Need a practical, median priced gift for your favorite artist, writer or student this year? Know someone who would benefit from a GTD command post that would fit in a pocket or purse?

Maybe a little bitty notebook could be the cornerstone of your gift giving season (you save money if you buy in bulk!)

My own love affair with the Moleskine:

Despite my love of Moleskines for everyday use, I really appreciate the artistic side of things where these little gems are concerned. I enjoy them so much that I’ve been collecting some sites that show off the best illustrations, hacks and accessories for the little volumes.

I know that they now make smaller and brighter colored versions (Volant versions). I just got the email yesterday. It’s pretty fresh news. But, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to my notebooks.

I’m not saying I won’t try one of the tiny ones — it looks like those may represent a “can’t help myself” episode in full force. Gee, I love paper and pens and pencils (Oh. My!)

Newfangled colored and flexi-covered versions aside, today I’m going to share a few cool things with you, fellow classic Moleskine lover. And these things can make a notebook into a token gift or an amazingly rich gift… depending on how you play it.

Moleskine Art:

Some ideas for the artist in your life. Select a Moleskine Small Sketch Notebook (pocket-sized) and add a high quality graphite pencil set and art erasers. If you are particularly fond of this artist, add in a lust-worthy water color pencil set and/or travel watercolor brushes or professional quality colored pencils to create a portable art studio.

Smashing Magazine’s Collection of Moleskine Art
‘Skine.art - a site dedicated to the decorated moleskine
Flicker Hive Mind collection over on FivePrime.org

Hacks:

A writer’s Moleskine Hacks - Mikes version from 2004, but still quite applicable (and I use the writer’s tools PDFs printed out and glued into my own). Add a package of post-it tabs, brightly colored index cards, a fabulous pen (I highly recommend the Namiki Vanishing Point Raden if it’s in your budget. I swear by mine.) You may prefer to opt for a high quality mechanical pencil, instead. Be sure to tuck an Amazon.com gift card in the pocket to support their reading habit. And dedicate it to the writer on the inside cover. No writer likes to be caught out without a place to capture ideas. IMHO, there’s no better, quicker, easier tool to capture those thoughts on the fly than a properly outfitted pocket-sized, ruled Moleskine notebook. Leather covers are nice too (see below.)

GTD Moleskine Hack for Students - Great gift idea! This How-To printed out with a brand-spanking new Moleskine, a good no-skip pen and a mechanical pencil, a few Post-It tabs, a package of index cards, a large rubber band and an eraser. Add a funky, properly sized sticker and tuck an “emergency $20 bill” in the pocket alongside a prepaid calling card and you have a “to die for” gift that will actually be enjoyed and appreciated.

Accessories:

Want a beautiful, handmade leather case for your favorite notebook? Try Gfeller Casemakers.
Want one that’s got the midas touch, and is made to order? Try Sojourner Leatherwork

To whet your appetite for bitty notebooks:

If you aren’t already a convert, learn more about all things Moleskine over on Moleskinerie. Those of us who are already in love with these little notebooks will wait, we are patient. It’s only a matter of time before you join us in our addiction.

It’s amazing how complex life can become. Writing, it seems, is more difficult every day. I love to write, but whenever I sit down to do that (especially creative writing) I find myself torn by the constant dings of this program or flashing notifications of that one.

Sure, I should be more disciplined when I write. I should ignore all that noise. I should be able to just mentally turn it off — but I can’t.

Alternatively, I should be able to physically turn off all the distractions, disable the notifications, log out of all the programs that clamor for my attention before I even begin a serious attempt at writing…

But I won’t. I don’t. It’s too much trouble. Besides, once I’m finished, I’d have to go back and try to remember everything I turned off and flip it all back on. What a hassle. So… I tell myself:

“Maybe it’s just better to wait until things are quiet to write. Now’s not really the best time… later I’ll be more focused…”

And that’s how the writing I really want to do never actually happens.

Now, I have a way to do it all — keep all my techie stuff up and working and have a clean slate to do my writing without distraction. I’ve looked at several of the “blackout” programs that take your stuff off-screen and give you a blank slate for writing.

Most of them look like one of the old computers my father built in the late 70s and early 80s. So, there’s an attractiveness for me to that black background/green text look. It reminds me of the Multi-mate program I used when I was first hired as a reporter at the newspaper in St. Mary’s County, MD.

So, it has some sentimental value and a offers me a reminiscent feel that others may not enjoy.

Today, I tripped across one that was free! And it’s multi-platform. So no matter if you are a Mac user, a Windows buff or a Linux fan — there’s a version for you. You can change some of the colors to fit your own preferences and there’s even a PDF Manual available for those who need to know everything about a program.

