A New Year Begins

Colourful Stationery

A New Year begins with a blend of old and new. I decided to actually use some of the scrumptious stationery that I keep saving for a special day, a special project. Why not start the year by making 2010 special, I thought, and broke in my orange leather note and sketchbook with some sketches for fabric designs.

One of my Christmas presents was a new diary from Swedish Ordning & Reda, whose range of funky, colourful stationery make your eyes smile!

For daily use, I like the calligraphy pen and packs of gel ink pens from earth-friendly, minimalist and innovative Muji from Japan.

Origami To-Do Notes

The box of delightful origami paper has been salvaged from my collection of paper treasures and I’m using it for notes and to-do’s. It felt like a bold step, but I wasn’t prepared for just what a huge difference it makes to my days! It’s a simple technique. I write down one thing to do on the back of a piece of origami paper, and when the job’s done the origami paper goes on my notice board, creating a beautiful collage, and a rewarding, visual payoff. It’s so inspiring and tactile to handle and use these gorgeous origami papers daily, and in a casual way.

A Personalised Computer Desktop

Now that my desk has a little stack of purple and orange stationery to keep me inspired and on track, I cleaned up my disastrously messy computer desktop and populated my current projects with Luminous Purple and Orange Folder Icons. Then I weeded out my RSS feed, e-mail subscriptions and bookmarks to a minimum.

Now I feel happy and wildly virtuous, and I think I’ll put-off sorting out my e-mail and have lunch instead!

A box of origami paper.

Origami to-do notes.

Tags: carpe diem, ease, folder icons, getting organized, goals, Japan, motivation, organized, productivity, seize the day, simplicity, stationery, to-do list, workspace

Did you know that your your desktop wallpaper is the most high-profile item on your computer?

What kind of desktop wallpaper would motivate you in your digital environment? What would make you feel good? What would inspire you? In your working day or in your personal time?

Perhaps a picture of a loved one? An image from your latest vacation? A picture that your child or grandchild drew? A photo from your latest get together with your friends? Would a gorgeous picture of Paris remind you of your dream to travel to Paris? A vision board?  Would you feel motivated by a picture that reminds you of your values, goals and dreams?

Pink Orchid photo by Karin Hökby

How about a beautiful picture from nature? A photo of that glorious, pink orchid that you took great pride in when it flowered so abundantly? Or a solid colour that helps you shut out distractions and focus on your work?

A desktop wallpaper or color can bring you a certain mood, like feeling peaceful, focused, energetic, happy, invigorated, analytic or creative. It can bring back memories or remind you of your values, dreams or goals and help you stay motivated. It can have a huge impact on your digital life.

What’s your favourite kind of desktop wallpaper? Do you like to switch often or do you keep the same wallpaper a long time?

Tags: creativity, desktop customization, digital environment, dreams, ease, getting organized, goals, how-to, inspiration, productivity, simplicity, tutorials, workspace