Organization Quest

Minimizing Potential Pet Damage

When we adopted our Boys, it was straight from the Kitten Room at Treehouse, a cageless, no-kill animal shelter on Chicago's northside.  By way of furniture, the Kitten Room has a couple cat trees and a few chairs for human visitors.  Still, it came as a surprise when we brought The Boys home that they didn't seem to know what furniture was.  Wobbling on the floor, they'd gaze up at the couch or a table and appear completely baffled, quite as if, well, they'd never seen a couch or table before. 

I knew at the time that this was our golden opportunity: how easy it would be to train them not to jump on furniture, since they didn't know what it was and showed no interest in it anyway.  The advantages were obvious: No cat fur on the sheets!  No knocked-down knick-knacks!  No claw marks defacing our still sorta-new furniture!  But then I thought of how nice it was to nap with a purring cat on the couch, or to cuddle on a recliner after dinner, and I came to my senses.  That first night, we picked the kittens up one by one and lay them down under the sheets to sleep with us.  They seemed to marvel at the softness and were very pleased indeed. 

Over the past three years, I've had plenty of opportunity to rue the day I showed Lickity how to spin my office chair around by jumping on it from the cat tree, or the fact that we're none too strict when they scratch the furniture.   There's a middle ground between oppressive and overly permissive; the key is  to replace unsuitable Objects-of-Merriment with inexpensive items or with products specifically designed to cultivate the urge to claw, gnaw, scratch, climb, and play.  Here are three things that have worked for us.

The Cat Tree

Okay I admit:  I balked at the price (over $200).  But this is one sturdy piece of cat furniture, having endured three years of punishing abuse and what's more: it's never tipped over, not even when both cats hurl their weight at top running speed, which amounts to a couple dozen times a day.  It gives them something to climb, something to claw, a place to hide (at the base) and a high place to perch and nap.  Dollar-for-dollar, this is the best investment in kitty acroutements we've made.

Above: Lickity tends to be a stretch-and-scratch kind of guy. We got this tree at Liz's Pet Shop (note: the website appears to be under construction, but the address and phone number are on the site).

The Smartykat Superscratcher

I don't know if it's the texture or what, but cats love this scratcher. Seconds after it's  opened, the cats pounce on it and scratch merrily away.  Better that than the imported, hand-knotted rug Alpay's mother gave us for our housewarming gift. 

  
Above: Snapdragon on the SuperScratcher.  We had to make some provisions and um, get a double-wide scratcher for the Dragon.

The Humble Cardboard Box

Having recently gone though several boxes of old files, I tossed this box aside to throw out.  Before I could take it to the trash, it had been annexed by The Boys as a combo hideout/fort/giant teething ring.  Lickity in particular likes to jump in it and gnaw away when he gets frustrated, which is often.  Sure, it's a little messy what with the cardboard shreds.  But it's also a no-cost option--you can't beat that!

  
Above: action shot of Lickity working on his box.  Below: He looks so innocent, doesn't he?

 

 

How to: Plan and Organize a Term Paper or Project

When I was a student, I always loved the beginning of the term, perhaps because nothing much is due in the first week or two, which makes it easy to imagine  unbridled, effortless success.  Somewhere around the 4th or 5th week, it would suddenly dawn on me that I was supposed to be working on some big project that I hadn't yet started, and my straight A dreams would quiver and vanish on the horizon. 

The good news is that the key to success--by which I mean increasing the likelihood of creating a worthwhile and maybe even fun learning experience for yourself, in addition of getting the best possible grade--is incredibly simple:  start early.

Since not much happens in the first week of the term anyway, it's the perfect time to start brainstorming possible subjects for the big paper or project.  It's important to find a topic, focus, slant, treatment, or subject that interests you, even if the course itself is a core, a pre-req, or not in your major.  Once you have an idea of what you'd like to do, make an appointment with the professor or drop in during office hours to get feedback on your idea.  It's usually a good idea to have a backup idea or two, just in case the prof has serious concerns about your first choice.

Once you know what your topic is, you put in motion The Law of Attraction so that you are more likely to be in tune with your topic, and  become increasingly aware of books, articles, ideas, quotes, images, internet sites, connections, reviews, and other information that will support your project.  Bookmark the pages as you come across them, and start compiling the materials you find useful, along with the URL, the web site name, and the date you accessed the information for later use in your bibliography.  I've always found pulling together a bibliography to be vaguely pleasurable--sort of like playing solitaire--but only when I have plenty of time to spare.  In contrast, last-minute bibliography writing is aggravating.  Avoid this needless annoyance by formatting your bibliography as you come across your source material. While it's always good to have an old-fashioned style guide, I quite like this online style guide at Purdue's Online Writing Lab. 

