The Authentic Eccentric

Jen posted a book challenge - pictures of our bookshelves. Since I like to amuse her, I’ve complied.

This is a shot of one the bookcase in my downstairs office:

This is a shot of the bookshelf in my upstairs office:

While she was telling me about the challenge, I mentioned that my bookshelves would amuse people because they’re quite compartmentalized. Different spaces, different books, basically. I promised her a lengthier post on my organizational methods since they increase my efficiency.

I read, a lot. It is a big value for my clients, since I can make all kinds of obscure connections. It’s of big value to me, as well - I love to learn and teaching others is a major source of satisfaction for me. I like to be happy, time goes by more quickly that way.

Anyway - to make it work, I compartmentalize. I use one of the office spaces for general research, and another for my personal development work. The books likewise gravitate towards those spaces. This allows me to work in and around an area briefly without scrambling for things, which saves time and frustration.

I also categorize all of my bookmarks. I make extensive use of both Firefox and del.icio.us to stay on top of material for both myself and clients. Major areas of interest have their own folder with bookmarks inside to whatever site I found useful at the time. Each client has their own folder with relevant links as well, which saves time since all of a client’s reference sites are located in one convenient spot.

Do you have organizational tips and tricks you’d like to share with others? Send me an email or leave me a comment - I’d love to hear it.