I had planned to get the book I'm drafting right now finished up before NaNoWriMo begins. But we all know how best laid plans go, right?

Damn familial responsibilities and adulting. They tend to show up at the most inconvenient time.

So after waxing poetic to myself about the difference between failing and falling, I decided to cut myself some slack and start fresh. No worrying about the past, because there's no changing it.

I wasn't going to let the day get away from me. Sure...it was already 3pm, but let's ignore that fact. I set my timer and got my daily blog post knocked out. Then it was time to do all the things I'd been stressing about all day.

Between a blast of dry shampoo and putting on real pants, I was scrambling to figure out how the writing was going to happen. I was heading to a place that wasn't very computer friendly. There's always the old "grab a notebook and go" method, but then I'd still have to type it out when I eventually got home. And as a lefty, I didn't want smears all over my hand.

I ran through my office to stare at my computer and think real hard about taking my baby out where there would be tons of kids, and having to hide the middle finger stickers on it. That's when I saw this bad boy propped in the magazine rack I keep him on in my office.

​I bought my AlphaSmart3000 on Ebay a few years back. I'd heard tons of NaNoWriMo folks raving about the device for fast drafting. 

It's low tech writing at it's finest, because it only shows four short lines of text, and there's no notifications, or shiny internet to tempt you away. This bad boy also has the wonderful auto-save feature. So as soon as a keyboard click leaves your fingers, it's captured by the device's onboard memory.

I can only save files by number, not name, and while there is a spell check and a few other features, I only use it to draft, and send the words onto whatever I'm working on. 

It takes three double A batteries that seem to last damn near forever, but of course, since I hadn't picked it up in a long time, I had to change them.

Last night, with only a few minutes to spare, I tucked it under my arm, sent my latest update of my draft to my drive, and took off.

I had the tightest schedule ever to keep, but I knew I'd arrive at the second stop of four fifteen minutes before the event started. I knew I had time.

I got 504 words down in those fifteen minutes, and that is even with people getting up and walking past me in a movie-theater-style seating arrangement. Seriously, folks. Get your shit done before you sit down.

I got home, hours later, and still had to get my words onto my document, but seriously, all that meant was plugging in an old-school USB port and hitting send.

I haven't set up a NaNoWriMo "survival kit" per se, but I do have some of my favorite tools coming into play for the current draft I'm working on, and I'm happy to dig this bad boy out of retirement.

There's something to be said about typing on a mechanical keyboard, and sitting with your words with no formatting and no italics. I find when I'm just thinking about the next sentence, and that's it, that I can write faster than I do on my computer. Because if I don't go fast on my AlphaSmart, I'll forget where I just was and trust me when I say, you don't want to attempt a read-thru on this thing. Using an arrow key to maneuver through a document on a teeny tiny screen is torture.

So I decided to write this blog on it today too. I'm getting ready for Halloween. And there are tons of things to wrap up before the trick-or-treaters start knocking on our door. 

It's time to grab my coffee and start my day. I'm starting it with my blog and morning routine out of the way first.

And my little AlphaSmart is doing its part in keeping me productive. I love this thing.

Do you have any old-school gadgets you love? Maybe it's not even a writing tool. I'd love to hear about it.

~Roxy

Hi. My Name is Roxy, and I'm addicted to the Me And My Big Ideas(MAMBI) Happy Planner line. 

I came late to the planner game. Mainly because some of this shit is expensive as hell. But after getting tempted by bullet journalling, my 80's sticker loving self began to stock up on bits and bobs to add to my journal.

Bullet journalling worked until I hit the end of the book and all my carefully crafted notes were now in different volumes. Sooo...I had to either re-write them or carry multiple planners. 

My journey took me to a few different planner types, but I finally landed in the world of Happy Planner, and fell into the YouTube rabbit hole. Seriously. There are tons of MAMBI planner babes who do flip throughs, plan with me's, and ways to use extra supplies or "frankenplan". One of my favorite planner babes is "AtHomeWithQuita". A video of hers is right below here. She's far more organized than me, but I love her voice and she does thorough flip throughs and uses lots of the MAMBI line.

But Quita's got a bigger budget than your girl, here. So I tend to shop sales, use coupons, and hit up the clearance bins. Doing all of that means I don't always have the latest and greatest, but sometimes I splurge. 

When I saw the new Happy Planner mini lines this year, I was so damn excited because the previous years' minis were horizontal, and that's just not my jam.

THIS year, we have vertical planning in the minis, along with a planner theme that makes me smile. 

