Tag Archives: Organizing

Getting it together

FoxyDori pocket and Filofax Malden

FoxyDori pocket and Filofax Malden

This year I’ve been SO unsettled in my planning.  My journaling I have under control and I have method that encourages me to be consistent in my journaling (insert plug here for @journaling_sage on Instagram).  I didn’t use my Erin Condren the last half of last year.  The main reason is the fax it is big and heavy and I don’t always want to carry a large bag.  Even though the Erin Condren Life Planner (ECLP) is an amazing planner, it is just too big for me.  So then I tried planning in a Midori passport with a monthly and WO1P inserts, and it worked beautifully (definitely an option in the future if I want something different).   While watching tons of YouTube videos, I kept seeing Filofax (Kikki K, Color Crush, Kate Spade planners).  Well prior to changing to my ECLP, I used a ring system for YEARS and it worked for me.  Prior to the Vera Bradley agenda, I used a Franklin Covey compact.  The size and layout was very similar.  I knew immediately the A5 planner is too big for me.  Even if I needed that much space, I know I will stop carrying my planner.  For me, my planner only works if it is always with me.  So I got the Color Crush planner and I love it!  The inserts are amazing and I was able to design the perfect layout for me (or at least perfect right now).  The size is great, it fits in nearly any purse I carry.  This is a system that is working for me.

Color Crush weekly pages

Color Crush weekly pages

So, my system, I’m using Color Crush inserts in the binder of my choice (I’ve fallen in love with my personal Filofax Malden and I haven’t changed binders since getting it).  I am also using a FoxyDori pocket in Bay leather for my every day carry (EDC).  I loved my Midori passport, but I really wanted to carry a notebook that had everything I needed and wanted.  My Midori passport was awesome and leaving it has broken my heart, but I just wanted one more book and my passport was pretty chunky.  So I moved to my FN size notebook with some reluctance.  At first, though I love the cover, I didn’t have the same excitement that I had for my passport.

Bay Leather FoxyDori pocket

Bay Leather FoxyDori pocket

Last week I spent the day decorating my FoxyDori and I LOVE it.  I love her so much I’ve named her Joy.  My first book I use to design my day (see Planner Perfect), my second book is an 18 month calendar using Boho Cottage inserts from Etsy, my third book is my book of lists and information that I want to carry with me, and finally my last book is for journaling.  I also have a dashboard I made, a pocket I made (using the tutorial from the Creative Planner class with Cori and Christy), and a clear pocket that I made from a photo pocket.

I don’t have two different planners, per say, but I do have a calendar in both books.  My EDC has the monthly calendar that is the main calendar, the master of schedule.  I have weekly pages in my Filofax and I use these to plan my week and see what the week has in store.  The daily pages in my EDC isn’t To Do Lists, Tasks, or schedule.  It is a picture of what my day will look like, what I want it to look like.  It may include some aspects of a traditional planner, but it is really a vision of my day and how I can use today to accomplish my goals (not tasks, goals).  In my Filofax I keep my Master To Do List and the lists necessary to manage my family.

FoxyDori top view

FoxyDori top view

FoxyDori side view

FoxyDori side view

June Book and Dashboard

June Book and Dashboard

Monthly calendar using Boho Cottage Inserts on Etsy

Monthly calendar using Boho Cottage Inserts on Etsy

Pocket Folder and clear pocket

Pocket Folder and clear pocket

Inside Pocket Folder

Inside Pocket Folder

The perfect planner

Planner peace, unicorn, the perfect planner, all things that we dream about to organize our life.  Well, I am going to talk to you about the perfect planner.  What I am not going to do is tell you what is the perfect planner.  I’ve read many blog posts and I’ve watched many YouTube videos.  I have a Pinterest board and belong to groups on Facebook.  I’ve used the same system for years, and now I’m lost (or at least I was).

Erin Condren Life Planner

Erin Condren Life Planner

What has the last two years lacking planner peace taught me, my perfect planner is for me only.  What is perfect for me won’t be perfect for you.  So I am going to help you find what you are looking for in your planner system.

