Cheap Planner Refills #3: Processing Future Pages

In posts #1 and #2 of my Cheap Planner Refills series, I wrote about buying a cheap, undated Plan Ahead planner to provide inexpensive refills for your Franklin Covey compact planner (or as your new planner, if you don't mind fake leather) and about getting the undated pages ready to use.

Today, I'm going to focus on my process for processing my Future section of my planner onto the refills. The Future section is the part of the planner where I write anything coming up in the future, like my cousin's wedding in January 2015, before there is a calendar section for those future dates.

Normally, I process my Future section into my main Calendar section about once a month, keeping the past month, current month, and future month in the Calendar section.

But I make an exception for big upcoming months, like the first month of school (August) and the end of the year holiday season (October, November, and December), because things book up fast and ahead of time at those times of the year.

I use a Quo Vadis planner (cut up) with a yearly calendar to highlight scheduled future dates, while listing them on a blank sheet of planner paper, like so:

10/13 - Dentist 3 p.m.
10/20 - Party, Jean's house, 6 p.m. (bring gift)

10/13 will be written on the blank paper and the date will be highlighted on the yearly planner. That way, if someone calls me to substitute teach or go to a play on 10/13, I can glance and see whether I am available that day, instantly. Not highlighted? Yes, I am available. Highlighted? I need to turn to the written list and search for that date to see if I am available.

TIP: If you don't have a yearly planner, print a list of this and next year's dates off the internet and just cut down for your future planning. As you add a date to your blank future pages, highlight that date on the yearly.

Since it is currently September, I needed to process October - December future pages.

Also, if I want to make any changes in how I am setting up my weeklies/monthlies, when processing future pages is the right time to do that.

Indeed, as I copied (and subsequently scratched out) future dates onto my current pages, I made three critical changes.

1. I changed the way I write tasks from [context code] [task] to [check box] [superscript context code][task].

E Deposit check at bank...

CHANGED TO...

      E
O Deposit check at bank

This gives me a circle to check off a task or X to show that I moved or deleted it. I don't use a box because circles are more efficient to draw.

2. Since the Plan Ahead's highlight column is near the rings (unlike the Flourish, which always has the highlight column to the right), I changed the order of entries on the right side of the page.

FLOURISH: 

DUE---Must Do---FYI/Should Do {RINGS} DUE---Must Do---FYI/Should Do

PLAN AHEAD: 

DUE---Must Do---FYI/Should Do {RINGS} FYI/Should Do---Must Do---DUE

As you can see, the all white area on the Plan Ahead is now due dates and must do tasks, while the grey highlighted area is only for if I get to those tasks.

3. In the monthly calendar, since Plan Ahead has a right hand blank column, I decided to use that column for notes that go along with a scheduled event (instead of putting the notes in the weeklies).

TIP: Put the notes on the column near the same week as the event that needs details. Details can include address, phone number of host, what to bring, or what to wear.

Once my future pages were done, I made another decision to fold the yearly highlighted future calendar, so I can easily peek at my blank future pages and their lists of dates. I simply folded and hole punched both sides of the yearly calendar.

You can see me in the process of highlighting the yearly calendar in the picture above. I suggest you do that AS you write new entries on the blank future pages, but I just started using a yearly calendar recently and had to catch up old entries.

TIP: If something happens yearly (like a birthday), recopy it to the Future section after it happens each year.

For me, birthday entries include a gift reminder about a week in advance (if they are getting a gift or card) and phone call reminder the day of the birthday.

ex. Alan's birthday, Jan. 22

01/15
      E
O Buy gift

01/22 

      Ph
O Alan Bday

Don't be limited by the dates in your planner. Set yourself free to plan forever with a Future section.

Etcetera.

Cheap Planner Refills #2: Setting Up Undated Pages

Yesterday, I posted about Plan Ahead planner refills. Today, I wanted to show you how to use the undated refills to plan your life.

The refills comes with a lot of extras, like a page marker, information pages, tabs, and blank pages.

They also come with a year's worth of planner pages, tabbed by month.

The weekly set-up is a lot like the Flourish inserts that you've seen before on my blog.

The biggest differences between Flourish and Plan Ahead inserts are 1) more color in the Flourish inserts and 2) on the Flourish, the highlight area is ALWAYS to the right, while on the Plan Ahead inserts, the highlight area is gray and always to the inside, near the rings.

