Where does writing come from? For me, it's a late night, an agenda of ideas, and a place to sit. It could be in a coffee shop, it could be at a kitchen table, but these are usually the conditions in which I create my blog posts.

Clutter is creative. I need a healthy dose of disorganization in order to organize the thoughts in my head. Sometimes, I lean towards the simplicity of just my agenda, my book, and my iPad, but they are usually accompanied by a cup, a phone, and a multitude of other objects. If I was dealing with just a blank slate, a blank page, or a blank canvas, I would have no idea where to start. I use these other objects of mine to pull the ideas from my head to my fingers.

I do love organization also, mainly in my agenda. My Passion Planner is very simplistic in the sense that I write down my events and goals with a lead pencil and not much else. I rely on calendars and on my phone to tell me what I need to do at any given time.

I also love lists. Lists are one of my favorite pastimes because I love to check off what I accomplish throughout the day. One of the most satisfying feelings is writing a check in that check box.

Even with the planning and the lists and the organization, I know ultimately that my inspiration comes from making the sense of the clutter in my daily life. Whether or not the clutter is literal or figurative, there are so many things swirling around in my brain all of the time. I create in spite of the clutter. I create because I have the clutter. I create to understand the clutter.

How do you work through the clutter in your life? Here are some tips that I use:

1. Make a list of goals to accomplish throughout the day. Once the goals are on paper, it is much easier to formulate specific plans for them (and have the opportunity to check them off).

2. Find someone who will talk through the randomness with you. Other people are great sounding boards for ideas, and they might even contribute something new and exciting.

3. Learn to love the messiness. Everyone has things in their life that they want to change and want to improve, so embrace it.

Always remember to keep creating, no matter what gets in your way.

Lucky Strike of the Day: A few of the girls on my trip went to high tea today at Casa Angelina, and it was a great time of cake, tea, and conversation.