Lastly, planning ahead allows you to put all kinds of fun, value-added extra touches to your paper or project.  For one paper that required analyzing how well a public space accommodated people with disabilities, I took pictures which I uploaded into Photoshop and drew attention to problematic spaces with arrows and brief descriptions of the infraction.  For another paper, I found applicable quotes to introduce each section.  For a presentation, I once designed a mock "test" to "quiz" the class on the concepts presented.  When you innovate, you make things fun for yourself and you set yourself apart from your peers. But such above-and-beyond approaches require time.  Do yourself a favor and start early. 

Above: Extra credit paper on Mies van der Rohe; the prof had said, "please don't make it a 'he was born in this year in this town' sort of thing," so I asked if a "Top 10" list would work. Throughout the quarter, I'd spend a few minutes researching van der Rohe's accomplishments and would note where I found what information, (see the bottom page, above) which made writing the footnotes and bibliography a breeze.  Even if you take a risk with a light-hearted approach, it's still necessary to document your sources. 

How to: Prepare for class

As a Freshman in college, I thought I knew what it meant to “study.”  What I didn’t understand was when professors would lament on occasion that I was “unprepared,” (or once:  “woefully unprepared”) when we didn’t even have a test that day. 

Later, teaching Freshman Composition at a state university, I had plenty of opportunity to appreciate the irony of gazing at 22 puzzled faces as I asked how one could possibly come to class so completely, so totally, so . . . woefully! unprepared. 

So what does it mean to actually be prepared? Here’s a short list, roughly in decreasing order of importance:

• You’ve completed any exercises, assignments, studio- or lab work that is due at the beginning of the class period.
• You’re up-to-date on any reading assignments noted in the syllabus or mentioned in class, and you’re prepared to discuss what you’ve read and its relevance to the course of study.
• Decisions and research regarding the subject, focus, scope, or approach to an assignment or project have been made as requested.
• You’ve reviewed class notes from the previous class.
• Any questions arising from the reading or lecture, or questions about upcoming quizzes, tests, assignments, and projects are noted and ready to be asked.
• If you’ve missed the previous class, you’ve gotten class notes from a classmate, as well as notice regarding any changes the professor may have made to the assignments, projects, or the syllabus.
• You are able to correctly use the vocabulary words introduced in the reading assignment.
• You’ve made appropriate progress on any term-long assignments like notebooks, sketchbooks, journals, and the like.

Being prepared, like being fit, or being able to draw well or argue persuasively or perform lab work with skill and efficiency, is its own reward.  As with so many things, a positive momentum builds when you stop avoiding and start investing yourself and your time in what you need to do.

 

 

 

How to: Create a Study Schedule

 

At the beginning of any new term, there are new teachers or professors, subjects that are either new or more advanced editions of old ones, and any number of other factors that make it difficult to assess how much time, exactly, it takes to do homework.

In order to accurately schedule and portion out your study time, it’s important to figure out, as soon as possible, how much time on average it takes to do the activities required in your classes. 

 What’s worked for me is that the first week or so I track how long various activities take.  Sample activities might include how long it takes to:

• read a chapter
• review notes
• do exercises or problems
• memorize vocabulary
• maintain a sketchbook
• write a response paper
• draft a floor plan

Organize

Keep a list of all your assignments in one place; this is important because you need to see the entirety of your homework in order to prevent anything from slipping through the cracks. 

Account for Everything

In my experience and observation, there are two types of homework that fall off students’ radars:  the first is the small, daily things that need to be done--reviewing class notes, making timely additions to notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, and lab books that are supposed to be done daily or weekly but are rarely checked, etc. 

The second type of homework that tends to be forgotten until it’s too late is planning or preparing for the really big projects or exams.  Once you know you have a big project to do, schedule time early on to brainstorm options and do initial research.  Likewise, each week should be spent reviewing past readings, vocabulary, and quizzes in preparation for the midterm or final exam.

Estimate

Culling information about how long things have taken you in the past and how difficult the task is before you, make your best estimate as to how long each of the activities will take. 

Prioritize

Prioritize your assignments based on how much they impact your grade.  Work out the time you need to complete a midterm project worth 50% of the grade before fitting in study time for a weekly quiz worth 5%.

Schedule

Give your prioritized assignments prime study time--the time when you are most alert, able to best concentrate, and are least likely to be interrupted. Work backwards from the due date, starting, whenever possible, with the day before the assignment is due, to allow for any last-minute emergencies.  This means if a report is due Friday, try to have it finished by Thursday. 

Schedule in time for meals, breaks, sleep, class, work, commutes, and anything else you may have to do.  Consider using an “unschedule,” designed by Dr. Neil Fiore  and described in his book, The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play.

I tend to be able to work for several hours without a break, but after the three-hour mark, my productivity drops and I often switch to a 45 minutes on/15 minutes off routine.  Experiment and see what works for you. By working out the kinks in your schedule early in the term, you’ll hit your stride long before midterms, and will reap the rewards of an efficient and productive study habit. 

 

It's How-to-Study Week on the Quest!

 
This is the first week of the new quarter at many colleges, so a Back to School Series seems to be in order.  Time is of the essence, because it's important to organize and plan for a successful term in the beginning, before Homework Overload happens.

