- Arriving on time. Or early, but no more than 10 minutes if you’re showing up at someone’s home; any earlier would be an inconvenience to the host.
- Keeping to your to-do list
- Following through on promises
- Not centering your life—plans, inner thoughts, conversations, diary entries—around men
- Wearing the same silhouettes and outfits; a signature uniform is scrumptious
- Journaling regularly
- Having a library card and using it
- Saving plastic bags and folding them into perfect little padded rectangles, to save
- Not having the latest phone or tech gadget
- Random encyclopedic knowledge
- Being a feminist
- Recognizing privilege and wielding it for good
. . .
xx
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Man, the first three are so hard to do. Do you have any advice for being more organized?
It’s always so lovely to hear from you, Shay. How are you?
And completely. I think a large part of staying organized stems from upbringing; otherwise, I imagine it’s not something that is supposed to come easily and even so, just takes repetition. (So don’t be so hard on yourself!) Timeliness and follow-through are virtues that my parents upheld because they signal respect—to others, of course, but mainly to and for yourself. Perhaps reframing even the smallest task on a to-do list as something you get to finish (versus have to accomplish) will help? I’m not sure how healthy this is, but it’s a mix of seeing my to-dos as things I have the privilege of doing (gratitude may feel banal or even over the top, but it really does help me) but also reminding myself that if I can’t fulfill something, who will? (V immigrants’ daughter, I’m sure—lol.)
In addition, I rely on writing everything down. I’ve kept Filofaxes and bullet journals for well over a decade, but now, use:
— Stickies (an app on Mac) to keep track of (work) projects by deadlines
— Physical Post-Its for any urgent to-dos/reminders (I just stick them on my desk)
— iCal with meeting/event reminders: 15 min before virtual, 1 hr before local/small meetings, 2 hrs before events or anything with a 25 min commute (so I have enough time to get ready + buffer for traffic), 2 days before for meetings/events that aren’t part of my usual schedule so I’m not taken by surprise the morning of
I usually tackle the hardest projects first so I get my “best” self for them; then, going through simpler tasks seems even easier. (They go faster, too.) However, if i’m particularly overwhelmed, I reverse it. It’s part mind game, part practical strategy; starting with the quickest/easiest projects allows me to get in the groove of doing, and the seratonin surge from crossing things off helps quiet the noise. I’m more at ease (and less distracted) once I’m ready to begin tackling the major to-do.
Perhaps you can try gamifying things for yourself, too? For example: If I finish a bucket of projects ahead of a deadline, I know I get X amount of hours/days that are now free. I love nothing more than an open day, so I’ll fill it with things I’ve been wanting to do—and not use that time for work, errands, etc. It can also be as simple as a literal treat. (I’m notorious for rewarding myself with a walk and vanilla latte or fancy smoothie—some of my favorite things—after I finish X amount of things without distractions in between.)
I hope this helps! xx
Thank you for continuing to maintain a blog! >>
You inspired me to switch from todoist to bullet journaling and, wow, it’s been really helpful! Bujo was a lot easier to start and maintain than I expected. It’s also nice to avoid paying for another subscription lol. In tandem, I keep a digital calendar and running list on apple notes if I’m away from my bujo. I’m still tweaking handling bigger projects and establishing routines, but I’d say that I feel like my universe has expanded and I’m better at keeping promises I’ve made to myself.
1. Quieting the noise and 2. Aiming for an open day were really helpful. I liked this quote from tumblr (part of my attempt to get away from algorithmic content) as well: “You are uncool because you lack discipline and that lack of discipline contributes to your lack of personal identity. You can’t commit to anything you love, you lack devotion.”
I’ve also been doing five things as part of my journaling practice 🙂 Thank you!!
Shay! Thank you for always taking the time to read and even beyond that, leaving the most thoughtful notes. They make my day, truly.
Re, bujo: I love your organization stack and that quote! Discipline as devotion and devotion as discipline has been something that resonated with me (I made a little wallpaper of that as a reminder for myself years ago, funnily enough!), so I’m adding that quote to my little motivations list. Thank you for sharing <3