Assessing the Situation

Today I assessed the situation as they teach you to do in any emergency. Well...this isn't really an emergency, but a life emergency. I'm ready to go forward, but I have to acknowledge where I am to get to where I want to be.

Planning ahead is of vital importance. If you don't take the time to plan, you'll get somewhere, but not necessarily where you want to be. And if you spend too much time planning, you won't get anything done.

I organized my to do list, took pictures of the state of my office, and got to work! It's worth getting back into the habit of the program.

Is it working even though it's been a bit dormant? You bet! I was looking for a quote for door replacement that we received in 2007 and I FOUND it in the Building Team file!! Yippeee!!!

The pictures are more bleak than reality and reality isn't that bad. So hooray for getting back on the horse. Let's ride it out and get some files organized. This week I will organize files into archive (to CJW to file in storage), reference (big cabinet in my office), currently working on regularly (desktop file holder), and items referred to regularly (inside desk file drawer).

Next week I will put things to be scheduled in my accordion file sorter and make it a habit to reassess what's where each month. I may add some manila folders for far off projects so I hold on to the ideas, but don't worry about accomplishing them in the next 12 months. If it is done well eventually, I will be happy. Too much on the plate right now to think I can get it all done in a short period of time.

Month 3 begins today!

Today is the day I get back to the task of organizing my work life. When I typed in the Habit of the Month, I had to refer to the book to see what it was. Do you think I found the book quickly? You guessed it! It took me a few minutes to find it, but I did find it. So what if the Third month is supposed to be March? If I slog through it and it takes two years instead of one, will I feel bad at the end? No! I'll feel great that I have adopted the habits to keep work organized and get me nearer to sane than I'll ever be without the process.

It's March in suspension on the Organizing Calendar

March is always a terrible time at work. It's a long month with little down time. This year we've added a major ballot initiative, so in addition to the usual grind of March, we're managing a campaign that has our future in its hands. It's serious and our future is riding on it. The rest of my job does not end with the addition of campaign and re-branding management, so I have given myself permission to wait until June to take care of March. Even if I'm a little late by a couple months as far as the plan goes, giving myself permission to do it means I'm also committing to do it instead of giving myself an excuse not to do it. (Mama would be so proud at how I am growing!) It also means that at some point soon, I'll be done with the process rather than beating myself up for not finishing the process.

So I'll post again in late May and June with a new zest for the process.

The yellow bag is no more!

The day after I emptied the yellow bag at home, I distributed its contents to proper homes and recycled the bag. Although I am behind the recommended timeline, I am still making progress. Woot!

The yellow bag

I have had the yellow bag since June of 2005. In it I placed things I had on or in the desk in my area in the librarians' workroom. I placed all sorts of things in this bag and kept them there while in two other offices. The bag has been on my mind for quite some time, so I took it home and attacked it tonight. Here it is:

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

But wait until you see what was in it!

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

Here is what I found to throw away:

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

In the throw away pile, I had broken pins, sunscreen that expired in 2004, ibuprofen from 2005, an inhaler that expired in 2004, some old hard candy, and various flakes of paper and plastic that make their way down to the bottom of any container over the course of nearly four years. Yikes! I also recycled a good pile of paper.

Here is what remains in the bag:

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

There are office supplies to put in my newly organized desk drawers, photos to put in my photo album, correspondence to file, YAC mementos to file, and some disks to look at to see if they can just be destroyed. I haven't used them for at least 3 1/2years! It feels good to have the specter of the yellow bag dealt with.

