The Difference Between a Planner and Time Management

At 9:47 a.m. this morning, I got my first cup of coffee. Considering that I start my day at 6:45 a.m., this is a problem. 

Multiply the poor timing by my first day back at work after a vacation, my lingering pneumonia, and a bit of an autoimmune flare, and that's a set-up for disaster!

But, wait, you say...isn't Giftie a guru of time management?

Organizing Your Planner Page

If you use a planner (or struggle to use a planner), you probably like writing on paper. 

I certainly do. I love the connectivity of the ink scratching across the paper. The feel of having a plan, written down and organized, makes me believe I can handle anything.

But writing things down in a way that works can be a challenge. So I took a picture of my weekly planner page and took some notes about how I organize my planner spread for maximum performance.

Using Old-Fashioned Paper Tracking in a Planner to Lose Weight

***This post may contain affiliate links. See my "Disclaimer" link for additional details.***

Every year, I write about losing weight. Every year, I fail.

How to Deal with Paper Clutter

***This post may contain affiliate links. See my "Disclaimer" link for additional details.***

I am an organizing blogger.

If you haven't visited Giftie Etcetera before, I write about day planners, parenting, and keeping life in order.

So the real, live pile of papers in this picture?

5 Easy Steps to Transform a Blank Page Into a Planner Page

As I write this, I'm thinking about tomorrow. It's going to be a Monday. I'm working on reducing stress, so having a plan to start the week is essential.

I often use pre-created daily forms of some sort, but I am not too uppity to just use blank paper!

I have five key steps that transform a page of blank paper into a form for making a schedule.

1. Double Hole Punch

Double hole punch the blank page, as I've explained before, so that the blank page can go on the side of the planner OPPOSITE tomorrow's weekly entry.

2. Fold in 1/2 (or in 1/4s or 1/3s)

Fold the page, keeping the edges even, to create straight lines.

TIP: Find a layout that you love on Pinterest and copy it by folding the page accordingly.

In the example below, I folded once in half, to make a vertical middle line. I dotted the line for my own visual help. Compare the middle, dotted line to the horrible hand drawn line on the left by the rings.

The folded, dotted line looks so much better!

3. Label

I labeled the upper right corner is the day/date, the times (6 a.m. to 9 a.m., right between the dots), a.m. specific tasks, p.m. specific tasks, and menu (all on the right).

The left column is for my tasks (from top to bottom) and my prep list (or things to bring out of the house with me, from bottom to top).

4. Add Monthlies

Monthlies hold my appointments. Obviously, they are the backbone of a daily plan for most people.

TIP: If you have very few appointments, choose a task-based layout instead of my appointment-based one.

Once I add appointments to the daily plan, I strike them out on the monthly calendar pages.

5. Add Weeklies

Weeklies contain my tasks. As I recopy them, I move any that are time-specific to my a.m. or p.m. list.

The best thing about this set-up?

I can change it EACH DAY to reflect my priorities and whether it is an appointment, task, or list heavy day!

For more great Giftie organizing and planning posts, make sure to follow me on Pinterest!

Etcetera.

If you enjoy what you read at Giftie Etcetera, please share on social media. Click here to join the Giftie Etcetera Facebook group.

How to Log Exercise in a Planner

***This post may contain affiliate links. These links help you find the items that I use in my planner and financially support this blog. See my "Disclaimer" link for additional details.***

On the way home from the gym tonight, I happened to notice that my exercise log currently shows the old (and still useful) way that I logged my workouts and my new method of logging workouts.

I figured I would show you both, so that you can enjoy the comparison and borrow the style that works best for you!

Why Your Planner Needs More Paper

Every week or so, I put more paper in my planner.

No, my planner does not weigh 10 pounds!

There are just some things that need to be added to my planner on an ongoing basis, so that I don't have to carry this stuff around all the time.

*Next Month's Monthly/Weekly Pages

These don't add any bulk, since I take out last month's pages to archive whenever I do this.

*Blank Paper

I mostly use blank paper for temporary lists, like grocery lists. I toss them as I am done with them, but always need new ones, so I add some one a week.

*Daily Docket Pages

I add a week's worth of daily docket pages at a time.

It seems like a like of work, but because I don't carry tons of extra dailies, months, or blank pages, my planner's profile stays light and slim.

What do you add regularly to your planner?

Etcetera.

Relaxed Paper Planning

I get a lot of my best blog ideas from people in Facebook groups who discuss planners and planning.

But I get something else there, too - angst!

Today, someone mentioned that uneven planner pages make their OCD tingle. I glanced at my planner.

Homemade blank pages. Plan Ahead monthly/weekly pages. Daytimer notes pages. Quo Vadis daily pages.

Hmm, the edges of my planner are a hot mess!

