Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 2

This Top Ten post teaches the basics of using a planner.

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 3

Using a schedule in a planner? Check out the #3 Giftie Top Ten post.

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 4

Giftie reveals what to write in a planner in one of her Top Ten posts.

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 5

If you are thinking of setting some rules for keeping your planner easy-to-use in the new year, the #5 Giftie Top Ten post is a classic set of ideas for how to write in a planner.

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 6

If you don't read any other post that I ever write, read the one that is in position #6 of my Top Ten Planner posts of the year. 

And read it BEFORE you set up your planner for the new year!

It's my favorite post, even if it's not the most viral.

Throughout the rest of the year, I'll add to the countdown.

Merry Christmas

I'll be back on Saturday (hopefully) with another post. In the meantime, I'm taking a two day break to enjoy Christmas.

Have a blessed holiday season and I'll catch you on Saturday!

Etcetera.

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Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 7

As I continue to countdown the most popular planner posts from the last year, take a moment to schedule an hour or so to set up or tweak your 2016 planner using these tips.

All ten Top Ten posts will be available by New Year's Eve!

How Old Is Too Old to Potty in the Ladies' Room

A friend of mine recently visited the Mall of the Americas AMC Theater with her 9 year old son.

She was told by an employee that he was too old to go into the ladies' restroom with her. 

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: #7

Today's 7th most popular planner post of the year is about stuff that I don't do in my planner!

Throughout the rest of the year, I'll add to the countdown.

How to Plan for a Multi-Day Event

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Last year, I wrote about Planning a Holiday Week. 

It was a great post, packed with information to help get a busy week under control.

But I've done a much better job this year. So Merry Christmas! 

My gift to you is to teach you how to plan for any multi-day event or hard deadline coming up in your life.

3 Things You Never Knew You Could Do on Facebook

Facebook is always changing. Recently, they rolled out three cool features that you should know about.

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 8

As I continue to countdown the most popular planner posts from the last year, I realize just how much my planner and blogging are a real part of my life. Thank you for continuing to be a part of that.

Throughout the rest of the year, I'll add to the countdown.

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 9

As we countdown to the new year, I wanted to remind you of the most popular planner posts from the last year. Throughout the rest of the year, I'll add to the countdown.

Top Ten Planner Posts of the Year: Post # 10

As we countdown to the new year, I wanted to remind you of the most popular planner posts from the last year. Throughout the rest of the year, I'll add to the countdown.

Take Your Blog from Cookie Cutter to Fabulous

I recently participated in a blog review. 

Each of us got assigned several blogs to review honestly. Then, we received all the reviews of our own blog in an e-mail.

Free Wish List Printable - Ways to Use It

I have a big announcement to make! 

I've teamed up with Becky at Planner Fun to offer FREE printables for your personal use a few times in the upcoming year.

Planner Fun will supply the downloadable, printable pages, and Giftie Etcetera will teach you new ways to use them.

Smart Organizing Logic From My Younger Self

Back in 2012, I wrote about organizing.

Not much has changed.

The Technology That I Use for Planning and Blogging

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I use a paper planner, but as a blogger, I am very techno-savvy. 

How can a Luddite in the world of planners love to tweak HTML and edit YouTube videos?

And what I am willing to spend (you KNOW it's not much) to do so?

Why I Don't Want a Planner for Christmas

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I don't want a planner for Christmas.

Organizing Medications for the Household

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This morning was a parenting nightmare.

My epilepsy kid flat out refused to take his meds.

Using a Planner to Thrive in Survival Mode

When I was in college, "survival mode" usually happened about a week before final exams. 

Papers were due. I was out of clean laundry. I had to study. Everything needed to be packed up for break.

Now, the holiday season is much more likely to put me in survival mode. So many plays to attend, gifts to buy and wrap, and illnesses mean that some days only consist of getting through them the best way that I can manage.

Increasing Hits on a Single Blog Post

Welcome to my little blog, Giftie Etcetera. 

Back when I started (as a lifestyle/parenting blog) in 2007, I had posts that got as few as 3 views and averaged about 20 views for a couple of years.

As you stumble around my blog today, you'll notice that I focus more on planners, organizing, and being productive. I also have a few more readers these days.

Planner Sections and How To Use Them

Whenever I get new information, I face the dilemma of where to put that information in my planner.