How I said yes to life and no to overworking in February

This month's list is longer than January's. Let's keep going. I feel so much better about the deadlines and the workload when I have done some exercise and read regularly. What a difference it makes for my psyche!

finished The Silver Chair with daughter at bed time 2/28
went to yoga book discussion 2/28
finished my big girl book! 2/27
read a book of my choosing 2/25
walked on the treadmill 2/25
went to daughter's play practice 2/24
left work at 4:45pm! 2/24
walked on the treadmill and read during lunch break 2/24
read a big people book before bed time 2/23
read daughter to sleep 2/23
went snowmobiling with the family 2/21
slept for 14 hours 2/19-20
practiced the flute 2/17
left work at 5:30PM! 2/17
read my daughter to sleep 2/16
read my daughter to sleep 2/15
took a three hour nap 2/15
snuggled on the couch and watched Ghost Whisperer with my daughter 2/13
spent an hour at the book store with my daughter 2/10
took a 90 minute nap 2/8
read another chapter of The Silver Chair with my daughter 2/7
went to MVCC band practice 2/4
watched the Super Bowl as a family 2/1

Habit of the month: February

The month of February started off pretty shaky, and March did as well. There isn't a lot of breathing time built into my schedule. That just means staying on top of things is that much more important. February was ok. I'll start the March habits on March 2, but the other stuff is waiting a week since I'm behind. Once we have a five week month, I'll be caught up.

FEBRUARY

I began tracking on Monday, February 2, a day that will prove pretty stressful given my calendar. I'm already a little nervous because my blue bottle is waiting the be washed. That means I'll have to wash it before I can fill it and take it to work.

Drink 16 ounces of water each work day from a reusable (my addition) container that is easily refilled.

2, 3, 4,(didn't take bottle home on 4, so no filled one on 5), 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, (3 day weekend), 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

Keep the bathroom tidy by putting your towel where it belongs after each shower (hamper or towel bar), wiping off the sink, and emptying the garbage if it needs it.

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

The dictionary stand gets the boot.

Now that all of the stuff is corralled in tubs instead of gathering dust in the dictionary stand, I decided to move it out of my office. It's been moved to an area where it can house graphic novels, a collection that really needs the room.

Isn't the corner lovely?

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

Behind drawers four and five!

The bottom drawer purge was an excavation of uncharted territory. Here's what I found and got rid of that I didn't know was in the drawer:

two box cutters (I haven't used one since I've been in the office)
a box of refill blades
fax cover sheets and post its (my Admin Asst does the faxing for me)
a sealed bundle of 3x5 notepads
return address labels from a non-profit (the kind they send out with donation requests)

And here's what I found that I knew was there, but didn't want to face and had the courage to get rid of:
a wrinkled up supply of blotter paper
empty pocket folders from conferences
manila folders
multiple name tags from various conferences and workshops

Here is the result of purging drawer four.

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

And behind drawer five was a pile of napkins from fast food restaurants, cough drops and other assorted toiletries, and a garage door opener and key.

Napkins--staff room
cough drops and toiletries went to the infamous yellow bag to be sorted later
garage door opener and key went to the key keeper

If you were paying attention, you know that leaves nothing in the drawer!

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

Isn't it beautiful?

Purgatory for the tall shelves.

This is the shelf before the purge.

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

The book shelf after shelves two and three were purged this week.

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

Shelf three was pretty intimidating as it involved having another person evaluate some items. Fortunately, she was happy to assist me even though it meant some of the items ended up in her limited space. Thank you!

Catching up.

I have been organizing, purging, cleaning, and rearranging, but didn't have the time to devote to the blog. Instead I spent some time reading a book for my own pleasure, reading with my daughter at bed time, and getting into the routine of play practice twice a week.

What I notice is that I have better mornings now since the planning has already happened. We're usually ready a good eight minutes before the bus arrives instead of throwing on the shoes while the bus waits, and my daughter getting on the bus in tears. The good feeling of the change keeps us going at it...at least for now.

I've also noticed that it's catching. My husband has always been the cook and pitches in to do the dishes quite often, but now it at least seems that he doesn't wait until it piles up to Mt. Everest proportions. Seeing me clean the kitchen before I go to bed motivates him to do the same and vice versa. Oh how I want to keep this up!

Here's hoping.

I'm behind.

I am behind. February is a short month with some pretty lofty goals. Even with working on the assigned tasks on Saturdays at the office in jeans, I am not caught up. I am not worried about it, though, as one size can not possibly fit all. I hereby declare that the first week of March will still be February, and I'll let myself catch up on:

1. the third bookshelf

2. the last drawer that isn't a filing cabinet

3. the yellow bag of personal items that I have accumulated over the years: cough drops, toothpaste, and who knows what else. That will be a good project to dump on the floor and double as a stress reliever. I'll save that for Friday or Saturday, by which time I will definitely need it!

