In the world of productivity, whether in the home or in the office, there is a term called magic minimums.
Showing posts with label simplify. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simplify. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2016
The Parts of a Simplified Daily Plan
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In the world of productivity, whether in the home or in the office, there is a term called magic minimums.
In the world of productivity, whether in the home or in the office, there is a term called magic minimums.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Simple Planning: A Flashback Post
Happy Easter! May the bunny leave enough peanut butter eggs to cover the candy tax that Mommy and Daddy always insist upon.
Today's flashback post is about going back to the basics.
Simple Planning
Enjoy!
Etcetera.
Today's flashback post is about going back to the basics.
Simple Planning
Enjoy!
Etcetera.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Best E-Planning Apps for the Surface Pro 3
I am a paper planning person. It's my nature and that's not ever going to change.
That said, I am adopting a few apps on my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 that can help with planning.
NOTE: I do not duplicate information. Either it is in my planner, in OneNote (things like work research projects), or in an app.
The apps that I am currently loving (all free at the Microsoft app store) include all the ones in the picture below in the Planner section.
TIP: Scroll from the middle of the top of the Start screen down with your finger to customize your app layout.
Calendar (purple)
The default calendar that comes with the Surface is good enough for me, since I won't use it to input information. Instead, it just reminds me of the date, built-in holidays, and Facebook birthdays.
Daily Tasks (green)
Daily Tasks is a simple calendar that allows the user to check off tasks each day. Blogging, laundry, dishes, straightening the house, and prepping for the next day all do here. The live tile tells me what still needs to be done today, so it is right in my face whenever I log on.
to-dos (dark yellow)
I rarely use this app, but it shows a live tile of whatever is entered on this one-time task list, so I can use it to remind me to do something on my computer that is not time sensitive.
Spending Tracker (beige)
This may be my favorite free app. It's a simple checkbook format and shows me a live tile of my current budget balance.
TIP: If you have more than one budget number or account to track, this is not the app for you.
This only works for me because my husband does the budget, subtracting out all the regular stuff, like mortgage and electricity bill, from our expected income. Then he gives me a number, which is the amount left to spend this month on other expenses.
NiftyList (light yellow)
NiftyList allows repeating tasks on a monthly or weekly basis.
It is perfect for the twelve household tasks that I regularly try to do each month: cleaning three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a living room; doing one organizing and one outside project; and straightening three areas that regularly collect clutter.
TIP: Do not put anything critical in the apps. Reserve your planner for the truly important stuff.
Notice that I use apps for stuff that I can recreate (like budget numbers, by calling my bank) or stuff that is routine (like housework) or can be skipped (like blogging, which I only do when I have time and if I feel like it).
NOTE: All of my app choices are simple-to-use apps. I don't have time to bother with anything complicated!
Which apps (not just Microsoft) are your favorites for planning?
Etcetera.
That said, I am adopting a few apps on my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 that can help with planning.
NOTE: I do not duplicate information. Either it is in my planner, in OneNote (things like work research projects), or in an app.
The apps that I am currently loving (all free at the Microsoft app store) include all the ones in the picture below in the Planner section.
TIP: Scroll from the middle of the top of the Start screen down with your finger to customize your app layout.
Calendar (purple)
The default calendar that comes with the Surface is good enough for me, since I won't use it to input information. Instead, it just reminds me of the date, built-in holidays, and Facebook birthdays.
Daily Tasks (green)
Daily Tasks is a simple calendar that allows the user to check off tasks each day. Blogging, laundry, dishes, straightening the house, and prepping for the next day all do here. The live tile tells me what still needs to be done today, so it is right in my face whenever I log on.
to-dos (dark yellow)
I rarely use this app, but it shows a live tile of whatever is entered on this one-time task list, so I can use it to remind me to do something on my computer that is not time sensitive.
Spending Tracker (beige)
This may be my favorite free app. It's a simple checkbook format and shows me a live tile of my current budget balance.
TIP: If you have more than one budget number or account to track, this is not the app for you.
This only works for me because my husband does the budget, subtracting out all the regular stuff, like mortgage and electricity bill, from our expected income. Then he gives me a number, which is the amount left to spend this month on other expenses.
NiftyList (light yellow)
NiftyList allows repeating tasks on a monthly or weekly basis.
