Taking Inventory: A First Step to Successfully Reaching Your Goals

The month of January is synonymous with new beginnings, resolutions and goal setting.  While I believe that you should set goals whenever it is right for you, I appreciate the turning of the calendar and every year I am reminded that well-intentioned resolutions are nothing without a good inventory.

Flashback to a younger me at any point in January in the early 2000s:

My nails are unpolished and chipped.  My hands are marked by ink, paper cuts and a chalky dryness that defies the promises of every major brand of handcream.  I live on ladders, quote the codes of SKUs like Deep Blue, and have learned how to stack and sort every known shape of stockroom packaging as though embroiled in a real life game of Tetris.  Scheduled hours are a myth.  Being exhausted is a constant.  Unlike my usual self, I hold a grudge against every inquisitive customer and sales associate who interrupt me from my task.  It is the most disruptive time of year in Retail—it is Inventory.  

Sometimes, I believe that everything I need to know about life has an answer in having worked in retail at the start of my career.  Despite the fact that I believed I was going to graduate from college and go on (as planned) to rewarding work in the non-profit world, I was incredibly fortunate to be serendipitously rerouted into a management position with a luxury stationery company who I worked with for eight years. 

Following the retail calendar is hard habit to break.  This is why, almost a decade later, I still begin thinking about Christmas in August, go into what I call “elf mode” in the late fall, and why January evokes in me the overwhelming desire to do inventory.

Inventory, or “taking stock,” is about awareness, the foundation for both goal setting and achieving results.  It is about taking a moment to determine what you have, where you are, what you’ve achieved—and then understanding how that works to get you to where you want to go next.  I find that not only does it help me to work more successfully towards a goal (purging all sweets and unhealthy snacks from the kitchen) but also lets me take a step back and truly see what has accumulated (How many volunteer commitments do I belong to? How many social media accounts platforms do I check? How much time is that really taking up?)  Taking inventory helps you ask questions which can support goals or help you to clearly define the areas where goal setting or resolutions are most needed.

Like all good things worth doing, inventory is a process.  It is a roll-up-your-sleeves-kind of job, inviting you to dig in, suspend judgement and be curious.  It allows you to clear out the old, account for what you have, and usher in room for the new.  It can be a traditional inventory (how many of X do I have?) or a look at where you are through what has been accomplished or accumulated (reviewing your marketing efforts throughout the year).

Taking inventory allows you to see the big picture

The logical/analytic side of my brain loves that inventory, on a tangible level is about answering a very clear set of questions: 

1. What do I have right now?
2. (Only if you are evaluating) What did I start with?
3. What do I want to do next and what does that require?

Most importantly, once you do inventory you need to ask:

     

      4.  Do I have what I need to reach my goal?

(A bonus: your subconscious mind loves all the activities of inventory which allow it to wonder and ponder and problem solve while you are working away.)

The trick that I have learned in January is to just dive in.  To do inventory.  Reserve judgment, be aware of but not engaged with judgmental or negative thoughts, and—if needed—pretend like you’ve been hired to do it.     

Like creativity, taking inventory is a process which requires curiosity, dedication and destruction. Through this grounded act, you often discover (or rediscover) purpose and clarity.

Are there areas in your life, work or environment that you want or need to take inventory?

Wondering where to begin?  Think about where you instinctively feel compelled to start.  Frustration can be a great indicator of what to jump into first.

Inventory may end with final counts and reconciliation, but for me, the end point is when open shelves are stocked with new shipment—which in Retail translates to sales—which is the means of reaching the goals of the year ahead.   

Share Your Thoughts

Inventory is about creating awareness and space for success.  

What are your January/New Year or fresh start rituals?  What do you do to set yourself up to achieve a goal? 

Creativity Exercise "Five Lives": Let Your Imagination Do Some Trick-or-Treating

This Halloween, don’t only dress up in a costume, let your imagination dress up in some imaginary lives and see what they say to you.

This morning, I walked into the kitchen, where overnight the blood splattered blade of a guillotine magically appeared. Skulls hung in dirty nets above the sink. In my largest Cuisinart pot was a boiling concoction filled with bones that smelled as bad as it looked.

It is two days before Halloween.

Every year in our household, the last weeks of October gather into a maelstrom of dark and gory creativity as my boyfriend preps his props for the (terrifying) haunted house that he runs at a local country club. With the apartment looking like Jack Skellington’s workshop, and class prep on my mind, I was inspired to take a different angle and think about the lighter-side of Halloween today. Not the traditional meaning of the holiday, but the actual traditions—such as dressing up in costume.

This put me in mind of one of the activities from Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way that she calls Imaginary Lives (and I call Five Lives for ease of remembering).

It is a simple activity, not to be over-thought, where you list what you’d be if you had five other lives to lead. I suspect that this is actually an activity that everyone indulges in to a certain amount everyday in their imagination, which is why it becomes very powerful to put pen to paper and see what lives are officially calling to you.

