Blogger: Wendy Lawton
If you’ve read my blog posts for any amount of time you’ve probably guessed I’m a productivity junkie. I can’t help it, I love systems and I relish order. For a change of pace today, I thought I’d share one of my favorite systems. it’s simple, but it works like a charm.
I usually offer organizational tips that have to do with writing instead of life in general, but time is our most precious commodity and any time saved is potential writing time. Besides, one of the dangers of our profession is isolation. I want to stay connected to the people I care about and I’m guessing you do as well, so here’s a tip that may help with that.
Writers connect with people through words.Usually written words. I’m much more comfortable writing things than picking up the telephone or visiting with a person so I’ve long been a fan of sending greetings when I’m thinking about someone. It used to be that I’d hear someone was in the hospital or was having a birthday and I’d make a note to go to the store and buy a card. All in all, it probably took the best part of an hour to do this with travel time to town and back. Plus it became another entry on my too-complicated to-do list.
A few years back I decided to develop a better system. I use hanging file folders for everything. Why not set up a series of folders for greeting cards? It’s worked perfectly. My greeting card file is right at my desk in the left file drawer. I shop for cards once every month or so and restock the folders. I usually have about a dozen cards in each folder, divided by occasion. I also have a folder full of blank cards for longer letters.
Now, when I see a friend’s Facebook post about an illness or a triumph, a loss or a birthday, I just choose a card from the appropriate file and voila! I’ve been able to celebrate or sympathize without the danger of letting it slip through the cracks.
I even have a folder for stamps right with the cards and always make sure I have fun stamps available as well.
If you realize you need a gift at the last minute, you’ll have the perfect card on hand and you can just slip a gift card in it. (Yes, I have a file for those as well– my emergency back-up.)
So that’s my random tip of the day. Try it and I’ll bet you’ll love the time it saves.
Your turn. What time-saving tip or system can you share with us?
I love that you send cards! The written greeting is becoming a lost art. Soon cards will be the Machu Picchu of the communication world.
“Paper? Paper greetings? How did they do that?”
My biggest time saving tip? Turn OFF the TV. I mean, turn it off. Don’t lay down your bowl of brain cells in front of the altar of stupid.
Or just watch one or two hours per week, things like Downton Abbey or H(eck) on Wheels. Or USEFUL things with the kids, such as Discovery (SHARK WEEK!!) or a good documentary.
But even then, I feel like I may have learned something, but I’ll never get that hour back.
Oh, and Phineas and Ferb. That, my friends, is good, clean, solid laughter!
“Aren’t you a little bit young to be ordering 5 tons of dirt/_______?”
“Yes, yes, I am.”
“Hey, has anyone seen Perry?”
Pretend I’m typing the noise Perry makes….
Mooo-ooom!!! Phineas and Ferb are commenting on blogs again!!
Love this. I would choose Sherlock to add to Downton Abbey.
As a Mom of Phineas and Ferb lovers this makes me laugh! I LOVE Downtown Abbey too.
Your tip brought a smile. When my Grandmother passed away I got a big box of cards that she had saved for just the right moment. Your post made me smile because it reminded me of her.
As for a tip: Compartmentalize your writing time. For example, set a day for writing blogs, a day for networking, a day for volunteer/mentoring work in the writing community, etc. Writing should happen everyday, but the other components of our writing world can often be slotted into specific days. If all you have to worry about on Tuesdays is blogging and writing it sure makes things easier. Less time popping from one to another.
You will still need some time to coordinate social media each day, but with Hootesuite and other tools it can be less time consuming.
Thanks for the great post!
Great idea, Michelle! I did something similar this past school year. I figured out what would be the best day to volunteer at school, I had a day at ladies Bible study and I always set aside Mondays for writing. I wasn’t entirely successful on keeping it appointment free, but I was able to minimize what I did outside the house on that day. Working on revamping that for the coming school year.
I like the idea of keeping one day to work on blogs and social media. Great plan.
Michelle, that’s what some of my most successful writing friends do. Great tip.
What a great idea! I LOVE organization. 😛
My mom did something similar, in that she always bought cards in advance so she had some to choose from.
Regarding blog posts, it really helps me to plan out my blogging calendar a month or so in advance. Similarly to Michelle, I try to write all of my blog posts for a week on one day of the week and pre-post them so I don’t have to worry the night before about having one ready. Planning out the topics in advance helps me relax and enjoy writing blog posts. I do give myself leeway to change the topic if something has been on my heart to share, but then I just move the slotted topic to another day.
Love your idea, Lindsay!
My biggest problem (like today when I’m in meetings deep in the heart of Texas) is to steal time to reply to the comments– my favorite part of blogging.