4. the second bookshelf--many local history items, so it will have to wait until next week when the LH librarian returns from vacation

The filing system will still be there for me to adjust and document next week. Unfortunately, it's not going anywhere.

The contact rolodex and index card file are merged.

This is really a file maintenance job, but it was a mess on my desk that had to be tackled. There was a rolodex, mostly with contacts saved by the former director. (She retired over three years ago!) Then there was the metal index card box that says "Village Library" on its exterior. That was mine when I was the Teen Services Librarian for seven years. On top of that was a pile of various shaped and sized papers that needed to be filed. But I couldn't figure out which one to use, so they weren't filed. Well....

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

Here is the pile of paper I recycled when I merged the rolodex with the card file and the miscellaneous pile. And it only took about thirty minutes since, as a librarian, I have magnificent alphabetizing skills. Now if only I could type!

The next step is to buy index card alpha tabs and then rewrite each kept contact on an index card. But the beauty is what is done is usable and will work until I make it to the store for the tabbed dividers. I'm not worried about perfection at this point. I just want function!

Here is another picture of the recycled paper. This task was completed at home, thus the new surroundings.

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

The first drawer gets organized

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

After I cleared off the first book shelf, I was pumped and ready to go, so I cleaned out the top drawer of my desk. I was basking in such a fit of post-purge glow that I forgot to take a before picture. But take my word for it. It was BAD! Two fists full of writing implements were extracted and shared with other offices; some old fashioned red metal paper clip type supplies were recycled; and every type of supply is now grouped together as any self-respecting librarian would have it.

The Top Shelf

No. It's not good liquor. It's bad clutter. I moved into this office as Interim Director in September of 2005. The top shelf has looked a lot like this picture of how it looked on Monday, February 9 since the day I moved.

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

At first, I had the excuse that I wasn't sure I'd remain in the office. But that stage only lasted for approximately one month. For the next two years I was learning the job cycle, though the job is quite unpredictable. By the beginning of the third year, I was so overwhelmed with my to do list, I didn't care about cleaning off a shelf. Once I started the program, I had no choice. Purging is what February's all about. Did I find a lot to get rid of? You be the judge!

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

Here it is after the purge. I found things on that shelf that were older than my marriage. And in library technology years, my marriage is a pteranodon! Of course, I also found things on that shelf that I didn't even know were on that shelf! I feel better looking at the shelf now. But it does enhance the fact that there are two more shelves to go and, as usual, I started on the easy one.

A Grueling Week

This week has been a real test. meetings, budget hearings, presentations, auditions for the school play. But thanks to a wonderful husband, I will make it through the week. :-)

I have already noticed, though, that having the office in order is impacting my sense of calm. I know I can find it. I just need to stop the full catastrophe thoughts and find that zen place that I long to live in each day.

There has been some progress this week. A book shelf was cleared, a drawer was cleaned, and I found the water bottle that I left in someone's office. I will post pics this weekend.

The dictionary stand

This originally housed files land a large, dusty dictionary. Approximately six years ago, all of those items found new homes and I transformed the stand into a storage area for things I collect year. This includes autographed books for the Winter raffle and items for the themed book baskets we raffle off in the fall. I am now collecting free and clearance items for the following themes: High School Musical, Hannah Montana, and animals. There ended up being piles of stuff on the floor and in the space between the heating unit and the dictionary stand.

See what I mean? This is before the purge.


This is after the purge. Like the mini fridge, this is on its way out.

Flashlight found!

I found the orange flashlight, so it now has new batteries and is on the big, otherwise empty bookshelf in my office in case there is a power outage. While in the upstairs workroom where I go through new books and check the condition and circulation on old books, I took it off my card and put it on a desk.

Now what do I do with the old batteries? SIGH...

Holy cow! The author posted some encouraging words!

