Spring Cleaning for Writers

Ahh, springtime. The birds are chirping. The flowers are coming up. And you are thinking about actually fulfilling your New Year's resolution of making more money this year as a writer. Unfortunately, your office is a mess; not only can't you find anything in it, but there are some serious doubts that you can even make your way to the computer to actually write even if the muse strikes.

Ok, maybe it is not that bad. Maybe you are one of those highly organized writers, who put things back in the file cabinet as soon as they are done using them. If so, my wife would like you to come over and teach me that trick.

Not that I am saying that I am unorganized, but I will admit that my office looks like the offspring of a disaster zone and the book return room at the local library. I never realize how bad it is until tax time when I can't find half of my stubs; everyone else, including my cats, knows that my office is badly organized- -me, I just ignore the clutter until tax season.

But this year, I plan on being more organized. And the first step is to actually deal with the clutter in the office.

Towards this end, I brought some supplies at the office supply store. File folders, a new bulletin board, some tacks, and a dry erase board, along with a calendar and a paper shredder; all are paid for and awaiting my use. While I am organizing, I also decide this is one of those rare times I will actually turn on the vacuum cleaner. Preferably at a time when my wife is not at home; I keep telling her that I can't vacuum, no need for her to discover otherwise.

Going though the various newspaper clippings that I have accumulated, I sort them and put them into folders. I try to actually label them in a way that will allow me to find the necessary research later. In the past, I have labeled files in a cryptic manner that not even a kabbalist could actually decipher, forcing me to spend hours sometimes looking for a particular item.