Super-Organize Me!

I've been focusing a lot on organization recently. As A can attest, my piles of projects occasionally become the source of tension on what would otherwise be a perfectly lovely night of watching network television. I sometimes think to a moment in "He's Just Not That Into You" (and yes, I do mean the movie) when Gigi is paying all of her bills on time and her smile releases into this enormous sigh of relief. So, I now I'm pleased to say that I finally not just feel--but actually believe that as a young professional (*gulp* Or maybe not so young anymore...) I need to be more organized about my work and my personal life.

I've spent almost 2 weeks borrowing from a fellow blogger's organizing habits, and it's doing me well thus far. I'm feeling more accomplished and remembering more. But I'm thinking today about these tasks that seem like they never get started, like my book or solo EP. And I'm comparing them, of course, to the tasks involved in planning a wedding.

People have warned me against too many DIY projects, but I'm a fiend... and I love them... and it's my party, I'll DIY if I want to... Something I'm trying to keep in mind is that I need to break big tasks down into small chunks. For example - Wedding: Decorations: Poms: Have to order tissue paper. Crafting the timing of these tasks to arrive at my wedding day will require a well-purposed schedule.

There are many ways to get organized when wedding planning. I originally started my idea-keeping in a binder as suggested by wedding Web sites, but I found it was difficult to keep aesthetically pleasing and I didn't want to carry it with me everywhere or print out a new piece of paper any time I added information. I also have some sticky notes on a board in our guest bedroom, but it's difficult to remember what's on them when I'm at work or the craft store. I also have a box of random items for the wedding in my bedroom. Lastly, it's wonderful having use of A's parent's house to store things for the wedding.

One of my planning/ organizing obsessions is my "Sanity Keeper" excel doc. It contains tabs for each aspect of the wedding: Stationary, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, gifts etc etc and on each list contains each item needed, different links to inspirational Web sites or places to order needed items. Google Docs is perfect for items like this so you can open it anywhere you can access your e-mail. Plus it's a safe way to back up your files. It kind of scares me that my sanity keeper is still primarily things required and less things obtained. But it's nice to feel like all of my thoughts have a place to collect that isn't my end table. I also just signed up for Springpad, which will be a great way to keep track of all of my online perusing, inspiration, recipes and daily tasks.

When planning any event or keeping your life organized, I think it's really all about finding a system that works for you: paper, online, tape recorder. Whatever. Try it out and find something you can stick with.