My list today includes:
1. Secret Agent
2. Sea Captain (circa 1880)
3. Stationery & Gift Shop Owner
4. Best Selling Author (paperback “trashy” romances)
5. Yoga Teacher

This exercise has two very important elements to it that relate to creativity and inspiration. The first is that through seeing what lifestyles or careers are sparking your imagination, you can dig a little deeper and see what themes each of the lives has that make it so attractive. (This digging is important, because frankly as much as I like the idea of being a circa 1880 Sea Captain, it would: a.) be impossible due to restrictions in time travel. And b.) I like hot showers.)

Through a light “digging” into each of my five lives, I discover:
1. Secret Agent = Mystery + Adventure + Action
2. Sea Captain (c. 1880) = Adventure + Exploration + New Horizons + Travel + Courage
3. Shop Owner = Independence + Creativity + Merchandising + My Own Space + Action + Community + Sharing Happiness
4. Best Selling Author (Romances) = Writing + Creativity + Sharing Happiness + Fun + Research
5. Yoga Teacher = Healthy Body + Energy + Sharing Happiness

As you can see from my list, there are some themes such as Adventure and Sharing Happiness. These are two things that I can then brainstorm (or mind map) on how to incorporate into my real life, rather than it just be an impulse that manifests itself in my imagination.

Which brings me to the second valuable inspiration element of the Five Lives activity: action and incorporation.

There are two directions you can take the results of the activity once it is on paper. You can take the idea of the lives at face value, and use a creative medium to explore that life. For instance, I could write a one page sketch of my inner Sea Captain (that could lead to an awesome character for a longer story). Or, I could plan a trip down to tour the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor. Or, I could watch Master and Commander: Far Side of the World.

If I explore this from the themes that being a c. 1880 Sea Captain represents in my imagination, I can think about ways that I can add some adventure to my life. Maybe I begin to think about planning a trip, or learning something new in order to appease the desire for new horizons or adventure.

There are many, many ways to leverage this simple activity. Use it as a way to enrich your everyday life, which in turn, nourishes your creative self.

This Halloween, don’t only dress up in a costume, let your imagination dress up in some imaginary lives and see what they say to you.

Inspired? I'd love to hear about your imaginary lives! Share here on The Paper Compass.

Follow Up to Four Blank Books

My brother, song writer and historian-in-training at UVA sent me this picture and the following note, that was too good not to share as a follow up to the last post:

"I'm going to become a student of Paper Compass. Although I've already failed the last post because I have a different notebooking system: one which is a quasi-personal journal in which I track my academic progress, the other is a raw song/poetry notebook, and then I have an intense archiving system for all my school notes. Nonetheless, I know when to admit I need help. See attached photo. I was looking for some song lyrics that I wrote in 2007, and still haven't found them. Feel free to use this as an example of what happens when you don't properly organize creative thought."

PS. E, there is no chance of "failing". It is all about creation and customization. And by its very nature, creativity--the act of creating--means it is always a work in progress.

Four Blank Books for All Seasons

I am a firm believer in all things cyclical. Like the seasons, my desk and work area have a tendency to mimic the progression of nature’s wild abandon through the seasons. Come spring, new projects are usually in the works. By summer, the file folders are full. And by the end of autumn, papers have piled up like so many stacks of leaves, along with notes, ideas, sketches on scraps of paper, articles and images to be housed and projects started only to become TBR (To Be Resumed) after the holidays.

So winter finds me in a desperate frame of mind for a clean slate, a neat desk and all things tucked away like the severity of a frozen landscape. My tendencies for organizing and mission towards a personal inventory (another thing ingrained in me from my eight years of retail) are slightly held in check by the amount of time I have to dig into them, but even if I have to work small (like drawers and file folders) the sense of well-being is immense. (I will confess to mind mapping the areas I am going to organize in the winter, which does prevent this from becoming a daunting and unrealistic task as I am too “creatively minded” to be a neatnik.)

Like the possibilities of the blank page, a fresh work area is like a launch pad for projects—especially ideas in progress. Part of my customized system of organizing includes four very important blank books where I store all the ideas, images and scrap-paper notes of inspired brilliance (which sometimes make no sense several months later and go in the recycling bin). It is a system I have had going for a few years, and it comes in very handy. Especially since, once the blank books are filled, I put them in the bookcase and can reference them later, when hunting for inspiration.

Here are the four all-important books: one is an image-based sketch and idea book, where I keep everything from drawings, to images that intrigue me to gift ideas and recipes (I cannot tell you how handy this is during the holidays). The next is a notebook for everyday plans, ideas, and raw thoughts. There is also my journal (in which I also put photos and mementoes) and the last is a notebook I reserve for any and all things that have to do with writing stories. The last notebook, by the end of the year, usually has become fat and lazy with plot twists and character sketches that get stuffed into it when I have to sacrifice my time for writing creatively. (If you are not a writer, I would still recommend this for any pursuit, whether it be painting, decorating, cooking, or even business ideas.)

If I was to recommend any of the above books as a must-have or a “start with this,” I would go for the imaged-based sketch book. You will never need to keep magazine around for longer than a month. Plus, over-time, it becomes a lush visual journey that tells its own interesting story and/or is usually good for some idea inspired lateral thinking and random connections.

