If you’re anything like me, your inbox in your favorite email program is disorganized and full. I use MS Outlook for email, and I fully intend to keep it organized and manageable. But for some reason, I have over 1000 unread messages, and who knows how many read messages. It’s a complete mess! I also forget to respond to people occasionally, making a mental note to get back to them after I’ve given their message more thought. Somehow I forget to give it more thought, I guess.

I really do care about my email messages. I check email a couple times each day. And I even use the folders system to some extent. Because messages are removed from the server after deletion, I have a folder that I call “keep” so I won’t lose important things. At the same time, there are folders for bills (I forget to open that one a lot), and I keep those indefinitely also.

My plan of action is to only “touch” an email once. When it comes into my sight, I have to read it and either do the required action, file the message in an appropriate folder, or delete it. That’s the plan. I’ve had this plan for a long time, though.

What’s your email situation? Are you really organized? Do you keep all of your messages in your main inbox, or do you move them to folders? I really wish that Outlook allowed me to highlight messages (instead of just flagging them). Maybe if I could highlight a message just like I can highlight a row in Excel, I might actually take action on things that I want to take a quick glance at and save for later.

So if you’ve sent me an email and I haven’t responded, please don’t think I’m ignoring it on purpose. I probably just filed it away or it got lost in the inbox ocean.

Please share with us how you keep your email organized and efficient.

Photo – Michaela Kobyakov

If you’ve been reading Crayon Writer for a while, you probably know that it’s not super-easy for me to stick to one plan of action for long. I like variety, though I do like to work on short projects for hours on end.

But one thing that never seems to change for me is the need to have pretty scenery around me. I need to work in a room with a view.

This came up recently because I considered moving to a new apartment. I like mine, but I could use more space so my daughter can have her own playroom, or so I can have a separate office (or both). My apartment complex has amazingly large floor plans, and I was all set to move on up to a larger place.

But I realized that though bigger, the other available apartments don’t have the view I currently enjoy. When I look out my window I see greenery and parts of the beautiful desert. I get wonderful animal visitors too. I’ve seen Gambel’s Quail and their babies, rabbits, different lizard species, hummingbirds, all kinds of birds (I’m a bird watcher), and a gopher snake once. I’ve even seen a bobcat with her cubs/kittens walk across my porch.

Occasionally a neighborhood kid uses my “backyard” for a passageway, but overall I find the beauty to be calming. Sure, a bigger place has its advantages, but if I have to stare at a brick wall or a sidewalk or a parking lot all day, I doubt that my mood would be as serene.

What about you? Do you prefer a certain background for your life?

Being a freelance writer, I love my laptop dearly. It’s like a second child. I can take it almost anywhere, even though I did opt for a pretty heavy laptop. I wanted a 17-inch screen and a keyboard complete with a numeric keypad. I also have a thing for playing computer games and running multiple applications.

With all that power comes heat, and I burned through one laptop (thank goodness it was still under warranty).

Lesson learned. I now own a cooling pad for the laptop, one of my essential can’t-live-without-it laptop accessories.

Cooling pads come in several types. Some have one or more moving fans that serve to suck the heat away from the computer. This is the kind I have. Other fan systems blow air onto the laptop. Fan-based cooling pads generally use USB cords, from the laptop, for their power source.

Other kinds of cooling pads are passive. They use chemicals that turn to gel when heated, which moves the heat to the pad and away from the laptop. Other passive pads are angled so that natural airflow is maximized.

Whatever kind of cooling pad you get, make sure you get one. It extends the life of your laptop and saves precious information. While I did get a replacement laptop, I lost all my files and documents.

Another really important accessory is a laptop sleeve. Obviously, this isn’t essential if you keep your laptop solely at home, but if you take it anywhere, your laptop needs some protection.

You can always get a regular laptop case, which has some type of handle for carrying. A laptop sleeve, however, is valuable because you can omit the (usually) bulky case. Sleeves have padding, but they aren’t suitable if you think you’re going to drop your laptop a lot (is that in anyone’s plans?)

A snug-fitting sleeve adds little weight to your laptop, so you can carry it in a regular bag with other things. Or you may just want to carry it in your arms while still getting some protection from scratches or light drops.

I haven’t gotten a sleeve yet, but that’s because I’m happy with just carrying a case. I’m not lugging around books for school, and I have to have a shoulder strap to keep my hands free.

What are your must-have laptop accessories? Which ones can you do without?

I read a lot of articles online, especially as a Twitter user, and it’s really interesting to learn so much. I even get most of my news online, I chat with my friends online, and more. I feel like the character in “The Net.”

But I am really getting tired of reading everything on-screen. I have multiple windows open so I can get back to an article later, I have tons of bookmarked pages (that I’ll probably never read), and it’s just too much.

I know that we’re supposedly headed toward a paperless world, but I sure do miss reading with actual paper in my hand. Pages to flip through. Ideas I can highlight with a pen. Eventual scrap paper for random thoughts that pop into my head.

It’s not feasible to print everything though. The sheer number of interesting things to read makes it impossible. But I sure do miss it.

Do you read mostly online or do you print things? What’s your system?

Do you write for a living, or spend a lot of time writing? For some, writing can be a way to relax and unwind. Others may write because their boss pays them to do so, and still others make money and relax at the same time.

Like other routine tasks, having a ritual can be helpful (or even essential). I like to turn on my saved music list (formerly Imeem, now MySpace Music). It’s not random music like the radio, so I can get into a groove and block out outside distractions. I do find myself singing along, but because I know the songs so well, it doesn’t require any mental energy.

