(picture by Handmade Daily)
The problem is that I love to be organized. Super organized. Ultra super organized.(I've been called anal before - which I took as a compliment, actually.) I am known for making spreadsheets. Mail merges. Databases. Even the mention of these things kind of makes me glaze over. In a good way.
So, recently, I decided to re-organize myself. I wanted to get a new daily notebook and low and behold, Teresa, gave me this for my birthday. Not only is it beautiful and personalized, it works perfectly as my daily journal and organizational system.
I love to organize on my computer, my USB drive alone has hundreds of folders and files from years gone by. I love that thing. Seriously. But, I am not online every time I need to organize, so I use my daily notebook to keep me on top of things.
The inside of this notebook has sweet little pockets for pens and such. Of course, that's what I use them for. The larger pocket is perfect for stamps and return address labels. Underneath this, I stick the bills that I need to pay. A few little letter stickers decorated this spot. It reminds me that I need to look in there, too!
Simple Mom has the MOST EXCELLENT daily planner (she calls it the Daily Docket). I print this and shrink it to 75% for my daily planner use. I organize a week at a time using these in the very front of my notebook. Here was yesterday's plan. You can get your own Daily Docket here.
Simple Mom also has an awesome master grocery list. I shrink these as well, and put them next to the calendar for the month. I just printed a pretty calendar from A Print A Day to fit my page. I like to make is smaller than my page so that I can see the whole month but still have room to makes some notes on it.
On the next page, I just glued an envelope I made from an old calendar page so that I can store this month's receipts. The next page has our monthly budget (more or less) and I record our actual spending next to it. I find it much easier to input into my spreadsheet once a month if I do it this way.
I use the back of the notebook cover to store my blank Daily Docket pages and Grocery Lists. This notebook was just exactly what I needed! Teresa is GOOD!
I have pages in the notebook dedicated to Christmas 2008, Birthdays & Other Important Dates (by month) 2009, Home Ideas by Room, Looking For Items when I'm out shopping, and just random miscellaneous notes. I cut out little pictures or save notes about articles or brainstorm about blog articles I want to write. Once I fill this book, I'll get another one that fits my RadiCool cover.
I've used this system for a couple of years, and it works well for me. Tell me how do you stay organized? Do you? What works? What doesn't?
10 comments:
I feel very accomplished just keeping up with my calendar on the fridge! And I even tend to slack a bit with that!
I do love to organize, but I HATE to clean, so I avoid both...they tend to go hand in hand, ya know?
I just organized my cake pans and muffin tins and plan to make a spreadsheet of all the pans and specialty tins of anyone who would like to be a part of a cake pan co-op...so we don't buy something we would use only once for a theme birthday or something. We could just borrow it from someone who already owns and stores it. (Storage is definitely my issue here!)
Thanks for sharing some of your organizing systems...you're good!!!
Brystal you are a woman of my own heart! Sometimes I almost feel embarrassed by my organizational compulsions but I also know that I surely could not do everything I do without them! I can remember being given a planner when I was in middle school and thinking it was the coolest thing - I have had one ever since!
My planner is like my second brain...It keeps everything I need at my fingertips so I don't need to worry about storing it all in my head...where it would surely be prompty forgotten! I bring it with me EVERYWHERE! I am honestly amazed by people who don't carry planners because I know I don't have the ability to remember everything that they do. And Excel rocks! I use it personally and professionally every single day.
Your notebook is MUCH prettier than my own utilitarian black LARGE "At-A-Glance" - the medium size I had last year just wasn't cutting it! ;) Of course my compulsions dictate that I couldn't possibly get another one until I am done with my current 2008-2009 academic year! No time like the present to start shopping for next year though! I will put it on my list!!! ;) I always look forward to organizing my planner for next year - it is like starting with a clean slate.
I have several pages in my planner dedicated to pictures and exercises for my stretching and other exercises (I LOVE the Dr. Oz routine - you don't need any equipment.) Having this in my planner helps to keep me on track - especially if I am away from home.
I have a page dedicated to our family budget and an excel sheet to track our monthly bills.
I also have pages where I write down MY hopes and dreams for the future...again it really helps to keep everything in perspective when life gets crazy!
PS...What do you do with your old planners? I can't bear to throw mine away...it is almost like a diary of our lives...
I love to hear that I am not the only compulsive organizer around. People always give me funny looks when I get excited about planning something and organizing it. It is a good thing for my husband that I am organized. I have become a personal assistant, keeping his schedule and life together. If he ever worked from home, I would have a full time job assisting him. Some day I would love to be an event planner! I would get to help people plan and organize all day long! How fun! Well, happy organizing!
Yowsa. My name is Liz and I am a SLACKER.
I guess I tend to be a bit "haphazard" and "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" when it comes to planning and organizing. But I'm also fairly laid back and can "roll with it" when things don't go as expected.
I'd love to be more organized, but it's just not in me. I do what I have to do to get by!
Organizers of the world, UNITE!!
Carrie, I don't throw away my organizers/notebooks. I have a nice shelf of them. I love to be able to look back through for important dates and other forgotten ideas. I have a whole "inspiration" file. Notebooks and pictures divided by area that it applies to, with sticky notes attached. One of my next projects is making an inspiration board for everyone in the family to put their ideas on.
Sherrie, I feel you. Organizing and planning things are sometimes the most fun. Although, I find things go much smoother if I have at least thought it through and prepared for it first.
That being said, I can just "go with it" some, too. You know, it makes me feel better to know what is going to happen (or at least feel like I do, even when I don't). Yes, Donna, I guess I am a RainMom. :-)
Alright, I'm feeling a little embaressed. I am a planner, but not nearly as organized as you ladies. I think I would enjoy being this organized, if only I could find time to organize!
And Brystal, I am so glad you like the notebook :)
OK, Bryssy, Do you have more than 24 hours in your day? How do you have time for all of the things you do--teaching, mommying, blogging, organizing, cooking, crafting, family-bedding, roy g. biving....
Please tell me there is something that you don't do!
Donna, I am with you..."Haphazard" is my organizational method. I would love to be more organized, but I don't have the time. And when I do actually sit down and write down a schedule for the day, someone will call me to go to the park or my car breaks down or my kid gets an ear infection-and it all goes out the window anyway. There is rarely a day that goes by that my "schedule" is not disrupted for one reason or another.
Bryssy this is what I aspire to be, I just don't think I have the right personality or life to do it!
Bryssy, your post is exactly what I needed to read. Thank you so much for the great download links! I've felt like I've been stalled in the middle of a busy highway lately, and you gave me the motivation I need to try to crank that engine one more time...
My secret for having time to do things is this: we don't watch TV. Seriously. Occasionaly, I let THE Princess watch a movie, but only occasionally. Plus, I involve my kids in as much as I can. They help me do laundry, cook, clean, unload the dishwasher, and all kinds of other stuff. (I made a chore chart that works well for that).
Plus, I never get as much done (or as well) as I hope. But, I just go for it. Robert Browning said, "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" That's kind of my motto!
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