Wendy, Wendy, Wendy…you sweet girl. Make sure everyone sees you drinking a vat of water and keep excusing yourself. Blogs are why there’s Wifi in the restroom!
Years back, when I used to stamp and create my own cards, I bought a box with dividers for various types of cards. I still fill it from time to time with card packs I pick up here and there. But I have found myself without needed cards at the last minute. I need to set up a system to fill my box. I love your idea, Wendy. I think if I can organize myself and write it on the calendar once a month to pick up needed cards, I’d be all set on that. I like sending greeting cards with a personal note inside.
One system that works for me is planning my menu out in advance. I used to plan it by the month, but now I plan every two weeks. I print out a calendar for the month from a computer program. I look at what nights I need a meal that’s quick and plan leftovers for that night, or a simple meal, and then I plan the rest of two weeks. I do a big shopping trip once or twice a month to pick up everything I need, going for smaller items like produce and milk as needed. This has worked well for our family.
I applaud you Jeanne, grocery shopping is the bane of my existence. I have often thought of doing the once a month mega-shop and have actually tried that. But the odd thing about having 2 teenage boys and a 9 year old who’s almost 5 feet tall, well, they eat ALL DAY! I have tried and tried to hide things, tell them to leave things alone, but between them and the food raid enabler/dad, it’s pointless. I remember hiding the goodies. Now the 6’2 boy hides things from ME.
Okay, my little caveat: my kids are 9 and 7 1/2. In a couple of years, I may battle that same dilemma. Until then…..I’ll make the most of two big trips a month. 🙂 Hope you find the things your guys have hidden. 🙂
When we lived full time on our ranch, we were 2 1/2 hours from any major grocery outlet, so I got in the habit of stocking up…and we only bought fresh produce on a weekly basis. (You can freeze so much, even cheese)…but I had the same problem with the “BOYS”…my teenage son and two to three nephews who came to work on the ranch for the summers. Sometimes my daughters and I cooked all day to have it consumed in thirty minutes. And these guys were like bloodhounds when it came to locating hidden food! But, all that said, I still saved a LOT of time only shopping once a month!
Great Jeanne. That solves the brain fog that comes when you walk into the kitchen at the end of a long day of writing.
Love this–my mom has several “gift drawers” that are filled with simple items that she can grab if she hears it’s someone’s birthday or if she forgets to shop. I’ve long kept a few cards on hand, but have never been this organized about it. What a stress reliever!
Writen notes are great. I keep in one box right now, but I would love to have them categorized in their own seperate folders.
My favorite thing to do to save time/prevent myself from procrastinating is to set goals and making schedules to meet them. That way big jobs are broken up into smaller, daily tasks that actually get done!
The reason folders are good is you can see at a glance if one type of card is getting low.
Wendy, I love organization too! Sometimes, though, I have to limit my need for order, so there is time for other important things, like playing golf.(That is categorized as exercise!)
I learned the greeting card file tip from my mother. And I still use it. However, I hadn’t thought to keep little gift cards on hand, but now I will.
I need to institute the monthly blog planning Michele and Lindsay mentioned.
Love all these tips. Hoping everyone has a “tea-riffic” week.
Oh, how I admire organized people. Organization is a skill I’ve had to develop–often against my will–over the years. My biggest hurdle is the calendar, so now I type everything I need to do in my Google calendar. This morning at 9:00, my computer and my phone alerted me to my to-do list. I don’t dismiss the alerts until the items are finished. Keeping my schedule and my to-do list in the same place has been such a help to me. Thank God for smart phones.
Thanks for the great post, Wendy.
I know. Organization is so much easier these days.
I have watched my mother do this same thing with great success over the years. I have yet to master this, but so definitely see the value in it. I hope to be able to achieve this soon. Thanks for the added encouragement to use this bit of organizational strategy.
Fabulous tips everyone. Saving time is so important. One of the things I’ve done over the years is be sure to have cleaning supplies on both floors of our home. I found it to be such a pain when I happened upon a mess in the girls’ bathroom upstairs and had to walk down to the kitchen to get something to clean it.
I live in a house with 4 males. I keep spent uranium in their bathroom, it cleans all kinds of stuff.
Hi. This idea intrigues me, but I’ve never heard of it before. Could you explain how you use spent uranium? Thanks. LJ
Put it in a spritz bottle and squirt it on the floor, walls, and yes, I said walls, and flush a bit down the toilet. Once the house explodes, no one will notice the messy bathroom. 😉
What great tips! I am SO a card person. I also have boxes of cards (some I handmade)categorized by occasion. Great idea on adding them to a file cabinet.
A very helpful idea! And one thing I do now is make my own cards. It’s easy–just copy one of your favorite photos onto card stock, then use a safe paper cutter to trim to the proper size, then fold! (Invitation envelopes work well for me.)