What about you? Do you have favorite songs or a favorite radio station, or does music distract you too much? Maybe you have a special chair or perfect time of day. I also usually have a cup of chai tea before I write…it seems to calm my mind and get it ready to focus.

Maybe your ritual is more eccentric. Do you hop on one foot three times and spin in a circle before you settle down to the task at hand? This cool article from the National Writing Project discusses a few interesting things some writers do before they start writing.

What are your writing rituals?

Last year I bought a new (used) car, and though it’s a 2007, I’m beginning to think about what my next car should be. Having a child takes up quite a bit of space, especially if you intend to keep them in a carseat for a long time (like I do). On top of that, I realize I may have another child one day, so I have to think not only about safety but space. Using an online review site is definitely helpful for comparing cars.

Being somewhat frugal, one of my choices is the Toyota Yaris. I almost bought this small sedan a couple of years ago, but it seemed a bit on the small side. The Car Connection website rates it a 6 out of 10. The Hyundai Sonata is a nice-sized car that will soon offer a hybrid option (for the environmentally-conscious folks out there). It rates a 7.8 out of 10, and is similar to the Mercury Milan in style (and also has a hybrid option).

Finally, when I make a bit more money, I’ve always considered a luxury car, like the Lexus RX 350. Having a child, I like that it’s sort of like an SUV but not quite as large or clunky. I’m also not the neatest car person in the world, so I would need plenty of room for lots of “stuff.”

What types of vehicles are you considering? Will you use review sites or hit the pavement and visit lots of showrooms instead?

Are you the kind of person who’s always coming up with great ideas? The next “big thing”? I certainly do, and I really do have some off-the-chart, awesome ideas. But what good are they if I never do anything with them?

I got to thinking about this because of this really cool blog plug-in called Post Ideas. Whenever I think of a nice blog post to write, I add it to my Post Ideas. The probelm is, I never get around to actually writing these posts.

So here’s the first of the post ideas that have been sitting around collecting dust. My library of ideas is full, and I have no excuse to keep you wondering when I’ll next write a post.

Also along the lines of big ideas, feel free to contact me if you need an idea for something. I have a million of them. Just the other day I thought of a really sweet music video. If you’re a friend of the Black-Eyed Peas or any other group of singers/rappers, let me know. It’s a hit (I don’t have music or lyrics, just the concept for a video). I don’t mind sharing my brilliance if I wasn’t planning on using it myself anyway.

Do you have a storehouse of ideas? What are your plans for them?

This is my new mantra. I need to just do it already. Whatever “it” is, I need to get over myself and just do it.

But getting yourself out of the way is easier said than done. Procrastination is much easier than taking action.

As an exercise in procrastinating, I decided to do some research about my affliction. Do you procrastinate too? Well spend some of that extra time reading through these insightful articles. Enjoy!

50 Strategies for Making Yourself Work

Five Reasons Why We Procrastinate and Five Strategies to Put Off Putting it Off

Good and Bad Procrastination

Beating Procrastination

Procrastination: Ten Things to Know

I just finished my first semester in my teaching certification program, and I got the chance to teach a group of sixth graders the joys of prepositional phrases. What was interesting is that, though sixth graders have learned basic grammar in early elementary, they really don’t “get” it. I literally had to go back to nouns, verbs, and adjectives before I could really discuss prepositional phrases with them.

The first day I tried to teach them, I made the mistake of using a lecture-based method. Despite what I’d learned in my textbooks about effective teaching methods, it was all too easy to fall back on how I was taught most recently (at the college level). Needless to say, the kids didn’t understand most of what I tried to teach them.

The second (and final) day, I wised up. I spent a couple of minutes modeling a few prepositional phrases. For instance, “under the bridge” or “between the pages”. Then I had groups of kids work on making their own phrases to eventually share with the class.

Next, I showed the class how to build sentences around their phrases, and I let them work together again to create their masterpieces.

A little more difficult, I asked them to identify whether their prepositional phrase was acting as an adjective or an adverb.

Finally, I tried to get them to a very difficult level. Similar to the game LinguiSHTIK, I wrote a few nouns on the board and had students use them as objects in prepositional phrases. From there, they had to create sentences using the newly formed phrases, but they had to use the phrase a certain way (I told them whether to use the phrase as an adjective or an adverb).

Even though the last task was tough, it helped wrap things up for those kids who were getting it, and it helped others realize they still had work to do.

I love prepositional phrases, and I have a new-found respect for how hard it is to teach the intricacies and complexities of grammar. If I get around to it, I will definitely try to form an Academic Games league out here in Tucson.

Today I took my daughter to storytime at a local library, and we finally got her a library card of her own. Now I have to find the time and energy to fit in some more quality unschooling activities. Luckily, at her age all we really need to do is spend time together, and I can just introduce life to her as it happens.

She’s not “behind” academically either…she knows her letters, numbers, colors, shapes, some words, and some phonics, and some basic math. And with a biologist for a mother, she knows quite a bit about science and nature.

The rest of the day we’ll probably do some pretending, and I might even break out the Chutes and Ladders or Candyland. And if we ever get around to straightening up the house, she can help me fold clothes and vacuum.

As for me, when she’s finally in bed I’ll drag out my school book and start working on some assignments (due on Sunday).

What do you do for your unschooling preschool days?