CornerScribe

Get Organized

Is getting organized one of your resolutions? If you’re like me, you suffer from a bit of disorganization from time to time — and sometimes a lot more than a bit!

I highly recommend the flylady site. She has over 250,000 subscribers, and I am one of them (flybabies, we’re called).

Although the site is primarily geared toward managing your home (cleaning, organizing, bill paying, etc.), the principles she uses can be applied to your writing as well.  Her method is built on some basic principles that really work wonders.

Routines. The flylady insists that you develop a morning and evening routine for your home. You can also develop a daily writing routine as well.

Baby steps. You’ll see admonitions to take baby steps all over the site. Another common reminder is "you can do anyting for 15 minutes." When I’m too tired to write, or just too blocked, I take that literally. I set my kitchen timer for 15 minutes and write. When the time is up, whatever writer’s block I had is usually gone. How do you think I finished NaNo?!

You’ll find that many of her subscribers have an almost fanatical devotion to her method, and I have to confess that I’m amongst them. When I first browsed the site and subscribed, I thought everything was a bit corny. E-mail reminders come out several times a day, as well as motivational essays.

No matter what other organization system you might have tried, give this one a chance. Stick with it for a month, and follow her plan just as she teaches. You’ll be surprised at what a difference it can make!