First, I ended up grabbing a deluxe cover, because my Joann's had them on ultra clearance. I picked up this hot pink "Hustle" cover for less than $7 after tax. I hug it occasionally. Don't judge me. 

I had a mini notebook that I carried around with daily planning sheets for busy days, but I wanted a full monthly planner with me so I could have my future plans with me on the go. If I wanted to make plans with friends or check into my availability to do an event six months from now, I didn't have an easy way to do that.

I had been using a ring binder, but after using the disc systems for my book bibles and my everyday planner, I was ready to make the switch. 

Then I saw a flip through of a mini with vertical lined planning pages, AND it was covered in girl power inspirational quotes. I stalked my local Joann's daily and snatched that puppy up as soon as it came out.  The fact that it perfectly matched my cover with pink discs...well, it was meant to be.

The cover, and each of the monthly tabs all have inspiring quotes. The decoration is just enough that I don't feel the need to cover it with stickers. And the aesthetic is completely me. Well...for now, anyway.

It's something I can jot notes in and keep details and lists when I'm out of the house. And who doesn't need a planner that gives them all kinds of happy feels?

Just to pull a couple quotes from this little gem...

"Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up." ~Brene Brown

"I love the person I've become, because I fought to become her." 
~ Kaci Diane

There are a ton more, and all of them are next to a handy dandy little spot to put a monthly goal. 

I like the idea of pausing to take stock every month and getting myself prepped to kick ass. 

Unfortunately this little gem doesn't start until January, but because I've become addicted to this line, I have some spare undated inserts, and traded out the last quarter of next year for enough pages to get me through the last quarter of this year.

I get to start using the weekly spreads in just a few days, and I'm stoked.

Yeah, I know. I should be writing. But hey, at least I have the perfect set up to get myself organized now. 

(said every procrastinating perfectionist ever...)

What do you use for your planning system? Do you use paper planners? Are you team vertical or team horizontal? Spiral bound, disc bound, or perfect bound? Or are you straight up digital?

I'd love to hear about it. And if you have any favorite planner channels, make sure to send them my way. I need a good binge.

​~Roxy

After this morning and the hours I spent organizing my bills and apps for the new month a few days ago, I am over technology.

Like...if there was a tradeoff where I wouldn't have to enter a password or answer security questions ever again, but I had to submit to an anal probe once a month, I'd schedule the appointment today.

I now keep 4 pages of my Bullet Journal just for passwords and logins. BECAUSE YOU NEED A LOGIN AND PASSWORD FOR EVERYTHING. I have avoided some websites and store fronts because I don't want to deal with yet another damn password. My brain is too full.

For real, I have tried to come up with a password that meets all the expectations of all websites, but I think it would take a supercomputer to come up with such a beast, and even then, I'd never remember the fucking thing,

I'm going to sound real old here, but there was once a time where you could just have words as you password. You know...that thing that has "WORD" in it? "Password" used to be the most popular password. And I'd wager it wasn't because the people using it were stupid, but because folks like me are just so goddamn over remembering how to login.

I was riding the struggle bus for quite some time with remembering all my passwords, but I did get a bullet journal layout done and was happily able to find the information I needed to get into sites I wanted. 

Until...one day I get a notification. 

To keep your information secure, we recommend you update your password.

Don't let the "recommend" part fool you. They don't give you a choice. *old woman grumble*

Fucking fine. I'll change it. I get out my notebook and whiteout my old password and write in the password I plan to use. After that I turn back to my computer and type in my NEW password. 

But instead of taking me to where I need to go, I get a pop up...

Your password must contain capital letter, numbers, and at least one of the following characters.

I get my whiteout back out and cover up a password that never even got the chance to shine. But I remember I used to have a password that might have met these requirements, and since I'd used it before, I stood a slight chance of remembering it.

So over the second layer of whiteout I write in my new new password. 

Typing this brilliant and not completely obscure password into the box, I tell the computer to update my password.

So I'm done right? Oh, fuck no. Now the box says...

The password cannot be one you've used in the last five years.

I make up something I know I'm never going to remember with out getting out my notebook, but whatever. At this point I'm ready to be done with this task.

​After I disclose my blood type and answer ten security questions including what my hamster's favorite color in second grade was, the damn website decides it's still not good enough.

Now I need to verify the change by entering a code from a text message they'll send me.

A TEXT TO A PHONE NUMBER I NO LONGER HAVE!

Oh, but don't worry. I can change the phone number by entering a different code sent to an email. Which is sent to an also outdated email address. Thank goodness for my four pages of logins and passwords. But...plot twist...when I go to login into my old email...wait for it...

