~ Routines, schmootines ~

If you ever come to my house you will see that I like to run an orderly ship; however, my head is not like this. Interestingly, since my e-courses have taken off and filled up my working hours (something i am truly ecstatic about) i seem to battle less with procrastination and more with sheer overwhelm, as i try to do everything all at once. As we all know, this system never works, but it's taken my brain a while to catch up with this fact.

I worked out this morning that in the last 20 years since i left school (aged 17) i have clocked up eight years of study, five years working in an actual office environment and seven years being freelance (with periods of unemployment/bereavement) - it's not like I've been chained to a desk working for the Man all my life, so why do i find it so hard to organise my working life efficiently? Why does any whiff of a routine make my brain want to rebel? There's a part of me that will always consider herself a free-spirited hippy who has henna'd hair and wears rainbow boots; that girl doesn't like routine; that girl prefers to float through life with the breeze, never tied to one thing. But that girl has grown up and needs to get a grip.

So yesterday I spent half an hour with a ruler, pen and a blank page in my journal and i made a weekly plan; my inner teacher was peering over my shoulder, watching me do it (seriously, if i'd had a protractor and compass to hand I'd have found a way to work them in too). This may sound like the most obvious thing in the world to do, but i honestly had to force myself to devise a plan for how i spend my week, allocating mornings and afternoon to specific tasks, and blocking out two days for two projects I'm working on. So now, with any luck, I will be sticking with my plan, and there'll be no more falling through my days in a panic of not-enough-time. There is plenty of time, i just have to use it better.

Right, it's 11:30 - that means it's time to write my Paper n Stitch column for this week. Place your bets on how long i keep up this new routine!

PS. Calling all Imogen Heap fans! A preview of the first single from her new album (launching 25th August) is here

Comments

[Kathleen]

So funny... I find myself moving in the opposite direction. I was always the most type-A person in the room, the one with color-coded notes and calendars and plans as far as the eye could see. Slowly the people I love have softened that shell and helped me settle into a less-organized, more organic groove. I'm finding a creative spirit I didn't know I had, and if there have to be dishes left in the sink, so be it.

[Lesley Denford]

I loooove making plans and lists. I think it's the only way to keep sane in any working environment. Good luck keeping to your schedule! :)
(And thanks for the Imogen Heap link, yay!)

[cindy : quaint]

thanks for the imogen heap link and good luck with your new system!

[charlane]

I can understand that - I work all day and wonder why a project is not completed. It's because I allow the distractions to take me away. Good luck with the new plan - I bet it will work so well it will be seamless by next week.

[Lee]

Good for you, if nothing else, your new structure will provide a framework - and you'll know what to say "no" to! Thanks for the Imogen Heap link, it's brilliant!

[Amanda]

I would find working at home to be very hard organisation wise.
I am quite organised at work now, never used to be but it's only that I am a teacher and my day is scheduled into segments that things stay organised.
I know if I were at home, I would waste so much time procrastinating, looking at things online, doing housework, taking pictures etc.
I think you're being too hard on yourself but order is good.
I'm getting far more organised as I get older, so much so that co-workers comment how organised I am and it shocks the hell out of me because I think of myself as disorganised!

[Amanda]

Well that was epic lol

[Roxanne]

I'm that girl, too, who likes to float through the breeze and not feel tied to anything. Good luck sticking to your routine.

[Patricia]

I totally agree...I'm always procrastinating and then following up with list after list...but it never seems to work. Your post was renewed inspiration to try again. I think I'll buy a new planner today.

And thanks for the Imogen Heap link. Had never hard of her but I think I'm now a fan :)

[Donna Rosser]

I love reading your blog and reading your tweets on Twitter!

Your blog has been chosen to receive the "One Lovely Blog Award"

The rules of the award are:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. (you can find the award on my blog http://thebarefootphotographer.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-lovely-blog-award.html)

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

[Carol]

I've decided to buy myself a new calendar to organise my week more efficiently, especially now that my son is on his summer holidays from school...

Good luck with your new quest for being more organised :-)

[susanna]

It's great that your e-courses are taking off, Susannah. And good for you for getting organized...there will be less stress, more freedom, and you may see new opportunities when its all written down on paper.

And thank you for the Imogen Heep link. Coincidently, I've been listening to her and Frou Frou for the last two days. She's GOOD!

[Jeanine]

i really need to make a plan because my head is about to spin off its axis. also... august 25th can't get here soon enough. eeeek. so excited about the new imogen album.

[barbara]

Happy for your new organization plan!!!!
everytime i try to organize myself too strictly, the universe makes everything go in chaos, everybody changing appointments, etc... so i decided to go with the flow...

[Steph]

I also have a heck of a time working under any form of schedule. I can't stand routines and whenever I find myself in one, I throw a wrench into the works to mix things up again. good luck to you, but if it flops, don't be too hard on yourself!

[simply hue]

I think you'll keep up your routine just fine, Susanna. :) I understand where you're coming from, though. I'm very rightbrained and its' a struggle for me to keep my thoughts organized, too! I very organized when it comes to planning and teaching children's art classes, but there are other areas where I need to buckle down and get disciplined! Thanks for the inspiration.

[chenoa]

Such a beautiful blog!!! hope to look into your e-courses...when i have a little more time!
have a loveliest of days!
p.s Good luck with your column!

[brittni]

i hear you on keeping a set schedule susannah. it really does help to try to get into a routine when you work for yourself and/or your home. congrats on the success of your e-course! with a teacher like you, i am sure all of your students are creating gorgeous images. i think i am going to have to join one soon myself. i would love to get into photography more.
-brittni

[blue bicicletta]

I know exactly what you mean---I am always trying to do everything at once. I find a lot of freedom in blocking time out for certain projects. Sometimes it's hard to stick to the same plan every week, but I find, if I at least put some thought into what I will work on tomorrow (or even each day this week), it helps me relax because I know I have made a time for everything. Good luck!

[ash - we are the parsons]

just found your blog tonight - amazing work!! thanks for inspiring!

[Marianne @ Zen Peacekeeping]

I know that you will do whatever you set your mind to - it is a marvelous and powerful mind. xx

[bee]

hi, susannah!~ *waves*

i think i'm back in the blogging world. for now, anyways. i wanted to come say hi.

and it's funny you mentioned what you did about working environments vs. mental states...my mother always used to say that the environment you lived in reflected what you were feeling, and i think that's why, in my messier moments, i felt so hyper-aware of that.

you'd think, according to that philosophy, that you'd be so efficient at scheduling. lol!

right now, i'm trying to figure out how to make my own career happen. through schooling/training i find now, on the other side of it, my connections are faded, my publication creds are outdated, etc. like starting from scratch. at 30. sigh. :)

[Revisionista]

just found your blog & am so looking forward to reading more

yay for imogen heap -- i was wondering when she would have a new album out

good luck with your weekly schedule :)