Know what?

I don't care!

My planner works really well for me. I don't have the time, patience, money, or talent to make sure every page is exactly the same size and cut as every other page.

In addition, the slight variation in sizes serves as an additional method of finding the appropriate page quickly. My calendar pages are the widest pages, so I can easily see where my calendar is in the planner. It's not something that I actively think about, but my brain has learned the page sizes and uses that cue to help me use my planner well.

As always, do what works for YOU. If that means perfect pages help you to use and enjoy your planner more, go for it. But if uneven planner pages is better for your life, don't let others' expectations sway you.

Relax...and plan on!

Etcetera.

Two Rules for Combining Paper and Electronic Planning

The Giftie Etcetera Facebook Group was discussing combining paper and electronic planning.

Even for paper lovers (ME!), electronics are a real part of our lives.

Maybe work requires you to use a shared electronic calendar. Perhaps your teenager or spouse texts you when they add something to the calendar. (Or, if they are like my husband, claim you didn't tell them about the party UNLESS you have the Facebook message or e-mail to back up your words.)

Personally, I keep planning about on-line stuff (my legal research projects for work and my blog planning, mostly) in OneNote, my daily tasks (household tasks, checking e-mail, and prep for the next day) in an app, medication reminders as alarms on my phone, and my budget in a separate app.

There are two rules that I always follow.

1. Do NOT duplicate.

I don't write stuff in two places - the e-world and paper. Everything either goes in my planner or in OneNote. I don't copy back and forth.

Where I need a reminder to use the electronics, I put a note in my planner, but that is it.

For example, I have a repeating task that says to do "Dailies" in my planner. But the daily tasks are listed in my electronic app, not my planner.

2. Write down the rules.

Seriously.

It's so easy to get confused. So as you make rules for yourself, write them down (in ONE place - either OneNote/Evernote or your planner).

One rule is that work stuff gets scheduled in my paper planner along with my personal stuff. I do that because it's all my life. If I have to attend a meeting at 3 p.m., I also need another adult to cover school carpool and to dress in a suit at 7 a.m. Just putting that in my work planning is not enough. By not duplicating it, I manage to not accidentally miss anything - work or personal.

But I used to work at an office that required all of us to put things on a shared calendar in Outlook. Back then, I had a rule. Everything went in my ring-bound planner. Once a day, as a task in my paper planner, I shared things relevant to my office on the Outlook calendar. They got to know that I would be at a meeting with the Governor's office on Tuesday at 2 p.m., but for my dentist appointment at 10 a.m., they got "Personal Medical Leave, 10 a.m."

Another rule? Blog ideas go in my OneNote. So if I think of something on the road, it becomes a task: "O Put blog idea: paper and e-planning in ON." The task is to put it where it belongs, not where it's most convenient at that second.

Whatever your rules are, write them all down so that you can learn them and keep things straight.

Remember to like Giftie Etcetera on Facebook!

Etcetera.

Linked at:

Bravely Facing the Blank Planner Page

Whether you are facing a blank monthly spread, blank weekly spread, or a simple blank piece of paper, decisions have to be made about where information will go in your planner before you start writing.

Whatever you decide, the format that you create will affect your choices. What stands out? What do you do first? Where you do write new stuff that comes up?

For me, these decisions are made BEFORE I write a single thing on the page.

I make a template of where I want to place things on the page.

TIP: Make a Note called Templates and put a sketch of each recurring template in your ABC Files/Notes section of your planner.

Now, I don't always draw out the template. In this example (my grocery shopping list), I KNOW the template so well that I don't need to draw it. But I drew it anyway, to show you how it is set-up.

Where I place things matters. The checklist (top left corner) comes first because it gets done BEFORE I leave the house. (It includes things like checking if husband needs anything and bringing coupons with me.) Dry food is separate from cold food to make shopping easier in the actual store.

TIP: Use a map of the store (usually available on-line or from customer service) to set up your template.

I even do this for my usual monthly (Franklin Covey 365), weekly (Plan Ahead small planner), or Daily (Quo VadisTextagenda or Notor) planner pages.

Here's a second example with a blank page, just so that you can follow my thinking process.

On the left column, timed event gets written because those cannot be missed and English readers read from left to right and top to bottom.

Errands are separate from other tasks, since they an only be done while on the road.

Notes are least important, so they go on the bottom.

TIP: Have a place to write the day/date if you make your own daily or weekly plan.

TIP: Remember, most important stuff goes to the top left. Separate out things that don't belong together because they won't be done together. And reserve the bottom right for the least important or upcoming information.

If you enjoyed this post, don't forget to share on social media!

Etcetera.

