Get in the flow

For me, springtime is a whirlwind. Between work projects, events and deadlines; my son’s school events, yearbook duty; an annual conference and presentation; practices, sports and games,  and just life in general…once February begins, all I can think about is June…when it’s all done.

I know I shouldn’t race through time,

but, honestly, those few months are a blur anyway!

Since I work in education, I have been on the academic calendar my entire life. There is a certain flow to my year that coincides with the school calendar; and which also means that summertime is my time.  I still have to work, but the pace is slower, more relaxed, more manageable.  No big events, no major deadlines, no big heaps o stress.

So, with summer comes my chance to exhale and put back together all that came undone or just didn’t get done during the spring whirlwind. I can think again. I can focus. I can plan. I can organize.  Sigh….

But this usually means, I get a little over ambitious, trying to do everything I put off during the spring months while I was up to my ears in all things busy. So, I make lists. I love lists. To make sure that I have plenty of time to eat popsicles on the porch with  my kiddo.

Did I mention that I love making lists? I have used the old standard pen + paper lists, I have used the bulleted list in Word, of course using the little check box as my bullet.  Naturally. I  know you do the same!  I have dowloaded apps and used those too.  But, not too long ago, I came across a list makers delight.  A web-based list making, list crossing off, list sharing site. Yes, I said sharing.  I almost missed this find; it was barely mentioned in a comment on a blog post that I read while thinking of what my comment should be.  Thank goodness!

The website is called…are you ready for this? Even the name is just cool. WorkFlowy.  Yep, you heard me correctly, WorkFlowy.  And oh, is it flowy.  It’s gonna change your list making madness.

I’ll give you a couple of screen shots to show off the goodness of WorkFlowy, but first, a few teasers:

• You can create more than one account – I have one personal and one for work.
• When you make a list, every single item can be a task and you know what you do once you are done with that task, right?
• You cross it out!
• Workflowy lets you do that!
• And, once you complete a task or parts of a task, you can hide the completed items! Poof. Wha-La…gone {but still there!}
• Everything on your list is searchable!
• You can share your lists. {Read: Honey Do}
• Or, you can collaborate – you can turn any portion of your notes, tasks, lists into a page that OTHERS can view or edit! They see your updates, and you can see theirs in real time
• Tagging – we all love tagging. Worflowy does too!  Tag an item or groups of items and then search for them later.  Just use the hashtag symbol and any keyword you like.   {i.e. #vacationpackinglist, #superimportant; #blogideas; #yougettheidea}
• You can view your list on any computer you use just by logging in
• You can view/edit/manage your list on your smart phone; iPhone and/or Android. No app required…just go to Worflowy via your mobile browser and save as a bookmark on home screen.  Have list. Will travel.
• Oh, and did I mention, it’s free?!  {there is a pro level you can pay for, but totally don’t have to, more on that later}

So, what does it look like? How do you use it? Let’s take a little tour, shall we?  Here is your log-in screen at Workflowy.com

When you start making a list, keep in mind that you can break down your task/project to any number of steps. This is great for crossing things off your list, and it keeps things real. Everything always takes longer than we think and it’s easy to overlook the little steps that are important too.  And that super-human feeling that comes over you when you cross stuff off? Well the more you break it down, the more you get to cross off that list!  Beautiful!  I should sell capes in my Etsy shop, cuz you’re probably gonna want one.  Have to put that on the list

Then, using my yearbook duties as an example, let’s add a  project:

Then, let’s add the tasks that I have to complete to get this project done, using the after school program and class collage pages as two primary tasks as part of this project {you could have as many tasks as you want/need}.

{Has spell check, too, }

Here’s a little more of the action

{ I don’t know why it says last changed in Janary – just pretend to ignore that, ok? Thanks! }

To share a list, or part of a list, it’s easy.  Using the menu that appears when you hover over an item, click on the link to share, and you get the option to let others just view, or view and edit the list.  Just send them the secret link to your list!

The last couple of  features I will show you is how you can select one portion of your list to focus on, and tagging.  Then, you are just going to have to go in and make your own list. Like that will be hard. You probably already have a list going in your head, huh?  I thought so.

Using the ‘Organize Photos” section of my list, I just click on that line of text, and it will bring it up on a page by itself, with the breadcrumb trail so you don’t lose track of where you are.

Then, you work with just that section of your list. This is especially valuable if like me, you are managing several different projects at the same time and want to just focus in on one area on a given day.  

You can use all the functions of complete, note, share, etc in this view. 