Questions:

First and foremost, you have to ask yourself, what do I need to keep track of and what do I need to plan.  Will I keep work and home separate, or will the system be combined.  How do you think? How do you organize other areas of your life?  Do you want to carry your planner with you?  There isn’t a right, wrong, or trendy answer.  This is all about you!  When do we ever get to say it is all about me!

Options:

There is a bullet journal (see Ryder Carroll), daily calendar, weekly calendar, and monthly calendar.  Beyond these categories you will find a multitude of methods to organize them.

Electronic (phone, computer, or tablet) This method is great and can be used alone or with other methods.  Things to consider, are you technologically savvy?  Will anyone else have access to your calendar?  Will you be able to find what you are looking for quickly?  Do you have a backup method?

Bound planners are contained.  They could get fatter if you embellish them, but otherwise, you will know what the size will be at the end.  Depending on the size you buy, you will know where and how you can carry your planner (in your bag, in your pocket, or on your desk).  Bound planners come in endless sizes, bindings, and page formulations.  You can custom order or pick one up at your local store.  They come in every color in the rainbow and just as many patterns.

Midori Passport

Midori Passport

Binder planners (whether rings or arcs) are very customizable and you can change your planner as your needs change.  If your current setup is not working, you can quickly change it.  Binders can come from local stores or from planner companies.  You can get a multitude of sizes with a variety of options.  Now, you can keep adding to a binder, this means it can become REALLY fat.

Color Crush Planner

Color Crush Planner

With paper planners, you can design a planner you love and will match your way of thinking and your personal style.  Whether it is bound or a binder, it can still be customized to your needs.  Etsy, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube offers many ideas to design the planner of your dreams.  However, if you don’t use your planner, no matter how beautiful and well laid out, it won’t work.

Created planner using Moleskine

Created planner using Moleskine

Deciding your layout:

Do you think in lists, graphs, or pictures?  Do you need a birdseye view?  Do you need details? Are you working for your planner, or is it working for you?  Planners can certainly be a hobby, and a useful one at that.  Getting Organized Magazine has a great post of tips to keep in mind when using a planner. http://www.gettingorganizedmagazine.com/2014/04/29/10-tips-for-using-a-planner-2/

Next post:  What I chose and why.

Traveling with Toys

Whether I’m spending the evening in the living room with the boys, hanging out at Starbucks, or going on vacation, I needed a method to travel with my toys that was small, useful, and easy.  I’ve searched on Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for ideas.  Fortunately more ideas to organize on-the-go supplies are starting to appear.  So I used the ideas that I found and thought about what is it I really want if I’m not in the pink room.  With that, I was able to create what I believe will be the perfect system for me.

I was using a toiletry organizer but it was hard to get items in and out, and for the size, not very useful.  I thought about one of my Longaberger market basket, but they currently serve a different purpose.  I was using a Thirty-one Keep it All tote for baseball games, but it wasn’t really necessary.  So I decided to repurpose it as my toy tote.

 I’ve only used this method for a month, but I’ve used it daily since I put it together.  I’ve used it to do Bible Journaling, Project Life, and Journaling.  Everything I need is in this bag.  I have a lovely creative space at home, but I don’t always create at home, so now I have a portable option.

Keep it All Tote from ThirtyOne

Top view of bag with all contents in place

 

View of various cases and boxes in my bag. I got the sticker organizer cover from TheResetGirlShop.com The tool case is a Contents cosmetic case from Target. The black polkadot case for chalk inks and the wooden box are from Hobby Lobby. My monkey pencil case is from a book store in Maryland. My MochiThings Note pouch is a must. If I have nothing else, I will still be in good shape to play.

  

Mochi Things, Hobby Lobby, The Reset Girl Shop, Michaels, and Target

This is how it looks inside my bag with all the various cases and boxes.

On the go

I have a beautiful space at home to scrapbook, journal, and do my Bible Study.