This is the second how-to-study series on the Quest; the first one focused on strategies for taking notes, organizing binders, and archiving information to prevent a binder system from getting unwieldy. I also tried to tie those skills to their real-world, workaday counterparts--taking notes at meetings, using binders to organize projects, and archiving that information as needed. 

This time around, I thought we'd explore how to prepare for class, plan and organize projects, and develop a study schedule--skills that are essential for success in school and in college, but are seldom taught, quite as if babies emerge from the womb knowing how to prepare a bibliography or use flash cards.  Not to worry.  We'll go over what you need to know and do so you can take control of your workload and avoid Homework Overload altogether.

Resisting Resistance By Planning To Plan

 
This week was supposed to be Spring Cleaning Planning Week, a little trick that worked like a charm.  There's nothing like saying, "the idea isn't to do something" to feel like doing it.  So I resist my resistance to action by forbidding the action, and then use the momentum of the action started to keep going.  Pretty clever, huh?

I found a good place to get started was the supply cabinet under the sink, which would give me the chance to take stock of the supplies I have on hand while making tracks on this year's big Spring Cleaning Kitchen Chore, cleaning and organizing the kitchen cabinets. It was also a good place to start in that it was relatively easy; last fall, we had a leaky faucet that necessitated clearing everything out of the cabinet, thus learning the hard way what unhappy business it is to wait until an emergency to get things organized. 

Having gotten rid of 10 year old flea spray and other such relics in the fall, clearing out the stuff was pretty painless this time around.  I'd already washed all the rags and cleaning cloths the week before, so that didn't need to be done, either.  All told, it took me 48 minutes to clear everything out, wash and dry the liner I'd put in after the leak fiasco, wash the trash can inside out, wipe everything down and put everything back. 

 

 

 

Kicking off Spring Cleaning with Repairs

 
"Spring Cleaning" is another of those terms that really should be revised. "Spring Projects" seems more applicable, as the point is to tackle all those niggling little things you've avoided during the cold winter months when motivation runs as low as the temperature outside. 

Repairs are a great way to kick off a Spring Projects Spree, in that they can make a big difference in relatively short order.  Oiling creaky hinges, insulating a drafty window, or smoothing stain over scratched wood can provide an almost instant pick-me-up, and alleviate an energy-sapping annoyance.  My yearly ritual is to go through the house and make a list of all the stuff that needs repairs--paint that needs to be touched up, areas that need to be re-grouted, nail holes that need to be filled. It makes it easy to identify the supplies I'll need, and, if costly, to schedule their purchase. 

 

More Inspiration for Countertops

"Surfaces are quick, easy, and very visible, so they provide more 'bang for the buck' than emptying an entire closet or sorting through the stuff in your basement," writes Sarah Coffey for the wonderful Apartment Therapy website. 

The article includes pix from five "real homes" like the one above and appeared under Apartment Therapy's "Weekend Inspiration" column.  Indeed, clearing off a countertop is an easy, low-pressure weekend project and is a great way to kick-start some organizing momentum.

Photo credit: Faith Durand.

The Key to Maintaining Progress

Last week I wrote about how a simple daily habit--loading the dish washer at night and unloading it in the morning--coupled with re-thinking how we use our space led to our recent organizational breakthrough.  But I’ve found that in order to maintain that progress, there’s a few things I need to do a couple times a week:

• Sweep the floors
• Mop the kitchen floor
• Do the laundry
• Put back things where they belong

That’s it.  It doesn’t even take that long to do.  I’ve made the habit of picking up something that needs to be put away  whenever I head in the direction of where the object belongs.  It really doesn’t take long to toss a load of laundry in the washer and fold it up afterwards, and doing a couple loads every few days prevents things from backing up.  Having crumb-and-cat-fur free floors is worth the 10 minutes it takes to sweep and mop the kitchen. The sweeping in the livingroom is pretty constant--this is the Windy City, after all, and dirt blows in from the potted plants on the balcony--but it doesn’t seem all that cumbersome.  I haven't decided if this is because I'm just getting used to it or if I'm getting better with practice.

Sure, life would be easier without flowers or kitties.  But wouldn't you rather have love and beauty in your life?

 

 

 

 

More Organization Breakthroughs: Small Changes, Big Impact

Earlier in the week, I wrote about my Big Organization Breakthrough, which involved re-configuring the space for three rooms:  moving the floor-to-ceiling PAX shelving units from a small bedroom to the living room; moving the master bedroom to the small bedroom; and creating a studio/den out of the master bedroom.  These changes took a lot of time, a lot of energy, and were not without expense.  But another change has likewise made a huge impact in our day-to-day lives and not only is it super simple, it doesn’t cost a cent.

 

We run our dishwasher every night.  And we unload it every morning.

