writing archive: notebook fiend.

Imagine that you’re stressed out. Didn’t even have to close your eyes? Well then. Think of everything that you need to do, everything ever, and being able to keep track of it without losing your mind. Even better than checking off a to do list, imagine completing each thing and being able to look back and laugh at how silly it was to be so stressed about whatever tasks you had on your plate at the time.

Now, look at your calendar. While it may seem empty right now, given your responsibilities, you know that the 20^th of every month is pay your bills day, and that every Thursday is that coffee date with…whomever, and that any number of assignments, meetings or scheduled hours can be scattered around. Why not just look at the calendar and see all of this laid out, instead of having to remember it all in your head? Enter the organizer.

It may seem silly, but really, these things are works of art. Having made my own for the past year, more time goes into figuring out the right balance in formatting (in my case, between the weeks on the page and the extra space on the side) than I actually devote to the things I write in the planner itself. I think that a crack team of scientists and artists got together to engineer this creation, maximizing potential writing space while also making it aesthetically pleasing to do so. Don’t believe me? For every inspirational/thought-provoking/funny quote that is typed up in the corner of your planner, try coming up with three more on your own. It’s a lot harder than you’d think, and no Google search will give you the perfect quotations…even on your tenth try.

Let’s turn to writing in it now. I like things to look pretty, but since I’m not the kind of girl who even bothers to put makeup on, it can be easily guaranteed that I won’t spend that kind of time slowly crafting how each letter is written. I do however, indulge in Sharpies. Those wonderful little markers capture the rainbow boldly, and while I don’t color code (surprise: I’m not that OCD!) being able to see my various obligations in an array of colors is somehow comforting, because everything I need to do is isolated by the color used, instead of being an imposing LOOKATME chunk of text.

I won’t have enough time to even consider talking about the outside of these glorious little books of organization, because there are just about as many different covers as there are people, or even states of being. Each cover conveys a different sentiment, a unique “Hello world, this is me!” and perhaps depending on the day, you might want to address the rest of us differently. And, who says you only need one?

A word of caution, since the FDA requires warning labels on anything addictive: if you have concerns about becoming a Bic junkie, the following signs indicate that you’re beyond hope:

            1) Using post-it notes makes you smile. (Think of the extra space that just appeared!)

            2) You go back to school shopping…but you don’t have kids, and you’ve been out of college for 20 years.

3) You read this piece and didn’t feel repulsed.

While there is no Organizers Anonymous support group yet, I say just dive right in. There are no health implications of writing things down, and it’s a lot better for your liver than other addictions. It’s now time for me to plan out the rest of my week—I spent a whole day without my planner, and would like to avoid withdrawal. Happy organizing!

     -- as written for a binghamton university spring 2010 writing course