This writer’s tool is called JDarkRoom. Check it out for yourself.

It’s not really a word processor. It’s not going to tell you if you have spelling errors or grammatical issues. It’s basically a typewriter — a distraction-free environment for those who take writing seriously and need a place on their computer to slip into the creative “zone” for a few minutes… or a few hours.It delivers your writing in a plain text file that you can then import into a word processor for editing, spellcheck and format tasks.

Personally, I find it terribly alluring. It’s already got a place of honor on my iMac’s Doc. I love it.

Ok, I’m 42 now.

(…Geeze what a HUGE number. How’d that happen, anyway?)

At this ripe (a nicer way of saying gray and saggy) old age, I’ve finally learned some long-overdue lessons. Even though one of the things I’ve learned is that you can’t tell people anything (they have to figure it out on their own), I still have this urge to share.

So here goes…

(Before I start on the lessons and the things I’ve learned, it may be helpful to understand my position on religion and philosophy.)

My philosophy about God

As I recently explained to my eldest son, I do believe in God. I also believe in free will. I am now fairly certain that we are doomed to repeat the lessons we don’t learn… even if it takes multiple lifetimes.

With that said, I think we have the free will to select from all our options at any point. I don’t think God punishes us, I think he’s too busy. Besides, we do most of that ourselves with fantastic success.

I’m not big on hell — other than the one we create for ourselves by making said stupid decisions over and over again and being required to live with the natural consequences. (I’m a big fan of that hell, apparently. Maybe I should start a fan club.) Said consequences may or may not be readily apparent to the person enduring them, but the most disinterested bystander can usually identify them at a glance.

God is forgiving. He forgives us basically anything. Historically, I preferred the image of the Old Testament, vengeful God, with a huge ego and big demands. It seemed somehow sexier to me in my youth. As a parent, and as a middle-aged woman, I realize that God is simply too busy to get angry every time one of the children screws up. Parenting is exhausting. Being God must be infinitely more so.

God’s job, in reality, is to continue to give us the opportunity to do the right thing, make the right decisions and go the right way with our lives.

If we choose to veer too far to the left or right, he lets nature take its course, then gives us another opportunity to learn the same lesson in the near future.

The failed lessons get harder with each exam. For instance the first exam may be likened to a simple addition quiz. If we flunk it, the next one is the addition of  several numbers and an averaging of the sum for the mean and median. So, if you are a fast learner, life is pretty easy.

If you are a slow learner, your life will be a bit more challenging. (I’ve experienced the equivalent of multivariable calculus equations a few times. Either I’m a painfully slow learner, or incredibly stubborn. I’m not sure which one is worse anymore.)

So, we bumble along and God places opportunities DIRECTLY in our path. Stay on the “straight and narrow” and you 1.) make the right choices 2.) pass that exam and 3.) move on to the next grade level. It’s just that simple. Dodge the lesson, take a wrong turn, screw it up… you get another chance, and another and another with compounding complexities and additional variables.

I have determined that God must love me very much to have showered me with so much attention and so many opportunities to learn a few simple lessons. I must be an extremely trying child.

You Can’t Tell Anyone Anything

You really can’t teach people their life lessons. You can (as a parent) position their “pre-independent decisions” in a way that exercises a child’s decision making skill set, but you cannot ultimately expect anyone to learn from your lessons… not even your own children.

I wish I could.

I recognize myself in my grown boys and I wish I could save them the heartache and the pain of learning what I’ve learned. I can’t.

Instead, I have to remember to tell them that I love them, that I know they will make the right choices (eventually), and that I’m sorry life is difficult for them at that particular moment. Oh, yeah, and to listen to their gut… and be safe.. (then I have to remember to shut up an let them live their own lives.)

Control Freaks Are Dangerous (To Themselves)

They are also annoying to others. Being a natural control freak, from a long line of control freaks, I feel adequately experienced to say that being a control freak sucks.

We, as a group, feel that our only way to guarantee our own freedom is to control everything around us. That includes our environment, our family, our friends, and anyone that comes into our ever-expanding realm.

It’s exhausting. It’s bad for your health. It causes stress-related issues.

Controlling vs. Being Controlled

The lesson to be learned here is not how to control everything and it’s not to determine what organizational method will finally make this impossible task more manageable. The answer is to realize that the easiest way to gain freedom is to let go of all that… and make the personal decision to not only quit trying to control everything, but to simultaneously ensure that no one controls you.