 

I don’t know why this didn’t occur to us before:  it just seemed sort of wasteful to run the dishwasher unless it was completely full.  But we weren’t very good at gauging just how much we could fit in the washer, so inevitably we would have an overflow of dirty dishes, and then while we ran the washer more dishes would pile up, so that by the time we got around to unloading it,  we’d have an overflow of dishes again. 

 

Now we run the washer even if it’s half (or less than half!) full.  We do this at night, after dinner.  In the morning, in-between feeding the cats and making the morning tea, we (okay, Alpay) unloads the washer.  The empty washer makes it easy to put in any dishes that accumulate during the day, keeping the kitchen tidy, clean, and presentable.  The only downside is that the whole are-the-dishes-dirty-or-are-they-clean? rigamarole we used to engage in on a daily basis no longer takes place, and after 20 years, I’d sort of gotten used to it.  If anyone has any ideas on how we can annoy each other anew, I’m open for suggestions.

The Big Breakthrough: Moving the Master Bedroom To A Smaller Room

 

After a decade of being in our place, the space started to feel a little . . . stale.  It had become increasingly obvious that certain things--both big and small--weren’t working, but with so little space to work with, we were stymied as to what to do about it. 

 

Like most people, we took the lay out of the space we were given and arranged it according to traditional dictates, designating the largest bedroom as the master bedroom.  But the size and the shape of the master bedroom, I realized after taking various coursework in design and space-planning, was most certainly designed for a queen-sized bed.  That would leave enough room left over for a sitting area by the window or for a desk in addition to the standard bedroom fare of night tables and chests of drawers.  Instead, our bed was an enormous mahogany sleigh--king-sized--that only left long awkward passageways around the bed and between the few pieces of furniture we managed to fit in.  The result was quite a bit of waste space--too little to be of much use, but enough to encourage piles of all types--clothes, books, files and papers, to get a toehold and multiply.

 

Meanwhile, my study had become increasingly unfunctional.  Because it was so cramped, I tended not to take the time to put things away.  Instead,  piles kept building under and around my desk, which made it even harder to work, what with piles crashing down on my feet any time I shifted positions.  Even when I’d manage to tidy up, it wasn’t very inviting for anyone else to spend time there, as it was so cramped and only one club chair fit in the room.

 

At some point, I realized that the shape of the bedroom--more square than rectangle--would be perfect for a studio, and the shape of my study--more rectangle than square--would suit us just fine as a cozy bedroom.  Alpay wasn’t convinced that we could even fit the bed into the smaller room, much less any other furniture, but I showed him that not only would the bed fit, but so would the bedside table, the vanity, the bench, and the chest of drawers.  (“Must you do everything over the top?” he complained when I showed him the plans I’d drawn up in AutoCad, complete with door swings and pouched walls.) 

 

The better part of July was spent moving one double and two single PAX units out to the living room and installing sliding frosted glass doors in place of the former mirrored doors.  We also got rid of the half-height bookshelves that had seen better days, so that a whole wall that had been unappealing and tended to attract clutter now showcases a beautiful antique that serves as a focal point in the living room. 

 

The bedroom feels agreeably snug and cozy; everyone who has seen it agrees that the smaller room actually makes a much better bedroom with the furniture we have.  An unexpected bonus is that the bed no longer faces the door, which means that practically all the lights can be on and you’d never know it in the bedroom.  Before, if I wanted to be in the living room when Alpay was sleeping, I’d have to put a rug or a towel under the door to block out the light.   It’s also much quieter, as the former bedroom shared a wall with both bathrooms and the kitchen, and the new bedroom only shares walls with Alpay’s study and the living room.

 

The best part, of course, is my new studio, which is big enough for two desks, two club chairs, a wall-length bookcase, the chrome Metra shelves, a single PAX unit, and an easel (which I never had room for before!) without feeling the slightest bit cramped.  The two desks allow me space to work and space for supplies (using the parallel rule precludes having many supplies on my desk when I’m using it); I can also invite friends over to work on projects, or to scrapbook or paint, as we each have our own work area. In the evenings, the studio becomes the family den, as we prefer the west view at night, where we can alternately watch the El roll past or watch the planes descend into O'Hare in the the distance.

West view view from my studio; the little knot of lights on the horizon between the sunset and the standof buildings in the distance is O'Hare.

Having a comfortable space in which to work and spread out has made it so much easier to go through stuff and take care of things, to purge the old and file the necessary.  And the process of completely re-thinking the space encouraged me to re-think what we had and what we could lose, kick-starting a cycle of positive changes that has enabled us to find our footing in finally getting--and staying--organized.

Plenty of room for everything--even a ratty palm for Snapdragon to work on.

 

 

 

 

 

This Week on the Quest: My Organization Breakthrough

 

Almost two years ago, I announced that “every room in the house was clean and clear,” which was probably true for the few weeks it took before things got junked up again.  Within two months, I had to admit that “half the house has gone to hell in a handbasket” and the disorganization basically snowballed from there.

