Warning: today's blog post has one isolated instance of naughtier-than-usual language. Proceed at your own risk.
(You KNOW you are still reading. Shame on you! :) )
Tomorrow morning, a Saturday, is a rare day for my planner. The Saturday square on my monthly events/appointments calendar - empty! Just a blank square, with nothing that I HAVE to do for the whole entire day.
On one hand, I plan to watch a season of Gilmore Girls (thank you Netflix!), read some trashy romance novels, and maybe work on one of my own books (none of which are even close to ready to submit for publication).
Maybe I'll make some "slutty coffee" (which is the VERY INAPPROPRIATE nickname one of my best friends gave to my cafe au lait with a splash of hot chocolate, LOUD ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE COFFEE SHOP TO HEAR). (Yes, shouty caps were completely justified.) Or I might go for a walk.
But my planner is not a useless part of this gloriously relaxed day.
I have some things that I would like to get done, maybe. (Perhaps drinking that naughty coffee would help.) (Truly naughty coffee would have a shot of whiskey, right?)
In addition to a potential task list, my daily MUST DOs are on a sticky note. Honestly, I could skip one little day of those and survive, though.
I'll also use my planner as we run out of groceries, to add to my list.
And my project pages will be where I record my calories and workout. Saturday is my cheat day, but I still like to track.
I might use my weekly menu for dinner ideas or my notes section to look up at-home exercise days. I might like the author of my book and jot a note about that on a book ideas page.
A planner is not just a calendar. It's a working tool intended to help you accomplish, remember, and, yes, even relax.
Sometimes, in the planner community, you see a rash of "did you see that Filofax in XYZ movie?" or "so and so uses a planner!" But, seriously, do the rich and famous use planners? I do most of my blogging based on my own life. Unfortunately, I am not rich. (I've never wanted fame. Plus, check out those Cajun eyebrows. Nobody EVER became famous with untamed brows like that!)
But I would guess that a lot more rich and famous people use planners than people think. After all, they are successful (mostly, except Paris Hilton, who is just lucky), busy, fashionable (usually), and can afford expensive bags with lots of room for a planner. Planners probably fill a need to reflect and think that is important to their lives.
(You guessed it. If I were rich, I'd buy planners, bags, and someone to clean my house and drive me around. Oh, and a Truth Teller. Everybody needs to be TOLD, at some point, and do I really want that awkward moment when I TELL them? No, I don't. Hence, the Truth Teller.
"You are an uncoordinated, thoughtless fool who cannot seem to park between the lines."
"Write it down, Genius, or you'll forget again. Your brain is mush."
"No, you cannot get Ebola by talking to your cousin from Dallas on the phone."
"You called at 2:30 ON A SATURDAY. Are you insane? People nap at 2:30 ON. A. SAT. TUR. DAY. Do I need to speak slooooooooower for you?"
"You deserve that rash. Karma."
Truth Teller pays well, by the way, since I'm rich.)
A very sweet blogger at Planner Fun wrote this today.
I write this blog as a form of thinking and self-therapy. I write this blog to connect with the planner world. And I write this blog in case I help someone.
I am obsessed with reading about organizing (and writing about organizing and learning about organizing) (and planner porn, which is totally worthy of its own parentheses).
I learn a lot in my research. I incorporate lots of tips into my day. (Use totes. Have a launchpad. Write it down in your planner. Sort by color/style/size.)
But I also practice self-control.
(I looked through all of my archives for one picture of something in my life that is actually organized. I found this menu plan board. That IDEA lasted a week. A week! I plan meals while at coffee shops or in the grocery store - not at home. So this did NOT work for me, no matter how good the article was.)
Because, seriously, just because the blog says to organize does not mean that you HAVE to organize it. (See? I should listen to me.)
That's right. If your cluttered toothpaste/floss/hand cream/cotton ball drawer is working for you, no need to go out and get baskets at the dollar store.
As a personal example, my closet has phone covers mixed in with hairspray. It doesn't sound like it works, but the phone covers are rarely used and take up space that I am too short to reach. The hairspray, used daily, is at shoulder level. It works.
Don't waste time, money, or space organizing things that aren't bothering you just because someone else says to fix them. They are not broken.
Instead, make a list of problem areas. If something looks messy, or you are losing stuff, or your hairbrush is with your toothbrush and there are hairs in the bristles (gag), organize it. Otherwise, don't.
How much do you dwell on tomorrow? Do you worry about what you need to do for work? Do you pick out your clothes the night before? Pack a bag? Set an alarm? Obsess? Dread? Anticipate?
