Organizing a Divergent Mind
creativity, divergence, gifted, online resources, organization Add commentsIt’s summer break, and today has turned into one of those glorious, go-with-the-flow days around the house. My kids are currently preoccupied with their vast array of Legos, so I’ve taken this opportunity (how ever long it may last) to attempt some semblance of organization in my life.
As a gifted adult, I find myself extremely divergent. I have a plethora of ideas and projects running through my mind, and I enjoy creating and brainstorming. I can expand on these ideas exponentially, ad infinitum…and none of them achieve completion in the real world. As well, “minor,” mundane tasks, such as signing my son up for fall football or charting my daughter’s occupational therapy activities, can flit in and out of my brain at the speed of light, never getting done.
So far, everything I really need to do gets done. But I find this existence a little stressful, and sometimes I wonder if I could accomplish more and feel more at peace if I became more organized. Now as you can probably tell, “more organized” isn’t that high of an expectation around here. I’ve learned that I will never become an organization maven. My brain isn’t built that way. Checklists and day-at-a-time organizers don’t move me. Instead, anyone who knows me knows how I love stickie notes. I come alive brainstorming projects when I post colorful small stickie notes to gigantic stickie notes adhered to my wall.
This method, while fun and life-giving, has its limitations. I have only so much wall space, I can’t pack my walls in my purse with me when I hit the road, and it can lead to a cluttered feel instead of a clean, clear one.
While I imagine I will always carry on a love affair with stickie notes, today I’ve decided to find some fun online ways to organize myself. I’ve heard wonderful things about Evernote.com. This is a program you can find online and download onto your computer to create notebooks for projects and to-do lists. You can also upload photos from your phone or camera, and Evernote will make any text in them searchable. As well, you can gather links and pdf files in one place. One mom told me she keeps recipes, activity schedules, and her husband’s travel itineraries in Evernote. These items are not only kept on your computer but online, so you can access them from any computer or your mobile phone. Sounds like a mobile brain to me! Today I created a notebook for a new role I’m adopting. I’ve had ideas for this role swirling through my brain, and I just dumped all those ideas into Evernote. Now I can think up even more!
I’m also playing around with Remember the Milk. RTM is basically a monster to-do list. You can create various lists, such as for yourself, each member of your family, any roles you fulfill, your house, and anything else you desire. For each task, you can determine a due date, have the activity repeat on your list if you need, and have RTM send reminders to your phone and/or e-mail address. I signed up for RTM long ago, but haven’t used it much. Today I’ve connected it to my Gmail, Google calendar, and Twitter accounts, and I’m hoping that these interfaces will make using RTM easier which will mean I will use it more.
We shall see how this goes. I must admit I’m susceptible to a “look, shiny!” outlook on life. If something is new, I enjoy trying it out. However, I find it difficult to keep using systems long-term unless they integrate into my life in an easy, and more importantly fun, way. At least if these new online systems don’t work for me, I can return to my beloved stickie notes (or try these online ones!)
What tools do you use to organize your divergent mind? Please let me and the rest of the gifted, divergent world know!
©2010 Lisa Lauffer
June 16th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Hi Lisa
Nice post!! I wish you luck with that… I think I’ll look at some of those on line things as well, however, my fridge (covered in paper and magnets might get jealous!!! I use an email calender that reminds me of stuff I need to do too, although sometimes I get so distracted that if the reminders anoy me enough, I have been known to accidently ‘dismiss’ them.. and then… they don’t get done.. so.. I should probably try to be better about organisation as well.. I guess.. in the meantime… hey.. what an interesting thing just flew by out there.. quick better get my camara!! Oh no!! there goes that distraction thing again…
Not good..
phone reminders are good.. Think maybe the evernote thing could be very useful indeed.. thanks for this post
Strength
Les
June 16th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
As a writer, I use an assortment of journals. Each one is for a different function. One is only prayer requests/answers to prayers. One is only dreams. One is only scripture that leapt out and spoke to me. One is only diary, One is only poetry and prose. What is fun is that these journals take years to fill up, so I can go back and look at dreams from a few years ago, or what was the message the Spirit was speaking to my heart last year. I spend time finding journals that are beautiful and sturdy. They are the archives of my inner workings bound beautifully and each one telling my story in a different way.