A Basis in Fear

I think control freaks are mostly just scared of being controlled. In response to this fear, we try to control everything. This, of course, is an impossibility and is naturally doomed to failure. Failure cranks up the control freak and makes them even more fearful, more controlling, and more out of control. It’s a horrific cycle.

On a personal note, realizing that I didn’t need to control anyone else, means I have more time to determine how to keep myself free from being controlled. I’m more happy-go-lucky than I’ve ever been. The only real change is this realization. And, I think I annoy others less.

Control freaks also have natural tendencies to be:

Fixers - We are great at fixing other people’s problems. It’s soooo obvious what they need to do. So we tell them. We are lousy at doing anything about our own problems and we aren’t so great at listening. We are busy solving the problem, we can’t be bothered to listen to our friend tell us the whole story. We forget that sometimes people simply need to be heard and loved.

Empathetic - We are those people that have “the look” — you know, the one that makes the lady in the checkout lane at the grocery store tell you her long, sad story about her health problems, her ungrateful children, her financial woes. We are also the people who have this compelling desire to remedy at least some of those issues, preferably on the spot.

Giving - We will give you the shirt off our back. We will do anything to help, including self-sacrifice. We are GREAT at self-sacrifice. (Of course we are also pretty darn good at being martyrs afterward, but you won’t know it, because we won’t say it. We also never forget it — or forgive you for it.)

Organized - We don’t rid ourselves of stresses, possessions or difficult situations; we collect them. To prevent any resulting incapacitating mental illness, heart attacks and the like, we must find a way to manage our collections. It never occurs to us eliminate all the “stuff” — instead we spend our lives finding creative ways to organize it all. We are MASTER organizers. Everyone is so jealous at how well we can multi-task and juggle everything. We are the first people asked to help with new projects, events, and impossible undertakings.

Want something done? Ask the control freak, s/he will get it done and make you shine. Go enjoy your round of golf and quality time with your family, we have it UNDER CONTROL! A control freak on the team will guarantee your success. Isn’t that special?

Drama Queens - we aren’t just drama queens, we are drama kings and knights and the whole blasted Round Table. Personally, I’ve walked around most of my life with a drama magnet lodged in my posterior. For years, I thought everyone had that kind of drama. Then it became so overwhelming that a few months ago I had to stand back and say aloud “Is this REALLY my life?!?” I had to repeat it several times.

My magnet was one of those neodymium, super-magnet varieties. You know the kind… they have a warning on the package about mishandling causing bodily harm. My drama magnet attracted the most bizarre situations and people. All of whom I felt the need to fix, adopt, organize or marry (and sometimes ALL of the above).

Sad. It really is. Drama magnets CAN be extracted, but they have a tendency to regrow if you don’t meditate, pray or smudge the house regularly with cleansing sage brush or some such. I better go do that now…

****

Angela is currently in a self-led 12-step recovery program for control freakishness. She still has difficulty discerning the things over which she has no control, and an even more difficult time resisting the urge to grab control of some situations, but she is working it out. She reports that it’s going extremely well but does claim to have recent, resurgent cravings to smoke, despite being smoke-free for many years.

She is enjoying a more simple life, a less stressful daily schedule, and the ability to enjoy the particulars of each day. Until she is farther along in her program, she has decided not to spend much time outside the house. By the middle of August, she plans to re-emerge from her cocoon. ..like a butterfly.

I’ve been juggling a business site and this blog site for YEARS (along with a couple other specialty blogs that have come and gone along the way). I was also blogging over on Active Rain for quite some time and I’ve recently picked up a bit of involvement in Facebook and Twitter (I just LOVE twitter!) and I’m getting more involved in Linked In and more interested in Squidoo.

As a result, I’ve started dropping some of the “balls” I try to juggle. My business site has not been updated in ages. That’s pathetic. I’ve quit doing submissions over on Active Rain (since putting them on my own blog and putting them over there causes duplicate content issues and I don’t have time to do both right now). I’ve not even been doing much blogging for RemoteProfessionals.com lately.

I’ve also determined:

• Research required to stay in step with all the latest in online marketing trends is time intensive and goes far beyond what’s required to write targeted, SEO-friendly web copy
• Successful online marketing hinges on two things: excellent, relevant copy for organic SEO ranking and intuitive navigation that makes it simple for visitors to get what they need quickly and easily. The rest is all black hat/white hat stuff and changes from hour to hour
• Splitting my concentration between multiple sites and services keeps me in front of my computer too many hours a day and my participation in the social web model needs to be managed more effectively
• I spend too much time staying on top of the latest in technology, encouraging clients to regularly call on me to serve as tech support - not a service targeted in my business model, but one that just happened
• I don’t want to maintain two “main” sites, it’s giving my marketing a split personality (and me a headache)
• Branding one URL will be more effective and easier than branding two, even if it makes me slide backwards a bit in Google while I get it done (and a few months thereafter). Howdy, sandbox!
• The overall SEO benefits of combining my blog with my business site are compelling

On the down side, moving my business and blog sites to another domain will damage the branding I’ve been building since 2002, when I switched over from my first business name to my current one.