 

What happened?!  I was doing so well!  I got the clothes closets cleared, the craft closet organized.  I’d organized the kitchen cabinets.  I’d organized my recipes, and had spent hour upon hour slogging through my Supreme Paper Mess.  And yet:  there I was, not even two full months later, putting off both entertaining at home and needed repairs because things were in such disarray. 

 

I spent a lot of time thinking about what, exactly, had gone wrong, and this summer I had the chance to make some changes. We tweaked one daily routine that has made all the difference in the world, and I also figured out a few small things I need to do a couple times a week to keep things running smoothly.  

 

The really big change, though, was in re-evaluating how we wanted to use the very limited space we have. We ended up making a huge, if perhaps unconventional shift, re-purposing the rooms to fit our needs. In the process, we ended changing not just how we used the space, but also the habits of maintenance and storage that had been imbedded in those rooms over the course of a decade.  This week on the Quest, I’ll share with you the changes we made, with an eye to strategizing what changes you can make to fashion your own Organization Breakthrough.

 

 Maintenance under control:  today it took all of an hour to tidy the living room, bedroom, and my studio, which included sweeping and vacuuming, doing some dusting, polishing mirrors, cleaning glass-topped tables, picking up, and making the bed. And I'm not a fast worker, folks.  
  

Cheap, Easy, and Fast: The Perfect Fall Dinner

I don't know about you, but few phrases get on my nerves more than, "What's for dinner?" I always want to respond: "I don't know.  What is for dinner?" Nevermind the asker may be my friend's five year-old.  I figure if she's old enough to ask, then she's old enough to pony up some suggestions. 

One of the nice things about this time of year is that crisp autumn days are perfect for soup-making.  My favorite fall soup to make is roasted garlic and eggplant, but practically any vegetable lends itself to being roasted:  potatoes, tomatoes; bell peppers of any color; mushrooms.  Carrots.  Most arromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, shallots) are lovely roasted.  I like using eggplant because it's both delicious and easy: just slice in half, drizzle on some olive oil, grind on some sea salt, and roast at 450 degrees for a half hour or so. The eggplants are done when the insides are soft when inserted with a knife.  It's easy to separate the insides from the skin, unlike with peppers or tomatoes which are a little trickier.  Then just add some stock  (I use either homemade vegetable stock or chicken stock or a half-half mixture of the two) and blend.

Roasting garlic or onions to add to the soup is easy and great for achieving a rich, full-bodied taste.  I put a few cloves of garlic on a square of foil, drizzle on a little olive oil, add salt, then close up the foil package, which protects the cloves from getting burned, and toss it on the roasting pan, next to the vegetables. 

Yesterday's soup used two eggplants, maybe four cloves of garlic, a small can of stock and some of my own stock, and produced enough to generously feed four for just a few dollars.  Not counting the roasting time, the whole process took less than 10 minutes.  Add a salad and some nice, crusty bread, and you have an answer as to what's for dinner!

So versatile: add roasted garlic to mayonaise for a gourmet spread, blend with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and fresh herbs for a nice salad dressing, or spread directly on crackers.  Roasting makes the garlic mild and sweet; you lose the stink factor.

How To: Create The Perfect Binder

Compared to taking notes, setting up a binder is pretty straightforward.  And yet: look around any classroom--or boardroom--and what do you see?  Spiral notebooks.  Pads.  Composition books.  All of which are fine if you're eight years-old and need something to doodle on.  Once you move on to middle school, folks, it's time for an upgrade. 

In very little time you can create a binder for work or for school that will go the distance in keeping you prepared, on track, up-to-date, and organized--all for less than ten bucks.  Sure, you can find fancy materials--and I admit, I love fancy materials--but it still comes down to four components: binder, paper, dividers, and pockets.  Let's take a closer look at each:

The Binder

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Levenger's Circa, which combines the portability of a notebook with the expandability of a binder, but plain old binders are what got me through college and grad school. As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with the buck-ninety-nine plastic standby, although the amazing MO Signature Binder, right, offered in cool colors and tricked out with metal-finished edges and finger pulls  is tough to resist.

The Paper

Plain old college-ruled paper does just fine, but fun options include graph, colored, pre-printed (i.e. to-do lists and project planners) and annotation ruled.

The Dividers

Dividers aren't an option, but are every bit as essential as paper and the binder itself.  Dividers--along with pockets which we'll discuss next--are what gives binders functionality over plain old pads or composition books.  Specifically,  dividers enable you to categorized and organizeinformation according to type, subject, project, or date.  You can get dividers with pre-printed tabs or make them easily yourself. 

The Pockets

Like dividers, the essential functionality of binder pockets is often overlooked.  Why, I don't know.  Where else are you going to slip in tests, quizzes, client information, hand-outs, marketing materials, timelines, and reports?  Pockets can be zippered and gusseted to store everything from stamps to pens.  They can be cut on a bias for easy access to materials. Report covers are actually a kind of pocket that enables you to add documents without defacing them with hole punches.