Linked at:

3 Easy Ways to Use Blank Paper in a Planner

***This post may contain affiliate links. These links help you find the items that I use in my planner and financially support this blog. See my "Disclaimer" link for additional details.***

KerrieLynn from SparkleFrogs asked me do a post for her Facebook group about planner inserts and how I use them. 

I'm sure most people are talking about how they use Franklin Covey or DIY Fish inserts, but I instantly thought that I wanted to talk about blank pieces of paper.

Of course, any paper can be cut and used in a planner, but for my 4 1/4 x 6 3/4 Franklin Covey compact binder, I choose some cheap 4 x 6 notepaper.

TIP: 4 x 6 index cards would work well, too!

I use my blank paper in so many ways. That's the wonderful thing about blank paper. It works for any purpose.

*Menus

*Grocery Lists

*To Do Lists (Day or Project Specific)

*Codes or Indexes

*Brainstorming 

*Doodling

*Meeting Notes

*Logs

It just makes sense to use cheap paper for these short-term purposes. By using unlined paper, I leave open so many possibilities for how I might use the paper.

TIP: Hole punch both edges of the paper, so it can fit on the left or right side of your planner as needed.

How do you use blank paper?

Etcetera.

How to Create Perfect Lines in a Planner

I have a simple trick from my days as a middle school teacher that I thought I should share with my planner peeps.

When faced with a blank piece of paper, you can provide some invisible structure by folding the paper into quadrants. Unfold it, and you have four perfect squares.

TIP: Line up the edges of the paper for perfect lines.

Note: I traced the lines for the picture, but you don't have to trace them.

In the picture below, I use the quadrants to make several different to do lists, based on context.

You could also make packing lists based on which bag will carry each item (carry-on, purse, tote bag, etc.) or party planning lists (menu, invitations, decorations, games).

Sometimes, I do this for grocery lists, based on the physical set-up of my grocery store. 
Another good idea is to use two of these pages, side by side, to make an undated weekly spread and one extra box for weekly notes!

If you are note taking, try folding the paper into two parts. I like them to be not quite half and half. Instead, I folded about a third of the page (again, matching up the edges to make a perfect fold).

Then, when I take notes, tasks and important dates go to the left and notes go to the right.

Students can use this trick to study, writing terms and questions on the left.

Can you think of others uses for folded paper in your planner?

Etcetera.

Linked at:

How to Be Creative in a Planner Without Wasting Time or Space

My planner philosophy is pretty simple.

Write down things that need doing. Keep it easy to read. Do the things that need doing.

I don't have much time or valuable planner space (like the weekly pages) to waste on decorating.

There are two exceptions.

1. DECORATE PERMANENT PAGES
Pages like tabs, dashboards, and yearly recurring future pages will be used again and again, so those are great places to spend time decorating.

2. DOODLE ON PAST DAYS

TIP: Use a highlighter so that material is still easy to read.

In the above picture, I did just that! As an added bonus, I get to easily find today's planner entry.

Etcetera.

Linked At:

It's Overflowing

A Better Way to Bullet Journal

Bullet journals are the latest craze in the planner community.

Honestly, I kind of HATE the idea of bullet journaling as planning. 

The hate doesn't rise to the level of my hatred for mayo, bare feet on carpet, lies on Facebook, or the violin, but it's still a pretty intense level of negative emotion.

As much as I love the orderly look of a bulleted list of items in a notebook or planner, I rely heavily on the visual impact of the planner pages, created by grouping items and using day and time slots. 

I need symbols that I develop (so that the symbols make sense to my brain and so that I remember them). 

And, no matter how much I try to brainstorm a reason to have a typical bullet journal, it just makes sense to separate tasks and events from notes. Bullet journals that mix in tasks only make sense to me as an initial brain dumb/capture device.

So I created a better bullet journal.

A Better Way to Bullet Journal

To be fair, I should explain how bullet journaling is done in the typical way. In a typical bullet journal, there is a running list of tasks, events, and notes. Using the codes seen below (on the green page to the right), a running list is created like the one below (same picture, on the orange page to the left).

Typical Bullet Journal

The typical bullet journal strikes me as difficult to read. The list on the left (typical) appears cluttered and it is difficult to distinguish between separate items. Also, though it allows for some subgrouping, if one entry has a ton of information, it doesn't work very well.

Also, the little eye icon is messy and creepy.

Compare it to my bullet journal, on the right below. On mine, you can quickly see where each entry starts - wherever there is a box.

TIP: When creating bullet journal codes, put a box around them to make them stand out. Indent anything under the main entry (like additional notes or details).

Typical Bullet Journal Compared to Giftie Bullet Journal

My bullet journal is completely shown in the picture below.

It consists of three parts:

1. Notes (green)

2. Codes (yellow)

3. Events/Tasks (weekly planner page)

Please consider pinning to Pinterest! Thanks!

