Tumblemoose's Writing Area
I am a no-clutter freak. There. I’ve said it. Can’t stand the stuff. I am forever fighting battles because if there is stuff (papers, etc…) laying around, I’m going to scoop them up and put them somewhere (if you come to my house, don’t open any closets 
). Kidding! I put stuff in appropriate places. It still irritates the clutter bugs I’ve lived with. In this post I’m going to write a bit about ways to get and stay organized to help make your writing life easier, more productive and less cluttered.
A room with a view
I very much hope that you are one of the fortunate that have the luxury of a writing area separate from common living areas. If not, try and do everything in your power to make that happen – it is crucial to being organized. You have to take your writing seriously, you wouldn’t try and do online degrees in a chaotic space, would you? You’d make room for yourself and your thoughts which is why having separate rooms for living and work are so desirable. Now, I’m not saying that you cannot be organized if this luxury isn’t available, I’m just saying it will be more difficult and will require a bit more discipline and creativity on your part.
Here is an important thought for writers: Clutter kills focus.
General office organizing tips
- Make it handy. File cabinets and accessories should be within arms reach. Having to get out of the chair can make you lose your motivation and is a great excuse to stop working.
- As much as possible, only have the project you are working on in front of you. It helps to focus on what you are doing at the moment. De-clutter!!!
- A file cabinet is a necessity. A file system is critical to becoming and staying organized. We’ll talk more about this in the paper organization section.
- A calendar. I use a desk pad. It also serves as a scratch pad area. Each month I fold up the previous calendar and put it in a file. At a glance I can see what’s going on and I always know exactly where it is.
- Get a small whiteboard for projects.
I use it as a visual reminder for the last time I’ve touched a project.
Electric organization
Here are some tips for keeping your non-paper writing projects in order:
- There are four main areas that must be managed, and managed well if you are to be organized in your writing: Email, word processing, web and images.
- The key to becoming and remaining organized in these key areas is proper foldering.
- Assuming foldering is a word (and the red squiggly lines tell me otherwise), taking the time to set up accurate and appropriate folders will save you countless hours of searching and ensures you don’t “lose” any items. If you were forward thinking enough to do this when you first started, congrats – you are way ahead of the game. If you are playing catch up, no worries, mate. So are most of us.
- Email – Set up folders for contacts, invoices, paypal or other payment services. I also have a folder for blog articles to read ( if I get an interesting rss email and I don’t have the time at the moment, I”ll move it there). I have a folder for Tumblemoose Writing Services and I have sub-folders for each client or project. Keep the clutter out of your inbox! As email arrives, do something with it. It gets deleted or moved to the appropriate folder. If it is something I need to respond to, I leave it in the inbox until handled. This gives me a running visual on what needs to be done.
- Word Processing – Many of the email concepts apply. Set up folders and sub folders. Mine are set up in “My Documents” and include folders for Tumblemoose with sub folders for each specific client or project. I also have folders for fiction, contests, queries and finally for the business end including invoices and other written correspondence.
- Web – I can’t stress enough the importance of proper bookmarking. When I stumble across a site or article that may be useful I bookmark it into an appropriate folder. Trust me, it doesn’t take too long to have hundreds of bookmarks so, no slacking on this one, fellow scribes. My folders include sites that may be useful for a particular blog or project.
- Images – Saving images from your camera or your stock sites requires good folder placement although not as specific as the other areas. Sometimes I’ll find the perfect image for a post that is not necessarily in the folder that is on topic with the post.
The paper trail
It’s amazing. So many of us in this electronic age are afraid of paper. No fear, here. While a great deal of your organization can take place electronically, it is just smart to have a good system to organize what paper may come your way. Some of the paper I organize includes queries and completed manuscripts as well as business related contracts. I don’t print correspondence generally, but if I have a magazine article or book proposal in the works, I will set up a folder for that specific project and pop any written correspondence there.
Paper tips:
- Get a file cabinet. Even an el-cheapo from a garage sale will do. Hanging files and file folders are also necessary. If you’d like to color code them then go right ahead, but it’s not a necessity.
- Have a section for the business end of things. Include folders for contracts, owner manuals, contacts (business cards and such) invoices and receipts.
- Keep a section for writing folders. You can have folders for queries sent, queries TO send and then individual folders for queries that have received a positive response and are now projects.
Last, but not least
One of the best organizational tools that I use every day is a to do list. I start the day with this, and have for 17 years. I keep a legal pad and each day I make a list of what I need to accomplish that day. I leave a few spaces between each line item. I check off each item as it is completed and no, I don’t put them in any order of priority. Often this pad will be used to jot notes, phone numbers or other things specific to a particular item. The next day, if there is something that didn’t get checked, it moves to that days to do list. I have a folder that I keep for the daily to do lists as I move to the next day. It has become an invaluable tool to refresh me in terms of phone numbers and conversations.
I hope that this post on organizing your writing has motivated you to implement some of these strategies. I will say that there are as many ways to organize as there are writers. If something doesn’t work for you, feel free to discard it and find something that does work.
I’m curious to see what other writers do to remain organized. let’s hear it folks. What tips do you have?
These are some great tips to help anyone get organized and productive! Your point about keeping your inbox clutter free is especially true. I recently added two folders (or “labels” for us Gmail users) to my email – “Action Needed” and “Follow-up Needed.” When a new email comes in, I immediately skim it and archive it in the appropriate folder. Emails that require action from me today go into the “Action Needed” folder, and those requiring action from me, but not today, get moved to “Follow-up Needed.” Once the inbox in clear, I work through the action and follow-up folders, using them as a kind of to-do list. This method is a great way to assign priorities and has kept me from wasting time wading through the daily deluge of emails.