Here are two examples of good, functional binders using different materials

Example 1: New binder suitable for school or for work using Levenger's Circa system

I pulled together this binder for a friend who's going off to college for the first time.  Using Levenger's Circa system, I selected extra-larges rings (1-1/2") for maximum capacity. For fun and for easy identification, I used five different colors of paper, which I separated with dividers.  Each section contains a couple Project Planners, so he can map out the actions needed for projects and papers.  I also included several small To Do pages to capture tasks and reminders like reading assignments and test preparation.  While typed notes,  syllabbi, handouts and quizzes  can be punched and added to the binder using a Circa punch, I  included a pocket for convenience. 

While the above notebook was created for a college student in mind, it's equally functional for a business professional.  The sections can be used for different clients, projects, or responsibilities, or they can sub-divide a large project into manageable chunks, while the To Do and Project Planners are useful for any professional.

Example 2: Classic (and much used) school binder with index tabs tied to the Table of Contents

 

 Okay, this binder has seen better days.  But by golly, it was functional and proved to be a great resource ever after.  The colored table of contents and tabs made it easy to find information. While I just punched handouts,  notes, and quizzes, I used report covers for assignments to keep them pristine.

Above: assignment in report cover.

 
Above: my beloved, beat-up drafting binder.

 

How To: Take Notes For Maximum Efficiency

Few things in life are as simple in concept and yet surprisingly difficult in practice as taking good notes.  Taking meeting or lecture notes (opposed to reading notes) is especially tricky, because information isn't necessarily presented in a linear fashion.  Speakers interrupt themselves and get interrupted; they backtrack, mumble, forget their point, slur their words, drone on about inconsequential details and skip key information. At least, that's the way it was when I taught, if my student evaluations are to be believed. 

Anyway.  It's the unanticipated twists and turns of a meeting or lecture that makes such notes challenging to take.  Over time I developed two methods that have worked for me, depending on the situation.  One involves taking notes on a laptop; the other uses a longhand approach.

Why and When to Use a Laptop

As a student, this is the method I much prefer.  Why?  In my experience, college lectures cover so much ground at such a fast clip that I simply can't keep up if I'm taking notes longhand.

I also find that it helps me stay engaged in a subject if I keep moving in some way.  Taking notes using a laptop allows me that movement in a value-added way that mere doodling  doesn't.

Details

• Either use one file for a particular course or start a new file for every class in the course.  Some people find it useful to have just one file, as this is a simpler approach and keeps everything in one spot.  Just scroll to the end of the doc and type in the day's date for each new entry.  I personally prefer to start a new document for each class session.  This way, if the file gets deleted or corrupted, I don't lose everything, which has happened before.
• As with the longhand approach that we'll cover next, don't worry about spelling, grammar, writing in complete sentences, or duplicating information. The goal is to capture key concepts, ideas, vocabulary, movements, figures, due dates, and test and project information.
• Use breaks in the lecture--whether in the form of sideline discussions and anecdotes, silences, or when the prof is writing on the board--to underline, bold, or capitalize important information,  which will make it easy to spot when you review your notes later on.
• As soon as possible after class--preferably the same day, read through your notes.  Some people prefer to "clean up" their notes at this point, completing sentences, adding commentary, and deleting unimportant information.  Personally, I don't bother with any of that.  Instead, I print out the notes as-is and read through them, highlighter in hand.  I highlight anything I deem important.  When subsequently reading my notes, the only things I read are the highlighted parts. 

Above: notes I took during my recent stab at design school.

Taking Notes Longhand

As handy as it is to take notes on a laptop,it isn't always possible or even advisable.  While (I like to think) my constant tap-tap-tapping during lectures in a large hall went (largely) unnoticed, I can't imagine doing so during a team meeting or during a one-on-one with my boss at work. 

A further advantage of taking notes longhand is that it requires little set up and low-tech (read: low-cost) materials. 

Details:

• I favor paper with an  "annotation margin." This is  column on the left side of the page which is used to indicate the subject or call out important information concerning teams, projects, or due dates.
• Develop your own "shorthand" of symbols and abbreviations.  While this is also helpful when taking notes on a computer, it's especially important when taking notes longhand.  Some of my favorite abbreviations include:  w = with, w/o = without, imp = important, mem = memorize, ? = question, dd = due date, and bec = because. 
• As with taking notes on a computer, don't worry about misspellings, grammar, etc. But do go over your notes when finished to both review and to clarify any ambiguities,  which I've found happens more often when I'm handwriting notes. You may combine this step with highlighting any important information.
• It's also helpful--especially on the job but also in school--to create a to-do list based on your notes.  You may also want to note any important dates on your calendar.

Above: annotation-margin paper with subjects noted in the margin. 

Whatever method you use, the three most important things regarding notes aren't in taking them, but in reviewing them:

1. Review your notes as soon as possible after the meeting, lecture, or class;
2. Highlight the important information for quick subsequent reviews; and
3. Review the highlighted information immediately before the next meeting or class.

