Sunday, August 15, 2010

To-Do Lists and Inspiration Management 101

Recipe-Note To Self
I think this note-to-self was to remind me to type these recipes into my electronic recipe file?


Are you like me? Do you scribble down notes to yourself about things you need to do? Or about inspirations you get? Do you save magazine articles, paint swatches and sketches?

Garden Ideas
This was one of my garden layouts. I always draw things up before I dig!

I have stacks of papers, pictures and items that contain important (to me, anyway) ideas about projects I want to accomplish, design ideas, gardening lessons learned... stacks of information that I don't want to toss because I haven't acted on them yet, or because they inspire me!

Library Inspirations
Great ideas for my library that I read in my back issues of Victorian Homes


Bookshelf Thoughts
I like to really plot things out before I do them!

The years have piled up along with the stacks of papers, magazines, brochures, and other reminders of great inspirations. They are (sort of) organized into categories. I have them in labeled boxes and file cabinets.

File Cabinet Storage
Some of my brilliant ideas are kept in this antique file cabinet!

But whenever I want to access some of my thousands of ideas, I have to search through hundreds of other things before I ever find what I'm looking for. And then I'm distracted by other bits of information I come across, and often forget what I was searching for in the first place!

Closet Organization 2
I really am organized with my "things," just not with my "ideas"

I need some kind of system. Something I can access through the computer. Then I can throw away all my paperwork. After all, that is what "going paperless" is all about, right?

Storage Room Organization
See? I know right where I keep my wedding dress, in case I never need it again!

I need to scan in all my old drawings and photo references. Then I need to transcribe all my cryptic notes to myself.

Storage Room Organization 2
It's getting to be too much information to store the old-fashioned way!

Finally, I need to make all this information searchable. I will have to keyword everything so that I can find it all with the click of my mouse.

Places To Go

Victorian Room Inspiration

Kitchen wall ideas? Here it is. My ideas for next year's garden? No problem.

Color Inspirations

I will need a program that does it all! Does anyone have any suggestions? I've used Filemaker and Portfolio in the past. They are programs that seem to handle both photo and copy content, and are searchable. Are there any programs that are newer and easier to use?

Design Inspiration

Cool Architectural Details

Back Stairwell Paint Colors

Also, I don't want to ever lose my ability to access this data. If I toss out all my old paperwork, it's gone for good. With the way programs come and go these days, and with system upgrades unsupported by some programs, I'm afraid that down the line, all my information may be lost and unaccessible.

Victorian Homes Magazine Collection

Magazine Organization
It would be SO SWEET to create a searchable file for all the articles and pictures
I use as reference in my 25-year collection of Victorian Homes magazines!

It would be wonderful to be so organized! I love organization, and I really do have so many other things organized and easily accessible. I would love to have all my ideas organized as well!

Let me know how you handle this kind of organization, what works for you, and what doesn't. I would love to hear your ideas!

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6 Comments:

Blogger La Petite Gallery said...

I read this post and I am still laughing. I too save paint swatches, they are in the kit. drawers I clean once a year. The
landscape stuff is in a garden book and falls out every time I move it. My boxes of fabrics are over flowing. Flower seeds I forgot to plant in wrong box. LOL
Enjoyed this, yvonne
mouse is on the fritz #$*&^%#@

August 16, 2010 at 6:50 AM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Yvonne-

I'm glad I'm not alone with all my disorder! :-)

-Pam

August 16, 2010 at 12:03 PM  
Blogger victorian parlor II said...

Pam,

Thank you so much for visiting my new blog! I really have missed everybody:).

I have the same problem-lots of notes, pictures, and drawings-scattered about. I look forward to reading the responses from others as I need some help with this too!

Blessings,

Kim

August 22, 2010 at 11:14 AM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Kim-

I bet you have a lot less now that you moved! Moving always lets one see how much "stuff" they really don't need anymore.

I'm a pack rat. If I find a great solution for this dilemma, I'll let you know! :-)

-Pam

August 22, 2010 at 1:32 PM  
Blogger The Rustic Victorian said...

You win for organization...goodness I keep a pile of notes by the computer and go through them once they stack too high..sometimes I just put the trash can near the edge and swoop it all away, not careing at all for any of it, and never missing a thing. Files are my only real organization. I think you are doing great with your organizing.
Don't move.
LOL
Marcie

September 8, 2010 at 6:04 AM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Marcie-

I'm in this house for life, but it's very small, so I really do need tight organization to keep things from piling up! I'm glad you think I'm organized... makes me feel a bit better! :-)

-Pam

September 8, 2010 at 7:08 AM  

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