Calendar, I Curse You!

My May calendar. Is there a message here?  

This year I've tried to get Organized. I've tried to get on a blogging editorial calendar and fill my weeks with regular tasks, duties and god-knows-what.

In the meantime I've been learning a bit about Time, Personality Types and honestly: Did I need to? The fact that I have failed both my calendaring attempts in a year that's not even halfway over says enough, don't you think?

The first calendar was a one-week whiteboard calendar that I gave away after writing down a great schedule for a week in January that was still there in early March.

Next, I moved on to the big lovely monthly calendar you see above. I sprinkled the month of March with an editorial calendar and ideas and that went okay. I do have a bit of a problem following orders, which this felt like. My internal writer self would protest, "But I don't WANT to write about that! I don't WANT to write it today!" Hmph.

April I ended up accidentally doing something different-- I filled the calendar after I wrote a blog or had an idea to track or fill out. I thought it was the best idea ever -- learn from the pattern and do more of what worked. Genius.

And by May, I was over it. It didn't even exist for me anymore, even though it sat there on my working table in all its whiteness.

So screw it.  The only calendar I'm going to have for now is my wall calendar filled with birds, a real beauty.

Ironically enough, I was the "calendar girl" at my last editorial job, keeping our calendar updated and I even liked it. I can actually get organized when it's for a group. For myself, it's a differnet story: it seems to be a more chaotic sense of organization.

Here's the thing: Systems don't work for everyone. Our cavemen predecessors didn't have calendars and keep appointments. Even though that's modern life, so we have to deal with it, it's still not a part of our animal nature.

So if you're frustrated at your lack of "organization" -- it could be you're trying to put your round way of thinking into a square way of keeping time. If it makes you weepy, fuggetabout it and find something that works for you. Get curious about what works for you, instead of defeated (flogging hurts, too).

Then tell me how you did it!

xo t