Gradual changes

Being the “go to” person for a slew of clients is great for the ego, you are constantly in demand, constantly on call — but it’s hard on anyone attempting to have a life. It gets old quickly, and I’ve been in this business for a lot of years now.

I’ve been trimming my client list for the last year to offer better service to fewer clients. I’m now ready to try taking on writing project work. Until now, I’ve avoided “project” work. I preferred to build relationships with my clients. I treasure those I’ve built — both past and current.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve started sending my own favorite clients to other providers for services that aren’t my specialty. At first, that was scary. “What if they don’t come back?” I wondered. But I’ve not lost one yet.

This approach offers a better service to my clients, makes me the resource person for the services I don’t provide, allows me to help other outsourcing folks to gain access to fantastic clients, builds my professional network, and reminds my clients that I’m doing what’s best for them — even if that means referring them to someone else.

I want to keep my favorite long term clients through this transition and will only be trimming one or two more from my new better-sized list. Accepting project work will help me continue to expand the writing portion of my business — and writing makes me happy.

Sweeping changes

So the time has come to make some pretty drastic changes in my business model. I enjoy writing more than any other aspect of my business so that needs to be my marketing focus. It’s crazy for me to continue to perform all these other non-income producing research and learning tasks to support the services I offer that are NOT my favorites. What have I been thinking?!?!

I’m a geek, so some of the research will continue. I love it. But, I no longer want to “fool” myself into believing that it’s all business. When I’m working, I want a better billing ratio than 1 billable hour for every 3, 4 or even 5 hours of time spent. That ratio simply sucks.

Making the gradual changes has helped some; the sweeping changes will help even more.

Following my own advice

I’m doing for myself what I’ve been doing for clients for years — helping to organize and focus the business model and spend less time working and more time living — while improving the bottom line.

My whole life, I’ve been great at helping others, but not-so-great at doing the same things for myself. I have serious “do as I say, not as I do” tendencies — just ask my kids (for instance, when I send them to bed because they need sleep and I stay up all night working on the computer). Being honest to myself, about myself, isn’t always painless. It’s much easier to help others “fix” themselves!

I’m still working out the details of this next evolution in my business, but I know that there will (most likely) be a name change, there will be a merging of this blog and my business site, and there will probably also be a new site redesign, new logo, and LOTS of 301 redirects to try to help visitors find what they seek and to send old links to their new locations.

Transitioning

It will be a tremendous amount of work, and will have to be done in stages. I believe these changes will (in the long-term) make my life better, my workday shorter, and my business more focused on my best (and most enjoyable) services. Can you imagine only one site to maintain for the business? I can’t… but I will!

I may add other specialty blogs later, if/when I have time and energy… but the business site will be a singularity.

I’ve resisted this to date because I get “personal” on this blog. I often wander great distances away from business topics here. I’ve finally decided that’s ok. I’m not a big business, I’m a freelance writer who does small business consulting for a few choice clients. My personality IS part of my business. They really can’t BE separated. Like Popeye says… “I yam what I yam and that’s what I yam.”

Building good relationship with clients means having a common ground with them. I work best that way. So, the better we know each other in the beginning, the more likely we are to succeed in a mutually beneficial relationship.

I cross-promote my blog on my business site, so there’s really no reason to hide the fact that I write about a variety of topics on my blog. Anyone who clicks on the blog link already knows the “other side” of my story. Besides, I get more feedback from my blog right now than I do from my business website. (I’m sure that has NOTHING to do with the update ratio on each site *rolls eyes*)

With the all-in-one site, I’ll simply find a way to “highlight” the more “business-y” posts on the index page (maybe using a tag filter) and permit full blog access one click away from my index. I’ll be sticking with the WordPress content management system because I love it. It gives me enough control to do my own thing — without doing more HTML than I can easily handle or requiring me to call in my favorite programmer too often to extract my butt from the programming mess I’ve made.

Most of the issues I am still ironing out can be handled in the design and function of the website. I just have to figure out the particulars.