Stop the presses! While editing a post, I noticed there was a comment about my morning after the Super Bowl. I figured it was left by my dear Picksburgh sister telling me that no sacrifice is too small to watch the team win, even if those sacrifices mean that your Monday morning will be a typical Monday. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was the Zen Organizer herself telling me I was doing a great job and I need not beat myself over one little setback. Thank you Ms. Leeds, Zen Organizer extraordinaire. I am not worthy, but I sure appreciate it!

The best laid plans...

I planned to purge my free standing table on Saturday, followed by the dictionary stand on Monday. Because I remembered to buy those plastic containers on Friday night... I did both on Saturday afternoon. But wait! There's more! I also completed three tasks that I really didn't want to do. They were easy, but just screaming, "Don't do it now! Do it later!" Instead, I wrote that online recommendation, drafted that letter to the Congressman, and created the list of items for a possible grant from an interested organization.

The fact that I went into the office on a day off can not possibly be counted against me in my mind or anyone else's. It was four hours of pure productivity only seen with the proper hormonal balance working in my favor. And my daughter enjoyed the time she had with her father all to herself.

Woohoo!

See the results yourself:


Here is the table prior to the 15 minute purge.



And here is the table after the 15 minute purge.

What did I do with all the stuff?



I put the promotional items in a plastic tub under the table.

I transferred the items left over (as well as documentation and planning lists) from the Jervis House's 150th birthday party (held in July!) to the Victorian Tea Party plastic tub where we are collecting ideas for a fundraiser. That tub is in another room, so out they all went.

The empty cardboard boxes went to the recycling bin. On my way there, I also picked up some empty tax form boxes from another office. In the words of James Brown, "I feel good!"

The right hand corner of my desk is purged.

You might be wondering why I would choose to purge my desk in sections. Well, it is a large desk and it has a LOT of stuff on it. Some of the clutter is masquerading as organization tools and the rest is stuff that can't commit. OK. It's not the stuff that can't commit. It's me. Once you see the pictures, you'll understand.

This is what the corner looked like before the purge. I can not tell a lie, this one took 30 minutes, but it was very well worth it.



Here is the corner of the desk after the purge! See all the dust bunnies? That brown is, you guessed it, the top of my desk!



And here is what left my office after the great corner purge. If one corner of the desk takes this long, I do have to wonder how long it will be before the whole office is done. I have committed to a pretty stiff schedule. Let's hope I keep my motivation!

I have an electric stapler, so why do I need a manual one?

And those implements of organizaton simply allowed me to put more stuff on my desk and not commit it to a spot out of eyeshot. They fall under the category of clutter catcher in my world, not organization tools. They delay decision making, which is the real barrier to uber organization.

And what is that blue and yellow tape? A kind soul informed me that it's tear off post it paper, so I'm going to have to put that back in my desk, not on it. Now that I know what it is, I'll use it.

From One Year to an Organized Work Life?!

This is before the 15 minute purge.


After yesterday's 15 minutes of purging, my AA took the pile of papers to the safe and Voila! The empty bookshelf is so peaceful. But did I sabotage myself by starting with the easiest task? My desk will be a much more challenging task as will the large bookshelf. With the right tools, though, the dictionary stand should be very quick. So what is my strategy for the remaining purges?


1. Corner of my desk with the notebooks and files on Friday morning.

2. Buy two plastic totes this weekend so I can purge the dictionary stand Monday morning.

3. The free standing table on Saturday morning.

4. The dictionary stand on Monday.

5. Top shelf of big bookshelf on Tuesday.

6. Second shelf of big bookcase on Wednesday.

7. Third shelf of big bookcase on Thursday.

I believe purging files and desk contents begins next week as well. It will be a challenging week given the work load, but I will be rewarded by what I see each day at work. Being uber organized is the goal. Though this program starts off slowly, I see visible results and can feel mental results (negative feelings lifting a bit) this week.

Now if only I could find that orange flashlight that I misplaced during the purge... Our maintenance supervisor gave me new batteries for it and now I have the batteries, but no flashlight. This proves I am still the same person I was before the organized work life regimen began!