It is perfect for the twelve household tasks that I regularly try to do each month: cleaning three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a living room; doing one organizing and one outside project; and straightening three areas that regularly collect clutter.
TIP: Do not put anything critical in the apps. Reserve your planner for the truly important stuff.
Notice that I use apps for stuff that I can recreate (like budget numbers, by calling my bank) or stuff that is routine (like housework) or can be skipped (like blogging, which I only do when I have time and if I feel like it).
NOTE: All of my app choices are simple-to-use apps. I don't have time to bother with anything complicated!
Which apps (not just Microsoft) are your favorites for planning?
Etcetera.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Essential Parts of a Planner
As a new year begins, many people make resolutions. They plan to workout or eat fewer calories or budget or finally write that novel. But real life makes achieving goals troublesome. Heck, real life makes getting anything done troublesome.
No, I'm not talking about a calendar, though a calendar can be part of a planner. No, this post is not about notebooks, but they can also be part of a planner. And while I am a fan of actual writing - a process that encodes the plan in the brain - an e-planner might work for some people.
Area for Actual Planning
Blank space is not enough. In order to plan effectively, you need a place to organize your thoughts. For me, I call that place my Projects section.
Files
A good system includes a place to file information for reference.
TIP: Put the whole system in one place - like a ring-bound binder from Filofax, Franklin Covey, or Daytimer - for easy access. But if you use different systems (like your calendar on your phone or a notebook for listing tasks), at least don't duplicate the information in two different places.
The best way to achieve goals and deal with the overwhelm of life?
A planner.
No, I'm not talking about a calendar, though a calendar can be part of a planner. No, this post is not about notebooks, but they can also be part of a planner. And while I am a fan of actual writing - a process that encodes the plan in the brain - an e-planner might work for some people.
The key difference between a planner and a calendar is that a planner is for making decisions, mapping out strategies, and tracking information, while a calendar is a simple way to note dates.
There are some parts of a planner that I consider essential in order to distinguish a planner from a calendar.
There are some parts of a planner that I consider essential in order to distinguish a planner from a calendar.
TIP: When setting up your 2015 planning system, consider including parts that serve these functions.
Quick Access to Writing Space
A good planner includes a place where you can jot a thought as soon as it enters your head.
Quick Access to Writing Space
A good planner includes a place where you can jot a thought as soon as it enters your head.
Area for Actual Planning
Blank space is not enough. In order to plan effectively, you need a place to organize your thoughts. For me, I call that place my Projects section.
Calendar
A calendar should be dedicated to time and date sensitive items. If you dump everything that you want to do on your calendar, the space gets overwhelming and doesn't do its job very well.
A calendar should be dedicated to time and date sensitive items. If you dump everything that you want to do on your calendar, the space gets overwhelming and doesn't do its job very well.
Some people use a phone or computer as a calendar, so that alarms go off.
Dedicated Space for Lists of Tasks
I use a weekly calendar to list tasks, but you might use a notebook for that purpose.
I use a weekly calendar to list tasks, but you might use a notebook for that purpose.
Dates Beyond the Calendar Area
Set up a Future section if you are using a paper planner, so that you are not confined by the dates in your calendar.
Set up a Future section if you are using a paper planner, so that you are not confined by the dates in your calendar.
Files
A good system includes a place to file information for reference.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tricks for Skinny Eating
I am not skinny. Perhaps a fat chick should not be lecturing you on ways to count calories. :) But I am organized, and today, I figured out a way to be more organized about my diet. So here goes: a fat chick's tricks for skinny eating in an organized way.
Menu plan with calorie counts. Every week, write down what you are eating for supper and estimate the calories. I menu plan supper anyway, but by adding the estimated calorie counts, I can eat more or less during the day, depending if supper is chicken breasts (wonder how many hits I'll get on my blog for including the word breasts...tee hee) or cheeseburgers. If you are really organized, menu plan lunch and breakfast as well. I don't do that, but I do keep a list of suggested 200 and 300 calorie breakfasts and under 500 calorie lunches in my planner. The other advantage of menu planning? You save money on shopping trips (because you know what you have to buy) and you save calories by eating at home instead of eating out all the time. (Because, let's face it, when you didn't make that turkey wrap on Friday night, you didn't order a salad. You ordered a pizza. You know you did.)