I like the Flourish highlight area better, since it is more difficult to write near the rings anyway and I use the highlight area only for "should do" tasks.

There are pages between each month, including a graph page (good for tracking goals and household tasks) and a monthly to do list.

To set up the pages, first fill in the dates.

I like to cover unused monthly squares with washi tape.

I just line the tape up with the box and estimate where to cut it.

TIP: Better to cover a bit of the lines than make the piece of tape too short. It will look visually neater.

Note that I use a bit of washi tape to highlight blocked out days with upcoming travel.

Weekly updates will also need to be updated.

I use only black Frixion pens to fill in dates.

TIP: Don't use black for anything else. That way, the dates look more like part of the planner.

If two months will appear in one week (like September 29th and 30th in the picture below, with October 1st through the end of the first week of October), cross out the unused weekly spread and write all dates on the week with the majority of the dates. (In this case, the first week of October should include the two September dates.)

Staple the unused month right at the very edge to keep you from accidentally using that useless weekly spread.

Or, plan ahead and remove one page in the middle of the weekly spread for the carry-over month.

Tomorrow, I'll let you peek at my processing of my Future pages into the new Plan Ahead inserts.

Etcetera.

Cheap Planner Refills #1: Plan Ahead Planners

People are always asking me about my planner budget. They assume I spend oodles on planners and accessories every year. A series on setting up a planner on a budget is long overdue!

Simply subscribe to Giftie Etcetera in the sidebar via e-mail to receive updates as I post each part of this three-part series.
Back to budget planners with a confession...I don't spend much on planners and planning supplies at all! 

My husband is a fiscal/budget analyst by trade, and y'all, he is cheap. Plus, we hope to be debt free in a couple of years. And although I have three part-time jobs (lawyer, substitute teacher, and blogger), I definitely don't make what full-time working moms can make in a year.

Though I certainly believe that planners and their insides are an important investment in my life (and in tracking my budget, something that saves enough each week that I practically consider it a fourth job), I try to be budget-conscious when buying planner stuff.

(I make an exception for Frixion pens. I love them. Coffee, chocolate, and Frixion pens are my vices.)

Some of my budget tricks include:

*printing my own blank pages with graph paper only on the back of the page (using refilled ink cartridges and paper bought in bulk),

*buying fun stuff like washi tape on clearance only and using it just for specific reasons (not for decorating),

*asking for anything fancy as gifts (like my Boston planner last Christmas), and,

*getting cheap undated planner refills from cheaper brand planners to fill up my Franklin Covey Boston compact planner.

In the past, I've suggested the Franklin Covey Flourish as a starter planner. For under $25, a new plannerd gets an attractive planner complete with a year's worth of tabs, undated monthly and weekly refills, and some great extras.

But I already own a Flourish (a beautiful non-leather planner) and my Boston (leather and a soft blue color), so I wanted to pay less.

I found these wonderful Plan Ahead Planners that fit Franklin Covey compact planners perfectly, follow the same general design as Flourish refills (just with less color), and are about $12 per planner. (I actually found these, two years ago, at Walgreens for about $6. But I haven't seen them that cheap since!)

TIP: The Plan Ahead planner covers, once the refills are removed to use in your fancier planner, are a cheap way to archive previous years' planner pages neatly.

Flourish planners are only available in compact.

But Plan Ahead planners are available in compact and in a larger size (though reportedly with only three rings).

At $12, a Plan Ahead planner makes more sense for me as a way to order planner refills than most printables, especially since everything is already cut and hole-punched and paper and ink are already included and paid for. My Frixion pens do not bleed through the planner. And since they are undated pages, the planner pages can start anytime.

TIP: These planners also make great Christmas gifts for people new to planning or preteens and teens. They include everything a new planner needs to get started.

If you are a weekly/monthly planner like I am, consider the Plan Ahead for surprisingly good quality refills. Tomorrow, I'll show you how I use the refills.

Etcetera.

Routine Clean-up Tricks That Even Work In Chaos

Last night, we had seven kids over for a slumber party. This morning, parents are starting to do pickup and gather up the kiddos, and I am trying to function, pre-coffee and on barely any sleep.

But the house looks okay.

*Clean before each transition.

Sure, the kids took out toys. But we warned them, in advance, that they would have to clean up before taking more out. Then, at each transition (before cake, before movie, etc.) we made sure they cleaned up. My kids will have some little things to straighten up later, but it's not bad.