Evan´s last blog post..Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Hey Evan,
That’s a great method. I’m adding it to my process!
Hey it snowed last night, probably a great day for Chicken Tortilla Casserole!
Cheers, and thanks for dropping by!
George
Okay, so my method of putting everything in a pile then when the pile gets to big put it in the attic is not what you’d call a “good system”?
How funny you posted this today, when I’m just starting a new project based on “The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta to start me on the road to being organized. First project – clean out that email box!
Great post, thanks!
Tracy´s last blog post..Durian Candy
i want to be you!!! love the tips. yes/ filing cabinets rock…and i think i’ll get back in the swing of my early morning “to-do” lists which i have moved away from…daughter of a lawyer, ever a fan of yellow legal pads. thanks.
Zen Mommy´s last blog post..How to Find New Hope
Tracy,
I had a person working for me at one point. She was sweet, full of energy and gave 110% to everything.
However, her office was absolutely a train wreck. I am not exaggerating when I tell you she had 2 – 3 foot tall stacks of folders and papers scattered throughout her office. But what REALLY irritated me is that whenever I asked for a folder or document, she would walk right over to a stack and pull it out.
Yikes.
George
Oh, my dearest ZenMommy, I wouldn’t wish being me on anyone, but I appreciate the sentiments.
I’m glad this may have inspired you to “git ‘er done”.
Be sure and stop back and let us know how it works!
George
George, I envy your workspace and organizational skills. I don’t have a separate office, or a filing cabinet, or even a set of drawers. I have learned a TON from reading this. No wonder I feel so frazzled. I do have a head start on a few things… I follow the Inbox Zero approach to email; I use del.icio.us for bookmarks; all my images go to Flickr where I tag them so they’re easy to find; I use Taskpaper for my to-do list, plus as a handy place to keep all my article ideas and other brainstorms.
Thanks SO much for specific tips for dealing with PAPER – this is my major weakness. To-do list for today: clean off my desk. That’s it. It’s a one-day project in itself!
Monica Shaw´s last blog post..Seth Godin Interview: How to Become a Leader
Hi Monica,
Sorry, your comment ended up in moderation.
You definitely have a grip on the electronic aspect. I’m glad the paper tips are helpful!
I’ve had to take a day and just desk clean – yikes! Work, but somehow cleansing.
George
Using file folders, a large file cabinet and three ring binders with pocket inserts usually help keep me somewhat organized though I can do better.
Hi Carla,
Thanks for dropping by!
I know that for me, organization is a fluid and dynamic process. I don’t know that anyone ever reaches the end of the road.
George
Hi George,
Thanks for sharing your systems. They’re very linear!
I’ve long subscribed to the “a little rain has to fall to make a flower grow” school of organization, which has to do with lots of puddles and mud (metaphorically, okay?) and articles like this one make me feel all bad about myself and stuff. So I’m going to go lick my wounds now. Or soak them in a puddle.
I don’t think my piles of stuff are too bad, as long as nobody trips over them.
Terry Heath´s last blog post..It’s Just That I Was Born 400 Years Too Late
George:
I love to be organized, feels so good. I have a separate room for my office but I spend so much time on the computer that I bought a laptop to use it in the living room to spend time with hubby. I organize my email like you described (I save everything) but the only trouble is I seldom go into the subfolders unless I am looking for something. If action is needed I have to leave it in my inbox or it doesn’t get done. If the inbox gets too overwhelming I decide there are many items I just don’t need to do.
Dee Langdon-BloggerNewbie´s last blog post..How Do You Analyze Your Blog?
Hey Terry,
If puddles are working then that’s awesome. See my response to Tracy regarding stacks of paper!
George
Hey Dee,
I’m saving for a laptop as well, so I’m not so much of a hermit.
Glad to see your organizing stuff is working for you
George
Pingback: Writers: Does a library intimidate or inspire?
Wow – these are fantastic tips, George. I found your blog (and this post) following a link from your comment on Sharon Hurley Hall’s blog and will be adding yours to my every growing list of blogs to follow.
I love using Google Documents for my writing – it’s handy no matter where I am or what computer I’m on. I color-code my folders so I know immediately which folder is which without even reading the folder name. Makes it much easier to find what I’m looking for quickly.
Sophie´s last blog post..Getting Around with a Broken Leg: Tips for Adults
Hi there, Sophie,
I’m glad you stopped by. Yeah, I think Sharon’s stuff is the tops. I love it over there.
I’ve not had the chance to use Google Docs yet, but it is on my to do list
I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a look.
George
Pingback: Do you need an online writing portfolio?
Hey, foldering is definitely a word. I’ve got your back on that one.
I am making a resolve to be more organized. Funnily enough, my home life and my writing life are fairly organized…it’s my work life that’s a pit of disorder!
Tricksie,
Ok, I think we are probably allowed ONE area of disorganization
Thanks for coverin’.
George
I suppose with virtually an unlimited disk space, creating as many files & folders as one needs to keep organized is fairly easy.
Now if only my To Do list could actually get shorter. I add more than I take off most of the time.
Mitch´s last blog post..Illustration – part 3
Pingback: Does Going Mobile Affect Your Writing? » T Jantunen.com
Pingback: Does Going Mobile Affect Your Writing? - Cash-Bandit.com