What I’ve learned

Since starting to serve clients online in 1999 and subsequently launching my first website in 2000, I’ve learned many things.

I know that simple websites are better than complex ones. Sounds easy, but knowing something and applying that knowledge are two different things. I like my blog better now with the current, cleaner look. The older layouts were too “busy” and less effective.

I’m a writer, so the text (not the photos) should take center stage. Graphics and images should only support the text, even if I like pretty pictures for their own sake.

I prefer simple, impactful logos. My logo incarnations over the years have often been too complex. They tried too hard. I do like the one for WickedBlog — even better than my business logo — despite that fact that it’s the only one I actually designed solo. The others required professional design assistance. It just proves that playing around with concepts works wonders. Sometimes when you try too hard, you lose the advantage of whimsy.

I may work toward a similar look for my new business logo.

Need your help

At this point, there are several contenders for the new name. I know that I want to keep my “wicked” branding. I like it. I’ll retain my purple and green colors. I like those too. These feel comfortable to me. They feel right. (They will also help with the branding transition and will permit me to keep my branded “wicked” 800 phone number.) I’ll have to replace all my pretty (and expensive) business cards, but I may replace them with a sleek mini card style.

Right now, the business name topping the list is Wicked Writer. I own the URL (and have for several years — which may reduce the time I have to spend in Google’s sandbox). A few other names are still under consideration. Since I haven’t gone through and cleaned out my domain name collection yet (yes, it’s on my list), I still own all the contenders as well.

I’d appreciate any feedback from my readers on using WickedWriter.com. Having a second, third… or even 20th opinion would really help me in this process!

It may be a couple months (or more) before I can get this transition completed. But it’s starting!

My blog is ALL OVER the place lately. I look at the topics and hang my head. Yes, I should have more control. I’d fuss at any client that was doing what I’m doing. Yes, I’m losing marketing opportunities and my brand isn’t obvious. I think I’m practicing “Do as I say, not as I do.” That’s always popular.

Of course this is not really a “business” blog. It’s more often a personal blog. There, that makes it better!

On the flip side, it does help my readers get to know who I am and where I am at this point in my convoluted little life right now. I’m an “almost” empty nester, dealing with that feeling of loss. I’m also a freelance home-office dweller trying to (yet again) refine my business into a sharper focus and a deeper niche.)

I’m actually considering taking my business into writing as the primary pursuit, rather than marketing. I’ll handle that decision over the next few months, along with the slew of others peering at me with never blinking, always expectant eyeballs. I’ll get to them… every one… eventually.

Right now, I’m dealing with information overload on a stellar level. I can’t quit learning, I can’t quit gathering and I’m wearing myself out with it all — even this week (which is supposed to be my vacation). Without this week “off” I would probably have imploded.

I’m simplifying my life and looking at everything with the “do I really need this item (or hassle, or drama, or hurdle) to make my life complete?” approach. Doing that really changes a person! I’m also applying the 80/20 rule to everything I’m considering from clothes in my closet (my last post) to goals in my life (an even older post that will become a new post once all these decisions are actually made).

I spend much of my “free” time these days wondering, “What do I want to do with the REST of my life?” I’ll probably have that figured out sometime soon. In the meantime, bear with me because while I make sweeping decisions about my life… there’s a little clutter and aimlessness in my blog.

I’ve looked at other “simple” clothing lists and I find them to be too extensive for my needs and desires. I’m going to lose weight … someday… but for now, I’m tired of waiting for the “right” wardrobe. Now, I’m ready to simplify what I have and get rid of what doesn’t fit, isn’t flattering or isn’t comfortable.

I figure when I do lose weight (note the “when” is not an “if”) that buying new clothes will be a treat instead of a chore.

After pruning my wardrobe (again) and after trying to determine what I REALLY need in my closet to do my work, feel comfortable, and have what I need for any “event” without needing to dash out and buy something new — I’ve settled on the following list of basics.

Shirts/Blouses

• White pin-point tailored oxford button-down shirt
• Long-sleeve natural linen (ethnic) tunic top
• Silk patterned suit blouse
• Plain white t-shirt
• Black “Attitude” T-shirt (Janice Joplin one right now)
• Long-sleeved button-down shirt (lavender mini-check)
• Lavender long sleeve crew-neck cotton shirt
• Bright 3/4 sleeve shirt, princess seam button-front with collar (solid red)
• Black silk (washable) or Khaki tunic-length tank top
• Sheer, flowing patterned shirt with butterfly sleeves (for over tank and camisole tops)
• Black short sleeve Mock-turtleneck (for hot weather) / Black classic turtleneck (for cold weather)

