Mondays on the Menu Board

Here's one of my biggest secrets: in most aspects of my life, I am uber organized. You know, like, co-worker-who-creates-the-seemingly-unnecessary-but-"oh-hey-this-is-actually-really-helpful"-tabbed-binder-for-the-first-client-meeting kind of organized. It's undoubtedly annoying to some folks, especially on top of my clear penchant for neat-freakiness. But the thing is, I ultimately do it because I am uber forgetful.

Now, I don't mean major-investments-made-in-belated-birthday-cards forgetful. I mean more like an everyday level of "forgot to let the chicken thaw" or "left my water bottle at the gym" absentmindedness. In turn, I live and die by Google alerts, notes left to myself on the desk, color-coded email labels, and lists crafted within smartphone apps. Mostly, these reminders are ways for me to manage stress; if I deal with making sure they're queued up on my calendar/to-do list/phone, I don't have to worry that I am going to forget them. Because I am a master of worry, and that factor, coupled with extreme forgetfulness, can be slightly exhausting.

This idea of reminders also works for me in the big picture. I have certain places I keep inspirational words--emails, notes from friends, quotes, passages from books--that remind me, when needed, to touch base with how I want to live my life. I keep these because, even though that's not something I ever forget, there are still times of worry or doubt or fear that simply require a little refresher.

One of the places I keep reminders is on the wooden menu board in my kitchen. I found it about a decade ago in the sale section in the back of a Pottery Barn catalog. (You know, back when we all shopped nonstop at Pottery Barn and got its catalogs in the mail every two and half days.) It came complete with a giant canvas bag of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. It was a completely unreasonable purchase, but I loved the idea of letting it act like a piece of art that could be changed up periodically.

Today, it is the largest, most slightly obnoxious Note to Self in my entire home. I use it to remind, entertain, and/or motivate myself. (The above photo, for example, was taken while I was deciding whether or not to go freelance last summer.) I've been snapping pics of others along the way, and they're inspiring (or at least smile-inducing) enough that I thought I'd start sharing them here with you. So, every Monday, pending the health of my camera, I'll post a new one for you to get our collective week going. I'll just make sure to set a calendar alert ahead of time so I don't forget. Sound like a deal?