Use the # to tag projects by category, when they need to be done or any other way you categorize, organize. etc.

Use the @ to keep track of who is handling each part of a project.  I envision @honey on a lot of your lists!

The possibilities are endless. Make a list for projects, aspects of your biz, blog ideas, client lists/action required; a list for your kid(s); travel plans, books to read, films to watch; track progress on a project; outline a novel, the list goes on!

You can use Workflowy all for FREE, but if you are a ninja list maker of extreme proportions, or if your job requires it, you can go pro for $4.99/mo or $49/yr and get all this too:

1. Unlimited Lists
   Pro users can make as many lists and items as they want. Non-pro users are limited to 500 per month.
2. Backup to Dropbox
   Never worry about losing your WorkFlowy data. Have full backups automatically uploaded to your Dropbox account every day.
3. Offline Editing
   (Coming soon) Want to use WorkFlowy when you’re not online? Go Pro!
4. Password Protected Collaboration
   (Coming soon) Pro users can share parts of their WorkFlowy document to specific people, verified by email address and password.
5. Theme and Fonts
   Pro users get to change the look and feel of WorkFlowy with a library of themes and fonts. Make your WorkFlowy more personal.
6. Premium Support
   We answer emails from Pro members first.

So, what are you waiting for? Go out and make some  lists.

PS…I am just a regular, everyday, average user of WorkFlowy…I don’t have the paid version {yet!} and just wanted to share this great tool with you – no affiliation or any connection with WorkFlowy.

{ now, go get in the flow! Oh, and leave me a comment letting me know what you think, and what your first list will be! }

Living in a Tangerine Dream

Treasury Thursday :: Living in a Tangerine Dream

Usually this time of year I am craving the sun.  This time last year, I was on the verge of googling the cost of sun lamps and took photos of the sun whenever it did make a fleeting appearance.  While not good in the grand eco scheme of things, I am loving this unseasonably sunny and dry winter; and have hardly needed my winter coat!  I  feel I am living in a tangerine dream.  In homage to the sun, shining or hidden, today’s Treasury Thursday is all about the tangerine, bright, delicious and good for you!

Did you know…

• Tangerines are packed full of vitamin C and fiber.
• One tangerine can provide about 37 percent of vitamin C needed for the whole day.
• Most of the tangerines produced in the United States come from Florida and California.
• Tangerines originated in China

Here is a recipe for sunshine in a jar, or  Tangerine Marmalade.  Cook up a batch to have a bit of sunshine on hand for the next gloomy day.  And consider adding a little sunshine in your kitchen or workspace to help you get organized!

Take a minute to enjoy the bright shiny items listed below, or view in Etsy and share a little sunshine on these creative folks!  Leave a comment and give me a Treasury Challenge for next week: a word, a color, a concept, a phrase. I will pick one and feature it next week! Until next time…I’m going to go eat a tangerine.

Circus Carnival Photograph -… CarlChristense… $20.00	Tangerine “Creative Min… AmandaCatherin… $15.00	Orange Dots Circles 5×5 art … redtilestudio $28.00
Quilted Pouch – Orange and A… njayedesigns $22.00	free shipping – CLOCK circle… ArtmaStudio $55.00	Autumn Leaves in Fall, Tree … Raceytay $25.00
Orange Floral Decorative Pil… PopOColor $45.00	LINOCUT PRINT – ORANGE Radio… thebigharumph $22.00	Camera Strap- Orange Vintage SassyStrap $29.50
KNOTS cotton jersey scarf ne… EcoShag $28.00	Autumn soy candle with crack… Luminology $44.00	SALE Orange Carnelian Tumble… nodeform $115.00
SALE — Buy 2 Get One FREE -… printmakerjenn $20.00	Tangerine Seed Beaded Bracel… FortyfourOrang… $28.00	Vintage Tangerine Orange Gla… heathernn1 $32.00
Oh so tweet Vintage Tangerin… sarahemilydesi… $38.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Would you like to know how to create your own Etsy Treasury – click here to learn how!

Write me a letter

I found this paper and I was immediately drawn to it – the color, the texture, but mostly for the nostalgic sense of old, hand written letters it evoked.  I could easily begin to imagine an attic full of old love letters from during war times, pencil-written love notes between high school sweethearts, notes from my mother from days gone by and all the way up to the handwritten thank you notes I have my son write for birthday gifts. It’s a chore he begrudges, but I am relentless in making him finish each one – not only for the obvious reason of teaching him the importance of a simple thank you, but for the exercise in writing.