This makes the gift of a card even more personal. Some day . . .
Love this tip, Wendy! I could’ve used it today. My nephew just graduated from West Point on Sunday and I was hoping to get a card in the mail today. I even stopped by the store and still forgot to buy a card. UGH!
I love organization and would really like to be as organized as you. Of course, I have four teenagers right now and my life is busy organizing when to drive who where. LOL!
It does get a whole lot easier, Sherry. Congratulations for your nephew. Pretty impressive.
I love sending cards, too! I love to receive cards, but I don’t get many these days.
I hope the card or the handwritten letter never go away. Confession: I still use a fountain pen and strive for artistic penmanship. (Remember cursive?)
You have the most beautiful handwriting! Even if I practice, I can’t do it. I used to teach first grade and manuscript and that was a stretch for me. ha.
I have a card file but have them organized by type. I have this thing about being spontaneous on pulling out a card for an occasion, but I would like to be more deliberate. I try and soon a card I had picked out for a specific person becomes a card for another person…LOL.
I love systems, but I don’t have an office right now or a file cabinet to keep everything in place…someday…perhaps.
Love this post,by the way.
I do remember cursive. In fact, my school is instituting a penmanship program for next year.
Not only do I remember cursive, I also took calligraphy as my elective in 8th grade.
I work in a children’s ministry. The other day I handed a teenage boy a note while I was on the phone. He gave me a blank look and said, “I don’t read cursive.” Egad.
I am a card person and my mother showed me the art of shopping for just the right card and putting it aside. She stored her choices in boxes.
I have cards, both vintage and new, on file in a desk drawer, seperated by occasion. I inherited my Nana’s collection of cards. They are for special events.
This may sound strange, but I’m picky about the stamps. I like to co-ordinate the stamp with the card. Hand written cards a more of a rarity these days, a gift.
My time saving tip is a practical one. Organization brings order and lessens stress. Less stress, more productivity. Mid-day I swim laps, use my eliptical, or ride my no-speed bicycle. I am refreshed and can dig back in, write, do household chores, etc…
If I am out of town or it’s a 100 degree plus day, I’ll adjust my break to a later hour. Just knowing it is ahead, gives me energy to plug onward in anticipation.
Okay, God, I hear you! That’s what I said as I read this. He’s been getting on me about forgetting important dates. I’m good at the thinking of you stuff, but important dates I stink at. I may use your idea. Thanks!
That’s a ministry in itself, Wendy!
I love order too. I bought myself a label maker for my birthday and was WAY too excited. I have cards stashed. It is great for the teens who say the night before “I need a birthday card for so-and-so’s birthday tomorrow.” We live way up in the hills so there is no “quick run to the store.” I also have gift cards and some gifts on a shelf. There are so many good cards, if you shop for a few at a time then you’ll have an assortment to pick from in your own personal “store”.
Well, I’m reorganizing my bathroom closet now so I’ll share my tip from there. I have shoe box size plastic bins with the various remedies inside according to ailment (eg cold, stomach, baby, first aid). It helps those middle of the night searches or when you send someone else for the cough syrup to just grab a box instead of the inevitable “I can’t find it!”
I love this! My mother does something similar so a few months ago, when I was in a big chain discount store and saw a huge box of cute cards for all occasions, I bought it for her. I thought I was being the ever so considerate daughter.
Unfortunately, the cards which looked adorable on the outside of the box, were actually horrid and cheap looking.
So my tip – don’t buy in bulk unless you can actually see the quality of the cards.
I would advise against post-it notes. After scribbling down story ideas I usually find the walls of my dank writing cave emblazoned with the most garish neon colors 🙂
My mom does this and I’m pretty impressed with her organization.
Good tip Wendy! I feel like I’m in good company. I’ve always been more comfortable with writing to people than phoning or even sometimes face-to-face. Nice to know I’m not alone!
Yvette Carol
Great idea Wendy! Glad to hear you write personal notes, it seem to be a dying art.
Good blog too – it’s nice you take time to respond.
Anne
Hi,
Michele, great tip re: compartmentalizing other writing-related tasks than actual writing– I’ll try to do that with promoting my new mystery novel– which I’m spending lots of bits of time on — much better to pick a definite day/time to do that. thanks!
Sandy
What a great idea! I’m an organization freak myself, so this is right up my alley. Thanks for the post.
I envy those organized enough for the card file method. I tried it once and three years later, threw the yellowed cards and the file away, essentially intact and unused.
Better for me is a simple box of blank notecards–I usually pick those with a scenic picture. Just grab a card, write a note and send. For birthdays and other celebratory occasions, an acrostic using the first name of the receiver is usually much appreciated.
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