*Train others to clean up.

My boys were able to guide the other kids in the clean-up - "no, light sabers go there" - because they helped us assign homes for all the toys in advance and are expected, with our guidance, to clean up regularly. Sure, it means that not everything is in it's perfect spot. But I don't have to do it and the kids now have organizational skills that they will take with them as adults.

It's possible that your spouse's claim that he/she doesn't know WHAT to do is true. It's okay to kindly explain what works and work together to find systems that help both of you live in a peaceful, organized environment. But, just as with kids, nobody can expect perfection or force everyone to live by one person's rule.

Note that my kids helped us find homes for their things. They made the decisions, not me. I don't always like their decisions, but by empowering them to make the decisions, I get them on board with cleaning.

*Provide incentives.

My kids know they cannot play with the new birthday gifts until they clean up.

*Always carry something from room to room.

As I walk from room to room, helping kids with hairbrushes or breakfast, I carry stuff that is out of place (like empty cups) to the next room. It doesn't really take any extra effort, since I was walking there anyway.

*Clean as you go.

I spend a few minutes cleaning before my own transitions. Maybe I gather all the empty paper plates for the trash can or put away the sundae toppings before making breakfast or after blogging.

*Clean high impact areas first.

This trick is perhaps the least well know, but it really does help. I clean areas that are most easily seen, most used, and most bothersome first.

For example, I always clean the island in the kitchen (which I use for guests to sit at, for cooking, for putting out bowls of food at parties, for folding laundry, and for many other on-going activities) first. An empty island gives me a place to sort out-of-place items to go to their homes, set up breakfast plates for seven slumber party kids with donuts and milk, and place all sleeping bags and pillows for parent pick-up.

I hope at least one of these rules helps you keep your home livable. To discuss planners, organizing, and finding order in your life, join our conversation on Facebook.

Etcetera.

Planning For A Flexible Schedule

Plenty of people have "normal" schedules during the week.

Monday through Friday, they start work at 8 a.m. and leave work at 4:30 p.m. They have staff meetings every Tuesday at 9 a.m. and weekly reports due on Thursdays.

Then there's the rest of us! Some of us, like me, work ever-changing and flexible hours. Others work normal hours, but the set-up of their day is always changing.

Time management people have known for a long time that having a plan, or a schedule, helps us to get things accomplished. But how to make that plan, when your schedule really does vary from day to day?

TIP: Do your schedule for the next day as part of the end of your workday or as part of your nightly prep. That way, you can use it to pack your lunches, totes, gym bags, or whatever else you need for the next day.

1. Put in anchors.

Anchors are those times that pretty much stay the same every week and are difficult to reschedule.

For me, carpool happens every morning (assuming there is school). Even though it's a regular, repetitive event, it goes on my schedule because I can't schedule anything else at morning carpool time unless I find a substitute driver.

My husband arrives home with the kids (from afternoon carpool) at the same time four days a week. (On the fifth day, they stay for an after school activity.) His arrival home (when I take over supervision of homework and chores and start cooking supper) marks another anchor.

So far, a typical day looks like this:

6:45 a.m. Carpool
4 p.m. {DH Home}/Homework/Chores

I draw those squiggly lines around someone else's event that affects my day.

TIP: If you use two-colors to plan, the highlight color could be used instead of the squiggly lines.

2. Fill in nonflexibles.

Nonflexibles (yes, I made up that word :) ) are things that MUST happen today AND must happen at a certain time.

Today, for me, that means a walking date with the moms from my kids' school. I also have to know about my kid's karate class, because that means I need to be home with the younger child while the older one goes to karate with dad.

Updated schedule:

6:45 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. Carpool
7:45 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Mercy Moms Walking Group
4 p.m. {DH Home}/Homework/Chores
6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. {Karate}

3. Fill in flexibles.

Flexibles are those things that are important or must be done today, but the times can vary.

Today, I need to work (at my paid job) for three hours and I must grocery shop. I will work first because the walking group is near the library and it's a beautiful day to work in the library, with its huge, sunny windows. After work, I'll grocery shop. That way, I can go straight home and put away the ice cream.

This is my office today, at a library near the kids' school:

(Yes, that is my coffee cup. In honor of Gilmore Girls hitting Netflix this week, it seems appropriate, don't you think?)

