Where Are YOUR Ducks?

Where are 
YOUR ducks?

Organized...organization....what comes to mind when you hear those two words? For some, it’s just a word, something you just do so you can be the amazing and productive person you are and you hardly think about it. For others it makes our stomach clinch a little and tiny beads of sweat begin to dot our brow as, in a flash, 3 or more thoughts of areas that are in need of some serious organization flash across our minds accompanied by that ever familiar guilt. Which of the two are you or are you somewhere in the middle?


If you’re marketing an item that you create with your own hands, chances are you're a pretty creative person. There’s also a good chance that organization may not come naturally to you. Of course there are exceptions to every rule. I acknowledge this with not just a little envy of those who are blessed with the organization gene AND the artistic gene. You are my heroes! As for the other artistic types, this is not the case. Many of us right-brains don’t naturally fall into a prelabelled, color coded box easily. We usually go out of necessity mixed with a little desperation, side-tracked all along the way by all the pretty sparkly stuff! Am I painting a realistic picture for any of you? 

I have a weird dichotomy. When I used to work in an office, I was very organized. I was known for my ability to streamline workflows and develop processes and policies to handle all the information coming in and going out (I was the lead Data Analyst in the IT Department of a local hospital). The day would end, I’d go home...and that is where this uber organized side of me would just *poof*, disappear. I’ve discovered I suffer from a couple of maladies that while, sadly, are incurable, can be put into a sort of daily remission if I take my “Medicine”. They are as follows:

Calendar Clutter:
Calendar Clutter is that sense that I know I have a lot to do, I’m just not sure what or when or with who and I am sure I will miss something at some point because I am suffering an attack of Calendar Clutter.
My Medicine: Use my personal email program and my calendar app on my phone to keep me on track. It is visual (“YAY!” says my right-brain) and organizational (“DOUBLE YAY!!” says my left-brain). I can put appointments, to do lists and reminders into this and it does the rest. My biggest struggle with this is REMEMBERING to use it! I have no cure for the forgetful flu as of yet folks, sorry. If I do run across one, I will do my best to remember to tell you about it!

Disaster Desk:
I work on a large glass top, nearly indestructible desk.  Most mornings, when I first sit down, my coffee cup has to fight with the beading mat, bead tubes,

tools and thread to find a place for itself. It's usually a longggg expanse of items that tell a story of all the things I did yesterday at this desk. It's almost forensic in nature! It's also unnerving. 
My Medicine: Resist the urge to run. Resist the urge to “work around” The Disaster. Begin with the easiest thing to put away and then the next...and next until I can begin my workday with a fresh and clean start. I've found it is very hard for me to find a peaceful place to let inspiration grow in the middle of chaos. Following through with this directive in the morning FIRST, makes all the difference on how the rest of the day will unfold. 

That’s it. Yep...it’s simple and small. When I wander away from doing one or both of these things for any extended period of time, I find myself 

swimming in deep waters of dread (that I’m going to inevitably miss something important), frustration and anxiety. The medicine, when I’ve come down with the Disorganization Disease is not too far away and not too hard to swallow. It is from this framework that all else flows. I have the boxes and containers and files and compartments. I have the shelves and spaces and places. On a good day, if the basics are in place, I can find myself free enough from Clutter Crisis to embark on a more detailed journey into the realms of Organization, sifting through Czech glass and Swarovski crystals and cabochons and bead tubes. I can label and color code, sort and separate with the best of them! At some point, this all seems to eventually deteriorate into a jumble and I find myself once again reaching for my two trusted Cures. They are good starting points to a day, and to a fresh start when things have gone awry. 

Today, I am at the tail end of a spiral into Chaos. Sitting here, writing I am inspired to begin again. I will open my calendar and sort through my mental disarray and get it ironed out into something tangible. I can see my starting point on my desk. I'll start with the bead tubes. Things will come back together into some kind of coherent framework. It’s progress, not perfection and having a sure way to begin makes all the difference.

Where do you fall in the scale of the Organized/Disorganized? 

What are your tried and true habits that keep you sane? Do you 

struggle with this or is being organized a cakewalk for you? Where are YOUR ducks and how do they fare? For today, my ducks will live! I'll round em up and start anew.

We’d love to hear your experience, suggestions or wisdom or even just a funny story about your own victories and/or disasters regarding organization. Your comments complete this blog so please, feel free to share your answers below! I cannot tell you how much I look forward to learning from YOU! 

Thank you for reading and have a good and prosperous day! There is joy in the Journey :)