Doodlin'

So, my workplace has recently gone to  electronic documentation. This is more efficient, less time consuming ...... NOT! I am more backed up with paper work than I have ever been.

Handwriting all of my assessments and progress notes was a big pain in the butt - I'll admit that. My tendonitis flare-ups have been not nearly as bad or as frequent since the new system - so there is the positive.


However... with the old system, I was mobile. I had a neat little notebook with every form I needed tucked away in its own little pocket. & there was a pocket for forms completed & to be filed. & there was a pocket for forms in progress. & there was a special pocket for work that was due. And - much of this work - I could do anywhere at any time. If I needed to write the narrative after an intake interview - I could do that while waiting for morning meeting to end. Quarterly notes? No problem. I could write those up in another meeting or during a volunteer led activity.  Something  happen with someone that should be notated in his/her chart? Stiiiicky Note!! I could stop & write one in the hallway - slap it into the proper place in a heartbeat. Done! Up to date! Plenty of time to focus on the important stuff....... the people.

But alas, no more. Now everything is computerized. My computer is in my office. I mean.... there are  a couple of "Computer on Wheels" here & there throughout the building. But it takes an awfully long time to log in and get started on those - much longer than opening a notebook and pulling out the proper form. And.... I really do not think that it would be acceptable to hide behind a C.O.W in morning meetings (After all these meetings are only "15 minutes" out of the day. ...... Not.) or other situations where I could stealthily get my work done in the good ol' neo-luddite days of pen & paper.

So... now what? Stuck in meetings with nothing to do. ARGH.

"Duh.... you could take an interest in what's going on around you."

Of course, snarky voice in my head, I hear what is going on around me. Much.... most of what is said does not really pertain to my workday or my responsibilities. & quite a bit of it is simply personal asides or whispered conversations & stifled giggles.

So, I sit... & sit ... &....... Doodle!!!! Yay.  Yes, I used to doodle often & quite prolifically back in the day when my life felt as if things were going in a creative and spiritual direction. Often my morning time or evening time was spent just doodling or journaling or doodling & journaling. & then colored markers came into play and transformed my squiggles into colorful art that any mother would be proud to hang on her fridge:)-

So, they say that people who doodle during meetings retain ... like 29% more information than people who don't. That's what they say. I don't really remember if I remember more or not. I do know that I usually leave feeling more calm and less postal &/or suicidal than when I am just sitting.  It is easier to step into the chaotic beat of the day & rise above.  & doodling is really just enjoyable to me.

So, because I am a weirdo, I've started saving my doodles. The pages that fit I staple into my journal and color from time to time. The small ones I sometimes cut out and put in an envelope. Maybe one day they will become some kind of collage or something. & the big-guns I sometimes take a picture of.

Why? Dunno. 'Cuz  I has a smart phone & it can do that?

At any rate  - this one I dropped into Piknik, a pretty cool photo editing site that unfortunately is closing in April. So, check out that site now if you are interested.

 & here it is:

Yes. It looks like a box of Crayolas had the flu. But, I feel much better. 

And to all moms out there - yes you are welcome to hang this on your fridge. 

And you're welcome.