3 Easy Ways to Use Blank Paper in a Planner

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KerrieLynn from SparkleFrogs asked me do a post for her Facebook group about planner inserts and how I use them. 

I'm sure most people are talking about how they use Franklin Covey or DIY Fish inserts, but I instantly thought that I wanted to talk about blank pieces of paper.

Of course, any paper can be cut and used in a planner, but for my 4 1/4 x 6 3/4 Franklin Covey compact binder, I choose some cheap 4 x 6 notepaper.

TIP: 4 x 6 index cards would work well, too!

I use my blank paper in so many ways. That's the wonderful thing about blank paper. It works for any purpose.

*Menus

*Grocery Lists

*To Do Lists (Day or Project Specific)

*Codes or Indexes

*Brainstorming 

*Doodling

*Meeting Notes

*Logs

It just makes sense to use cheap paper for these short-term purposes. By using unlined paper, I leave open so many possibilities for how I might use the paper.

TIP: Hole punch both edges of the paper, so it can fit on the left or right side of your planner as needed.

How do you use blank paper?

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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!

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How to Find the "Other" Folder on Facebook

If you are a member of any Facebook groups, fellow members or admins might try to send you a message. If a message comes from someone who is not a Facebook friend, it generally goes into Facebook's version of a spam folder, named "Other."

You might not ever even notice it! But it is quite easy to check the folder.

Each step is numbered in the above picture.

1. Click "Home" to access your Newsfeed.

2. Click the little folders to the right of "Home" to access Messages.

3. Click "Other" (right of "Inbox").

As a bonus, you can mark messages as unread if you want to go back to them later.

PRO TIP: If you reply to someone in the "Other" folder, they can now message you in your Inbox.

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Using a Planner as a Wallet: Sort of Reconsidered

I am not a fan of a fat, heavy planner, so I use a tiny wallet to hold credit cards and such and, on shopping days, carry a large wallet with coupons in it. That larger wallet holds things like store discount cards and the back-up credit cards. By keeping most of my cards out of my planner, I keep my planner fairly light.

But through the course of my last two months of doing this wallet experiment, I've had occasions, that are likely to reoccur, where I needed something from the backup wallet that wasn't in my planner.

So, like any good plannerd, I made a list.

*Medical Appointment Cards
*Gift Cards (to stores other than my grocery store)
*One Non-Discover Backup Credit Card (because the local coffee shop doesn't take Discover)
*Kids' Medical Cards
*Library Cards
*Coffee Shop Punch Card

It's enough stuff that it can't go in my tiny wallet (with my credit card, bank card, cash, medical card, and id). But I refuse to carry all the store discount cards and coupons just for trips to the library or coffee shop.

So I put the gift cards and doctor cards in the front of my planner (so I see and remember to use the gift cards) and the backup credit card, medical cards, and library card in a business card holder in the back.

Three different places for cards might seem excessive, but the wallet goes everywhere, the planner almost everywhere, and the big wallet only on shopping trips.

The system works so far, and working is the purpose of systems, after all.

Is a system using three wallets (well, two wallets and a planner) excessive? Do you keep any cards at all in your planner?

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10 Steps to Organize and Simplify Your Shoe Collection

I counted my shoes. Guess how many pairs of shoes I own?

40.

Surely it is not a coincidence that I have 40 shoes during the Lenten season, right? That's how I justify 40 shoes. Biblical significance. It's what God wants, right?

Truly, nobody needs 40 pairs of shoes. So I decided to cull my collection, simplify my shoe choices, and organize what was left.

Here's my step-by-step process, so that you can do the same at your home.

1. Pull all the shoes out of the closet.

I know that seems overwhelming, but it is only 40 things or less, right? (And let's face it - if your shoe problem is bigger than mine, you really NEED to do this.)

2. Put any broken or unusable shoes in the trash.

People tell me that shoes can be fixed. If you've ever done that, good for you! For the rest of us, we need to be honest with ourselves and just toss the shoes.

3. Put any shoes that fit poorly or that are never worn in the donate bag.

I have a bag for donations next to my washer and dryer at all times. It's just a garbage can lined with a trash bag.

Personally, I never wear shoes with bows or black heels. So why did I own 6 pairs of those?

4. Match up all other shoes by style.

I had a few categories:

*boots
*running/walking
*fancy flip flops/flat sandals
*wedge sandals
*flats
*heels/wedges
*special shoes (like my rubber swim flip flops, slippers, and water shoes)

5. Discard the least favorite of any color duplicates.

In each category, consider whether your have too many of a certain style or color.

I had two pairs of brown boots. Only my favorite stayed.

I had three shoes in a camel color. I kept two (a strappy wedge sandal and a regular wedge). I love all three, but honestly only wear the two, since I love one of the wedges more than the other and they coordinated with all the same clothes.

6. Don't toss something that is worn regularly with a specific outfit.

My water shoes are only worn about once every two years, if we hit a beach during vacation. But it would be silly to toss them only to buy news ones each time I go to a beach!

7. Use a fancy shoe holder or dedicated shelf or drawer for fancy shoes.

Designate any space that is a crush-free zone for fancy shoes. These are the shoes that you probably can hide away, as they are for dressing up or go with specific outfits, so don't discount a shallow drawer or the coat closet.

8. Use bins for sturdy shoes, a hanging shoe organizer for flip flops and flat sandals, and a hanging sweater organizer for athletic shoes.

My bins are sorted by color: camel, red family, and brown.

A hanging shoe organizer (shown in the sidebar under "Stuff Mentioned") fits flip flops and flat sandals well, but I need the deeper sweater organizer for boots and athletic shoes.

9. Learn from yourself.

I learned that I HATE black and brown shoes. I prefer natural, camel, silver, or deep reddish shoes. And since those are mostly neutral colors, they go with everything!

(Seriously, try on some camel shoes with your black pants. They pop with style!)

Now that I know my style and what I actually wear, I can shop for comfort and quality. I also don't need a camel-colored shoe. I have two great pairs.

10. Have a one in/one out policy.

If I buy a new pair of shoes, a pair has to go.

I started with 40 pairs of shoes. I am down to 22 (including my water shoes, shower flip flops, and slippers).

How did you do? Let us know!

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Putting Out Fires in a Weekly Plan

The best thing about a planner is how it takes away stress. But a planner won't work if you don't make an actual plan.

The first step in a plan is identifying what goes into the plan.

I called those first, most important items fires.

Each week, I grab my planner, my daily pages (torn out and hole-punched here from a Quo Vadis bound planner into my Franklin Covey ring bound), and my weekly spread, and make a plan to put out the biggest fires.

Fires are things that, left alone, will become overwhelming or out of control. This week, that includes a work project, shopping for Easter, and packing for a quick road trip.

All of those things get worked into a weekly plan - and sometimes onto a subsequent daily docket - so that things never get out of control.

What are your fires?

Etcetera.

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