June 16th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Ooh, I really like Diane’s idea of a journal for each function! I may try that. Right now, I seem to grab whatever notepad, stickie-note pad, spiral notebook, or odd scrap of paper is handy when I want to write something down, be it a to-do list, someone’s phone number, writing down a message someone left, a Bible verse that spoke to me, a poem or haiku, or whatever!
I’ve tried different get-organized systems for my house, too (I love buying and reading get-organized books and articles, of course), but don’t seem to stick with most of them very long. I get bored with “systems” easily, feeling they cramp my style, whatever that is. Messy? Forgetful? Yet, I hate feeling disorganized! (Just don’t mess with my piles. I have a rough idea what’s in each one.)
June 17th, 2010 at 9:30 am
Diane…thanks for the great ideas! These sound like lovely low-tech ways to keep things straight, and you’ll always have them!
Les & Patty: I can relate to the refrigerator filing system as well as piles, and I really hear you about not allowing organization systems to cramp your style. I, too, have dismissed many a reminder! So I’m holdling loosely to these new ideas I’m trying. A speaker I heard last year discussed right-brained organization, and he encouraged us to allow our organization systems to change and grow with us. He also said to make it play. I need this! We need this! So do our kids.
June 17th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Hi Diane,
I do use Evernote, but I didn’t know it had so many features. I use it to capture websites and online articles that I want to reference later or just find. I will have to check out the other features.
I am also divergent and visual - so notes on anything and piles are just the order of the day. I actually have amazing organizational abilities that I can conjure up when I need to, but daily life is just living in the piles as much as I have tried for many years to organize.
My biggest hope is to have separate piles and notebooks for each writing project so I can at least find everything together - that is getting better.
It is so hard to capture thoughts that go racing by and lists that change several times a day. My organization is to go through all the notes every so often to remember - and occasionally consolidate all notes for a project in one place. I am also like you and will try new things, but they don’t last - only the piles & notes last because they are everywhere I live.
June 17th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Hi, Anne!
Thank you so much for sharing! I think many of us can resonate with what you’re saying–piles and hastily scrawled notes seem to work for us, perhaps because we have so many thoughts whizzing through our brains! Sometimes I have a thought go through so fast that I can’t remember it a minute later and have to go back to whatever sparked that idea.
Most of all, I’m grateful to hear I’m not alone! I think we can often shame ourselves for our piles and our “lack of organization” (at least I do!). After all, we are capable people who could, if we wished to expend the time and energy, be incredibly organized. I hope we can feel free to allow ourselves to use whatever works and jettison the rest.
June 20th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Hello! In terms of getting things done, I am one with my calendar on my phone. Those reminders will help me, and it’s a lot harder to double-book myself. It’s connected to my calendar at work, too, which is really helpful for those morning meetings I might forget about.
Also, there’s a sticky note board in my phone, too! (I have a Palm Pre), which is fabulous. There are other journals in my phone and physically I have, but my phone saves me. I have Evernote, but barely used it. It’s like if there is an extra step to remember to use something, I most of the time won’t use it. It’s like using a post-it note to remind me to write in my journal or use Evernote.
So that’s my two cents! Post-its forever!
d*
July 17th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Please write a follow-up on the evernote.com success. My workspace is chaos, and that’s always been a part of how I function, but with so many things going on, I drop balls all of the time. If evernote.com is working for you, past it along. Traditional organizers never worked for me, and my “clutter” is becoming contagious as my family grows, and I really should get things under control.
I don’t know how much I would be alright if it would sacrifice creativity for focus, but I really do need to contain the chaos to some presentable decorum.