The Writer’s Coin

Life is busy and crazy and unpredictable and so is our unconscious, so it’s no surprise how difficult it is to keep all of it straight and organized. I want to share a few tools I use every day that really help get me through the days as efficiently as possible while always keeping the door open to good ideas, be they for writing about finances, ads, or stories.

The Notebook:
I used to have a series of bigger notebooks that had really nice paper and were craftsy on the outside. Pretty to look at, romantic to write in, but not easy to carry or whip out on the spot. Now I use a Moleskin reporter’s notebook with blank pages. It’s small, it’s sturdy, and it has detachable pages I can tear off and insert in the back pouch (which also fits standard note cards). Why this notebook when I can easily buy a similar-sized one for less? Hemingway, that’s why. I’m a sucker for anything Hemingway related, so even if the legend isn’t true, I buy into the whole thing. It’s mental but it works for me.

I use it to jot down any ideas I get at any time. As any writer or creative knows, these come at the most unexpected times so you have to be prepared to receive them all and not forget them.

Cheap Alternative: A blank sheet of paper folded up in your pocket.
Really Cheap Alternative: Write it on your hand (I still do this sometimes but it’s sloppy)

Yahoo Notepad:
I use Yahoo Mail so Yahoo Notepad is one tab click away, making it easy and quick to get to. It’s perfect for pasting in links to interesting articles or blogs that I want to comment on, read later, or think about some more, especially when I’m at work and can’t blatantly take out my notebook and jot stuff down. It’s also a great holding area for ideas that you can save and flesh out later.

Cheap Alternative: None, it’s free.

Yahoo Calendar:
This one is perfect because, while I may have some short-term memory skills, over the long term I really can’t remember things (by long term I’m talking a week). With Yahoo Calendar you are one click away from checking out when you have an appointment, a hot date with the Missus, or when your parents’ anniversary is. Birthdays and all kinds of other dates all go in here. The useful part is you can set Yahoo to send you a reminder (as an email) before the day comes or even on the day (you have full control of all this) of the event. So if you need to get someone a gift or flowers a day or two before the “special” day, you’ll get an email and you’ll have plenty of time: Never forgetting another birthday/anniversary . . . Priceless.

Cheap Alternative: None, it’s free.

Mnemonics:
You probably already use a mnemonic device even if you’ve never heard this word before. You know when you don’t have a piece of paper and you need to memorize a number? So you start repeating it over and over, maybe to a certain beat or tune? And then when you finally get some paper and a pen you repeat the beat and the numbers are still there? It’s called a mnemonic device and it’s basically just a way to remember things, typically lists.

Whenever I’m in a crowded bus/train, a meeting filled with people, or at a party chatting with someone about something inane, my brain likes to churn out some decent ideas. Thanks brain, great job. What to do though? You either can’t get to your notebook or you’ll look insane scribbling something on your hand. Mnemonics have helped me many a times to remember things until I get to safe quarters, especially when it comes to lists of things.

Typically I’ll have one thing in mind and I can remember it. But then another hits and now my mind is juggling. This is tough and it makes it hard to relax. So lets say for this article, I was sitting at work and it hit me. So I just kept kind of repeating to myself, “Organization, tools, NB, Yahoos, this list.”

Once I got Yahoo Notepad open I could flesh that out a little so I would know what the heck I was thinking: NB for notebook, Yahoos plural to indicate Notebook and Calendar, and then this list as a stand in for mnemonics. Boom, the idea has been saved and I can move on/relax.

But try to get it down on paper as soon as possible. Many a times I find random pieces of paper strewn about with incoherent scratches on them. Readable, but nonsensical. It’s easy to forget the connections you created to those mnemonic devices. This is more of a temporary bridge until you can jot it down in a more reliable place.

Cheap Alternative: None. Again, this is free.

Do you have any tips that help keep your life in order?

Tags: cheap organization tips, moleskin, notepad, yahoo