettes of choice - that does help me keep my sanity although it doesn't do much for actually getting things done.) Everything I need to do any of the things I do are all right here, next to me. (We won't even talk about the organization of my computer files - oh no. We'd be here all day people.)
Of course, you guys do not need to go out and become busy bodies like me. That's not my point. But really - if I can do all the stuff that I do - and still run a house - think of what YOU could do with a little more organization! Finally finished the WIP? Get that revision done?
Work Smarter - Not Harder.
I save countless hours (seriously, hours) by NOT having to slog through piles of stuff to find the one little notation I need. That means I use the time I have to write wisely, which in turn means I have more time with my family - and it's all less stressful!
And now that my desk is all back in order. I think it's time I get back to editing my WIP. I've been avoiding it for the last two days and now is the time to get back to it. Oh look at that! It's right there on my printer, in a nice neat notebook. Everything I need - all in one place. So wonderful!
Too funny! I just did the five top spaces I write in yesterday on the WITS blog. I swear we're on the same wave length. Scary sometimes, eh?
And my desk is not organized. I need a system for my characters, which is why I'm re-reading V V while taking notes (I've forgotten a lot). Thought I'd use notecards in a notecard holder box thingy (and yes, I ran out and bought all the supplies) but now I'm wondering if a notebook binder with dividers wouldn't be smarter. easier to flip to the right section when something hits me.
Hmm... something to ponder on.
That does look nice. I have a tv tray for my laptop and sit on a couch. That is my current space and it sucks. I wish I had a desk and room for a desk somewhere. Look forward to the day I can move out of parents' house and have space for writing.