Since I've been daily planning the day before, I've been extra aware of how I am spending my time - and my life.
I'm not spending enough time having fun.
Oh, I have some weekends with the girls or date nights, sure. (To be fair, date nights have been a little sparse lately.)
But day-to-day, I'm not hanging out with friends, walking in the park with my husband, playing games with my kids, or even reading a great novel. I haven't been writing my novel (a life goal) or riding a bike. Bowling? Disc golf? Skating? Nope.
All this time planning is about achieving my goals (like a paycheck), but it's about more than that.
It's about saving time so that I can be happy. And I haven't worked enough on happy lately. So, tomorrow, I haven't planned anything after work. Instead, I will use that time to have fun. Etcetera.
I can't remember a time in the last year when I left my house without my planner. There are times when my planner stays in the car (like during a wedding), but it is always at least sitting on the passenger seat when I am out and about town. Usually, it's sitting in my handbag or tote.
But I rarely leave the house with just my purse, cell phone, and planner, though those (along with my inhaler) are the essentials.
Instead, I make a list (as part of my daily plan) of items or tote bags that need to leave the house with me. In today's example, the items are crossed off with a highlighter as I packed them into my launch pad area (a dedicated space for things leaving the house with me each day).
At first glance, making a huge list seems like a complete waste of time. In fact, I resisted doing this even when my kids were babies and I had to carry seemingly the whole house with me (clothes for them, backup clothes for me, bottles, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, car seats, blah, blah, blah...thank goodness those days are over).
But let's take a look at what I packed and discover the WHY behind the list of things I bring with me out of the house.
I bring my workout bag daily. That way, I can stop by the YMCA on a break and workout, keeping me fit and healthy. If I don't bring the bag and it rains or gets hot outside, I don't workout. (I actually keep the bag in my car except on Fridays, when I wash my yoga mat and socks and restock spare clothes and towel.)
I list the special stuff my kids need to bring. Sometimes, that includes lunch or a project. Today, it was just water bottles and snacks. If I don't, it's a 30-minute drive each way to pick up whatever we forgot.
I bring my own water bottle and a snack in a reusable container. That way, if I get hungry while on the road, I don't have to waste plastic (Save the Earth, y'all) or money by buying water. Also, I eat much healthier and cheaper if I have sunflower seeds and some fruit to snack on. Sometimes, depending on my schedule, I also bring lunch.
I bring my own coffee. It stays hot for hours in a good thermos. Again, I'm saving money and the planet!
I had to put my cell phone on the list. Yes, I bring it daily. But it plugs in overnight to charge and if I don't have a reminder, I tend to forget it.
I bring my work bag and computer with me if there is any chance at all that I will be working from the library, office, or a coffee shop. If I don't, I inevitably waste time that could be billed.
If I am substitute teaching, I bring my sub tote, with a lanyard and activities for the kids.
Sometimes, I bring a library tote (to return/check out books) or an errands tote (to carry all the little things needed for my errands, like pants to get hemmed, a gift to return to the store with the receipt, and a gift to deliver to a new mom). TIP: Have a different tote bag for each activity. For example, I regularly go to the library, work remotely, write, substitute teach, run assorted errands, and workout/take yoga or pilates classes. I have a designated tote bag, pre-filled, for each activity. Only the bag itself and items that are not already in the tote bag go on my list.
TIP: Make a "found time" tote. Put magazine articles that you want to read, a book, some thank you notes to write, or your knitting in a bag. When you are waiting or stuck somewhere, you'll have something to do.
Speaking of, let's talk about making the list.
First, I list upcoming activities for tomorrow, including both events/appointments and tasks.
Second, I use today's list of things to leave the house to make one for tomorrow. TIP: If some things repeat daily, a moving sticky note is a good solution. Third, I check tomorrow's upcoming activities to add anything else that I might need to the list of things to leave the house.
TIP: List the totes that you plan to bring, and under each, list items that you need to add to the totes, as pictured above. Fourth, I pile everything that I can (usually, everything except hot or cold foods) in the launch area. Fifth, in the morning, I highlight the list to check off packed items. TIP: If you have a very routine life and things rarely change for you, you might just post the list in the launch area on a wipe erase board to reuse daily. This tip also works well for kids! Read more about what is on my prep list here! If you haven't joined the conversation in the Giftie Etcetera Facebook Group, please consider it. We talk about planners, but we are different than most planner groups in that we also talk about order and organizing. Etcetera.
