Organizing...Your Life!

I read an article about organizing different areas to help your house run more efficiently and got all excited about one specific idea using a small notebook. The woman writes down everything in this little book that she carries everywhere with her - goals, to-do lists, menu plans, weekly schedules, etc all go in the book. She still uses her digital calendar and master schedule, but likes writing it all down and having it with her...not gonna lie, I started searching for the perfect small notebook a little obsessively with big plans to do this system myself. Then I paused...and realized that even though I love making lists and being organized I would be creating more work for myself having to keep the notebook up-to-date (I usually leave my purse in the car, and I know I'm not going back out to the car to get the notebook! And then I'd have to remember to put it back in my purse..nope, not gonna happen), in addition to my digital calendar and big planner that sits in the kitchen and I love (my sister buys me one every year - it functions as both calendar and diary). I did incorporate a couple of the ideas from the small notebook system though and it's working so well for me I thought I'd share.

I'm still using my big planner as it's intended (scheduling/calendar) but have added a couple things - the book is big enough for me to draw a line down the center of each facing page and use one half for menu planning (a side note: I'm very bad about meal planning, we just run to the store most days and get what we want for dinner. Once in a while I go get big groceries, usually when Dave complains that we are out of everything! I'm hoping that by actually making a plan I'll be able to buy enough once a week that we don't need to run to the store constantly!) and the other half for a weekly to-do list. I've only been doing this for 3 weeks but it's already making a difference - seeing it all written down in the planner that I look at every day makes me get the to-do list done, and I only made one extra trip to the store last week. Ahhh.

I also started recording work-outs and chores that I need to do to help keep those things on track. I'm really liking this new system - let's see if I keep it up!

one year ago: string art

two years ago: Dave's Cosmopolitans