I put a lot of emphasis on entering information into my planner. The hows, whats, whys, whens, and wheres matter!
But I also have a simple system for use of my planner, so that I can track what still needs to be accomplished. The "in progress" marks matter a ton, as they keep me on task and they let me glance quickly at the information in my planner and make fast decisions.
Here's what the system looks like in progress:
The In Progress System
*@ = waiting on something or someone before I can do the task (pending)
*O = task ready to be done
*-O = task is started, but not complete (this is particularly useful if I can't continue yet, like laundry in the wash, but not dried and ready to be put away)
*O (checked off) = done
*O (arrow) = moved to another day
*O (X'ed through) = deleted
TIP: Regardless of code, highlight any task that is checked as done, moved, or deleted, so the rest of the tasks jump out to your eyes.
I have the distinct pleasure of being in charge of everything.
Disclaimer: The above statement was full of sarcasm. And, well, truth.
The practical reality is that I am the one with a planner. If my husband wants to RSVP to a Christmas party, he asks me if it is okay. I check my planner. If my mom owes me money for the gift that I picked up from the store near my house for her to give to my kid, she asks me to remind her when I see her. As the planner in the family, I keep track of things for everybody.
I used to keep track of "Things Borrowed" in a file in my ABC Files. But I never looked at it.
So I moved the tracking of things borrowed to my weekly spread. (The green sticky at the bottom of this picture.)
I talked about this system before, but it has changed everything. I no longer worry about whether or not I paid my sister or who has a copy of a favorite movie. I know. The thoughts - and the anxiety - is off my mind.
When the sticky note gets cluttered, I just make a new one (in pink).
It's a simple trick that has changed things in such a positive way.
If I am expecting something from someone else, it's a pending item, so it is marked "@initials: item/money." If I owe the amount or item, it is a task, so it is marked "O to initials: item/money."
Lately, this blog is very focused on creating daily pages. And for very active days, daily pages are an incredible tool.
But I do not have a binder full of daily pages. It would be way too heavy, and frankly, useless.
Some days are not very full, and for those times, just relying on my monthly and weekly spreads makes more sense.
Of course, the Monday and Tuesday of the week above might require a daily page. But my life slows down after that, so my planner can slow down, too.
Last week was busier, and I used a daily page on Monday, Thursday, and Friday.
A planner should be a flexible tool - the right tool for the job. Sometimes, that means a monthly/weekly combination is a better way to go than a daily page.
Packing can make a quick weekend trip seem not worth the trouble. But there is an easy way to get your stuff together, without a lot of effort.
1. Start a list in your planner of stuff that you need to pack as soon as you schedule the trip. I keep this list in my Project section.
2. The day before the trip, go over the schedule (in your head or your planner) and toss items in a bag as you think of them.
Here's how I do it:
Friday night Hanging out? -snacks -drinks Sleeping? -pillow -sleeping bag -pjs -dirty laundry bag Getting ready for bed? -toothbrush -toothpaste -medicine
Notice how I go through the steps of my routine in my head, as if I were actually doing the steps, and pack what I need.
3. Some things (like a toothbrush) may be needed the day of the trip and cannot be packed in advance. Make a list of those items in your planner as you pack.
TIP: Store that list between your weekly pages so that you are forced to look at it in the morning. Or tape it to your keys.
Don't forget to put cell and charger on this list!
4. Once you are packed, check your original list and add anything from that list that you have not packed yet.
5. Then, and this is key, go through an old packing list or two (I file these in the ABC Notes/Files section of my planner) and see if you forgot anything! If so, add it to your suitcase.
Five steps. You can pack quickly and expertly and never forget anything again.
Pick one thing to change that makes a big difference in your life.
Maybe you start a log of important telephone calls in your planner or in a computer log like this one in OneNote.
Next time they claim you never called them, you have evidence.
Or start defrosting meat the night before.
Put out a basket as a designated area for your purse and planner.
My one thing?
When I take off my jeans, I'm hanging them back in the closet. It saves me the trouble of washing, drying, and hanging again. Don't worry...I spill coffee often enough, and therefore HAVE to clean them, that they never get dingy.
Sometimes, an event is coming up which requires a decision, but a decision cannot be made yet. Maybe my husband has to figure out if he can get off of work or I need more information before deciding.
I am guilty of leaving these unmade or pending decisions floating around in Facebook messages or in my email inbox.
Bad idea.
I use my planner to plan, and without the pending decisions noted in my planner, I might double book the dates or forget to check on the information that I need.
This time a year, Christmas party invites are plentiful and we cannot make all the events. Also, gifts are ordered and will be arriving at home, so I need to plan to be around, but in between arrivals, I need to get errands done.
Since I use erasable Frixion pens, I "pencil" stuff onto my monthly events/appointments calendar using a question mark.
In the example below, I penciled in a furniture delivery (waiting on confirmation of morning or afternoon, which is expected tomorrow) and a few Christmas parties (waiting on information about family obligations before RSVP'ing yes or no).
I also add a task to my weekly spread to remind me of either what I need to do, the deadline for the decision, or what/who I am waiting on.
For furniture, I'll write "@AF: delivery time" on Tuesday's entry (translation: @ = pending; AF = the name of the furniture store; delivery time = what information I am waiting on). For the Smith party, I'll write "O^c RSVP Smith" on Thursday's entry (translation: O = task; ^c = context code of "at computer"; RSVP Smith = the task).
That's two steps.
1. Pencil in the event with a question mark. 2. Create the next action task or a pending note.
Pending decisions are now obvious on my planner and ready for me to deal with in a timely manner.
