When we’re trying to get our brains focused on our writing goals, some writers miss a very important step–getting their physical space organized as well.

It’s next to impossible to be productive as a writer if our writing space is cluttered and messy or if we aren’t sure what we’ve got planned for the day. And it’s difficult to treat your writing as a business if you’re drowning in papers and post-its scribbled with deadlines.

When you’ve just got a few submissions or queries out, are in the early planning stages of a book project, or don’t have a lot of assignments, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’ll be able to keep track of it all in your head. But all too soon we find our brains–already working overtime to keep track of doctor’s appointments, after-school activities, playgroups, the sitter’s phone number–overflowing with information, and vital pieces start to leak out. That source’s name or editor’s email address that used to come right to mind is lost in a sea of data, and we’ve got to track it down all over again, wasting precious time. Or even worse, a deadline gets blown or our work isn’t as quality as it could have been if we’d been more prepared.

Maybe you’ll want to take advantage of a virtual calendar on your computer. Outlook, which comes built-in to many software packages, offers pop-up reminders of appointments and deadlines. You can keep it even more simple–a spreadsheet using a program like Microsoft Excel can keep track of queries, assignments, submissions, deadlines, and payment information. If you’re technophobic, creating a system on the computer might seem overwhelming or just impractical. That’s OK–keeping track of all this information on paper can work well too. The point is that you find something that works for you. It’s useless to set up an elaborate system on the computer or PDA if you won’t remember to go back and update it when something changes.

I have found that I don’t keep computer calendars as updated as I should–though I use the computer every day, something about the act of putting pen to paper helps me cement deadlines in my head and retain information more effectively. At the same time, trying to keep track of all my queries and deadlines on paper was too confusing. So I use a mix of simple and slightly more sophisticated: a special notebook for jotting down story ideas and keeping track of my to-do list, and Excel files for tracking queries and assignments. I keep the format the same from spreadsheet to spreadsheet, so when a query becomes an assignment I simply cut and paste the record into the "assignment" spreadsheet and add a deadline at the end. And when I’ve been paid for the assignment, I move it into another spreadsheet that tracks my income for the year. This helps me to see at a glance whether I’m on track financially and also reminds me not to shirk the important task of paying quarterly taxes!

If your e-mail account mixes business and pleasure, you may find yourself wading through a pile of forwarded jokes and recipes from your Aunt Sue while you’re looking for an important e-mail from an editor. Separate folders for assignments, submissions, source contacts and personal e-mail can help you from missing something important. You can set up a filter to automatically direct your mail into the appropriate folder, depending on who it’s from, a word in the subject line or other criteria.

What are some ways you keep yourself organized? What tools do you use for tracking research, keeping your e-mail in check or remembering all your deadlines and family commitments? Come on over to the boards and let us know!

Have a happy, productive and organized week!
–Meagan