The first 15 minute spurt of purging

This week is supposed to be marked by 15 minute spurts of purging things that shouldn't be in your office. Things that belong to someone else, things that belong at home, and things to throw away, give away, and recycle. This morning, I gave 15 minutes to the short bookshelves in my office which I hope to completely empty and remove from my office some day. After this morning's 15 minutes, there are only 3/12 shelves with something left on them!!

What I got rid of:

framed certificates that have been collecting dust for three years--filed

kitschy book related figurines--sent to reside in book baskets for the fall fundraiser

cleaning supplies that I use very infrequently--sent to the maintenance office

blank guest book in my office since last year's 150th birthday party--storage

picture of Erie Canal mounted on foam board--to Local History vertical file

misc pictures cut out of mags and given to me by someone--recycled

Thank you notes that have been displayed in my office--filed in correspondence

Peanuts book containing a series of library themed cartoons--filed on book shelf

Photo frame with missing glass and photos--put aside so when shelf is moved, missing parts can be salvaged from behind it and the frame can be put back together

So what's left? I need a small container to keep the kid friendly stuff I keep in my office--stuffed animals, coloring books, crayons, animal figurines. And there are some files that can go in the safe. I can take a no longer used container from the upstairs workroom for teh kid friendly stuff and I can ask my AA to put the files in the safe.

I'm pumped! But tomorrow's 15 minutes will not be as easy.

Do I delegate?

I've done a much better job of delegating in the last year because I know what can be delegated and I know what those tasks entail. But I was thinking about delegation today and I wonder...Do I delegate or do I let people volunteer to do things for me? Is there a difference?

Last night, my Admin. Asst. said she would come in and set up the 8am focus group refreshments. Today, The Buildings and Ground Supervisor told me he'd set up the digital TV room for me. What my AA did was well outside her regularly scheduled hours, so I didn't ask her to do it. What the Super did was within his duties, but I hadn't given him the info he needed for room set up. I had planned on arranging it myself after the focus group was over. Hmmm... So do I take on too much myself? Is it all situational or is it habitual and would happen no matter what? I have to be honest. I would do it no matter what. After all, the program was essentially hosted by me, not something I really have time to do. Time to reevaluate delegation so as to be brutally honest with myself. Soft white underbelly, her I come!

How I said yes to personal life and no to overworking in January

went out for breakfast with Rebecca 1/31
read together at bedtime 1/30
read together at bedtime 1/29
read together at bedtime 1/28
snuggling on the couch reading the sale flyers together 1/27
made a triple batch of banana bread with daughter 1/25
had coffee with Krista 1/21
sledding at Lee Town Park 1/19
attended Steelers playoff game 1/11

The good news

Ask my parents and they'll tell you I always remember the bad things. So here is a good thing. Since January 21, when I said I shouldn't check my email, amazon, and facebook before going to work, I haven't!! That was a compulsion that I'm surpised I was able to eliminate quickly. The first few days were tough, but after that I didin't miss the rushed feeling it gave me when I logged on just to get ahead of the day's work. Instead, it really put me behind. One little victory is a great feeling!

I don't like Mondays, especially after the Super Bowl

This morning was a challenge, but I still arrived at work at 9am. A month ago, this morning would have put me behind to arrive at 10am. So I have made progress. However, I did not put into practice everything I learned, thus Monday was, well, Monday. How did I bring this on myself?

I did not pack the car the night before when I had many things to transport to work.

I did not pick out or iron my clothes the night before.

I did not make my lunch the night before, though leftover pizza was a no brainer.

We did not get to bed early. But, hey, the Steelers were playing.

I did not prepare to start my new habit by washing my blue water bottle and making some fruit punch. Instead I left it for this morning, when I knew we'd be dragging. Brilliant idea!

I didn't even prep my work bag the night before, leaving the organized piles on the floor to transfer in the morning.

And I did all of this knowing that Rebecca would be tough to wake up this morning and I would be tired and cranky. Am I a victim or a willing procrastinator? You be the judge!

But I did remember to take the digital camera to photograph my office one month into the program. Then when I got home, I uploaded them so they're already in the slide show. So seven steps back, one step forward. The palpitations of this morning should serve to get me going tonight. We'll see.

