New Year, New Datebook - Getting Organized

It's a wonderful time of the year! Time to browse for a planner for the new year!

Yep, I am one of those people who still carry a paper & pen day planner. One reason? Because I can't carry miscellaneous items and an emergency $10 in my phone.  Other reason - I like writing stuff down. I rarely take notes on my phone, only when there's nothing else around. For notes to myself, to-do lists, jotting down phone numbers or things I want to check out later, quotes, notes from an event - I like to keep it all on paper, in one convenient, portable, always accessible place.

There are some folks who would settle on one planner and get the same one every year, rather than launch an annual search for a new and different book. One day, perhaps, I will be that person. For now, I'm switching planners again.

This year, I'm ordering my planner from FallinDesign.  It's a South Korean company that I came across when looking for the datebook I had a couple years ago, the LiveWork Agenda, but that company seems to have gone out of business or maybe changed their name, not sure. With the numerous array of journals and datebooks, you might assume that despite all the electronic and digital gadgetry that comes from South Korea, paper & pen is still very popular.  The options are great and the prices are reasonable, though admittedly, you may take a hit on shipping and timing for delivery.

In the past, I've had these planners:
ARC Disc-planner, from Staples.  I like this planner for its flexibility, but I realized that at year's end, I like all my pages to be bound and easy to flip back through, if necessary. I noticed a lot of people have this in a larger, notebook size and I may consider this system for full-page notes.

LiveWork Agenda - This is the agenda I had previously, and found again at FallinDesign. It's book bound, approximately 5"x7", i.e. fits in my purse, and is pink (important feature.) I like the open page design, which lets me customize to my use - there's space to write appointments, but also to-do lists and dinner plans.

PassionPlanner - If you need a planner that helps you set goals and all the steps to get there, or you like products with a story, go with the PassionPlanner. The pages are laid out to encourage you to think about where you want to go and how you are going to get there. You can order the journal in whole or download the pages for free (yeah, I don't know how they make money on that!)  I don't have the whole planner, but I like the monthly pages for my posted-on-the-wall, always visual planner - partly because it prints on two pages so its big and easy to see.

GoogleCalendar - is my electronic back-up, primarily because of the automated alerts via email and/or texts. This has saved me many of times. If only my paper & pen day planner could do this! It's also useful for my family to be able to look up dates and input their activities. Another nice feature is being able to print out the calendar, with custom-selected dates, so I can leave it with my husband, children and/or babysitter to keep them on track without me.

I've collected a few other day planners and journals that I like on a Pinterest page, as well, in case I need some more options.

For me, the new year is like the first day of school. I'll sit down with my new planner, pen, pencil, couple cute stickers, and put in all my appointments and reminders. And of course, a cup of coffee.  Happy planning!

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Currently... Exhausted by my Calendar

If I was rich and famous, I think I could be hospitalized with a press release saying I was suffering from exhaustion.  And people would check on me and I'd be given some time to rest.  Instead, I'm a regular mom of 4 and this is my regular state of being. Pass the coffee and the water, because according to my primary care expert, WebMD, I may also be dehydrated.

Why, oh, why would I be tired?  Here's a few ideas. Maybe some look familiar.

I've put stuff on our summer calendar.  My mind is already boggled looking at the grid of sports schedules, possible championship/next level events if kid/team qualifies, pre-college activities (still grappling with that), conventions.... all during the restful summer.

I'm looking at the end-of-school calendar. Exams, concerts, award ceremonies, summer registrations. Oh, and graduation! My oldest/first niece is graduating from high school!  We're so proud of the beautiful, talented young lady she has become and wishing her the most success as she ventures off! But - how did we get to this point? It seems like not too long ago that I went to her pre-school graduation. Her next big step is the first domino of a succession to fall, with my other nieces and nephew and own children in line, one after another. So understand, this isn't just my niece graduating and moving on with her new adult-ish life - this is all the blood-related children in my life leaving me.

