Getting Organized for 2016

one of my favorite prints inspires me every day

Hi, everyone! I'm Kristina Knight, and although I have blogged here a time or two before, I'm really excited to be here as a regular! I'll be here on the 23rd of each month, talking about writing and books I've read and whatever else pops into my head. What's on my mind today?

Office space.

Since we moved into the new house (6 years ago, but I remember the boxes like it was yesterday), my office space has been a giant layout desk from my father-in-law's newspaper. It was over six feet long which gave me a ton of room to spread my mess my writing out, figure out plotting or characterization points and edit. The only problem was that desk was in our living room so any time people would come over I would have to shove everything into drawers or boxes...and things never came back the same. Add to that an inquisitive toddler-now-elementary student and you can imagine all the writing time I spent...well, not writing.

My goal for 2016 has been organization. I have a new planner (the Happy Planner from MAMBI), I needed a space that was just for my writing, not my writing and dinner parties and game nights and homework. RadioMan's office has been located in our extra bedroom since the move, but he's now working mostly outside the home, so I suggested a switch. And he bought it, bwahaha.

So the day after Christmas, we decided to start the move by just packing up some extra 'stuff' we both

had around our desks...and eight hours later his office was in mine and mine was in his. Yeah, we don't do things in small steps around here.

One of my favorite features on my new office is my new desk. Actually his old desk. I'd had plans to build a standing desk/craft table, and had we actually planned out the big switch I might have, but so far I'm liking this desk. It's a corner desk with a top shelf. It's got plenty of room for my folders and story notes...but when I want to craft (I love sewing/quilting), it's a simple thing to move everything to one side and quilt on the other.

my filing 'cabinet' is made of upside-down picture easels

My other creation is my new filing system. I don't know about you, but if I actually put things in a filing cabinet, I forget about them. And five years later find a dusty file and think - oh, yeah, that would have been a great project! So, I nixed the filing cabinet option for my business stuff (files on my WIPs, future story ideas, revision notes from my editors, etc) and created an 'open' filing system on the side of my big bookcase.

Added bonus: the files are now part of my decor and I love it! I just hung three small picture easels upside down so that the files would fit inside them. Very crisp and clean, and yet still a bit girlie and fun.

Inside the bookcase I have all my tools - a salted caramel candle, my Big Bang Theory LEGO set, various office supplies, and my 'ego' shelves - framed covers of all my books.

My office isn't perfect, but it is mine, and already I am noticing a difference in how I approach every writing day.

What about you? What organizational things are you doing this year?