Sweaters

• Cotton fine-cable twin set (in Oatmeal)
• Black V-neck all-weather fine-gage cotton sweater
• Black short-sleeved collared sweater (ribbed)
• Dark sleeveless sweater (chocolate brown or black)

Bottoms

• Pair of Jeans (yes, just my favorite pair)
• Pair of casual black/dk brown twill pants
• Pair of khaki slacks (cold weather) or long khaki shorts (warm weather)
• Long indigo skirt (Denim or Tencel - my preferred fabric)

Sets/Suits/Full Outfits

• Swimsuit
• Scrub suit (for lounging and painting and remodeling)
• Tea-length machine washable patterned sheath tank dress
• High Quality Basic Black All-Season suit (jacket, long skirt, slacks)

Unmentionables

• Sleepshirt
• Four camisole bra tops (brown, white, black, lilac)
• 3 pair white socks/5 pair black socks
• 2 pair of tights/hose (one light, one dark)
• 2 white bras/2 black bras
• 10 pair undies (5 each black and white)

Accessories/Other Stuff

• Black leather organizer purse
• Go-bag (electronics/mobile office or weekend of clothes)
• Keen Sandals (or tennis shoes)
• Pair of basic black leather heels
• Boots (work, hiking or western)
• Silk scarf (multi colored/patterned)
• Leather coat - stadium length
• Leather gloves

By most standards, this list is sparse. That’s ok. It’s not colorful. That’s ok, too — I prefer basic. By modern “norms,” my housing desires are also small.

I don’t want multiple closets or a huge one and I prefer to hang everything because I find that folded clothes seldom look as good on as hung ones do. It’s easier to find what I’m looking for in the bleary-eyed a.m. hours if everything is hanging in one place. (It’s also faster to hang clothes than it is to properly fold them, and I’m all about the efficiency.)

The way I see it, I have a washer and a dryer, and I’m not afraid to use them. I prefer NOT to have enough clothes that I don’t have to keep things done up. I don’t like having mounds of dirty clothes and with my most recent purge, I can’t. I may cut back more in the future, but this is good for now.

Now, I have only the clothes I really love. I have just a few of them and all is right with the world.

Ok, my office “situation” was beyond unbearable. I had actually started queuing up the Flickr slideshow of Uncluttered Office Spaces to try to inspire myself. My “borrowed” desk was supposed to be temporary, but it had become way too permanent. It was too tall, which meant that my feet were dangling from my deskchair and I was “reaching up” to type. I sit at my desk alot, I type alot. I was starting to experience weird aches and pains. I couldn’t wait any longer.

So here’s a shot of my un-touched up, uncleaned, uncleared desk. Look quick, because I may lose my nerve soon and pull it down and vehemently deny that MY desk ever looked like THAT. Right now, I make myself feel better by knowing that this IS, after all, the before. :O)

There, confession made. Complete with photographic evidence. So I looked at that mess and tried to determine what was essential to my work and happiness, and what was just extra stuff.

I determined that since most of my “stuff” was digital these days, that I only needed a few things that weren’t on my computer. I also decided that having my daughter’s desk right beside mine was not the best choice.

So I moved her into the adjacent room (where I can still see her while she’s completing her homeschooling assignments). I also moved my desk away from the window to avoid the early afternoon sunbeams that often blinded me.

I also moved the printer to a closer proximity (you can’t even see the printer in the “before” photo.) I pulled the cheap (but functional) kidney shaped computer desk from Serenity into the house and set it up with only the bare necessities. I’m keeping only those items I need every day at fingertip access. The rest, I’m tossing, donating or storing elsewhere.

It’s liberating!

I’ve also recently reworked the way I handle my finances, the way I keep my books and store my client files (the few that are actually physical paper). These items must be easy to access, so they are on the shelf to the left of my workspace. There’s even a place for my new, wonderful, PERFECT purse on that same shelf so those essentials can be reached without getting up.

My new space looks like this:

I do have a cluttered framed print above my desk — it’s plastered with a slew of my favorite photos. Not serene, not feng shui, but I love it and it makes me happy to focus on those photos and those memories at a glance while I’m working.

The light is a clip-on metal with a conversion “swirly” fluorescent bulb that really brightens up my work area without wasting energy. I tamed the tangle of cords and used twist-ties to group them and keep them unknotted.

The “new” desk is missing something, my largish stereo speakers and the huge base unit. I’ve replaced them with the tiny ones you see on the top of the new desk. They sound pretty good, but they can’t thump like the other ones could. That’s ok. I’ll make the sacrifice.