I'm thinking about getting back to a real exercise plan. You know how bad it is when the thought of exercising makes you tired? Yeah. That's bad.

There's still a stack of to-do's on my desk and in my email box.  Even with the strategy of ignore it long enough and it will be too late to do it anyway, there's still a bunch of stuff to do. The trick, of course, is figuring out what must be done and what would be nice to do if there was time, because a lot of us get bogged down with getting it all done, even the stuff we don't even care about or someone else put on our list.  The list needs to be triaged to: must do, want to do, don't care to do.

Whew. I think I need a nap.

How do you carve out vacation and fun and relaxation on your calendar?

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Currently... Getting Back to the Regularly Scheduled Program

We had a good (almost) two week break from the family bus route around the county to kid activities and meetings. We’ve slept in, stayed in our pajamas way too late to be socially acceptable, and confused breakfast and lunch.  I had a list of “when I’ve got some time projects” – clean out my closet, put away all the miscellaneous stuff around the house, read the entire stack of to-read books on my desk, catch up on Scandal, hang up some pictures, organize the rest of the pictures and catch up on a couple scrapbooks.  Yeah, none of that got done.  But I did host a laughing-good-time Christmas for family and friends, visit with friends that I haven’t seen in a long time, get beat in ping-pong, show off my dance steps with Just Dance, share a bucket of popcorn with my hubby, and have good luck rice cakes with my parents for New Year’s Day.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program.

Filling in my calendar. I set-up my 2015 planner, as I explained in this previous post about my ARC disc-planner. Now, I’m actually writing in those meetings and doctor’s appointments. I’ve also created a sheet of stickers with the recurring items – basketball games, swim meets, PTA and sorority meetings. I used a basic sheet of Avery address labels, found some simple clipart and ta-da!  I can go back and write the details for the sports activities, most of my meetings are same day/same time things, I just need the reminder.

Finishing up leftovers. I didn’t realize that I actually cooked so much during the holiday. I plan to have eaten what’s left by mid-week.  Then I’m starting on all the food in the freezer.

Getting back in the gym. One word: baking.  Will get back to my marathon a month and once I convince myself that it’s not that cold, I’ll get back in the pool (this, despite throwing my kid in the pool several times a week.)  This isn’t like a new year’s resolution gym goal – those overarching, over-reaching goals (workout 3 hours every day) don’t usually stick. I just want to get back to the routine I had before I let everything else take over and push my fitness way down the priority list.

 

Swim-bike-run-collapse: Finishing a triathlon in Annapolis

Enjoying the emptiness of the house. But kinda missing the company, too.

Putting on another pot of coffee to make it through the day.

Welcome to 2015 – make it great!

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Planning for 2015 w ARC Disc-Planner by Staples

Keep track of my schedule, as well as my four kids’ with notes on my husband’s significant travel out of town.  Doctor’s appointments, dentist and orthodontist, school, sports, PTA, sorority meetings, birthdays and the random things-to-do and grocery list and notes from various meetings or things that come up.  I need a planner that will keep track of all of that.

Each year, my husband encourages me to go digital. Which – I will admit – I have tried and am starting to like.  I was using Cozi which worked well for my needs – as far as scheduling, anyway, but didn’t sync with the hubby.  So I’m using Google calendar. I like that I can have repeating events, color-code different categories (family, organizations, etc.) and the coolest part that my paper planner can’t do – the reminders that buzz directly on my phone and pop up in the middle of my computer screen to remind me of scheduled appointments and tasks.  Nice. But… still not the same as having that paper planner in my purse to jot down notes or write that calendar item without fumbling with my phone.