Every now and then, it is good to get away from home to create. Or maybe it is just killing an hour while Curtis is at the batting cages. Sometimes when we go on vacation or I go to my Dad’s I want to create. Unfortunately I’ve fallen into the trap of most scrapbookers and I have TOO MUCH STUFF! So, clearly I can’t take everything with me on the go. Depending on what I want to do and how long it will take will depend on which tool I take with me.

I rarely, if ever, carry a large purse. In my purse I can fit my Moleskine Volant that I use to plan my weeks at home, my Midori Passport that I use as a commonplace book and a book of lists, plus it has a calendar at a glance, and my Midori that I use for Project Life planning. Even if I don’t gather any other tools or bags, I’m set for hours.

If I have a little more time and I want to do a little more, I will take my MochiThings case with me.  This thing is WONDERFUL!!  I keep a huge rainbow of Pilot Frixion Point in 0.5 and 0.4, my Pentel pencil with 8 colors, my Zebra mechanical pencil, a ruler, a stylus, by Hobinichi Techo stencils, and the key for my bullet journal.

If I’m wanting to do serious work, I take my makeup case full of colored pencils, pens, markers, stamps, and supplies.

This is the Leroy Street Vivienne, which isn't a large purse.

This is the Leroy Street Vivienne, which isn’t a large purse.

Moleskine, MTN Passport, MTN

MochiThings Pouch

MochiThings Pouch

On the Go supplies

On the Go supplies

Planning 2015

I’ve accomplished a lot in the last three months that I will write about in the future. I’m going to be a little out-of-order, because I’m going to write about what I will be doing different in 2015. I don’t usually do New Year’s Resolutions, and I won’t this year either. However, my goals are constant, continue working on my relationship with God, my relationship with my family, record my family’s memories, and improve my mental and physical health. Nearly everything I do is because of one of these areas.

I have a Pinterest board called Calendar Pages and Planning. This is where I keep all my ideas to improve my use of my planner. While looking at ideas, I discovered bullet journaling (see bulletjournal.com). What I realized about this system is this is what I do at work already to organize my work life, and it works.

I’ve been a lung transplant coordinator for 14 years. I’ve spent 13 years trying to figure out how to remember to do all that I need to do. I can’t begin to think of the number of methods I tried, both paper and digital. A system only works though if you use it. All of the other systems I felt I spent more time doing the system than the work.

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Erin Condren Life Planner, Mochi Things Notes case, Moleskine large ruled journal (soft cover)

For 2014, I tried something new, and it works! I bought a Moleskin weekly planner with the week calendar on the left and a blank notes page on the right. For the days I wrote down the tests that I needed to obtain results for each patient. The notes page is where I recorded all my patient calls. At the top of the notes page I would write down anything that would need done at that time (i.e. schedule labs in 3 weeks). After reviewing the bullet journal method, I realized this is what I was doing at work, and it works. Why does it work, it is easy, flexible, and portable.

So I decided to incorporate this method with my Erin Condren planner. I bought a separate Moleskine ruled journal to use as my personal bullet journal. My main goal for this journal is a dedicated space to dump my thoughts. I have a lot of random thoughts at inopportune times. I have sticky notes, electronic notes, and notes pages of thoughts that occurred that I actually wrote down. I don’t write down all my thoughts because I didn’t have a method to organize them. That is where the bullet journal index became an “ah ha” moment for me. So I’ve created my journal for next year and it is ready to go.

As I said, I don’t want to stop using my Erin Condren planner because this is an important tool when I work on my Project Life pages. The bullet journal I hope will allow me to record all my thoughts and To Dos so I can be more effective. I will give my review after I’ve used it awhile. I will also discuss the changes I made for me, which is the real beauty of this system.

iPhone 6 Review

It might seem weird to write a tech review on a blog that talks about work, home life, organization, and Project Life. Considering I use my phone in all aspects of my life, it seems weird to me not to do a review.

History
I anxiously awaited the Keynote announcement September 9th, the announcement of the new iPhones. I was particularly anxious for this announcement because I was due for a new phone. So I watched the announcement the best I could due to the overwhelming demand to see the live stream of the event. Both new iPhones were presented, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. I was in love from the beginning, but I had a difficult decision to make, which one.