I HAVE TO UPDATE THE PASSWORD TO GET INTO MY EMAIL

So basically, what I'm saying is, I'm ready to sign whatever waiver they want. Give me a fingerprint scanner, give me a retina scanner, fuck...I'll bleed into a computer if it lets me not need passwords.

I gave up on getting my passwords updated for now. I need a break. I'm off to read a book. Maybe I'll read a historical. Something with NO COMPUTERS.

​~Roxy

How did yesterday go? You've now got some time available to get real work done. Or you've started making changes to get that time back. I set up all the reminders I need so far for the school year coming up, and I knew I needed to get that done. It feels awesome having that off my plate. And I changed some of my reminders to tasks to make sure I have the space blocked off. Seeing the sleep time blacked out on google calendar helps me visually realize how much time is gone, and it prevents me from putting too much crap on my To Do lists. 

If your To Do lists are as long as mine, you know it can filter in at the worst possible moment. Especially before you tackle any self-managed task. Every writer I know has some kind of cleaning or organizing chore they tackle the moment they should be doing something else. Edits? Can't. I have to scrub the kitchen floor. Seriously, our houses are never cleaner than when we should be working.

So what we're going to do today is find our productivity space and get it prepared for our awesomeness. 

Where are you the most productive? Where do you work from most often? Do you have an office? Do you work from a nook in a different room in your house? Pick the spot that you either get the most done in, or that other people aren't going to trash in an afternoon. 

If you're a kitchen table worker, there will always be something to clean up before you get started. So your challenge is to carve out a space for yourself in the house that's YOURS. Grab a card table and set it up in the back of an unused closet or in a corner of your bedroom for all I care, but find some space that's yours. Maybe even a comfy chair where you can tuck your feet under you and work on your laptop. But it needs to be a place you can't see other To Do's. Turn it toward a closet where your back is turned to the frequently unmade bed.

If we want to be productive we can't see 8 million different things that belong somewhere else. We'll inevitably feel overwhelmed. And here's the part I'm not looking forward to today. Today we CLEAN OUR WORKSPACE UP. 

Today you're going to take the time you set aside for this 7 day challenge and clean up your work space. No, you can't just wipe down the desk and call it done. What do you find yourself looking for when you work that you can never find? What stalls you from getting your work done?

Are you constantly looking for a certain pen or marker or highlighter among the cup of two hundred you have sitting on your desk? Throw the rest in a pencil case and only keep what you're using on your desk.

Do your headphones constantly run away from you? Put them on a command hook on the wall over your work space.

Do you keep knocking over snacks because there's no room on your desk? Well, buck up buttercup. You're changing that today.

Before you start coming for me for making you clean...let me tell you why you're doing this. If you're covering your space with clutter, when your brain starts to mull something over, it's going to get distracted. "I should really get that bill paid." "I promised I'd have that craft done." "Maybe my cat would like to play with this crumpled up piece of paper. I shouldn't just throw it away."

And for all my research lovers out there, no, you can't watch a tutorial on how to clean your room first. You're grown ass people. Pick up your shit and put it away. And if you don't have anywhere to put it away. Dollar Tree (or the dollar store in your country of choice), sells bins for a buck. Or if you have empty cardboard boxes lying around, cut off the flaps and turn them on their sides for cubby storage until you have the funds and the time to go buy something more permanent. 

For the writers who work best outside their home... Now I know some of you are snickering. "Hee hee. Roxy doesn't know that my work space is at a coffee shop. I'm home free and don't have to do this exercise."

WRONG. And I'm offended that as a former Panera Bread writer you don't think I see you.

If you're most productive time is outside the house, you have a bag you take with you, and I'd bet good money it's in need of re-organizing too. If you have a portable office, your job today is to clean out your bags, files, and anything else that might have you digging for what you need instead of heading out the door. Or figure out what stops you from heading out the door? Is it dishes? Meal prep? Laundry? Brushing the cat? Think about the last time you got out the door later than planned. What stopped you?

Was it a phone call? Set up a "Do Not Disturb" time on your phone to prevent that.
Was it meal prep? Set an alarm today to remind you to get that done with plenty of time to still get out the door.

Write down your roadblocks in today's journal pages and figure out how to work around them or prevent them from happening. 

Today we make our space into the office we want to work in. We're nesting so our muse can come lay us the best story eggs ever hatched. And maybe even throwing out that dead plant we swore we wouldn't kill this time.