I can get paralyzed by the decision of where to write something down. If it goes in the wrong section of my planner, I'll never find it again or it'll crowd out more important information.

For someone with a touch of OCD (my therapist says I'm "on the spectrum"), the anxiety is just too much. I need a system to deal.

Christmas Gifts for People Who Are Impossible to Please

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I'm about to talk about a hypothetical person. (If you are reading this, this post is not about you. Just...um...so we are clear. Not you. Someone else. OBVIOUSLY.)

It's about people who make it IMPOSSIBLE to give them a decent gift. You know THOSE PEOPLE.

The "do you have a gift receipt?" people. Eye roll.

The "oh, how nice" people whose faces look like they are eating cow doo doo while they unwrap the gift. Bless their hearts.

The kid who says, "thank you. My mom says I have to say that even if I hate the gift." Sigh.

You know those people.

How I Earned a Threefold Increase in Monthly Blog Income

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My tiny blog makes me happy. 

I feel like I get to think out my processes and share good ideas with a community of planner folks, parents, organized ladies (and a couple of gentleman, but stats reveal there are only about two of you), and some Loyal Readers.

But my blog will never make me rich.

Why You Should Use a Planner Instead of Your Hand

When I was 21, I was a teacher at a Catholic middle school. The school rules did not allow students to write on their bodies after several kids made some temporary tattoos with ink pens.

How to Stay Organized When In the Car

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I got a new car.

The salesperson wants me to say, "I got a new car!!!" 

I know that for sure since he commented on how unexcited I was at the negotiations and title signing.

Solving The "Too Much To Do" Problem with a Planner

There are days when there is so much that must be done. It can make a person crazy. 

When the stress becomes overwhelming, I turn to my planner to handle it.

(I also turn to coffee, escapism in the form of romance novels, and burrito-wrapping myself in blankets. See? Crazy.)

21 Epic Elf on the Shelf Ideas for Lazy Parents

Due to circumstances mostly beyond our control, our household ended up with an Elf on the Shelf named John Henry.

He doesn't watch the kids for evidence of naughty or nice behavior. He's just a fun game we play.

And, honestly, even though the *****ing Elf is a pain to move around, we've mostly enjoyed him. (The asterisks are totally nice words. Or naughty words. John Henry doesn't care either way!)

I've compiled the best of John Henry's adventures, along with some of our more revealing Elf Facebook statuses from last year.

Christmas Gift Shopping With Your Planner

I am constantly encouraging you to either create a Christmas planner or use the Project pages in your planner to plan your holidays.

I also almost ALWAYS carry my planner with me.

But in the mall, I get tired of carrying a heavy purse. I want a lightweight crossbody bag instead.

Organizing Christmas Presents

Take a minute to go read this updated post about Organizing Christmas Presents!

I promise it's worth clicking over to read!

Etcetera.

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What to Buy Your Husband for Christmas

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So many of my friends are asking what to buy husbands for Christmas? What gift should I get my husband? Is there a gift guide for husbands?

Live Blogging Thanksgiving

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How do you get your Loyal Readers to tune in to your blog on Thanksgiving Day?

Why, an event, of course!

For years, my Facebook friends have been urging me to write a book about the funny and cool things my kids say. 

In high school newspaper class, we kept all such sayings anonymous and called them "Overheards."

What to Plan in a Planner

People ask me constantly, "what do you even put in a planner?"

Well, lots of stuff.

Le Doigt: A Story of Paris and Planners

As a little girl, I would visit Grandma Julie every Sunday. At first, we would pick her up for Mass, walking her slowly up to the front pew, so she could take communion without leaving her seat.

As she grew older and more feeble, we'd go to Mass alone, then visit at her old, raised wooden house about a quarter mile from the church, complete with a creaky front porch that oversaw the Mississippi River, while she watched Mass on television.

I was young, so I always tried to escape to that porch instead of sitting through a second Mass. 

The Right Planner for Everyone on Your Gift List

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A dedicated day planner user - also known around these parts as a plannerd - might ask, "why would I ever buy a day planner for someone else as a gift?"

After all, if you are a Loyal Reader of Giftie Etcetera, you likely already use a planner tailored to you and your needs. That's the goal, anyway. You understand that a planner is a very personal item.

