Teachers have a reputation for being super tidy, hyper organized, Type A people. While some are, many of us are not. My own organizational strategy has always tended towards, “It looks like a paper-eating monster barfed on your desk.”
In 2020, when I was no longer in a physical classroom with my students and everything had to be done virtually, I learned that I am much more organized in cyber space than I am in physical space. Even when my digital organization gets a little messy, my computer has control + f… my desk and notebooks do not.
In addition to my physical space being less cluttered, I also felt cognitively calmer when I was no longer rifling through piles of crap to find the one document I needed. Not to mention the hours of my life I saved by not having to hunt for a functioning photocopier.
So, I switched my teaching, writing, and business to be 99% paperless.
Obviously, it has come with some drawbacks. There are students who would focus better with a piece of paper rather than a screen. There are times when I’d be less distracted and my eyes better rested if I took a break from my screen. Also, there are times when I need a pencil in my hand in order to think. Typing doesn’t always cut it.
My workaround for this has been the reMarkable tablet – which I love. It’s basically like a kindle that you can write on. So, whenever I feel the need to handwrite, I use my reMarkable and I still get all the benefits of digital organization.
This month’s bonus content is about how I organize my writing files. This is a process that (mostly) works for me. It’s based partly on trial and error, and partly on ideas I got from other writers. Some of you might find it helpful. Others of you may just find it an interesting exploration of my psyche. Either way, I hope you enjoy the tour!
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