For me though, just getting the desk clean and all the ideas sorted into their respective notebooks (with all the glue stick and tape that involves) gives me a sense of tying up loose ends. For the unfinished projects, or ideas that still make sense, it gives me an important overview of what projects I have to return to working on—usually when I have no excuses and more time (which sounds like a good topic for next time.)

Further Inspiration
I highly recommend having some sort of blank book in which to store images or things that make your mind light up. If you would like to use this as a creativity tool rather than an idea system, I suggest using it as Sarah Ban Breathnach does in her year-long meditation book, Simple Abundance. As part of the self discovery process, she calls it an Illustrated Discovery Journal and uses it to give insight into things that you may not recognize as points of inspiration, but will reveal themselves throughout themes emerging in the images.

Looking Forward: Using Mind Mapping for Goal & Intention Setting

January is named for the Roman god Janus, who looks both backward and forward. After the whirl-wind of the fall semester and the holidays, January can seem stark with its quiet, weather-driven days. I like to use the weekends in January to catch up with myself and look forward—not making predictions, or resolutions, but set goals. What is it that I want to accomplish this year? What ideas do I want to invest in? I like to take time on a Sunday afternoon at the beginning of the month to mind map not only the year ahead, but also take stock of what I have accomplished in the year that has passed.

I put on some music that lends itself to becoming forgotten and immerse myself in drawing, sketching, and connecting words. I recommend a fresh sketch book/idea book to begin the year, but all you truly need is a fresh sheet of paper (usually the bigger the better, especially if you like to spread out).

When looking ahead, I have two approaches. Sometimes, I focus on the entire year, and more often than not, I focus on the seasons, creating four separate mind maps. Personally, thinking about the year in seasonal quarters is deeply ingrained in me from years of retail, but also makes the year ahead seem less overwhelming. There is a place for everything in moderate detail within each of the seasons.

From the core image, I set out branches that cover the key areas of my life, such as: Friends & Family, Home, Career, Finance, Learning & Travel, Body & Mind, Reading & Writing, and Relaxing. This is a fairly customized list, and I encourage you to do the same for your own exercise.

Mind mapping is a great tool to explore ideas in a non-linear format. It is ¼ list, ¼ notes, ¼ connections and ¼ map. There is no right or wrong way to create a mind map. I often start one and then refine it if it gets really messy. The point of the exercise is to look holistically at the year ahead and set about creating space for you to explore the time and place to either bring to fruition creative ideas that have been percolating (like the short story that you have outlined but never officially begun) or schedule time to learn a new language or finally take that French cooking class at the culinary institute. It is also great for planning ahead for birthdays and holidays.

Once you’ve begun experimenting, you can adjust your mind maps to be as big-picture or as micro-detailed as you would like. Often, when I have multiple projects going on, I create a monthly mind map to document the key points that I would like to take action on that month.

Ultimately, mind mapping the year ahead creates intention. I’ve found that things I noted in my mind maps, even if I was unclear how it was going to happen, do come about—in some way, shape or form. Sometimes things happen in a way that I had not envisioned, and when I go back and look at my mind map, it never ceases to amaze me what ideas (and wishes) have come to fruition.

Happy New Year & Happy Mind Mapping!

Resources: I was introduced to the concept of Mind Mapping as used for setting goals in Michael Gelb’s marvelous mind-expanding book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. I then learned more about using mind mapping as a tool for monthly planning , or even a daily performance evaluationsl, in Tony Buzan’s book Mind Mapping. If you are more of a list maker, or want a quick life-area evaluation tool, I recommend Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way, The Life Pie exercise or Barbara Sher’s yearly planning map in Wishcraft.

Paper Trail

Sometimes it can take a while for an idea to move from conception to being something tangible. The blog that you are now reading was an idea just like that. It has hovered around, like a hummingbird drinking nectar, gathering, darting, but not landing anywhere. Until now.

Sometimes ideas come and go. Other times they decide to stick around. It has been my intention to begin The Paper Compass for over a year. The only challenge was that I didn’t know what it was. It had unlimited possibility and was everything from a small business, to nothing but a name inspired by an image in an altered book that my sister had created. Now, I am letting it off the page and out into the world. It is a working blog that shares both my own experiments in creativity, and connects them to the quintessential role that paper plays in my life. Hopefully it will also inspire you to join me in the journey.

The Paper Compass is about using paper to motivate your creativity, make better connections, and build memorable relationships. It is about taking the magic that happens in your head and using your hand to put it down in ink (or graphite)—imperfections and all.

For me, the point where pen and paper meet is the point of intention. Sometimes ideas hover, and sometimes they don’t. Stock piling them is good for a number of reasons, but for where we begin today, the act of putting them on paper creates a paper trail. Just like a paper trail can lead to solving a mystery, so can documenting your ideas.

I hope that you will enjoy reading my posts and that the ideas will inspire your own creative thinking. My intention is to post in the first and second halves of the month, sharing exercises I am exploring, how I am keeping my mind flexible, and over-coming challenge areas (like putting ideas into action, which, unfortunately, happens sometimes).

Please join me in sharing your own experiences and creative thinking tools in this space, creating a community dedicated to discovering ideas and opportunity everywhere.