This isn’t the “ultimate” office, but it’s much closer than what I had before. I still need to add a rolling storage cabinet with a hanging file folder drawer in the bottom and a shallow drawer on the top. I’d like to have it outfitted so the printer will live on top. (I’m still looking for that cabinet.)

I’d also like to have a “hot file” for the incoming papers between the time they are received and the time I handle them (pay the bills, complete the project, file the papers). I’d like to hang this folder-sized hot file on the wall beside my desk.

But for now… I have to run and get my desk dock for the iPhone (thank goodness Apple designs things sleek and small!)

I’m on a rampage. It started in my closet at 3 a.m. (Couldn’t sleep, dunno why.) I have been reading Unclutterer (I find it inspiring most of the time). And I came upon a post about simple clothing. Now, I’ve already “simplified” my clothing a number of times. But something hit me (in the way things can only hit during the wee hours of the morning) and I started tearing into my closet.

With my family size cut in half, I’ve discovered that the extra hangers lurking in my closets are like the extra baggage I’m carrying around in my head. And it’s time to purge physically as well as mentally — which helps with the empty I feel in my heart at the moment.

I decided it’s time to take the next step. So, I started with the closet. I’m just anal enough to like matching hangers, so I’m getting rid of the ones that don’t match. I’m giving them to my mother. She knows how to distribute goods as needed throughout the family. I fuss at my parents for all the excess “stuff” they store and organize and maintain, but the fact is the rest of us (extended family included) go to them for that odd little something we need (from a replacement computer cord to a dress belt for a new skirt). Or maybe for some extra hangers.

So, as I clean things out and minimize my needs and my wants, I wonder if I’m able to do it only because I know they are my safety net. I fuss at them for the stuff they keep. I act all holier-than-thou about my smaller footprint, my smaller amount of “stuff” and my simple life goals. Yes, I give most things to Goodwill, and I’m starting to eBay some of the larger or more expensive pieces that I no longer need or want… but the other stuff, I always offer it to my parents first. Then, I give them crap about all the stuff they keep.

I’m sure there’s some deep psychological something going on here, but for now, I’m headed back to my room to finish my most recent purge. I’m far too busy to think too hard about too much on a holiday Monday.

Cheers!

Bear with me as I work around WickedBlog to make it a bit more “clean” in appearance and function. I’ve always gone dark with graphics and the visual impact of my blog, but I think it’s time to let a little light shine in.

As I’m struggling to simplify my physical, psychological and personal surroundings, I’m also simplifying my online and digital existence.

So, the look of WB will be changing for the next few weeks as I figure out how to clean things up, keep it easy on the eyes, easy to navigate and find what you want, make sure it validates properly and take special pains so that my “simplification” kick doesn’t get offset by a too-low text to code ratio or any of the other search engine “no-no” paths.

Hopefully, when I finish up, I’ll have a better product for my readers and an easier to maintain platform for myself. (I’d appreciate any feedback on what works and what’s not working here as I make the changes.)

While gasoline prices top $4.00 per gallon and the economy pundits’ projections dip and sway, I’m glad that my business is already established and runs from a home office.

I’m also pleased that I’ve taken the time to evaluate my clients, services and my business expenses and trim them all back neatly. My next big “trim” will be the number of days I work per week. I’m preparing for it now and hope to implement my new, shorter workweek by the end of July.

Determining how much I should make this year made it easier to look at how many days a week would be required to make that target income and to plan accordingly. It’s also made me re-evaluate my original numbers and trim them back even more.

I credit the price of gasoline for encouraging me to take some steps that are improving my business and my life.

Dovetailing Errands

I’ll be spending one day out of the office per week to get the things done I need to do. I visit with my parents once a week and spend the day. They live two hours away. On the way up, I run errands for the business and pick up anything I need that’s only available in their city while I’m there (that way the trip can be expensed). They have an office supply store and a general merchandise super-store there. I don’t have either of those here.

I get an early start so I can arrive at their house between 9 and 10 a.m. In the late afternoon, I head back to the house and do my grocery shopping and other personal errands on the way home.

Living a deliberate life

It means I only get out once a week now, but it also means I accomplish the bulk of my non-client related to-do list on that one day. These choices aren’t purely financial. I’ve actually started recycling. (Dropping it off is another item on my errands list each week.)

My new push to live life more deliberately and to think things out before jumping and running helps me to minimize the ecological impact of my life. I watch the extra packaging and purchase fresh foods locally as much as possible.

