Post by Nissa Annakindt on Dec 30, 2010 8:36:39 GMT -5
I confess--- my desk and general writing area are messy and have been for years. Sometimes I have piles of unsorted papers on my desk, from notes for my current work in progress to unpaid bills to sheep pedigree papers to printed-out tricks and tips for a computer game I'm playing.
It can be problematic because from time to time I lose stuff important for my writing. For example, I have a table of military ranks for a science fiction series I'm writing. I lost that paper and in spite of looking for it frequently have never found it, and the new rank system I created doesn't seem quite as right as the original which I can't remember.
One trick I've developed to get around the lost-paper problem is to write things on the computer. Since computer files can also be misplaced, I've started to put up copies on a Blogger blog to which only I have access. (I used to use LiveJournal for my secret writing journal, but then found out how to make a Blogger blog private as well.) I use tags on each post so I can find the parts to a given writing project.
I've recently read a book on organizing aimed at people with AD/HD. I don't have AD/HD (though I do have 100% of the symptoms on their checklist), I have Aspergers Syndrome which includes a 'lack of executive function' which seems to come to the same thing.
It suggested that for some people putting paperwork away into a filing cabinet is like burying it forever. That's kind of what my filing cabinet is for. It suggested buying clear plastic containers to put papers away in a less graveyard-like way....
Anyway, anyone else out there dealing with chronic disorganization problems? How do you cope with it?
It can be problematic because from time to time I lose stuff important for my writing. For example, I have a table of military ranks for a science fiction series I'm writing. I lost that paper and in spite of looking for it frequently have never found it, and the new rank system I created doesn't seem quite as right as the original which I can't remember.
One trick I've developed to get around the lost-paper problem is to write things on the computer. Since computer files can also be misplaced, I've started to put up copies on a Blogger blog to which only I have access. (I used to use LiveJournal for my secret writing journal, but then found out how to make a Blogger blog private as well.) I use tags on each post so I can find the parts to a given writing project.
I've recently read a book on organizing aimed at people with AD/HD. I don't have AD/HD (though I do have 100% of the symptoms on their checklist), I have Aspergers Syndrome which includes a 'lack of executive function' which seems to come to the same thing.
It suggested that for some people putting paperwork away into a filing cabinet is like burying it forever. That's kind of what my filing cabinet is for. It suggested buying clear plastic containers to put papers away in a less graveyard-like way....
Anyway, anyone else out there dealing with chronic disorganization problems? How do you cope with it?