Example of a menu plan (half week):
Breakfasts (200 cal) - one waffle with butter/syrup and coffee, one slice of toast with smear of peanut butter and coffee, one packet of grits with sprinkle of cheese and coffee. (Note that coffee is nonnegotiable.)
Lunches (400 calories) - grilled chicken salad with dressing; chili cheese baked potato; peanut butter sandwich (just some options jotted in my planner!)
Dinner -
M Roast Beef/Veggies 550 cals.
T Pasta and Chicken 525 cals.
W Out (Japanese - stay under 800 calories)
(You can't really tell, but half the pasta is actually peppers and half the cream sauce is fat free half and half while the rest is chicken stock. Another trick? Half the plate is fruit or veggies. The chicken is baked with a bit of panko, calorie-free dried onions, and a sprinkle of hard cheese.)
Use an on-line calorie counter. I use www.myfitnesspal.com, but any of them work. Enter food as you eat it. Enter your recipes, figure out how much you ACTUALLY eat per serving, and use that resource to track your calories. On the road, most of these programs have smart phone apps. ( I don't have a smart phone. Yes, yes, yes. 2012 yada yada. I keep a little planner in my bag to jot calories and other notes in while on the road.) Enters foods as you eat them, both so you learn serving sizes and so you monitor your intake.
Know how many servings you are actually eating. You can do this by measuring everything. Don't worry, after a while you will learn how much one tablespoon of peanut butter is. You can measure by sight. (A serving of peanut butter if about the size of my thumb. A serving of cheese is the same. A serving of meat - 3 to 4 ounces - is the size of my palm of my hand.) Or, you can look at how many servings come in a jar and multiply that by the number of calories in a jar, then divide by how many servings you get out of the jar.
I have trouble with my favorite peanut butter. I always eat more than a serving. It has 14 servings, so I now mark that on the jar. If I eat half the jar in one sitting (OINK), I mark off seven servings:
If I get to the bottom of the jar and have not logged all the calories, I go ahead and log the rest. My thighs will log it, so I might as well be honest with myself. (The sad truth is that I ate an eighth serving when I dug out this jar to take a picture. Oink oink.)
Please feel free to share your tips for organized dieting in the comments.
Etcetera.
Menu plan with calorie counts. Every week, write down what you are eating for supper and estimate the calories. I menu plan supper anyway, but by adding the estimated calorie counts, I can eat more or less during the day, depending if supper is chicken breasts (wonder how many hits I'll get on my blog for including the word breasts...tee hee) or cheeseburgers. If you are really organized, menu plan lunch and breakfast as well. I don't do that, but I do keep a list of suggested 200 and 300 calorie breakfasts and under 500 calorie lunches in my planner. The other advantage of menu planning? You save money on shopping trips (because you know what you have to buy) and you save calories by eating at home instead of eating out all the time. (Because, let's face it, when you didn't make that turkey wrap on Friday night, you didn't order a salad. You ordered a pizza. You know you did.)
Example of a menu plan (half week):
Breakfasts (200 cal) - one waffle with butter/syrup and coffee, one slice of toast with smear of peanut butter and coffee, one packet of grits with sprinkle of cheese and coffee. (Note that coffee is nonnegotiable.)
Lunches (400 calories) - grilled chicken salad with dressing; chili cheese baked potato; peanut butter sandwich (just some options jotted in my planner!)
Dinner -
M Roast Beef/Veggies 550 cals.
T Pasta and Chicken 525 cals.
W Out (Japanese - stay under 800 calories)
(You can't really tell, but half the pasta is actually peppers and half the cream sauce is fat free half and half while the rest is chicken stock. Another trick? Half the plate is fruit or veggies. The chicken is baked with a bit of panko, calorie-free dried onions, and a sprinkle of hard cheese.)
Use an on-line calorie counter. I use www.myfitnesspal.com, but any of them work. Enter food as you eat it. Enter your recipes, figure out how much you ACTUALLY eat per serving, and use that resource to track your calories. On the road, most of these programs have smart phone apps. ( I don't have a smart phone. Yes, yes, yes. 2012 yada yada. I keep a little planner in my bag to jot calories and other notes in while on the road.) Enters foods as you eat them, both so you learn serving sizes and so you monitor your intake.