A closer look at my codes (yellow) would reveal:

Tasks = Circle

If the task is to set up a PROJECT, I circle a P.

If the task is to FILE an item (in files at home or in notes in the planner), I circle a F.

To mark a task DONE, I check the circle.

To DELETE, I X the circle.

To DEFER, I draw an arrow pointing forward through the circle.

To DELEGATE, I draw an @ symbol (which, in my mind, means that I will do something @fter someone else does).

TIP: Tasks go on the weekly pages instead of hidden among a bunch of random notes. Even if just a notebook is used, put the tasks on a certain pages and notes on another.

Events = #a/#p

#a simply means an a.m. time slot (e.g., 9a).

#p simply means a p.m. time slot (e.g., 2:45p).

An * indicates additional details (like an address or contact number).

Notes = Square

To indicate TELECOM, I write TC in the box.

To indicate EMAIL, I write e'm in the box.

To indicate MEETING, I write mt in the box.

To indicate Facebook, I write fb in the box.

Are you seeing a pattern?

A star means a note that does not belong to any of those subgroups.

An arrow indicates additional information under the note.

TIP: Always indent the arrow.

But please don't limit yourself to my codes! The best bullet journal codes are not the typical ones OR mine. 

TIP: Don't skip the step of making a sheet like the yellow sheet as a reference for the bullet journal codes. It's important for memory creation and for reference.

The best bullet journal codes and methods are the ones that you develop, for you. Those will make the most sense to your brain and allow you remember them easily.

It's a lot like making a sandwich. World famous chefs will sometimes dress their very best sandwiches with mayo, but that sandwich is never the best one for me. 

Etcetera.

The Desk Reset

Whether you work from home or at an office, you likely have a table or desk where you work. I work from home (or in libraries or coffee shops), so I have a small bookshelf type desk that I work at, either blogging, novel writing, doing legal research, or planning and budgeting.

Every now and then, a desk reset is in order.

Personalize Without Fear

Don't make your desk something for others to enjoy. Make it shine with your personality. You have to work there. You have to love the space. 

Yes, I am a lawyer and, yes, I do mean this in your stuffy law firm, too. Be the quirky one. You won't get fired for it, but you might get noticed. (Okay, you probably won't be fired for it. I'd do it anyway.) Of course, keep it tasteful and consider 

whether only coworkers will see it, or if clients will see it, too.

I have my special basket designed by a quilter friend for stuff that leaves the house, like my keys and glasses (upper left hand corner), a personalized zipper pouch full of planner supplies (upper right hand corner), and my "READ MY BLOG" ornament (lower shelf, in front of the pens and scissors).

Maximize Desk Space

Desk space is limited. Use it wisely.

Even though I personalize my space, very little is just decorative. Notice the wipe/erase board, the hole punch, and all the other bits and bobs that I actually use almost every day. 

Prioritize Placement

Place items that are used daily in the most convenient space, things that are used weekly in a less convenient place, and things rarely used in a different space.

Also, group like stuff together whenever possible.

I am very careful about placement. Things that leave the house go near my purse (the hanging blue one on the upper left hand corner). The space where I plan and write? It's not even in the picture because it just stays empty and ready for my laptop and planner.

Use Interesting Containers

Don't think that you have to use square containers from office supply stores.

I use an open mouthed glass canning jar for unprocessed receipts. I use my quilted basket for things to leave the house. My makeup travel bag is perfect for planner supplies. A purple pill case holds my magnet bookmarks, while a suction-sealed spice jar holds binder and paper clips.

It's a good time to reset your desk. Make it your own. You'll be happier and the desk will be an easier  to use.

Etcetera.

The Proper Order of Things in a Paper Planner

***This post may contain affiliate links. These links help you find the items that I use in my planner and financially support this blog. See my "Disclaimer" link for additional details.***

Even though I keep staring at it intently and exclaiming, "Plannerist Upgrado!" while flashing my green quick-dry Pilot G2 Gel Ink Pen (because I'm a leftie, so quick dry ink is important) in the direction of my planner, my FranklinCovey Compact 365 Planner has not magically turned into a soft, buttery leather Filofax.

All those hours of yearning over the Filofax USA site are for naught, as I cannot afford to buy a Filofax without first putting it in my hands and feeling it.  My OCD won't let me. Hanging out with the Philofaxy people online is not helping matters. Visiting the only store in town that sells them and discovering only one ugly, shiny red plastic planner certainly was not satisfying.

In my dreams, the buttery leather planner, in the perfect color (whatever that is...whole 'nother post), fits everything I put in my cheap little planner now. My pesky big brain keeps pointing out that I like Franklin Covey layouts and their paper usually too wide for my dream Filos. Sigh. When I win the lotto, I am flying to a shop that sells nothing but paper planners and hand picking the right one.