I'm turning on a timer and an audio book and getting started. I'll post my before and after pics when I finish. Seriously, thank goodness for my library's audio collection and the Overdrive app!

After you've cleaned up your space, or created one for yourself, get your journal out. Use your freshly scrubbed space and write your three pages about anything you want. Write about all the creative ways you want to hurt me for making you clean, or the harrowing tale of how you almost died from tripping over your pets while you worked. But be aware of your new space while you write. How does it feel to journal in your newly cleaned space?

Tell me how it goes! And yes. You really have to do this. I dare you.

~Roxy

EDIT TO ADD: Below are my before and afters. Not bad to accomplish before my 12 hour EDJ shift. :D

​

Before this year, I didn’t have a dedicated “Office” for my writing. I wrote on various chairs and stairs around my house. I used the kitchen table, coffee table, end table, and even the bathroom sink. Don’t get all high and mighty and act like you never take your phone into the toilet with you. I have emailed myself quite a few necessary ideas while the cat was sticking a paw under the door wondering if I’d died and he’d have to feed himself.
 
I also spent, and still spend, a significant period of time writing outside the house. I purchased a library card for a library outside my own county just so I’d have yet another space to write. A change of scenery and the ability to attend a whole slew of previously unavailable to me events was well worth the $50 price tag.
 
Even with my fancy new office (Hubby still gets brownie points for that!), my favorite place to write and work is my local Panera. Not only do they have free coffee refills, but they have outlets for my laptop, clean bathrooms, and other people doing the same thing as me. Working.
 
Sure…I always seem to end up seated next to a church group discussing a sermon while writing a double penetration menage scene, but since the last time that happened, I got some more visible ear buds, and can block out all the people praying for my soul.
 
I get more done at my local Panera than I do anywhere else. Something about that place gives me a guaranteed two thousand words plus if I’m writing a new draft, or brilliant ideas to fill in plot holes while editing. So I thought I’d share what I travel with when I head into my Panera and get to work. Like writing this blog post. Which I happen to be doing at Panera with a cup of hazelnut coffee in hand.
 
So…
 
What’s in my traveling office?
 

1.  My computer. Obviously, this is technically the only thing I need. It’s something to write on. But, I have also traveled with my Alphasmart, and even just a notebook and pen, if I have been getting bitten by the distraction monster that is social media. 

​Personally, I like having my computer, because if I get an idea or need to reply to an email or review a blurb for a friend, I don’t have to do it on my cell phone.

 2.  A plan. Depending on my level of planner addiction at the moment this can be up to three planners. But however many I bring, I know what I’m working on out of each before I head out. I started making notes on what I want to accomplish when I finally get to my destination. Because let’s be honest, I like my house and not having to put on real pants or makeup.

​If I am putting in the effort to go out and spend my hard earned money, you’d better believe I am going to be productive. Even if my “plan” is a post-it stuck on my computer with a list of top 3 things to accomplish while out, I have a plan. I get more shit done when I know what to get started on once I get to wherever I’m going.

​3. Chargers, and cords, and earbuds, Oh My!

Because the vast majority of the devices I travel with use electricity, I keep a bag of battery packs, cables, and backup earbuds in my purse at all times.

This isn’t fancy. I got the pouch at Goodwill for a buck, and now I never run out of juice. Because all the people in Panera don’t necessarily understand I need access to an outlet, I have the ability to plug in my phone and ensure I can earbud up and listen to some background music no matter how much South Park Phone Destroyer I played that morning.

​4.  My Cell Phone. I know this is kind of a “duh” to have, because no one leaves their house without their cell phone. And if we do happen to forget it, you’d better bet your ass we’re turning around and heading back to retrieve our baby. Specifically, I use my phone for music and a timer. When I’m writing, I sprint in fifteen to thirty minute blocks, so I plug in my earbuds, blast my music and set my timer.


5.  Extras. I don’t need anything aside from the four items above to work in my office, because the vast majority of what I’m working on or toward is digital. But there are occasionally things I add to this list and drag in with me.

My wireless mouse and keyboard help me on heavy writing trips.

My series bible/pink binder of awesome for whatever book I’m putting in brainstorm time with, or scene note cards will go with me if I’m trying to be my new organized self. (New Year, new me and all that shit.)

And if I’m doing a read through of a document I will have my printed manuscript and my Kindle Touch. My kindle reads my book out loud to me while I follow along and make notes in my paper copy. 

​All these extras are "sometimes" items. Which makes my planner and my task list for my traveling office even more important.