Know how many servings you are actually eating. You can do this by measuring everything. Don't worry, after a while you will learn how much one tablespoon of peanut butter is. You can measure by sight. (A serving of peanut butter if about the size of my thumb. A serving of cheese is the same. A serving of meat - 3 to 4 ounces - is the size of my palm of my hand.) Or, you can look at how many servings come in a jar and multiply that by the number of calories in a jar, then divide by how many servings you get out of the jar.
I have trouble with my favorite peanut butter. I always eat more than a serving. It has 14 servings, so I now mark that on the jar. If I eat half the jar in one sitting (OINK), I mark off seven servings:
If I get to the bottom of the jar and have not logged all the calories, I go ahead and log the rest. My thighs will log it, so I might as well be honest with myself. (The sad truth is that I ate an eighth serving when I dug out this jar to take a picture. Oink oink.)
Please feel free to share your tips for organized dieting in the comments.
Etcetera.
Monday, June 11, 2012
The Everyday
The hardest part of staying organized is the everyday. Today, for example, was full of surprises. We got ready to go to free summer movie. (By the way. Legends of the Guardians is too violent for a 3 year old. And a 37 year old. Oops.) I had feed the kids breakfast and supervised the getting dressed, hair, shoes, and teeth. I had a back packed, complete with mints for me and gummy somethings for the kids, so that we didn't have to buy popcorn. (Popcorn that the 3 year old is ALLERGIC to, which is oh-so-much-fun. {rolls eyes}) We were meeting someone, but no problem. Easy peasy!
And then my coffee spilled.
Spectacularly.
All over the island, on the paperwork, and creeping towards my new Nook, the 3DS, and the library books.
I cleaned it up, but was 15 minutes late for meeting our friends at the movies. Also, I am still finding coffee that dripped into odd little spots.
Then, once we got home, ate and cleaned up after lunch, and put the preschooler to bed, it was only two hours before my husband gets home from work. Everyday this moment arrives - the one where I stop and think that I need to put laundry away and clean the kitchen and start supper, because this is my job. But it happens, everyday, at the same time that I want nothing more than to watch tv (damn Oprah for giving up her talk show right as I decided to stay home) and read a good book. Also, the 3 year old naps in my bedroom, which really makes it hard to clean in the dirtiest part of the house without waking him. And I know I am going grocery shopping and cooking supper after husband gets home to watch the kids, so I know my day isn't ending.
The everyday. That is the hardest part about this being organized thing. My planner has appointments all day long, a checklist of daily goals that never get reached, and no room for down time. I need to get a handle on this. And I'm kind of clueless as to how.
Etcetera.
And then my coffee spilled.
Spectacularly.
All over the island, on the paperwork, and creeping towards my new Nook, the 3DS, and the library books.
I cleaned it up, but was 15 minutes late for meeting our friends at the movies. Also, I am still finding coffee that dripped into odd little spots.
Then, once we got home, ate and cleaned up after lunch, and put the preschooler to bed, it was only two hours before my husband gets home from work. Everyday this moment arrives - the one where I stop and think that I need to put laundry away and clean the kitchen and start supper, because this is my job. But it happens, everyday, at the same time that I want nothing more than to watch tv (damn Oprah for giving up her talk show right as I decided to stay home) and read a good book. Also, the 3 year old naps in my bedroom, which really makes it hard to clean in the dirtiest part of the house without waking him. And I know I am going grocery shopping and cooking supper after husband gets home to watch the kids, so I know my day isn't ending.
The everyday. That is the hardest part about this being organized thing. My planner has appointments all day long, a checklist of daily goals that never get reached, and no room for down time. I need to get a handle on this. And I'm kind of clueless as to how.
Etcetera.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
How to Purge
I'm attached to my stuff. Really attached. Get your slimy hands off my netbook, my planner, my Nook, and my purse! Do not touch my scarf collection. I don't have much stuff, but I really value what I do have, more than I like to admit. So when my friend said she would turn to me to purge her stuff before her big move (to her new house with her new husband!!!), I laughed. Me, purge? Ha ha!
Really, though, I purge on the way into the house. I try not to buy something until I've wished (at home) that I had it at least three times. (For example, if I put on the same dress three times, but never wear it out of the house, because I need brown shoes with it, I buy brown shoes. And I have this FABULOUS casual purse that is cross body, but I can't wear it with dressier outfits. I constantly wish I had a purse like it, but in a dressier material. If I ever find that, I'm buying it.)