Reflections on the first month

I try to do just one more thing, and then one more, and then one more and just like that I'm late, behind, or rushed, and definitely cranky. Making the morning a routine means no more fitting that one more thing in.

Doing things the night before ,especially things involving decsisions, such as packing lunch and setting out clothes works very well at smoothing the morning, but I resist it.

I work too many hours and feel like I always have to fill time at home with work. I do not put much down time into my schedule at all. I know how to relax, but I do not allow myself to do it very often. Going to my in-laws' house forces me to have down time because I'm not at my home trying to fit in some more laundry, dishes, errands, and the like.

Scheduling things you've meant to do helps to make them happen, thus giving me a sense of accomplishment, no matter how small. First dinner with my sister halfway is coming up in two weeks and we'll schedule every other month. Fingers crossed that we'll have so much fun we bail out.

Consistently using my tickler file at work is a habit that I am developing. It will make my life much more manageable, so I must remind myself of that to keep at it.

January's Habit of the Month results...

JANUARY

I'll begin keeping track today--January 8. Each number is the date that the activity happened. First day tallying I've done both! We're off to a good start.

Getting up from the desk each work day:
8, 9, (10, 11, 12 OFF), 13, 14, 15, 16, (17, 18, 19 OFF) 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 (Yes-I worked on Saturday)

Making the bed daily:
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 (gave myself the weekend off), 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Making the bed and getting up from my desk were relatively easy to hold myself to becuase I already did them somewhat regularly, but I don't mind built in success in the first month of a year long trek. February is going to be brutal!

Five week months

Because there are five weeks in January, I do not have to work on any new skill or analyze a new aspect of my life. I will spend this week practicing the use of my calendar and tickler file and doing what needs to be done most first, whether I like it or not. I'm good with the calendar, but need some help with the tickler file. I must admit that the tickler file makes me feel like the ocean of tasks can be accomplished. If I had a large steno pad by my phone it might help me as well. That way I wouldn't be tempted to take notes on little pieces of paper that are destined to be lost in the shuffle. (Not that that's ever happened to me!)

February's focus is reclaiming the work place. I couldn't help but peek ahead. February just might make me sweat! Stay tuned.

I'm not as far behind as I thought I was.

Routine is one of the most important aspects of this week's chapter, but the author also encourages me to:

Already part of my routine:

1. eat breakfast (a real one!) I eat breakfast with my daughter every morning. Sometimes I'm standing up doing dishes or making my lunch when we eat, but we eat breakfast together.

2. go to bed earlier and get enough sleep (Except when I have a really important hearing or meeting the next morning, I'm pretty good about this one.)


I'm incorporating into my routine:

1. eliminate the electronic diversion in the morning--checking email, amazon and facebook, for example? I did not check this morning OR yesterday morning. I'm getting ready to jump on the wagon with reformed techno addicts!


I need support for these:

1. exercise for 15 minutes each day

2. sticking with the new habits I say I've incorporated! It's much easier to stop than it is to start.

A calmer morning rush?

So yesterday's list was not as long as it could have been. I could also:

1. not check my work email or amazon account or facebook account before I leave for work. Will one hour make a difference?

2. do the dinner dishes after dinner (blasphemy!) instead of after breakfast the next moring, which has become a habit

I tried both of these this morning and was in my coat and boots when the bus picked my daughter up at 8:30am! So when I got to work I was able to help with some daily tasks for 45 minutes before I went to my office. And those tasks gave me some exercise running around and finding books, going up and down stairs, carrying stacks and moving stacks. It was both a morale booster and a heart rate booster.

Perhaps there is hope. If you saw my office, you'd know there is still a long way to go on the road to having it all together. In fact, I may need more than a year.

Calming the morning rush

As I prepared for work this morning, I asked myself what would make the morning easier in the context of this week's chapter. Well...there are so many things I could do the night before, if only I could get the gumption.

1. pack the car with the oodles of things that need to go back to work--donations, items I've listed on amazon at home, books that are overdue (!)