In the meantime, reality happens. So I have to make the planner that I already own work. 

I think I am succeeding, too, as I have used the same planner since...wait for it...April 1st. That is a month and a half! (Shush. You know planner fail usually happens at the end of the first month of use.)

Without further lusting over what can never be, here are my tweaks:

Notepaper is the first thing in the planner.  

I actually don't like this particular style of notepaper, so I am considering making my own or splurging on some creamy Filofax paper paper next time, but it does its job. In a rush, I can open straight to notepaper. In this case, it holds my packing list for an upcoming weekend trip. (Note the clever use of "top under" and "bottom under." No one will ever guess that those secret phrases refer to my underthings. Stealth and intrigue, I tell you.)

Tasks go in the front, too.  

I actually rarely use my master task list, but it's a great catch-all for unimportant or "maybe" tasks. I rarely look at it, since more important tasks are assigned to a monthly or weekly task list or written on a certain day. Right now, all it says is "edit novel." Note that no editing has been done on novel since I wrote the romantic story of small town love last November.

P is for Personal. And Projects. I really should customize this tab to say "Projects."  

Projects go right after the master task list. 

Projects are listed on an index and then noted, on the corresponding date that the first task in the project must be done, on the weekly part of my planner.

The reason that all of this goes in the front of the planner is two-fold. First, these are things that I refer to a lot. Second, putting some of this stuff in the front and some in the back means that whatever date it is, January 1st or July 5th or December 10th, there is plenty of cushion on both sides of my weekly lists so that the paper that I write on most, the weekly pages, is sturdy and protected.

I use clear page markers. Before, I didn't mark monthly pages with a Today marker. But I found that I often forget which month it actually is. (See above, putting underthings on packing list.  Also see, having babies made me dumb.)  

Putting a clear marker to mark the monthly pages means I always know when and where I need to be. 

(If the marker is not transparent, you can't see everything. I hate that.  Why have two pages if I can't look at them all at once?)

I really love using a huge, transparent page divider (the same one I use as a hole-punch template) to divide my weekly pages.

Why this and not a normal today marker? I don't use daily pages. So if a day gets really crazy, I can whip out a sticky note, put it on the divider, and add extra stuff. This doesn't happen often, but on the first day of school, when I need to remember backpacks, water bottles, school supplies, carpool rules and times and id numbers, the new schedule, etc., that sticky note is a life saver.  

Finally, the Notes section cushions the back of the planner.  

I use an index page and the A/B, G/H, M/N, and S/T dividers to keep track of on-the-go information, like names and numbers of babysitters, a list of the medications that I take daily, and ideas for my next novel (after I edit this one...sigh).

All I did, really, was change the order of things, but I think this will get me through the hard times, at least until I win that lottery.

Etcetera.

If you enjoy what you read at Giftie Etcetera, please share on social media. Click here to join the Giftie Etcetera Facebook group.

Partied at: Simple Sundays

Doctor, Doctor - Organizing My Medicals

Taking care of my extensive medical details, from appointments to follow-ups to filling scripts to actually taking my darn meds, takes up a lot of my day. I have extensive meds-related issues and two young kids (with their own check-ups and colds and FREAKIN' ALLERGIES TO CORN AND SHOE LEATHER AND ZYTHROMAX), making keeping up with all I have to do and remember for our healthcare a major undertaking.

One thing I do is put reminders to make doctors' appointments on my planner's calendar. For yearly checkups, I write the task (Sched Dr. Whoever - 555-5555) with a circle around it in the month where I want to schedule the appointment. The circle means that it is a repeating task, so once I schedule my 6 year old's appointment, I write the same thing in the same month next year (and circle it ;)). My calendar doesn't go into 2013, of course, but I have a Future page divided into 13 parts (each month of next year and 2014+) to write things on that will happen in 2013 and beyond.

I also have a contacts page with all doctors' name, speciality, address, and phone number in my contacts. I don't keep many contacts in my planner (since most can just be loaded into my phone or kept in an easy-to-update Word document more conveniently), but I do keep household help (e.g., housekeeper back when I had one {weeps} or lawn service) and medical contacts, as well as some take-out restaurant contacts, as those are contacts that usually aren't in my phone and I need outside of the house a lot.

In the File part of my planner, I have a straight-up medical log. When I schedule an appointment, I put the doctor's name and speciality on the top right corner of the page, along with the date of the appointment. I jot the meds I am currently taking (they change often enough to merit checking the list before each appointment) and a list of complaints that I have for the doctor. Then I draw a line across the page. Under the line, I write actual notes of the doctor's answers and instructions. Yes, it's a little weird to pull out my planner during a doctor's appointment. But the doctor's seem to like it, even stressing "write this down" for important instructions. I think they know I'm going to take their advice seriously, and for people who actually care about your health, that's a big deal.