This year, I'm challenging you to share that love of planners with someone in your life who might either need or truly appreciate it!

Since every plannerd (or potential plannerd) is unique, I'll try to share some interesting planners that you might not know about and the unique aspects of each of these planners with you.

Christmas Gift Guide for Kids Who Are Too Old for Toys

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Every year, we take our kids to Toys 'R Us to make a Christmas wish list. It's always a fun day for them.

My second grader, Loki, made a list that was two pages long (and calculated out to about $1,500 worth of stuff...so, that's NOT happening).

But this year, for the first time, it was different for my older kid, a fourth grader.

He's no longer into toys.

3 Shortcuts for Writing Your Blog Post in Less Time

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Blogging takes a ton of time. If you blog, you realize that.

I think my Loyal Readers know about the time commitment, too.

The Power of a Planner Over Scraps of Paper

Even though I use my planner regularly and mostly keep it organized, there are times when the sticky notes and random entries get overwhelming.

How to Deal with Paper Clutter

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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?

Adulting Should Come with Instructions

Adulting is hard.

They expect you to get up every morning, feed yourself (and sometimes other people!), and skip nap time.

No toys allowed before 9 p.m.

Your socks have to match. HAVE TO.

And don't even get me starting on filling out forms. Forms, people!

Talking to Children About Terrorism

I hate having to write this post. It makes me sad.

Must Have Planner Accessories: You Don't Have to Spend Much

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I constantly see pictures of people's HUGE planner stashes.

Planning Thanksgiving Dinner

Every Sunday, I invite readers to a classic Giftie post, while I laze away my day.

Today, I'm featuring my glimpse at Thanksgiving planning post, just in time for the holiday.

Enjoy!

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: Making Your Home Sing, Mommy Monday, Much Ado About Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Art of Homemaking, Tuesdays at Our Home, Best of the Weekend, My Favorite Things, Saturday Sparks, Saturday Sharefest, Sharing Saturday

Featured at: Turn It Up Tuesday

Parenting, Planners, and Public Speaking

Once a week, I focus on technology. But I don't limit the technology talk to my blog.

I also teach my kids how to use technology in a positive way.

Currently, that means learning how to write, produce, and star in their own YouTube videos for kids.

Planner people, especially those with children or grandchildren, keep reading. I've got a special tutorial for you to watch (with or without your kid) about using planners!

A Real-Life Peek at a Written Daily Plan

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My Loyal Readers (and my many new visitors - welcome!) have been clamoring for more You Tube videos.

Making videos is not my favorite thing to do, but I get that sometimes information is more easy to understand when you heard it.

For this video, I did my nails all fancy, but left my hair wet from a shower. That whole "use good lighting and makeup" theory of video making is lost on me. As I tell my darling children, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" {grin}

Affordable Gifts for Cubicle Dwellers

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Every year at Christmas time, there is that awkward moment when someone in the office suggests a gift exchange.

Not in? You look like a Scrooge.

All in? You look like a kiss up.

I figured I'd help you out with Christmas gift ideas during this holiday season, so I'll occasionally share ideas, like this Gift Guide for the Obsessively Organized. 

(Don't worry. I'm still writing about planners and organizing most days! That won't end.)

This time, I thought I'd help you out with some inexpensive gift ideas for co-workers or other people in your life who do office work.

The Many Ways to Use a Planner to Battle Anxiety and Depression

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Confession time...I'm currently wearing brown nail polish. Honestly, it's more a dark bronze than an actual brown, but no matter.

What matters is the reason why I'm wearing such a dark, difficult-to-ignore nail polish.

Finding the Redeeming Qualities in Others (aka "An Ode to the Crimson Tide)

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There are some wonderful, beautiful, special things even in people that sometimes make your blood boil, like people who insist your planner is stupid, people who put the toilet paper roll on upside down, and Bama football fans.

3 Things You Should Be Tracking in a Day Planner

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People who don't use planners are always asking me what I put in there.

Well, everything.

In particular, though, I put appointments, deadlines, and task lists. 

Oh, and some other stuff that non-planner people rarely consider, but that makes my life so much easier.

How to Create Better Habits

I'm posting a New Year's Day post in November.

My Loyal Readers know that I rely heavily on my calendar, so I feel like I need to explain why Habit Happen When You Least Expect is my flashback post this week.