With the type, text and tablets of today, we are hard pressed to sit down to write a handwritten letter very often these days.  Most of the holiday cards we received this year were fully imprinted – no handwritten notes. I didn’t even send any this year [Yet! There is still hope for a New Year's card, or the one I think about every year - a Groundhogs Day card!] so I can’t really get after anyone, but still I realize that something is lost when we take the pen away from the paper.

Write me a letter

I am as guilty as the next person; I am to the point where my brain thinks better at the keyboard – I can see the words spilling out, my own thoughts really, more clearly than I can if I pick up a pen to write.  Yet, I am still amazed by what shows in a person’s handwriting.  My mother had a very distinct, sharp style to her writing, so much so that she was self-conscious about it. She would often ask me to write things for her; saying how nice my handwriting was.  Years later, now that she is gone, it is almost like being with her when I come across something she wrote: a recipe or more likely one of the countless notes she wrote to me over the years. She was a fantastic note and letter writer, and I think her handwriting is beautiful.

Not too long ago, I received a handwritten note from a friend with whom I had only exchanged email or text.   We  saw each other in person often, but never an occasion for something written.  I had an immediate reaction to seeing his handwriting; it was almost like seeing an actor play a character from a book I had read, or meeting someone in person that I have only interacted with by phone.  I felt that in seeing his handwritten words, I felt even more connected and, that perhaps, I knew him a little bit more.

As the new year approaches, I have the opportunity to write a very personal, very difficult letter to a very important person.  This is a letter that will take so much thought, consideration and care.  I have drafts of it floating around in my mind;  but I need to tie all those virtual scraps together into a caring, sensitive and compelling letter. I may have only chance to write to this person, and I really want to get it right.  My comfort zone is to type it, so I can back up, reword, go back, edit, fix, change; whatever it takes to make it perfect.  But I won’t. I want this person to know me, even if just a little bit. And what if my handwriting tells her a little bit about me, something that I can’t convey in words?  And, what if my handwriting looks just like hers?  This letter will be handwritten, without question.

So as the new year is upon us, think of someone you would like to write a letter to; find a nice pen, a note card and get going.  You will be glad you took the time, and more importantly, so will the person who is lucky enough to receive your letter.  And as you write, think about what your handwriting says about you…Leave a comment and let me know!

May your new year be merry & bright

There’s a place for everyone…

I’ve always known I was the creative type; it just manifested itself in different ways along the years, I realize now, looking back.  Crayons. Wax paper. Markers. Paper [when I was 7 I thought I would grow up and be a 'book-maker'].  Stickers and stamps. Jewelry. Photographs. Flyers. Websites.  Even so, I always envied, and still do, those who could paint, draw, sculpt – what I viewed as ‘real art’. I differentiated my ‘art’ because it didn’t fit into the narrow definition of art that I allowed for myself.  Over time, I slowly came to see that creativity, and art, can take many forms and that there is room for all of it.  There is a place for all of us.

What would your bubble have in it?

It is amazing to watch how others express themselves through their art and creativity.  As I begin this new adventure with opening a shop on Etsy.com, I am thrilled to see the myriad expressions; there are styles, items, mediums, materials I have never seen or heard of before. It’s inspiring to me,  to see all these spaces that other creatives have carved out for themselves.  I dig that others value what they do and bring it to the marketplace.

There are creatives among us, and sometimes we never know it. I made something recently and posted some photos of it on Facebook. Many of my friends know that the creative vein runs deep in me, but I found it surprising when a dear friend commented on my post, “Didn’t know you were so talented….what a beautiful idea!“  I realized then that not everyone can see this in us.  I know that for me, sometimes expressing myself with words is sometimes difficult,  but when I create something, you can be assured I have just shown myself to you.   I was happy that through that post and photos she came to know me a little bit better.

As I was thinking about this earlier this morning, I realized that we often mis-read people, or cannot see them fully. Sometimes this results from their shyness, or insecurities perhaps. It could also stem from our own blinders, busy lives, or, our own insecurities.  A fun image came to my mind while pondering this. I got this scene in my mind of a busy city sidewalk, where each person walking by has a bubble above their person, and in their bubble is their signature creative expression – so that as they pass by, we see them fully, we know who they are and what they have to offer.

On Etsy.com there are over one million item listings in the section called ART.  There are at least 30 other categories, each with thousands of listings. You might not like it all, but I guarantee you will find something you love.  There really is a place for everyone.

I will leave you with this quote, and visit the Etsy shop theinksociety to see the creative behind it :

‘the earth without art is just eh”