Organizing 101 in 2007

Back in 2007, my friends and I shared blog entries through Yahoo 360 (this application was shut down in 2009). It was Yahoo’s answer to social networking, though where my friends and I were concerned, we only used it to share items with each other. I did a lot of blog entries while using the 360 application. So I’ve decided to unearth some of those old entries and share them here. Most of what I wrote about are things that happened between my friends and I, but there are some entries worth sharing because they are organizing and planner using.

This first entry is one I wrote about being organized in general and how I love my planner. And wouldn’t you know it; it was written right after I received my first Filofax. So without further ado, here is the entry I wrote back in July of 2007:

Sadly, I have an obsession with organizing. I love this obsession; it’s one of my passions. But I don’t think that too many people understand this passion. They think it’s a funny thing to be obsessed about. Still, if you’re one of the obsessed, you understand where I’m coming from.

Anything having to do with organizing is just so much fun! And there’s always something to organize – pens, papers, kitchen-ware, stuff, books, anything. And there are so many products out there to help you get started. And so many stores and websites that devote themselves to people who want to organize. The possibilities do seem endless. So much the better for me!

But I, too, have to say that the best organizing tool out there is the planner. I couldn’t function without mine. I’m obsessed with mine and have it with me at all times, and I’m also obsessed with other people’s – what kind it is, how they use it, the features it has, any ideas that I can get from them to improve my own organizing technique. Crazy, I know. Currently, I’m using a Filofax Domino. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure I’d like it – it is much smaller than ones that I have used in the past. But as I’m entering my second month of use, I have to say that I really do like it. There are some features that I’m not quite sold on as of yet, but all in all, it’s the best one thus far, mostly because I can make it what I need it to be.

My planner is not only where I keep my engagements, but also where I keep various lists (and there are so many), phone numbers, and references. I’d feel lost without my planner, and I can’t understand people who don’t use one. Sometimes I think I might like to be rid of my planner, to live more freely and without all kinds of lists. And while I am a bit envious of people who are not tied to a planner, I kind of like that I am – I always know where things are and I know how to access what I need in a flash while others are scrambling to find that little piece of paper with the phone number for a certain person, place, or thing. I have come to learn that people are envious of me, of how organized I am, and how I can find anything in a flash. But then, why is it that people find it humorous that I am so organized? It’s a catch 22.

I don’t deny that I’m a little crazed when it comes to planners and organization. After all, who really needs to keep 20 previous planners just in case the newest one doesn’t work out? However, when life becomes so crazy, when you have several things going on at once (and who doesn’t in today’s world?), it helps a great deal to have the one and only thing you can rely on to get you through all of those items with ease and confidence.

I couldn’t live without my planner and although some think it strange, I wouldn’t want to.

Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing this 'old' post. It was delightful to read :-)I also get people being amused by my love of planning and filofaxes; often the same people who wonder how I am able to get so much stuff done and who complain that they dont have enought time! Maybe one day they will see the light.... My planner is indispensable and my life is better because of it as I can maximise my time and be efficient at work and at play. I am super busy right now and it is helping me keep sane.

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  2. Thanks for sharing, Susan! It describes exactly how I feel about my planner and organizing in general. Unlike you I don't get much ridicule: as I'm a mother to 4 kids, everybody just assumes that I need those planning systems to keep my head above water. Little do they know, I've been obsessed with planners since my childhood, the fact that I have kids didn't change that. It just meant I could justify having even more planners ... LOL

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  3. Thanks for your comments. As funny as people find it, it's no different than any other passion or hobby. Collecting stamps isn't my thing, for example, but I would never say to someone who did that they're nutty for doing so.

    CP - I have the same thing - my family constantly teases me about the obsession but then uses some of my organizing suggestions.

    Jojte - Maybe there's a difference here - when you have kids people don't see it as a "strange" hobby but more like a necessity. With me (for the moment), they just think I'm crazy. And yet, they're always in awe when I can find something in a split second when they have to hunt.

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