Keeping up with taking my meds is more difficult. I used to keep taking meds on my Daily Checklist, along with things like "do a 15 minute quick clean" and "exercise," but even if I do nothing else in a given day, I have to take my heart medicine. If I never step foot in my house, I need to take my asthma meds. So I had to deal with medications differently, as my Daily Checklist is more a guideline than a MUST DO list.

Daily Checklist

One a week, I put my daily meds into a weekly meds container. I don't need a reminder in my planner to do this, as the weekly container is used daily and sits next to my bed on my nightstand. I have an alarm set on my phone to remind me that if I haven't taken my meds by 9:15 p.m., I need to take them. Once a week, when I refill the weekly container, I write any meds I need refills of on my Errands list so I can pick them up at Target during the week. I also read the bottles to make sure I have refills available and, if I don't, schedule a doctor's appointment. It's a good way to double check that I don't miss a check-up.

My Packing Lists (all versions - the master list, the one for camping, the one for hotels, etc.) all include Meds as an item, so that I remember to pack them if I travel.

For unusual meds (like the four times a day antibiotic I am taking now), I keep the Rx bottle next to my cell phone. I see my cell phone a lot everyday, so it helps me remember to take them. Then, I mark the dates that I need to take them on the bottle in a sharpie markers, and check off when I take them each time. Today's (4 times a day for 7 days) looks like this:

April 25 x x 1 2 
         26 1 
         27 
        28 
        29 
        30 
May 1 
         2 x x

Finally, I try to only use on pharmacy and it's at a place where I frequently grocery shop, so it's not too inconvenient.

Let me know if you have any tips for keeping your medical stuff organized.

 Etcetera.

A Guided Tour of My Day Planner (Warning: Long and Written for Time Management Geeks Only)

I've been searching the internet for sites that give me ideas about new ways to use my day planner. There are many sites that tell me to put things on my calendar (d'uh) or make a task/to do list (double d'uh). And there are many pictures of day planners in use. There are some great sites about making your own Household Notebook, but my planner needs to be portable and things like emergency contacts and recipes stay near the fridge. You know those sites where women share the mysteries of what is in their purses? I NEED one of those for day planners. Truly, I mean NEED. Much like I NEED chocolate or coffee or air. Since the web is apparently lacking in this sort of thing, I guess I'll have to create it. Of course, if you know of a good website for this purpose(www.plannerisms.com comes close to what I am looking for), let me know.

With no further ado (which is like a PROMISE of further ado and a complete waste of time, right?), a guided tour of my day planner:

EXTERIOR OF PLANNER:

My brown fake leather, zip up day planner is a half sheet (as opposed to 8 1/2 by 11 standard sheet) day planner by Franklin. It's one of the seven hole punched ones. It zips up because I keep papers in it and they fall out of unzipped planners. It's a half sheet because I've tried smaller page planners and they are nice and portable, but I just have too much to do. If I worked full time in a static location (office, home) where I could rely on Outlook or a household notebook, I'd use a smaller planner. But I am currently a stay-at-home mom, a substitute teacher (in many different classrooms), and a volunteer at my kid's school. I am busy and on the road and need to keep everything together and be able to work from home (most days)or the road (substitute days) at a moment's notice. My Franklin planner costs about $50, but after killing three $20 planners within a year, I decided it was worth it to have secure rings and a protective outside cover. You can certainly get such a thing cheaper. I used my Christmas money, but shhhh, don't tell hubby. He doesn't understand that this really is as important to me as Call of Duty maps are to him. If I carry a small purse (ie. for a dinner party), I leave my planner in a tote bag in my car. Otherwise, I buy purses that fit my planner.

INSIDE FRONT COVER:

My inside front cover contains three pockets - a large one, a small one, and a zippered one.

In the large pocket, I keep anything that entered in my calendar or task list, but cannot be tossed until it is complete. For example, I currently have directions to a birthday party that is this weekend, directions for logging on to my child's homework website (only needed until we log on for the first time, so no need to file), the t-ball registration form, a receipt to give to my sister, and a recipe that needs to be typed up and added to my recipe binder.

I use the small section as my in box. It is often empty, as I process it at least twice a week, but currently holds directions for signing up for recycling and my tire receipt to put in my car.

The zippered section is used for my ring warranty, as the ring has to be inspected twice a year and the paper signed, so leaving it in my home filing system is worthless. It saves me from filing and unfiling it twice a year.