At least my annual search for the perfect planner is getting shorter and simpler since I’ve narrowed down my preferences. I’ve determined I like a particular page style – weekly, dated, no printed times.  I like that 5"x7"-ish size for the space.  I’m flexible with the placement of Saturday and Sunday, but generally find that they are placed together, that’s okay.  And I need some blank spaces to write stuff down. Not just grocery lists and to-do lists, but notes I might refer back to.  When I go to programs or church, I take notes. When I’m working on a project, I take notes.  I’ve even jotted down book or blog post ideas while sitting around.  I need somewhere handy to write all this down.

Last year, I found the Arc Customizable System by Staples. I’d been considering it, then I got a coupon for a free one, so I figured, sure why not?  The system is flexible and I liked that.  You choose your cover, the pages, and the discs that hold it all together.  I was concerned that the discs would either fall off or get caught on other things in my purse, or that it would all be too bulky.  Neither happened.  The discs are solidly connected.  Now, it is a bit thicker than the one I had in the previous year (a Moleskin style book), but the page size was the same.  I carry a big purse or tote all the time, so it wasn't to cumbersome and fit well.  It was a good choice - I’m sticking with it for 2015 with a few upgrades.

Refill pages

Dated pages for 2015. One year, I tried to save a few dollars and went with un-dated pages. What a pain. Just another thing to do in an already busy life. Then I messed up one of the dates and was off-track for the rest of the month.  I now always go with dated pages.

Project Planner refill pages. In addition to the regular, lined blank pages I previously used, I liked these for the blank section on the left side to highlight particular action items. Reminds me of the note pages I used in college.

There’s more specialty refills out there, either available from ARC, Martha Stewart (who has a similar system), or online printables – grocery lists, menu planners, to-do lists, exercise trackers. But I’ve found that having all these different pages, doesn’t really help me stay more organized.  I’m sure for some real Type A people, it does, but I do just as well having blank pages that I can use for whatever I want.

One thing I have discovered - its easy to add your own pages to this planner. I have various pages I need to keep on hand - kids' sports schedules, school calendar, organization contact list. I can easily attach these pages in - hole-punch the page, then neatly snip from the edge of the paper to the hole. Perfect fit!  If you like printables for your binder and have a lot of pages, there is also a hole-puncher made for this system.

Pink disks. This is how the whole binder stays together; I switched from black to pink.  And these are a little bit bigger, too, to accommodate more pages.

Sticky tabs.  These are from the ARC system and connect to the disks, so they’re always handy. I use them to mark particular pages and write notes that I don’t want to miss.  And they’re handy not just for the binder, I use them in other notebooks, too.

Clear pockets. These came from my scrapbooking stash. I put in two – one to hold my business cards, one for stamps and random little things like that. I may add another to the back inside for receipts.

Embellishments. More from the scrapbook stash. The plain green cover was getting a bit boring.  Maybe I’ll add a little more later, but this will get me going into 2015.

And I’m done.  I’m ready for 2015!

Are you using a disc-planner system? What upgrades have you added?

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Currently... Happy about December

December - it's my favorite month of the year (though summer is my favorite season.)  It's the annual deadline for all projects.  Time to start thinking of new goals.  Time to take an honest look at yourself.  Time for reflection of who you are and who you want to be as you improve.  And it's time for cookies and hot chocolate and celebration and festivities.  And it's Christmas! What else can you want in a month?

So I'm currently...

Setting up my new calendar date book.  It's my annual search, but I think I'm going with the same that I had last year, a customizable, add your own cover and pages option, M by Staples.  It worked for me. There was enough space in each date box for my variable schedule (I don't like the ones with the time printed already) and to scribble notes. There are blank pages (removable) for notes and lists.  I think I'm going to stick a clear pocket (from my scrapbook supply stash) on the inside cover for the cards, stamps, and receipts I collect between the pages.  This may be a record for having a datebook before Dec. 31.

Thinking about Christmas cards. Not that I've bought any, made any, or selected the requisite family photo.  Just thinking it would've been nice to have put them in the mail today.