Updated schedule:

6:45 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. Carpool
7:45 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Mercy Moms Walking Group
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Work
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Groceries
4 p.m. {DH Home}/Homework/Chores
6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. {Karate}

4. Fill in VITs (very important tasks).

Obviously, at this point, you already know when you need to be places and about how much free time you will have to accomplish your actual to do list or tasks. Looking at my schedule, and accounting for the fact that I rarely accomplish anything once the kids get home, I have about three hours (1 p.m. until 4 p.m.) to get my task list done.

At this point, I reassess my task list. Is it too long? Too short? Do I need to delete, defer, or delegate any tasks?

Sometimes, though, there are time critical tasks that need to be fit into the schedule. My youngest kid has a birthday this weekend, so one of those critical things is to go to the bakery and order a cake. Today is my last chance to do it before the party on Saturday.

It's a Very Important Task and merits going on my schedule, instead of the task list below the schedule.

Updated schedule:

6:45 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. Carpool
7:45 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Mercy Moms Walking Group
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Work
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Groceries
O E Order cake
4 p.m. {DH Home}/Homework/Chores
6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. {Karate}

Note that the task is still written like a task, with a check box (I use circles), a context code (E for errand), and the description.

5. Toss the schedule.

Unless there is a reason to archive (for example, if I get in a wreck on the way home and need to save the page for insurance purposes), I toss the daily schedules. I archive my monthly pages (timed events) and my weekly pages (tasks), but this daily schedule is simply a working document to help me achieve my goals.

TIP: Holiday or weekend? Don't bother with a daily schedule unless you have a big party or a bunch of time sensitive stuff!

I hope this helps you to set up your daily schedule. Remember, anchors, nonflexibles, flexibles, VITs, and toss!

Etcetera.

Planning Exercise: A Weight Loss Update

A couple of weeks ago, I made a weight loss project section. It's working really well (and I'm already down 2.6 pounds), but I am trying to focus more on the exercise portion of the project lately, since I have food pretty much under control (except on Saturdays).

The key to working out most days a week, for me, requires four planning steps.

1. On my monthly calendar pages, I schedule a week's worth of workouts.

I schedule weekly workouts on my monthly calendar at the beginning of each week. The reason I do this is because my monthly calendar holds all appointments, so I can truly determine which days have time slots when I can workout and I can make sure that I get at least four workouts (though six is the real goal) each week.

Right now, I am scheduling next week's workouts.

A glance at my calendar shows me three workouts that are already planned. I am walking with the moms group that I started on Facebook with some moms from my kids' school on two days. On the third day, a Saturday, I scheduled a virtual 5K with one actual other person in town and my friends from across the country who are in my weight loss group.

That means I need two or three more workouts. I'll rest on Sunday (right after my kid's Saturday night slumber party), do yoga at the Y on Monday and Friday (two different classes, to account for differences in my schedule), and do a step and tone class at the Y on Wednesday.

TIP: Vary your workouts to keep it interesting and challenging and to avoid injury.

I do aerobic/dance type workouts, stair climbers, treadmills, weights/sculpt classes, pilates/yoga classes, and family walks in the park. I sometimes workout alone, sometimes with a class, and sometimes just with a friend.

2. The night before, I make a schedule for the next day that includes my workout along with a packing list.

(I know my task list for today is intimidating. It's actually a bunch of quick stuff, so it's not as bad as it looks.)

I write out my actual schedule and packing list the night before. In the example above, I'm working out at noon at the Y and packing water, fruit, nuts, and my workout bag.

Workout Bag Contents: (listed, of course, in the project section of my planner under Weight Loss project)

*change of clothes (if needed)
*flip flops (if needed)
*soap/shampoo (if needed)
*yoga towel (sticky on one side to use with mats at the Y)
*towel
*water bottle (just empty in case I forget mine)
*workout wallet with Y pass, lock, and earbuds

I only bring the "if needed" stuff when I have a meeting after working out. The separate wallet is so that I can bring just earbuds and water bottle with me when I use machines.

3. I log my workouts in my project section.

4. I keep resources in my planner listing things like times when the gym is open and lists of classes in my project section for easy scheduling.

So four steps: monthly scheduling, day before schedule/prep, day of logging, and resources for scheduling.

As you can see from my log, I'm doing a great job of working out. I am losing weight, fitting my clothes better, and feeling MUCH better emotionally. I'm also sleeping pretty well.

Who know that something as simple as using my planner would make this doable?

Etcetera.