I’m actually saving money

Making sure that I never make a trip out for just one or two things requires me to plan ahead, make lists — and an unexpected bonus is that I’m avoiding impulse purchases and using less gas every week. By doing the shopping on my way home from my parents’ house, after I’m already tired, I’m not tempted to participate in “entertainment” shopping.

I don’t stay in the store long enough for the bright packaging and the multi-million dollar ad campaigns to do their job. I go in, get what I need and get out. My shopping lists are pretty basic and fairly healthy.

An improved way to measure success

For years, I emphasized making more money. It was a “marker” of my success. It helped me to feel that my little cottage industry was real, sustaining and important. It meant that leaving my corporate job was the right decision.

Now, I’ve changed my approach. Now, I look at what I really need and am honest about what can do without. I weigh my purchases more carefully and I bundle all my travel into a single trip. Now, I realize it’s not how much I make that really impacts my quality of life — it’s how much I spend. (more…)

This weekend, Alex and I went to the farm. It was to be a nice quiet weekend, wherein I sorted through some boxes of stuff I have stored there in my new push to simplify my life. Extreme simplification.

So I attacked several of my personal sacred cows… my photographs and letters and sentimental boxes.

Several years ago, when I realized that books could be culled, I felt liberated. I ditched many boxes of books I’d had on my shelf for years — that I’d already read, but that I felt I couldn’t discard. I don’t know why I felt that way about books, but I did. I think it’s something about being a writer with a love of the language. Books were always sacred.

Donating them to Goodwill made me feel that I was “sharing” them rather than discarding them. (more…)

Apartment Therapy has some of the best “living small” resources around. I particularly like their contests. The Small Cool 2008 contest just ended (this is the fourth annual event for tiny spaces that rock). If you want to check out the winners for some ideas on ways to decorate your own smaller spaces, visit the page dedicated to the “living small” contestants.

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. . . .  In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.” - Thoreau

I’m taking some serious steps to simplify my life. Yeah, yeah, I know, I say that all the time. But seldom do I actually start pulling out my possessions and start listing them on eBay. I’m doing that now. I’m selling sterling silver flatwear, pewter pieces, and I’ll soon be adding jewelry and other trinkets.

If this first week of throwing out my “eBay net” works well, I’ll be digging into storage and pulling out more stuff to sell. I’m tired of being tied to so much stuff. Yeah, I have less “stuff” than most people I know and YES, I’ve sorted through it and managed to keep only the ‘best of the best’ from my collections.

But it’s still too much. I’m tired of the responsibility of it all.

My biggest desire right now is to be out of debt. COMPLETELY out of debt and it’s close. I’m almost there. So what’s the purpose of having all this stuff and having to put in extra hours to keep it insured and protected, dry and safe, to worry about it disappearing in a fire or by theft?

Life is too short.

After all, my dream is to travel light. And right now, I’m travelling pretty heavy through this life. So, if the first 7-day auctions go well, I’ll add more and continue to simplify my life. I’ll do it. I can and I will!

Take a walk on the woodsy side with this enchanting tiny house from Whales — built by hand with straw bales, imagination and little else. Simply amazing low-impact housing with a sense of magic and wonder — and all built for 3000 British pounds.

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In 2007, I have learned to say “no.”

It took alot to get me to that point. 2007 was obnoxious, but it beat the ability to say “no” into me by the beginning of the last month. I can now say NO — and mean it.

No to things that stress me out unnecessarily. No to unreasonable goals. No to commitments I’d rather not have. No to busy-work. No to things that make my stomach churn. And… for the first time ever: No to New Year’s resolutions. (more…)

It’s been many weeks since I’ve shared any Friday finds. I’d like to remedy that now. I’ve taken some of the “down” time this week to catch up on what’s going on around the web. Granted, I’ve allowed myself to lag behind a bit in recent months, but I’m back!

Today, I’m sharing a few entertainment finds across the web. (more…)

The most amazing thing happened during my work at the cabin last week. I bought a beautiful bathroom sink and cabinet. It has clean lines. It’s simple. It makes me happy. It’s nothing like the ugly one I thought I’d have to install to “get by” until I could find what I really wanted. (more…)

As I prepare to move again, I look around and wonder… how much of this stuff is actually adding to my quality of life and how much is detracting from it? I pack, and pack and pack some more. It’s exhausting. And I’m moving into a tiny cabin, so I’m not sure where it’s all going to go.

(more…)

Are you a paper person living in a digital world? Are you (like me) a technology geek who also likes the feel of high quality paper, the smell of ink on a freshly printed page, and you don’t really mind if a drop of ink goes awry, so long as you can use a fountain pen to do all your long-hand writing?

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