The Universal Trait of the Persistently Tidy

 

A while back when I wrote about the whole dishwasher dilemma, I talked to--who else?--Stacy, the Designated Neatnik where I work.  I thought I'd get points for being all concerned and worried about how to effectively convey whether the contents of the dishwasher were clean or dirty, a fantasy that faded as Stacy furrowed her brow in bewilderment.  "What's there to 'convey'?" she said, a little petulantly I thought.  "Wouldn't it just be easier to put the dishes away when they're clean?"

Obviously, she just didn't get it. 

Or could it be:  I'm the one who doesn't get it?  And I realized that I'd stumbled upon the the Universal Trait of the Persistently Tidy:

Neatniks Are Simpletons

I know:  I'm misusing the word "simpleton"here.  Oops!  But you know what I mean:  Neatniks keep it simple.  They don't make e-l-a-b-o-r-a-t-e strategies for, say, indicating whether the dishwasher is clean or dirty.  They unload the dishwasher and move on.

They have a do-it-now approach.  They don't assume they will have "more time later" to do the task at hand.  In fact, they feel the opposite:  they don't know when they'll have another chance to do the task before them, so they figure they might as well do it now.

Neatniks are results oriented, rather than process oriented. They aren't interested in comprehensive "systems" or rituals that require time and energy to maintain. They don't have to have an item on their "To-Do" list (written on special paper!  or input and categorized on their Blackberry!) to do the chore. When bills come in and they have the money, they write out a check and deduct the amount from their account, simple as that. They don't require special pens or stamps or for their desk to be perfectly tidy in order to do the job. 

They don't backtrack:  if they do something that's not on their list, they don't go back and write it down so they can cross it off. The Naturally Tidy that I know aren't interested in keeping logs and lists, schedules and who-did-what-when-and-how-much record-keeping.  Because they keep things simple, Neatiniks don't build up a huge store of dread about doing what needs to be done, which in turn makes chores easier to do.  

Contrary to popular belief, Neatniks aren't perfectionists.   They value timeliness over so-called "perfection."  If they don't have time to shop for the perfect gift, they give a gift card.  If they don't have time to pull out all the furniture when vacuuming before guests arrive, they vacuum the heavily-trafficked areas nonetheless.  Neatniks avoid an all-or-nothing approach.  They figure something is better than nothing.

The idea that being organized is actually easier than being a slob is perhaps the hardest to swallow and yet that's exactly  what professional organizers like Regina Leeds promise.  Certainly if you are not among the blessedly, naturally tidy, you have struggled enough with this issue. If you're like me, maybe the break-through you need is to think of getting organized as finally abolishing pointless routines, non-value-added rituals, and over-stringent standards.

--

Photo by Alpay Ulku.

Reverse Psychology or: How I Finally Broke Through My Organizing Rut

Funny how taking the pressure off suddenly makes things a whole lot easier, especially when it comes to chores and tasks you'd just as soon not do.  As soon as I gave myself "permission" to enjoy the summer and not worry about making tracks on various cleaning chores and organizing projects, I've been cleaning and organizing every since.  For instance, today I:  gave both bathrooms a super-through cleaning, cleared my desk and wiped it down with the holy Magic Eraser, organized five chest drawers, dusted and polished the furniture in the bedroom, tossed catalogs, did a load of wash, cleaned up after some kitten mishaps, and straighted a few drawers in the craft closet.  It felt like I got more done today than I have in months.  

Psychologists have long suggested that substituting "I have to" with "I want to" is essential for success in making progress towards goals.  I didn't "have to" clean the bathrooms today; I wanted to, the better to free up time this weekend to do fun things.  Last weekend I didn't do any chores, but I didn't enjoy the result--yucky bathrooms and an oppressive awareness that I was procrastinating.  It felt so much better to just bite the bullet and clean the bathrooms, which then supplied the momentum for the rest of the day. 

My To-Do list is still perilously close to triple digits, but you know what?  I'm gonna give myself a break and devote the weekend to scrapbooking.  It's supposed to be sunny, so maybe we'll take the bikes out and pack up a lunch and go to the harbor read, write, play backgammon, and feed the ducks. Perhaps in doing so, I'll continue to find the motivation to make progress on that To-Do list. Wish me luck!  And good luck to all of you!  Whatever you end up doing, I hope you enjoy your weekend!

A Birthday For The Quest, Along With Some Changes

In the last week or so, I've missed two birthdays:  a friend's and one of my niece's.  And then I missed the Quest's birthday, too, which was actually last Thursday.  This is what happens when you come back from vacation.  I know I should re-seal the kitchen sink and organize my junk drawer, but all I feel like doing is trolling scrapbooking sites, quite as if I don't have a growing list of To-Do's that just aren't getting done. 

But you know, it's kind of nice to kick back with a tall glass of ice tea and plan a few layouts, in-between doling out treat and tummy rubs to the kittens.  When life starts to feel like a joyless trudge through endless responsibilities, it's time to crack out the scrabble board, grab a leash or the phone, dig out the rollerblades, the fishing gear, the croquet set, the watercolors or embroidery floss, and let yourself have a little fun, if just for a little while. 

