Working on my blog and my business has been one of the biggest blessings I have ever known. To be able to teach and write every day is my ideal lifestyle, but that isn’t to say that sometimes it isn’t difficult. Between writers block, time management and deciding when to do the laundry sometimes writing comes last in my line up.
This past month I have finally felt like MYSELF again. The person who can run in multiple directions, have a million ideas and continuously publish my own written word while maintaining a real life behind the scenes. Teaching 15 classes a week and owning your own studio should be enough for most people, but not for me. I have ALWAYS been driven by wanting more and doing more. I have so many beautiful dreams of creating a yoga community in my town, but also through written word.
You may be asking yourself: HOW in the world do I stay on top of everything?
First of all, let me say that some days I don’t. Some days I need to take a nap and allow my body proper rest. Some days I practice guitar or re-read a favorite book in the grass and other days I lounge in the sun with my cousins and husband on the beach for hours on end. Some days are not organized days.
But the organized days: they are FULL of calendars and notebooks, iPhone reminders and cappuccinos. The pure joy of writing in the city with a beautiful latte at my fingertips (often with a beautiful design on top) is something I could never measure.
I’m the type of girl who loved back to school shopping. My favorite pens, brand new notebooks that are just the right width for writing, highlighters and a 15 month calendar were all at my disposal and everything just felt so right in the world.
I remember one time while my brother was in high school and I was finishing my graduate degree. I walked into his room look for a pen and a highlighter and could only find a pencil. The horror! I wasn’t exactly sure how someone could live that way… especially in high school.
But I digress. My organizational skills are simple and they are my own. I’m excited to offer mine to you in the hopes that you benefit from my particular brand of madness, but hope that you also find you own way!
I keep my favorite pens in every purse, car and tote bag and drawer.
- Pilot makes a pen called the Pilot G2 Retractable
and it is my favorite pen in the whole world. (Side note: I feel as though writers always have a favorite pen and this shouldn’t be a strange thing…) I make sure to always keep these pens nearby and have them in all of my travel bags, the car and my pocketbook. I love the idea of WRITING and although putting “pen to paper” on the computer is where our world is now, I almost always start my ideas with REAL pen and paper.
I use the perfect notebook {but I will use a napkin if I need to}.
- When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a journalist. You could almost always see me with pen and paper and more often than not a disposable or digital camera in my purse. I was the scribe in our group and started scrap booking when I was 15. I LOVED documenting the world around me and although I love a specific style of notebook, I would write on a napkin at the dinner table if it came to it so that I wouldn’t forget an idea! And now with technology I can grab my iPhone for the notes app on my phone and then I transfer my notes into my notebook when I have a chance.
Currently, my favorite notebooks are on rings or have pages that will tear easily. They always have lines, as a blank canvas usually doesn’t bode well for my messy penmanship. They are about the size of a book as the smaller widths are often too cramped for my train of thought and they are always beautiful. Tribal designs, pinks, golds, an octopus or a mermaid gracing the cover. The only notebook in my collection that is miniature is my mini feather notebook that I use to record my daily gratitude prompts. It seems perfectly well fit for this task as it slides into my purse with ease.
Go to the cafe; go to the cafe, GO TO THE CAFE!
- For myself personally I cannot stress this enough. If I want to get anything done in terms of writing or returning emails, updating my website or researching I need a great cafe. There is a bookstore near hubby’s work that has a beautiful little cafe and floor to ceiling windows that give the most magnificent natural light. The need for a cafe is simple: if I go home I will do laundry or walk my dog or nap. I will do anything other than my original plan. The cafe is the perfect setting for me. A little bit of city buzz behind me as I type, almost the same rhythm as a runner and their iPod. A delicious latte I couldn’t have created at home that has the perfect amount of caffeine. And people whom I do not know that keep my accountable. By sitting next to a perfect stranger I am able to get far more done than if I were at home sitting with Apollo. They may lean over and see I’m here wasting my time on Facebook or they could see I’m writing furiously about a mysterious subject they know nothing about. It’s my equivalent of having a fake boss constantly looking over my shoulder and I LOVE it.
Technology is your friend, but also the enemy.
- Never forget that google calendar synced to your iPhone is a Godsend. A team of fun people who assist with your marketing and plans via google hangout or an email chat is the perfect resource. And Facebook is the devil. Get a timer and set it for yourself. Work for 45 minutes…. then a 10 minute social media break. Repeat and add in lunch & lattes!
Working alone is a strange animal. You need to find tricks of the trade in order to constantly keep yourself on track. These simple tasks help to keep ME focused and allow me to work to the best of my abilities.
How about YOU? Do you have a favorite notebook or pens? Do you use specific apps or reminders on your phone? I would love to read your tricks of the trade in the comments below.
Sending you lots of love & inspiration today!
Namaste
Jenny