When the time is write

Last year was a good year for writing, but I plan to make 2012 even better. In order to find more time for writing around working full time, looking after the house and animals and spending time with my brand new husband, I have put together a few tools as part of my new, overall organisation system.

Okay, even with a shiny new calendar on my wall I forget what day it is, but these things take time, and I am taking baby steps towards making the most out of the time I have!

1. To do lists

I am a chronic list maker, so having this notebook helps me keep everything together – because there’s nothing worse than losing your to do list! This isn’t just for writing, but it helps me stay on track to get everything done, which means I don’t feel guilty about taking time out to sit down and write blog posts or work on stories.

This notebook is from Kikki.k – I actually bought it with the gift certificate I was given as a farewell from my previous job (along with a receipt folder for tax claims, which should make my tax accountant – also known as my father in law – very happy. Yay organisation!)

2. Diary

I know the focus of this post is tools to help me write, but the fact is no one part of life occurs in a vacuum. Everything is affected by everything else, so part of making time to write is taking control of the rest of my time.

This diary is another Kikki.k find, which I love. It has columns for each day, rather than boxes, which suits my list-loving nature. I cannot tell you how many years I have looked for a diary like this! Seriously, I’m picky when it comes to diaries.

Having a good diary helps me keep track of what’s happening when, so much like the to do lists I’m able to keep the rest of my life organised and fit in time to write around everything else.

3. My notebook

I love a good notebook! While I tend to work in a variety of ways (my computer, my laptop, I actually wrote my wedding vows directly onto my iPhone), I will always be a pen-and-paper girl at heart. I spend ages picking out the perfect notebook – it has to be A5 so I can carry it around in my handbag, spiral bound so I can fold it around if I’m writing in a tight space. and it has to be cute so that I enjoy using it.

I found this one at Big W – I was actually really surprised at their wide range of pretty stationery! I will definitely be hitting them up for supplies in the future.

This notebook is where a lot of my stories start, and some of them even finish there! I sometimes edit things when I type them up, but more often than not they stay much the same.

4. Time planner

This colourful time planner was created by the lovely Jen at iheartOrganizing, which comes with a lovely inspirational quote from Benjamin Disraeli – “He who gains time gains everything”.

Using this planner I was able to schedule out my weekdays (weekends are a schedule-free zone!). I start work at 6am (yes, really!) but fortunately I work from home so I only have to get up at 5.30! Generally I’m done with work between 2.30 and 3pm, and I don’t go to bed until 9.30pm.

So realistically, I have a whole 7 HOURS after work to get things done. Even with some housework, cooking dinner, taking the dogs out for a walk and other such things I should be able to fit some writing into that time!

You can find this document as  agree printable here. You should also check out Jen’s blog, because it is chock full of amazing ideas and inspiration.

5. Jotter pad

In order to make my writing time more focused I purchased a jotter pad from The Reject Shop, it was about $4 from memory. I’m planning to cover it with something pretty, but I haven’t gotten around to that yet. It’s on my to do list! 😉

The jotter will follow me around, and is a place that I can use when I start getting distracted by thoughts and ideas. This notepad will be purely for writing ideas, whereas other notebooks tend to become mixed up with a bit of everthing. This way, if I’m sitting down to write I can look back and draw inspiration from those notes.

6. Okay, there’s not a sixth item in the picture, and I haven’t actually used this yet, but I love the look of it and I think it’s just what I’ve been looking for. These daily planning pages from The Complete Guide To Imperfect Homemaking (number 1 in the post) have spaces for planning dinner and blog posts, as well as a general to do list.

Find the post with the printable here, and also check out the blog – it’s another of my (many) favourites!

I’ve already downloaded the page and will be printing it off to start using this week. I’ll let you know how it goes!

So now it’s your turn – what tools do you love for getting organised? How/when/where do you find time to do the things you love?

xox Chrissie