I'm gonna take my own advice and allow for a little more fun to slip into my life. I think a some R & R is just the ticket for reconnecting to so many things--whether work or dreams,  goals or plans--with a  renewed sense of purpose and vigor.  And so, for a while at least, I'm going to be cutting back a bit on my posts, aiming for 3-5 posts a week rather than my (pre-vacation) usual of 6-7. I still have a list of, oh, 732 topics to address here on the Quest.  It might just take me a little longer to get to them all.

Creating a Quick, Organized Day Pack of Travel Essentials with free GWP Bags

On a ride from central Cappadoccia to the area airport a few weeks ago, there were exactly four people in the van: Alpay, me, and a woman and a man we hadn't before met.  The guys cordially nodded  and proceeded to ignore eachother for the ensuing 45 minutes, going so far as feigning sleep to avoid engaging in conversation, while within minutes the woman and I had exchanged names, histories, and email addresses, looked inside eachother's purses, and offered to share snacks.   

Perhaps because my own mother's purse was Strictly Off-Limits, few things are as gratifying as looking in another woman's purse--with permission, of course.  On the ride to Kayseri, when the woman opened her bag to offer me some nuts, I commented on how organized her bag looked.  In the habit of tidy people everywhere, she was happy to show off her tricks and opened the bag right up, the better to examine the contents, which we did, piece by piece. Of the things I noticed right away:  there were no loose items at all--not one.  Everything was in its own little a bag or case or canister of some sort--passport, sunglasses, cell phone and ipod.  Even her lipgloss was stowed away in a little bag of travel essentials, which is where I got the idea of creating my own travel essentials bag with one of the free gift-with-purchase bags I'd brought along. 

Contents of my essential pack from top left: ibuprofen, 2" x 3" notebook, pencil, hand sanitizer, tissues, moleskin (to cushion blisters), wallet with cash, ID, and credit card, hand wipes, epi-pen (for allergies), (free, GWP) lipstick, ponytail holder, sun block, bandaids, and mirror/bronzer.

It all fits nicely in a little clutch.  After pulling this together, I was ready for anything!  And my bag was a lot tidier, too.

  

Taming Travel Chaos with Free, GWP Bags

There is something about the term "Gift With Purchase" that shorts all my circuits.  Who can resist those cute little bags full of free goodies?  Nevermind that the bags are often cheap plastic things that you would never, ever actually use as a clutch as advertised.  It's free!

Well, sort of.  You do have to buy product--usually to the tune of $20 bucks or more--to get the gift with purchase bag.  But the upside is that you do get exposed products and colors you might not otherwise try, and the gift usually comes with at least one or two neutral stand-bys everyone can use, which explains why I haven't had to actually  buy mascara, clear lip gloss, blush, or make-up remover in years. 

Still, there is the question of what exactly to do with an ever-increasing supply of little vinyl bags.  Happily, there is no shortage of ways to get some actual use out of them. As I recently realized, GWP bags are especially helpful for taming travel chaos.  Here are 8 ways we put GWP bags to use on our trip to Turkey:

#1: Organizing Vitamins, OTC Drugs, and Prescriptions
It's handy to have one place for pills and medications.

  

#2: Stowing Feminine Protection Products
If you've been following the Quest, you might recognize this bag from my medicine cabinet makeover.

#3: Pen Storage
Handy even if you don't feel compelled to travel with a handful of fountain pens at any given time.

  

#4: Cotton Balls, Q-Tips, and Cosmetic Rounds
I've found that cotton balls, Q-Tipsand the like have a tendency to get yucky if stored with makeup.  While you can use a ziplock baggie in a pinch, baggies tend to tear and give out over a number of days of heavy-duty travel.  This bag is also suitable for around-town essentials, i.e. ipod, credit card, and gloss. 

  

#5: Camera and Camcorder Bag
This is one of my favorite bags--and probably the most unusual: there are two compartments to the soft-sided, square-shaped bag: one large and one small.  The large side provides storage for our 35mm camera, while the small side is big enough for the camcorder.  Perfect!

 

 

#6: Binocular Bag
The original bag for the binoculars didn't fit as well as this freebie bag!   

  

#7: Travel-Size Soap, Toner, and Cream Organizer
This is probably closer to what the GWP bags are intended for.  I've found that this square-shaped bag, which has a three-sided zipper, is particularly useful for cleansers and face creams, as it lays flat on a hotel room vanity or counter and makes it easy to keep everything in the bag making it easy to pack up and go.

  

#8: Organizing Spillables
This is one of the most useful GWP bags I've gotten:  a heavy-duty plastic bag that's ideal for storing all kinds of spillables like perfume, large toner bottles and the like, minimizing potential breakage catastrophes. 

  

Tomorrow: creating a quick, organized day pack of travel essentials with free GWP bags.