FIRST TWO PAGES:

My planner is divided into three main sections. The first section keeps track of stuff that should be done everyday, but does not HAVE to be done. I try to use these sections daily, but on a crazy day or a day on the road, they can be totally ignored. They are for normal days, when I am at home at least for the afternoon and evening.

On the left hand side of the planner, I keep my Master Task List. I list things that should be done, but don't have to be done by a certain date and aren't critical on this ongoing list. For example, it contains things like "organize junk drawer" and "clean oven." If it gets more than a page long, I assign some items to dated pages, delete some items as not important, assign some to my husband, or recopy them on a new master list. I triple space the items and put a big circle to the left of them for checking them off.

On the right, I have my Daily Checklist. I make this checklist on my home computer using Microsoft word and some blank refills for my planner. Across the top, it has headings for: Date, 15QC (15 minute quick clean), Laun (...dry), Dish (...es), Week (one of the chores on the weekly list, typed in small font at the bottom of the page, including dusting/wiping surfaces, sweeping/vacuuming/mopping the floor, toilets and tubs, appliances/electronics/mirrors, car, and two days of choosing something from the master task list), Exer (...cise), Cal (...ories, entered in my on-line journal), Tom (...morrow, meaning putting my stuff together for tomorrow), and Lent (just during Lent, where I am currently getting rid of one unused item a day).

CALENDAR:

I use monthly and weekly calendars. The monthly calendars are tabbed and have a small space for writing tasks. I use these for future planning. For example, today (the day I actually started writing this blog...you know, last week...sigh) is February 25. February and March appointments and dates are currently on being kept in the weekly pages. If I open to those monthly calendars, there is a big X over the pages, so I don't accidentally miss something. If something comes up for April, I write it on the monthly calendar. This gives me an overview of the big picture when planning in advance (like for vacations), but allows me to plan details weekly, which is important for actually getting things accomplished. On the last day of each month, I have a circled Task (circled means when I do it, I have to recopy it to a date in the future - in this case, the last day of the next month) reminding me to copy the upcoming month's monthlies into the weekly calendar. (For birthdays, anniversaries, and other yearly events, I copy the "circled Task" idea, but I put boxes around those yearly repeats. ;)) After December, I keep one page called "Future" with next year's appointments. I just jot them there and enter them when I replace my planner pages each year.

My weekly pages are the heart of my planner system. I use one of those planner bookmarks that says "Today" to mark the current week. Weeks that have already passed at lightly crossed out, so nothing gets accidentally missed.

I like the calendar to my planner to have all the weekdays together on one side and the weekend together on the other. I was lucky enough to find that this year at Wal-mart, of all places. I got Day-Timer Desk FamilyPlus Two-Page-Per-Week pages. Next year, if I can't find those, I will use the Franklin refills that have the days across the top of the page and six large boxes for notes. The point is to have about 5 lines for appointments, as I rarely have more than 5 scheduled things on a given day, about 5 or more lines for tasks on each day, and an FYI/Pending section for each day. Right now, I have eight lines for appointments on any given day, 8 lines for tasks, and 4 lines for pending.

If I find I have a particularly busy day (say, more than 5 appointments or tasks), I made some daily refills on my printer at home and keep them in the file portion of my planner. A very busy day, like the day of my child's birthday party, might get it's own page. I would note that on the weekly planner.

I keep each day's calendar entry pretty sacred, in that I only write down things I really am going to do (or reschedule, purposefully). The decision about how to categorize each entry keeps my day running smoothly. I'll give last Thursday as an example.

I had the following CALENDAR entries: 7 a.m. Sub (...stitute teaching), 2:30 Call School (...back about request to sub tomorrow), 2:30 Pick up Loki, give sister receipt, 4 Carpool (circled because it repeats daily and needs to be reflected on tomorrow, too). Note that some tasks (calling the school and giving my sister the receipt) were time specific, so included on the calendar. I had to call the school at exactly 2:30 p.m. because I cannot call while I am subbing but the school I was calling gets off at 3 p.m. My sister needed the receipt for her wedding reception deposit dropped at my mom's house when I picked up Loki at 2:30.

In the tasks section of Thursday, I had the following TASK entries: freeze leftover roast, freeze chicken breasts, check with office about subbing tomorrow, address envelope for mailing taxes, and print free gymnastics tickets. None of these tasks need to be repeated, so none were circled. Note that they were day-specific tasks. The food needed to be frozen or it would get bad and be wasted. I needed to know if I was scheduled to sub tomorrow. The taxes are time sensitive, although I did not find an envelope so I rescheduled that task for the weekend. And I printed the gymnastics tickets, saving us $15 in entry fees to the gym meet.

