thoughts on a rainy monday night.
new all dressed up necklaces in the shopi am so thankful that yesterday included sunshine so i could take photos of my new creations...before the (supposed) ten days of rain began today. ten days of rain. i am hoping the sun will decide to show up in the midst of it all as spring just doesn't quite seem like spring without some sun peppered in here and there.
lately, i have been realizing (or maybe a better word is acknowledging) that this crazy, wonderful life i lead needs some more organization. more than just the house stuff i am always in the midst of (or...ahem...ignoring). organization in the "to do" today/this week/this month sort of way. i need to be able to check things off.
i am wondering, do any of you use an online organizer? or do you find the binder organizers are a better way to go? i use the computer so much with all the job hats i wear, that an online organizer seems to make sense (and [she writes as she rolls her eyes at herself] i fear i might misplace a binder in the chaos that is the messy.ness of this home).
and since i am asking questions, i would also love to know what you are listening to these days. i am heading across the country in a week and would love some new tunes (or books or podcasts) to download to my iPod.
hope things are beautiful in your corner of the world...
liz lamoreux
Reader Comments (17)
I am right there with you on the organization issues...I was hoping to see a few posts before mine so I could piggyback on to your ideas. For work, I'm 100% electronic when it comes to organization, I just can't parlay that in to my personal life for whatever reason.
What am I listening to? Erin McCarley, Matt Nathanson, The Script, William Fitzsimmons....always Matthew Sweet.... some Imogen Heap combined with Frou Frou... and then when I need to really amp things up... Foo Fighters.
I wish there was time enough to burn you some of these songs and I'd send it your way before your trip...I have some fantastic mixes that I've put together! If you're interested, send me a mailing address and it's all yours Liz.
Safe travels...
ooh! i will have to pop back and see what comments you start accruing!
i am due to move in just over a month, and have the best of intentions to start as i mean to go on: organised! :)
so, i might dip in and steal some helpful suggestions from your readers too, if that's ok!
as for music, currently i am newly discovering joshua radin and ingrid michaelson who i am loving!
have a great trip!
organization + me = xixixujxispofjd;
which translates to NOTHING! as in, i'm not good at it and i have no suggestions as i struggle to make ends of the massive organization project that is my house/life.
anyway!
musically, i'm loving bon iver (both albums) and glasvegas, and the dark is the night compliation is fantastic, i play it all the time.
lily allen's new one is great and i'm trying to remember what else we have...oh, aimee mann's new one is great too. xoxo
I use Firefox and have iGoggle as my home page. I found a 'To Do' list gadget and I have Google Calendar also. It helps to keep me somewhat organized and your right, it IS harder to lose in the mess/clutter. We are in the process of purging a TON of crap from our house before we move to California. We have made this move before and I do NOT look forward to hauling all this "stuff" so it's gotta go.
As for music, I have recently discovered Evanescence and I enjoy Josh Groban too. I also adore Kennedy's Kitchen though it is a local Irish band and I am not sure if they are on iTunes or not. I buy their cd's direct from them at their shows. Here's their web-site:
http://www.kennedyskitchen.com/
Their cd's are available through CD-Baby. Good stuff. I just needed a change from Metallica for a while...
Enjoy your trip...
flylady.net to change your organizational life.
listening to:
alexi murdoch
once on this island soundtrack (musical)
the new bob dylan cd
day & age album by the killers
glasvegas
and simon & garfunkel's live in central park album
man, will i be paying attention
to the comments you get on this one!
i totally feel the same way right now...
oh...and have you tried
great lake swimmers?
they are madly fantasticly mellow...
Hey Liz ~ I think an online organizer might be right for you since you do a majority of your work on the computer. I use the calendar on my cell phone since it's always with me, and a little moleskine notebook in my purse.
~As for tunes.. I'm in love with Duffy and Lily Allen (someone also mentioned her), Massive Attack, and my old standby fave.. Mazzy Star.
Enjoy your trip.. and I hope the sun comes out, even for a little bit.
Wah!! it was Kiki who said Lily Allen. Haha. Her first album is my fave, but I love her new one too.. especially The Fear.
Being organized . . . ahhh one of my favorite subjects. I am so absent-minded (as in putting the sponge or dishliquid in the refrig then looking all over for it, clueless.) that I have to work at it constantly. For every-day life, I use a small weekly calendar that I keep in my bag and near me at all times- so I can update it wherever I am. A more long-term to do list lives on the computer. Enjoy your trip!
--Jane
OH MY GOSH, I am loving these new necklaces!!! I just got my soul mantra necklace a couple days ago. But now I need one with color! Maybe next payday, I've been a little Etsy addicted lately.
I recently read a book by David Allen called Getting Things Done that rocked my world! Lots of good information on electronic as well as paper organization.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND, I can see my desk top for the first time in umm, years.
Ah,yes,organization. I'm in desperate need of that, too. Scattering my energy and interests in too many directions certainly makes for a messy abode!
Tunes? Karen Drucker: Songs of the Spirit II.....AMAZING!!!
Jonatha Brooke: The Works
Wilco
U2
Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits
Ingrid Michaelson (Doug actually bought me a ukulele for our anniversary last week!!!)
Have a wonderful trip back this way!
I've read Getting Things Done too and enjoyed it. There's also a blog called Zen Habits that simplifies the same concepts a bit.
I can't do electronic organizers very well - I try but I keep coming back to notebooks and colourful pens. For a while I used index cards for my weekly to-do lists and liked that. I could easily pop the card in my purse.
Currently listening to the latest Tragically Hip cd, Pink Martini and Putomayo's Italian Café.
The new "all dressed up" pieces are...well...divine. They are so full of color and pure happiness.
Organization? Ahem. You already know I am with you, though I am not juggling as many projects as you are my friend. I actually just bought a basic, but very cute organizer at Target over the weekend. It is much slimmer than my traditional Franklin Covey that I used to use, thus I can tuck in in a bag...but big enough that I can actually write. With my mind being not-as-sharp as it used to be, I figured perhaps it will inspire me to at least make notations.
The word "simplify" has been floating in my head for the last week. I am still working out how to employ that. We've had that discussion. :-) Regardless, I think you are doing an amazing job.
xoxo
Well, I use a wall calendar to organize the family stuff and a dayplanner to organize my work stuff. I am not electronic at school! Plus, I still love the feel of the paper and seeing it all crossed off when I complete things!
As to music, India.Arie is the perfect travel (or anytime) music. I am a bit obsessed with her. Not really listening to anything else! LOL Carly Rae Jepson is another current fave.
Olwyn
Afraid I've no great wisdom to offer on organising life... keep plugging away is my method of choice, and it sort-of works. But I'm positively evangelical about Fred, the band, so want to suggest you give them a listen:
http://fredtheband.com/framepage.htm
It's happy music!
Love the new necklaces. Hmmmm.
I use an application called Things on my Mac. Not online, just on my computer. But hey, it has check boxes, so you can check things off. :) Also due dates, repeating items, categorized lists and tags. I under-utilize its features, but it is enough to keep me organized both at home and at work.