2. make my lunch

3. set out my clothes and iron them

This looks an awful lot like the chore chart I created for my daughter. If it works for her, surely it can work for me. Right?

The map is the key.

The book devotes the month of January to setting goals. My goals at work are to secure the library's financial foundation, finish and implement annual reviews of each employee, improve communication so no one is out of the loop, leave work on time, become more regimented with follow-up on assigned tasks, and organize tasks better so I feel a sense of accomplishment each day. I'd like to have a daily/mothly/yearly maintenance tasks calendar for maintenance workers to sign off on. The same for HR updates and adminstrative file purging. I'd like to have an employee handbook and orientation as well as a trustee orientation.

I want to be the library director for the forseeable future and become a good director. I also want to enable those who support me to meet my expectations.

In my personal life I would like to pay off our debt (with the possible exception of the house) within five years, get into good shape physically, put money into savings in a more regimented way, finish all of the renovations on the house wish list, better organize things at home so cooking dinner and other regular tasks are not difficult, downsize by getting rid of stuff. (That I'm pretty good at, but need to fine tune and perhaps put each area that needs to be cleaned out on a schedule.) I'd like my family to have an easier time keeping track of things and getting thing done through routine and organization.

How Did I Get Here?

Same as it ever was. No, wait. that's a Talking Heads song.

The first week's assignment is to respond to questions to help you focus on where you want to get by looking at how you got to where you are. Those who know me know that I was very driven. It took me ten years to get from high school to Master's degree, with only two at the beginning and two or three (It's not as clear as it once was!) full time semesters at the end. Working, commuting, and taking courses was a long haul, but I loved it and could tick off classes each semester, including the summer. I could see exactly what I needed to do to get to point B. One of my biggest fears was that I would die before earning my degree. Looking back, that seems a little short-sighted. But that tells you how important that degree was to me. I wanted to earn it or die trying. Could anything ever make me feel that way again?

Upon graduation, I was going to change the world in academic bibliographic instruction. I had the graduate assistantships, the references, the relationships with top notch academic librarians, and even the possibility of a part time academic position. I was on fire for BI. But that part-time possibility came after I had already accepted a full time public library position in a different part of the state.

Why a public library? I applied for a job in my mother's home town, walked into the library and said to myself, "This is why I decided to go to library school!" It shouldn't surprise me that what I first thought I was going isn't what happened. When I started college right out of high school, my plan was to go to community college and transfer to Fredonia for a degree in genetic engineering. So what happened to the plan?

In my quests for degree or credential, or employment, I have always experienced more than a bit of serendipity. The ad in the paper for a volunteer in the local school library, someone from my former home town of Petersburgh (population in the hundreds) in my classes at community college who guided me though the transition to Albany, the bookstore that opened in Albany just when I was looking to leave full time fast food management, the job in my mother's home town, the job as a Teen Services Librarian that became whatever I wanted it to be. I was afire with motivation. These opportunities kept me going.

And now I am an administrator. I will look back on this and realize there was a greater wisdom in this, just as I have with all things planned, but not planned.

Does this exercise help me feel more organized, more goal oriented, more focused? No. It reminds me that while I plan, God laughs. But planning is good. No planning, no degree. I just have to keep hearing the laughter to help me amend the plans. Right now, if God is listening and in human form, there are tear stained cheeks and an abdomen experience great pain from hearty laughter!

The book that launched a blog

We at Jervis Public Library received a donation from the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce to purchase books about business. One of the titles purchased was One Year to an Organized Work Life. Those who know me know that I am always on the lookout for new organizing tips and tools. There is always far too much to do to be scattered. Well, I browsed through the book and decided that this really does suit me. However, since it is a process, and not a book filled with tips, it lends itself well to tracking progress. Miss Lorie's blog about simplifying life came to mind, so I decided to follow her into the blogosphere with getting my work life more organized. Ready or not, here I come!

In honor of the activity, I chose minima as the template for the blog. However, in true LM fashion, that just didn't work for me, so I have already changed it. I'm usually only a content conscious person, but the idea of the blog not being pretty enough for people to look at gave me the hives.