When I bring something home, I try to get rid of something that I never use. New purse? Get rid of one that I never use. New shirt? Get rid of the t-shirt that has shrunk enough that it doesn't cover my belly.
I have two places to get rid of things. One is the trash. If the shirt is shrunken, it goes there. I have a permanent goodwill box (in the form of a lined trashcan in my laundry closet) that I put goodwill items in. When the trashcan gets full, I put the trash bag in the trunk of my car and deliver it to goodwill and reline the can. Having a permanent, convenient spot for give away items really helps.
I used to save stuff for certain people. I no longer do that unless it is VERY special, like my kid's homemade Baptism outfit. If you save stuff for certain people, it halts the purging process to much. After going through the long process of contacting someone, getting the goods to them, and holding it until I saw them, I gave up. Now it goes to trash or goodwill. That's it.
Gifts go to goodwill immediately if I'm never going to use them. I figure that someone will really appreciate "buying" a gift still in the box from the goodwill store.
But what do I tell my friend? She already has the stuff and she is ready to move. How do you do purge stuff you already own and didn't intend to get rid off?
I suggest that she and her daughter each get a large box to use as their special boxes. They can even decorate them! If they love something that they haven't used in the last year, it goes in the special box. Otherwise, they should use the one year test. If they haven't used it in the last year, it goes. The ONLY exception, other than whatever they can fit in the special box, is anything that is used regularly, but that hasn't been used in a year. (I have a black dress that I wear to funerals, for example. I only use it when someone dies, but I ALWAYS use it when someone dies. I also have a couple of serving platters that I only use when I host Thanksgiving, about every third year. But I ALWAYS use them when I host Thanksgiving.)
Everything else goes to goodwill (if it's in perfect condition) or the trash!
Also, and I'm probably an awful friend for saying this, but I'm glad I'm not moving right now! :)
Etcetera.
Really, though, I purge on the way into the house. I try not to buy something until I've wished (at home) that I had it at least three times. (For example, if I put on the same dress three times, but never wear it out of the house, because I need brown shoes with it, I buy brown shoes. And I have this FABULOUS casual purse that is cross body, but I can't wear it with dressier outfits. I constantly wish I had a purse like it, but in a dressier material. If I ever find that, I'm buying it.)
When I bring something home, I try to get rid of something that I never use. New purse? Get rid of one that I never use. New shirt? Get rid of the t-shirt that has shrunk enough that it doesn't cover my belly.
I have two places to get rid of things. One is the trash. If the shirt is shrunken, it goes there. I have a permanent goodwill box (in the form of a lined trashcan in my laundry closet) that I put goodwill items in. When the trashcan gets full, I put the trash bag in the trunk of my car and deliver it to goodwill and reline the can. Having a permanent, convenient spot for give away items really helps.
I used to save stuff for certain people. I no longer do that unless it is VERY special, like my kid's homemade Baptism outfit. If you save stuff for certain people, it halts the purging process to much. After going through the long process of contacting someone, getting the goods to them, and holding it until I saw them, I gave up. Now it goes to trash or goodwill. That's it.
Gifts go to goodwill immediately if I'm never going to use them. I figure that someone will really appreciate "buying" a gift still in the box from the goodwill store.
But what do I tell my friend? She already has the stuff and she is ready to move. How do you do purge stuff you already own and didn't intend to get rid off?
I suggest that she and her daughter each get a large box to use as their special boxes. They can even decorate them! If they love something that they haven't used in the last year, it goes in the special box. Otherwise, they should use the one year test. If they haven't used it in the last year, it goes. The ONLY exception, other than whatever they can fit in the special box, is anything that is used regularly, but that hasn't been used in a year. (I have a black dress that I wear to funerals, for example. I only use it when someone dies, but I ALWAYS use it when someone dies. I also have a couple of serving platters that I only use when I host Thanksgiving, about every third year. But I ALWAYS use them when I host Thanksgiving.)
Everything else goes to goodwill (if it's in perfect condition) or the trash!
Also, and I'm probably an awful friend for saying this, but I'm glad I'm not moving right now! :)
Etcetera.