Month: January 2010

Posted in Organization

Starting Fresh and Organized…Sort Of

Posted on by beckylevine

I was a good kid. A really good kid. Mostly because I had no impulses to do anything risky or dangerous, since a great day was one when I was left alone to just lay on my bed and read. Consequently, I rarely got in trouble.

Okay, I lie. I frequently got in trouble, but for only one thing. Not cleaning my room.

I was the despair of my father. He and my mother had a beautiful house designed for them (okay, and us) when I was eight or so, and they created it with lots of open spaces, tons of windows with an ocean view, and light colors. All of which would have looked like something out of architectural digest, if it had stayed neat and tidy. Mostly, it did.

Just not my room.

So, why, these days, is it nearly impossible for me to work in a messy space? My dad would argue with this statement, especially after looking around my office at the piles not cleaned up from Xmas, the boxes and wrappings and gifts sort of pushed to the edges. We had a guest in November, and I’ve got more coming this month, so why should I put the futon back up into couch form? Why should I get rid of the pillows and comforter piled on it, when it’s such a cozy place for my son to hang out?  Obviously, I’m still not perfect.

But my desk is different. Yes, I make piles, but they have to be stacked up in a small space at either end of the desk. And–here’s the thing–if those piles hang around too long, well, I start to get nervous. Edgy. Stressed. I become sure, especially at 4:00 in the morning, that the piles hide something critical that I’ve forgotten about, something that is sure to be a real pain to take care of, that will have extra consequences because–by now–it’s overdue.

I’ve spent the past couple of days clearing out the piles. I did find a couple of those somethings, but luckily I’m not late, just…close to late. Guess what I’m doing tomorrow?! And, of course, since I finished tidying up last night, there are already a few new things in the stacks.

Life was easier when the only piles were books on the nightstand and, okay, clothes on the floor. In those days, I needed only a path from my door to the bed and the current book to be happy. Luckily, yes, life is also more fun now, with all the risks and possibilities woven into it.

But I wouldn’t say no to a butler/personal assistant to get rid of that new pile. 🙂

What does your workspace look like? Are you neat or cluttered? Do people peek in and wonder how you get any work done, or are they in awe of the empty, sparkling surfaces? And however it works for you–may your workspace be happy and productive!

Posted in New Year's Day, Writing Goals

If It’s 2010, I Must Be…

Posted on by beckylevine

Determined.

(Ha! Thought you were going to get an age there, didn’t you?!) No, you get determined, which I’ll talk about in just a little bit. First, I feel like mulling about the actual year.

2010. It’s really an incredible number to have attached to a year, I think. My son, even though he was born in the last millenium, has no conscious memory of any 19xx year.* His life is the 20xx’s and always will be. And yet, for me, that all still feels so recent.

I feel like I’ve settled into this century well. The turn of this century has been good to me; I met my husband and started building my family, my serious commitment to my writing career, and my life as the person I truly wanted to be, all in the 1990s. And the last decade has brought me increased health, happiness, friendships, and self-understanding–all with a huge dose of luck that I am incredibly grateful for.

So what about the coming year? What about 2010? Well, here are my thoughts.

Laura Purdie Salas sets a theme for herself every year. She says she failed on her last year’s one, but I think just stating it as a wish, as a recognition of a need is a success in itself. (Really, Laura!) Because the first step in getting what we want, what we need for our growth, is seeing what that need is. And writing down this want, stating it out loud or writing it out, reminds us that it’s important.

So I’m going to borrow the theme idea from Laura this year. And my theme is determination. 

When I picture that word, as an image, I see a backbone. A strong spine, helping me walk through this life I’m creating, helping me sit straight in my writing chair, helping me balance the marketing for The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide, the writing for my YA historical, the revision for my picture book. I see the spine staying with the exercise and healthy eating I’m finally bringing back to myself, supporting me through the transition of watching my son move into High School, and giving me the flexibility to spend happy time with my family and friends.

In the past, in the 19xx’s, it was too easy for me to sit on one accomplishment, to let time pass without looking for the next. It was too much of a pattern for me to worry about the future, rather than stride forward to meet it, even to impact it. I’ve changed this about myself in the last 20 years, and I am determined to stay on this path. I am determined to watch for and take new turnings as they come along, even to get out my bulldozer and start shoving dirt out of the way for a new road, if that’s what I decide I need to do.

What do you do with the new year? Do you set goals? Do you visualize dreams? Do you pick a theme? And what does this solid, rounded number 2010 make you think about?

Happy New Year to everyone, and may it be an incredible one!

*Of course, when my son read this, he says he DOES have a memory of the 1900s. He can see a big 1999, in bright yellow construction paper, probably on the room of his preschool classroom. Okay, fine. But I swear I’m right about everything else in this post!