Okay, I know that organizing supplies don’t exactly scream “romance” at first glance, but as a blogger and really busy mom, I can tell you that I would be thrilled with something that allows me to manage all of my contacts, networks, and so on. I’m really disorganized as it is, and it’s been a goal of mine for a while to write everything down someplace so I can refer to it as needed without digging through a thousand emails.
Plus, having my entire life stored on the computer just seems like a bad idea. What if gmail suddenly vanishes? At the rate Google is taking away other things (GFC, anyone?), it’s always a possibility. What if my computer crashes? What if an EMP pulse knocks out all electronics and wipes the internet clean? Well, if that last scenario happens, I guess it won’t matter if I lose all my contacts, because we’d all be pretty much up the proverbial creek anyway. But you get my point. It makes sense to start keeping information off line, and I figure if I’m going to do it, I should at least do it with something pretty!
I am in love with my new pink Arc organizer from Staples. I received it for review just last week, so I haven’t gotten to the important part of putting all my info into it. However, I have started the process by popping in the little black dividers and giving them categories. It comes with a set of five sturdy plastic dividers and little labels, plus a packet of smaller pages that you can use for notes or anything else.
At first, I couldn’t figure out how to move the pages around. Yeah, I’m a little slow on the uptake. I was looking for some way to open the loops in the binding and take them out, a la binder style. Then I realized that all the pages and dividers had open ends, so you just pull them out, then push them back in where you need them. The beauty of the Arc is that it is totally customizable. Where other planners are often broken down into preset categories, half of which I don’t really need, this one is a total blank slate. I decide which categories I need and how many pages each category gets. Since I’m using mine mostly for blogging, this is important, because my categories are a little different than those of someone who works in, say, accounting. Plus, it’s just plain pretty! If pink isn’t your thing, the Arc is available in other colors as well, including basic black. So this Valentine’s Day, give yourself or your significant other the gift of organization along with those roses or chocolates!