Flipping through cookie cookbooks.  We have an annual cookie exchange and, although we host, I still get anxious about what we're going to share as our contribution.  Chocolate chip is off limits because another family always brings those (yummy!)  And we have to make enough for everyone to take some home so they can't be too complicated.  It's a lot of thought, so I need to start thinking, baking, and having the family vote on our favorite.

Thinking about decorations. I love Christmas decorations. The lights, the sparkles, the rich reds and earthy greens and royal purples, shimmery silver and gold.  Fluttery angels, shiny gift wrap. Snow covered everything.  The tall, pine-y smelling, decorated trees.  And if I had the budget, I would hire someone to come and beautifully decorate my house for the holidays, or at least, come and take it all down (I am the slackermomof4, after all.)  I will get my decorations up (hint: cookie exchange party is always a good motivator), but it may be Valentine's Day by the time they're all packed away.

Shopping for new poinsettias. I have a friend who has kept poinsettias year round. Inspired, I intended to do the same (despite my notorious black thumb.) I researched poinsettia care, moved them to a more temperate part of my house, rotated them through the house depending on the sunlight, watered them, pruned falling leaves.  And though a bit scraggly, my poinsettia lasted until... October. Then it died! What? What plant lasts 10 months and then just dries up and dies two months before it's grand showing? Ugh.  So, now, I need a new poinsettia. And might as well get a new Christmas cactus while I'm at it.


What are your December preparations?

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Found Time - Days & Hours #Productive

My calendar is absolutely blank for the next three days. Nothing scribbled in pencil, nothing typed in. Three blank squares.  I think I've figured out how to clear out days of nothingness, time to catch up on all the stuff you still have to catch up on.  How to find that extra day we all need.  Cancel all your plans!

We planned to go away and then had to cancel that trip.  So while we were planning on not being here, I didn't put anything on my calendar.  Ta-da!  It's like a snow day, but without all the slush and cold.  The possibilities are endless!

I could clean my house. When you get busy, it seems like the house suffers.  All the shoes pile up, everyone running in and out, changing for the next activity. And laundry, sheesh!  And, yes, embarrassed to admit there might be a cobweb or two I could knock down.

I could bake some cookies. That's always a good idea.

I could write. I'm in the process of writing book number 2 and finding time each day is crucial to staying on schedule.  I could catch up on a few hours.

I could catch up on Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder.  Note - Do NOT tell me anything that has happened, I don't even want to know which white coat Olivia Pope is wearing.  As previously noted, such spoilers could get a friend de-friended.

I could go out to eat, grab lunch all by myself somewhere with nice table cloths.  I know some people don't like to eat out by themselves, but I do. A book, a drink, a good meal.  And movies, too - I love have the popcorn ally o myself.

I could work-out.  You know when your kinda fit a bit big jeans start to feel snug? You can deny a lot of weight-related signs, but the jean fit is a clear indicator.

I could wander around the neighborhood and walk the dog.

Hmmm... the possibilities.

But since I don't actually want to cancel too many vacations, perhaps, I will use the concept of blocking off days to do nothing. Here's a couple other ways I've found useful in finding a few extra hours.

Use waiting time.  Almost every weekday, I'm picking up/dropping off my kids to some practice or activity. I used to sit and watch them do whatever, waiting until they were done. Sometimes, I still do when I really don't have anything else to do - I can read or crochet, enjoy a quiet, non-moving few minutes. But when I do have stuff to do, I try to squeeze it in then. Someone asked me the other day if I'd have some time to meet with them. Sure, for this hour and half within a 15-minute radius from this practice location - I'm there.  It's also a good time for grocery shopping and other short errands.

Schedule outings, meetings on the same day. If I had several meetings that would take me out of my house, I used to schedule them on different days, thinking that would minimize the hours/day that I've got to be out. But what I found is that it makes my time at home less productive because I'm getting ready for and driving to those events each day. Now, I try to schedule outings as much on the same day as possible. Recently, I had some meetings at our school central office; instead of going over three days in a row, I scheduled them all on the same day. Started in the morning, went down the hall, grabbed lunch, had another - and I was done for the week.

