Tag: New Year

Sorry for the interruption but I’m now back from the stomach virus of 2012. Yes it was so bad I’m only doing it once and got it done the first week of the year. Get the unpleasantness over with first you see. Now I can turn my attention to the new year and what I’d like to do with it.

I’ve always liked a new year because it’s time to start new files.  My filing drawer in my desk looks so neat and organized.  I vow it will stay that way I will unfold and neatly file things ALL YEAR LONG.  Then rush sets in about mid year and it goes downhill until January’s fresh start.  Rinse and repeat for decades.  Still I enjoy the look of neat files until expediency out weighs a pretty file drawer.

So the joy of starting anew with neat files has inspired me to consider other areas that need the same organization. Trust me I could summarize and say MY LIFE but well that’s not a realistic task sheet for me.  Instead I decided to come up with top 5 things that need organization.  Honestly I think that’s a bit excessive but I’ve got a year and I like things in 5s or 10s and ten was WAY too much for just a year.

• Genealogy – I’ve got a wealth of material that I’ve not entered.  I know the first rule of genealogy is start with what you have, organize it, enter it, then identify areas that need more research.  I’ve got two two-drawer filing cabinets full of un-entered material, several large plastic totes of papers, photos, and such.  Add to that multiple boxes of loose pictures from 1910 on and shelves of photo albums from decades of family portraits, snapshots, and such.   Then I jumped ahead into research trips when the opportunities presented themselves in my travels and much of that hasn’t been entered.  Now you get the picture of the mess I’ve got that needs to be organized, scanned, filed, and entered into my genealogy software.  First step is for 2012 – organize it beyond sticking it in a folder that’s got the letter of alphabet that starts that branch of the family’s last name.  I want to organize my to-do stuff in genealogy to look like my files at the start of the year.

• Outline that urban fiction novel – I’ve got a few scenes, notes on the plot, and research for an urban (really rural setting) fiction novel set in the town I grew up in – Greeneville, Tennessee.  I need to organize this into an outline.  I write better when I set down to do a chapter (about 3,000 words) and I’ve got plot points to hit.  So all these jottings need to be made into a plot line then converted to a chapter outline.  Now I’m not one that doesn’t think outlines can flex they can, they do as I get into the story but then I make the change, make a not there is where the change started and continue with the first draft re-writes deal with the changes.

• Rewrites – speaking of rewrites I need to rewrite my steampunk novel draft that’s now cooling on the shelf.  I have a few issues made by changes I need to figure out before I jump into it completely.  I’ve got notes on the outline so I need to stop and think how the changes go throughout the whole piece.  That’s organizing the outline to help guide rewrite.

• Comics – My old ones are organized but I’m getting monthly shipments and those need to be set up in short boxes with dividers.  Also I’m behind on my reading & reviewing.  Need to set up a system for that so I’m doing it regularly.  It all really depends on SOPA passing.  If it passes doing scans to illustrate reviews is out and I’ll need to delete all the scans from previous reviews.  I also need to plan how I’m going to do reviews without scans. However if SOPA fails then I’ll do reviews as usual but the new twist is they’ll be here instead of on Google+.

• Jewelry – no not my personal stuff though that could use some organization but more organization of my jewelry for sale.  We’re  (the Three Gems & Friends) setting up an esty store this month.  I need to do some research on that for drafting store policies.  Also need to organize a system for the items I list.  I need to make pictures, name pieces, and do descriptive text for each one.  Then I need to organize how I’m keeping them while posted so I can ship them out quickly when sold.  I also need to stage replacements for those sold.  Yes I’m actually planning on selling some of it.  So organizing that is on the to-do list.

By far the biggest job is the genealogical stuff.  I love doing the research but really some answers may very well be there in the material I’ve got squirreled away in various containers or files.  Wouldn’t it be grand to welcome in 2013 (Mayans be damned) a bit more organized than I was when I welcomed 2012?  Oh yeah!  I can dream can’t I?

As always I’d love to hear from you.  I’m always available here just comment and when I get it your comment will appear and I’ll even answer you!  If that’s not your style you can find me on Twitter as @marylouiseklund or on Google+ as +Mary Louise Eklund.  If those are too public you can email me at marylouiseeklund at either gmail.com or yahoo.com!

Until next time!