You might have noticed that I am not one of those organization bloggers with a beautiful, perfect planner, a colorful, welcoming desk area, and warmly decorated house. (Also, I don't have one of those idyllic, perfect lives. Alas, maybe someday when I win the lottery. A girl can dream, right?) Instead, I am all about the practical. I work my planner so that it can work for me. If something doesn't work, I get rid of it. If something works well, I share it here. One thing that works well, but that I find works best if I use it only a little bit, is the master Tasks list.
As you know by now, I write most of my tasks on a monthly task list (if it's due that month), a weekly list (due that week), or one of the days on my weekly pages (if due to be done that day). But a handful of tasks are things that I want to do, but don't need to do at a certain time. If they were really important, I would schedule them during the month or week, but the tasks I am describing are lower priority tasks, but still things I want to remember to do. For example, I've been meaning to organize my closet, particularly the shoe area of the closet, for a while now. (The hula hoops hanging out in my clothes' closet are particularly embarrassing.)
Enter the master Tasks list.
Some of the tasks that are on this list include reorganizing the bookmarks on my web browser, cleaning off "hot spots" around the house, and editing my novel. None of them are time sensitive, but they all would make my life better or easier. I do them whenever I feel like it. (Confessional translation: mostly, I don't do them.)
By having a dumping ground for all these things in my planner, I escape the late-night worry sessions that would have me awake and anxious all the time, wondering if I had forgotten something. The Tasks section of my planner captures these errant thoughts.
And when I actually accomplish one of these tasks, it is quite rewarding.
(I got the cute baskets on clearance at Target. Aren't they adorable? ) Etcetera.
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For those Loyal Readers* who are also writers (or aspiring writers), National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) is a great chance to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Last November, I managed to do just that. I still haven't edited my novel or attempted to publish it, as my lazy exceeds my shame, but I wrote it. It's a matter of pride, much like running a marathon or learning to cook a great steak. (Marathon - 1, Giftie Etcetera - 0. Boo! But I nailed that darn steak!)
For those Loyal Readers who are not writers, today's blog is still a great example of how to plan a project.
As a planner, I realize that such a huge goal as writing a novel in a single month requires some thoughtful planning. A quick warning, though, that I think all planners should heed - don't over plan. That is, plan carefully enough that your planner can work for you to accomplish your goal, but don't get so bogged down in the planning process that you waste valuable writing time.
Here are the steps to planning the Nanowrimo project (or any other project):
1. Have a Project section in your planner to track all projects. It's important that you understand how a project is different than a task. A project, in my world, has multiple steps that are done over a period of time. Nanowrimo is clearly a project, as you will be outlining, writing, and editing, plus trying to get published, over several weeks or months.
2. Add the name of the project to the Project section's index. I also jot down the due date for projects with an end date.
3. Make a temporary tab for the project and put it in the Project section in ABC order, basing the placement on the right ABC edge of the index page. I use post-it flags for this purpose.
4. Make a goal-tracking page. I like graph paper (just printed on my computer, cut, and hole-punched) for this purpose. Also, don't forget to put the project name in The Box. This page is the one that will hold your temporary tab.
For those doing Nanowrimo, note the daily writing goal is 1,667 words per day in November. In the first Sunday box, I put a key, A, B, and C, to show where the numbers will be placed in each little calendar box.
A = running goal (1,667 times the number of days that have passed)
B = words today
C = running tally (all Bs so far added together)
I will use this chart to log my writing daily during November. 5. Add working pages as needed. Remember to use The Box to label each page. Since these working pages are being actively used almost daily, as I jot down writing ideas and outlines, I mark them with a magnetic book mark.
6. Check the Monthly calendar. In the case of this November, it's pretty obvious that I will have to finish Nanowrimo a couple of days early, as Thanksgiving comes right at the end of the month.
7. Add the final deadline (and any other important deadlines) to the Weekly tasks list. Remember to write the due date on the last day before the final project is due. Since this is such an important deadline for me, I use pink or red pen to highlight it. Please do not skip this step. This is the important last step that ties the project to your tasks and makes sure that you do not forget about working on it.
Happy writing, Nanowrimo peeps!