Schedule email and online time. I read this tip in a post about getting to a zero-email inbox (only 600 more to go) - have a set time and time limit when you are going to check your email. Read it, act upon it, then move on with your life. Good point. I do check my email when I'm bored. Or trying to procrastinate. And it probably is a big time waster, so I'm working on that.

There's three quick tips. Share any others you have in the comments.  I'm off to go enjoy my found hours!

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Split Loyalties: A Parent's Dilemma

It starts from the moment the second (or third or fourth) child is born. This one wants to nap, that one wants to go out and play. That one wants to go on the slide, this one wants to go one the swings. Let's get pizza, let's get burgers.  Which one's whining wins out?

When Serena and Venus play for another Open title again or Jim and John Harbaugh faced each other for the SuperBowl, there was one big question for the parents: "Oooh, who will they root for?"  At least, they only have to go to one venue and see both their kids, who wins is up to the kids.  What's hard is when you want to cheer for both kids and they are not in the same venue.

It's the smart parents that put all their kids in the same sport. On our summer swim team, we had a family with 4 (or was it 5?) kids, they all swam.  Easy, right?  One Saturday morning, one 4-hour block, all kids are busy and occupied, and parents can be there for everyone. But some folks don't do that. They put their 4 kids in various and separate activities, with the idea that it will give everyone their own identity, a unique talent and sense of pride. Great. Until all of their hardwork culminates on one day.

This weekend we have swim team Championship meet and all the hoo-ray that goes with that, tennis team district play-offs, and a church fashion show.  And we havent even thrown in stuff like meals, church, and sleeping.  Are you thinking that there's too many activities for the hours allotted to a weekend? I would agree.  There's overlaps and conflicts, especially when you throw in travel to two counties.  Obviously, the kids will get to their events somehow, but how does a parent choose where to go?

We generally try to pick the most "important". Yes, I know, it's all important. But for instance, music and show performances usually trump regular games and meets, and definitely any practices, because there's usually only one per quarter/season/year and you can't miss something that's that infrequent. Then, we consider if one is some type of play-off, championship, super-duper something. After that, we split up and text each other progress.

But what happens on a weekend like this one? One-time event, championships, play-offs, and celebrations. That's when we fire up the helicopter and the be-in-two-places-at-once machine. Let me know if you'd ever like to rent them.

Back on schedule

Look at that pretty pink datebook that arrived in my mail this morning!  After the post about my search for a datebook, several people e-mailed and posted on FB links and suggestions to continue my quest.  A friend from college sent me a list of sites that had really nice planners (thanks, J!).  I passed on the $500 one and found this one at The Hach*.  They had so many cute options, if you are one of those people who like wandering around stationary stores looking at paper-stuff, you'll love this site.  

Mine is the LiveWork Agenda, I got the small - 4"x6" - exactly what I was looking for, but was tempted by the 5"x7".  There's a map of the world (I could trace the route of my planner - produced in S. Korea, sold on a website based in Canada, sent to me here in the U.S. of A.) and a yearly calendar (maybe I'll actually get some birthday cards out on time).  I was surprised to find that its an un-dated calendar, so while there's a space for each day, I'll have to write in the dates.  No problem, I can do that while watching Real Housewives since that doesn't take any brain power.  

In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I could go ahead and order one for next year, or start stockpiling them for the eventuality that they may stop making them altogether.

*2015 Update: The Hach is no longer a site (went out of business, renamed? I don't know) but the LiveWork Agenda is available at FallinDesigns.

Because I can't carry an emergency $10 in my iPad

4"x6".  leather-like cover, preferably in pink or green.  inner pocket, front or back.  elastic or magnetic closure.  page marker ribbons.  I don't ask for much, shouldn't be so hard to find.  But each year, its feeling like I'm searching for an 8-track of the Jackson 5.