In the FYI/Pending section, I had the following PENDING entry: @teacher: resend invites. I was waiting on Ander's teacher to reply and let me know if his birthday party invites were truly missing. They weren't. The FYI/Pending section is really important for items that I assign out to husband (noted by the @ sign and his initials) or just need to know (like FYI - Hubby working late).

In addition to an entry for each day, I have seven lists that I keep in the weekly area of my planner. That might seem excessive. Heck, that's probably excessive. But it works for me. ;) I like these planner pages in particular because they have room for the lists. Many weekly pages don't. If mine didn't, I think I would still keep these lists, but having them in a different place would be really inconvenient. Right now, if I open to my TODAY marker in my weekly planner, I can quickly see everything that needs to be done.

The first three lists(located across the top of my particular planner pages, from left to right) are divided based on context (in true Getting Things Done fashion - read that book if you haven't yet!) and they are TASKS, ERRANDS, and HOME. These lists are sacred because they only contain things that have to be done this week or rescheduled. If something can be done whenever, it goes on the Master List. If something does not need to be done until next week or next month, it goes on whatever weekly or monthly page it needs to be done on. If any of these tasks are date sensitive, the due date goes right after them. If a task goes on to a daily entry, it gets scratched out so it's not listed twice. Tasks that can't be done until something else is done or somebody else does something get started with the @(what/who-I-am-waiting-on) symbols. TASKS can be done anywhere, pretty much. For example, calling to sign up for recycling in my neighborhood is on this week's task list. ERRANDS are things that must be done outside of the house, like inspecting my car or going to the bakery to order a cake. By separating them out from other tasks, I can do them all on the same day and use the ERRANDS list to decide what I need to take with me out of the house (library books to return, perhaps). The HOME list works under the same theory. On the next day that I spend primarily at home, I will do these things.

The fourth list across the top is the MAYBE list. All the things I WANT to do this week, but do not HAVE to get through, go on this list. For example, scheduling an eye doctor appointment doesn't HAVE to be done this week, but must be done soon, before the summer, since I need new prescription sunglasses. It goes on my MAYBE list. Items from my Master List that really need to be tended to get moved to this list.

The fifth list is a dinner menu for the week. Right now, next week's list only has notes on it saying I plan to eat out on Monday's night (a ladies' night) and Friday night (LSU gym meet). Before I go grocery shopping, though, I will plan my menu, starting with items that I have to use (like the salad ingredients that are getting bad in my crisper).

The sixth list is my grocery list. As I run out of something or think of something I need, it goes on this list. I keep a master list of common groceries elsewhere, to glance at each week and see if something important (such as bread) is missing.

The seventh list is my NOTES. If an entry can't fit details, I put a symbol by it (like *A) and start the note with *A. Notes takes up a lot of room on the page. But it allows me to do the following: Calendar Entry - 2 p.m. Ander Birthday Party *A; Note - Bring cake and candles, can arrive by 1:50 p.m., 3456 Jefferson Highway, contact is Julia, 555-555-5555.

FILES:

For the most part, filing gets done at home. Recipes go in a folder in the kitchen or as a favorite in my bookmarks on my computer. But I do have a folder in my planner (for filing items that aren't hole punched). I also have the following files (with a cover sheet listing all categories and a/b, g/h, m/n, and s dividers (because having all of the alphabet adds too much bulk to the planner):
-anniversary list by year (for buying anniversary gifts)
-borrowed (for listing items that I lend out, dates, and noting when they are returned)
-business (ideas for starting my own business)
-cafeteria code (for the kid's school, discarded each year)
-contacts (most addresses are available on my phone or on-line so easily that I no longer put them in my planner, but this is for things like the local takeout joints or my kid's school)
-daily planner refills
-diet (for jotting done calories eaten when I am away from my computer)
-gifts (ideas for friends and family)
-grocery master list (made from four or five weeks of shopping lists)
-jobs (for notes on job applications pending)
-medical (an on-going medical log of all doctor's appointments)
-menu (a master list of common meals that I prepare)
-packing list (a few copies of my master list for making a packing list when I travel)
-passwords
-printer ink (a reminder of the kind of refills I need for my printer)
-recipes (for jotting them down until I get home)
-services (a list of babysitters, lawn care people, and housekeepers, as needed)
-substitute teaching (where my notes for each assignment go)
-taxes (an annual list of what I need to gather to do taxes)

PLASTIC INSERTS:

The plastic inserts in my planner hold the following:
-envelopes
-coupons (I don't use many)
-stamps
-address labels with my address
-rubber bands
-paper clips
-post-its
-my jump drive

Finally, I have a hole punched planner notebook in the back of the planner.

I know this is a lot of detail. But I hope it either gives you ideas of how to use your planner (or iPhone,blackberry, or Droid) or that you give me some!

Etcetera.