Etcetera.
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Today's video encourages you to do a daily review of your planner every single day. This routine process is quick, easy, and one of the most valuable ways to spend time with your planner.
In my world, a daily review has four steps:
1. I do a quick brain dump of any thoughts, things I need to remember, ideas, or anything else on my mind into my Dashboard page.
2. I glance at my Projects to see if I will be attacking any of them today.
One of the reasons that I use a ring bound planner, despite the much wider variety of wire bound planners out there, is because I can add special sections to my ring bound planner.
Today, while ordering more ink for my printer, I added a list of Sizes to the Notes section of my planner.
I started with grabbing graph paper from my Dashboard.
Then, I added the words "Sizes" to my Notes index.
Next, I put the Sizes page at the back of my Notes section. Note the box around the word "Sizes," making it easier to find the document.
Some of the things I am tracking so far on this page include clothing sizes/brands (for socks, tank tops...anything you buy regularly), air filter size (so I can pick them up whenever they go on sale), and ink size for my printer. Bonus pictures of the new dividers I made this morning, by simply tracing the old dividers, cutting them, and hole punching.
Let me know in the comments what you track on your Sizes page.
Etcetera.
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Most of my blogging inspiration comes from solutions to actual problems that I encounter when planning. Today is no exception. I got home this afternoon and the mail contained some coupons to process, I needed to track my blood pressure for the rest of the afternoon, and I had some notes to process from a meeting.
In the past, non-grocery coupons got wasted, even if they were to my favorite stores, because they were missing from my planner. (Grocery coupons are kept separately and I only bring them with me on my weekly shopping day.)
Problem: Using coupons before they expire.
Solutions:
1. Keep only the very best coupons for places that we visit all the time.
In this picture, I kept the coupon for our favorite local Chinese restaurant in the front of my planner.
2. Mark the expiration date (EXP) on the day BEFORE the coupon expires.
The coupon pictured below expires on the 27th, so I wrote "EXP: 10/27 - Kohl's Q" on the 26th to ensure that I have plenty of opportunity to use (or decide not to use) the coupon.
3. Or mark the expiration date (EXP) earlier, on the last day BEFORE the day that you realistically plan to use the coupon, if that day is more than one day before the coupon expires. In the case of this Target 5% off coupon, I go to Target on Tuesdays. The coupon does not actually expire until a Friday, but since I know my last grocery trip before the Friday will be on Tuesday, I wrote the coupon down on Monday. However, I still used the ACTUAL expiration date in the notation in my planner.
These tricks also work well for managing work or school deadlines. Another random problem that I've been experiencing with my planner is the need for a bookmark. Oh, I have lovely Today page markers for my monthly calendar and weeklies, and great tabs, but sometimes you just need to mark something for now - like my draft of my blog or the notes that I need to process from the room mom meeting.
Problem: Sometimes, you just need a temporary bookmark.
Solution:
While paper clips make fine bookmarks, they are not perfectly flat and tend to bulk up the planner. Instead, I purchased these really cheap and thin magnetic bible markers. In this example, I am keeping a medical log of my blood pressure tonight. Now I can turn right to that Project using my new bookmark.
I am also using one to collect the pages between the monthly page and this week's page.
Finally, I attended a room mom meeting today. There was a well-prepared agenda and I took notes. Problem: I need a fool-proof way to copy notes from the agenda without missing an important date or task.
Solutions:
1. Be prepared for the meeting, with a boxed topic page for the Projects (or Notes, depending on whether it is on-going) portion of the planner. This image shows how I referred to the handout, once I realized that there was one.
3. To the left, put context codes to determine the next action that you need to take. In this picture, "C - Oct" means at my computer, do October's email to the other parents. Making treat bags for Halloween is circled so that I remember to add that task to my planner (on the last shopping day before the bags are due).
4. Check off each item as you add it to your monthly calendar (for appointments) or weekly tasks. There were a lot of important detail on the agenda, so after processing and checking off each date or task, I kept the agenda in my front planner pocket. I will discard it at the end of the school year.
(Bonus tip: Write in the top, right hand corner box, "Room Mom, Meeting 10/15/13, Discard 06/01/14.)