Its that time again, my annual search for a day-planner/organizer.  Yes, I am one of those people who still has a paper-based organizer in which I record my appointments, notes, and reminders in pencil, pen, or crayon.  (You can read up on last year's search in my post last January).  And sitting next to me is my husband reminding me about my phone and iPad with a bazillion calendar apps.  He's trying to pull me into the tech-world, but I've got my heels dug in my pile of paper.

Today, I went, as I have for years and years, to B&N to find my organizer.  What once used to take up half the front-of-store floor space, has now been reduced to one side of the clearance rack, and the pickin's were slim.  There were only three or four that I actually considered.  The "mom-planner"?  Not enough spaces for four children.

Now, I'm back to searching online.  One option - the ecosystem organizer I had in 2010?  Company doesn't make dayplanners anymore, though they still make nice journals.  Will probably order a pink set.  2011 organizer from FranklinCovey?  Nope, don't have them anymore.  They had some others I liked, but they were all wire-bound which would get tangled up with the ponytail holders, candy wrappers, and teeny doll shoes in my purse.  Moleskin makes the style I'm looking for, but not quite the right size, and only in black or red, but its looking like the best option.  I don't like the smaller size, its not big enough to stuff receipts and notes and stamps into.  If I get the bigger one, I will need to get a new purse.  Hmmm, now that's something to consider.

A dinosaur in 2011

My new year isn’t really started until I have a brand new planner. And I was starting to think that 2011 was going to have to be postponed.

My daughters tagged along as I visited the two major bookstores (yes, I physically went into the brick & mortar). At the first store, the girls waved “see ya” as I wandered to the rows of calendars and they skipped off to children’s books. When they returned twenty minutes later, they were surprised that I had not picked a planner yet, so they thought they’d help me by pointing some out to me. Nope – don’t like wire or spiral bound books. Nope – don’t like 18-months. Nope – too big. Nope – the calendar spaces aren’t the right size. They thought they had found the one when they held up a pink and green, non-spiral bound book. Close, but it was too small. We left for the second store and it was like déjà vu all over again. They came home with a pile of books and magazines, I was empty-handed. After a late night, into the next morning internet search, I found it – one exactly like I had in 2010.

My husband considers me a dinosaur and is sure that I am one of the last remaining customers of the paper planner industry. But an electronic calendar app does not work for my daily calendar needs. This simple book - 5.5”x8.5”, book-bound, with a little page marker ribbon to mark the current week – is a calendar, journal, phone book, repository for receipts and postage stamps, and more. Its my own personal wiki-pedia.

For example, last January – notes from the speaker at the Martin Luther King memorial breakfast and my friends’ new address in New York (I know its in January because they moved at the end of last December). Where’d we go for Valentine’s brunch last year? Right there – Feb. 14, restaurant on the Harbor, the day after my friend’s 40th birthday in Delaware. How much have my children grown since last year and when was it that they got their last shots? Right next to their birthdays. In the Sunday boxes - notes from various sermons. How much does it cost to ship a case of Girl Scout cookies to Iraq and where is the bus depot for items lost on the school bus? You’d be surprised how often this information comes in handy. Recipes for Chicken Satay, Chocolate Loaf Cake & Margarita Cream, salmon, and a drink called a “Southside”. Names of my childrens’ friends, their parents’ names and phone numbers. Titles of books that look interesting, product recommendations, and places to go. Exercise and weight log (its true, Christmas week and sweet tea season get me every time). School calendar, sports schedules, orthodontist referrals.

I can’t even imagine how I would capture all of this on a phone app. And then what happens when some electronic wi-fi catastrophe happens? What will happen to the crochet pattern I had sketched in June? No, I can’t trust all my important information to the haphazardness of technology.

So for a few more days, my trusty, information-packed 2010 will stay with me into the new year. Then the mailman will bring my new planner and I can begin filling it up with all the plans, recipes, notes, books, and friends 2011 has to offer.