So before I share my decision, I will give you a little bit of my technology background. In college I borrowed computers from friends or I went to the computer lab. When I didn’t know how to do something, I would call Jeremy. Well, sometime in the last 15+ years, I learned a lot more about technology. I do not know how to program, and I don’t care about the insides of a product, beyond what does it mean to me, the user. I am quite tech savy now and my “toys” allow me to have fun while staying organized. Now, a smartphone for life organization is only a good system if you use it. This isn’t any different than any system you may choose.

I knew I wanted to 128GB gold, I just didn’t know which size. I decided on the iPhone 6 Plus. I was nervous about this decision and I had already decided I would give it to my son in a year if I really didn’t like it. Why did I choose the Plus? I chose the Plus because of the features it offered and how I use my phone.

Whenever purchasing a device it is important to know how you will use that device. I use my phone as a hot spot, camera, music player, radio, and texting more than anything else. I have a DSLR to take pictures of sporting events or landscapes while traveling. I have an iPad mini that I used to replace my Kindle fire. I use it mainly as a e-reader and light media. I also have an iPad Air that I use for work when I’m on call, reading magazines, and as a laptop when I travel. I could have just one device, but I’m lucky that my husband is supportive of my toys.

I chose the iPhone 6 Plus because of the optical stabilization, larger screen, and battery life. I used foam core and cut out templates of both phones so I would have a realistic idea of the size. I took them to work to see if they would fit in my lab coat. I put them in my purses and wristlets. I tried them in my pants pockets. I held them in my hand to see how it would feel to use the device.

Although I was still very nervous about the size, I got up at 2:45am September 9th to preorder my phone. This was a preorder nightmare, but I was finally able to get an order confirmation at 3:45am. Well, several days later and I still didn’t have a shipping confirmation. Finally on September 16th, I got a text message stating my order was processed and my phone would be delivered in November. WHAT?!! If I ordered the phone today, I could get it in 3-4 weeks. I made many calls to AT&T and I spoke with many departments, yet no one could help me.

After I got off work on Friday, I went to my local AT&T store. Now after my horrible preorder experience, I was considering switching to Verizon, even though AT&T met my needs for work better. My local AT&T store was wonderful. After spending some time there and comparing the real life size of the phones, I cancelled my preorder for my Plus and purchased the iPhone 6.

Review
I have lived with my iPhone for the last three days and I’ve done all the activities I normally do. Even though the phone is definitely larger than my iPhone 5, it isn’t obtrusive. I love the size of the screen, I love the camera, I love the touch ID, and I love iOS8. The bands look a little weird on the back, but not a big deal since I keep a case on my phone. The screen and curves are amazing. The gold is beautiful. It is a classy gold, not that hideous, gaudy gold. It has taken three days, but I am now used to the power button on the side, and I think I like it better. Some people complain about the thinness and lightness of the phone, I love it!! I don’t want a big, bulky phone. People complain it doesn’t have a SD slot. I don’t need one, I have 128GB of memory. People complain that the camera is only 8MP. Anyone that knows anything about photos know that mega pixels are only part of the story. The lens and processor are more important. It isn’t customizable. I’m baffled by this one. I like my screen neat and orderly. I actually like the native apps. What do I need to customize? I customize my case, screen, ring tone, and placement of apps. What am I missing?

Beyond that, it is an iPhone. I’ve loved all my iPhones and I am definitely a fan of all things Apple. I am an Apple fan girl because I think they make the best hardware and software. I love that Apple continues to support their older devices when they upgrade their operating system. I like the fact I can pick up anyone’s iPhone and help them with their issue. I like the fact Apple has designed their software so well, you do not need to read the instruction manual to use their product, whether it is an iMac or iPhone.

I see people very passionate about Apple vs. Android. I am passionate about Apple (for me). For my work life and home life, Apple’s products has made life easier, because everything just works. I don’t have to program it to work, Apple’s programers did that for me. Otherwise, I don’t really care what you choose. My only request is to know what you need the device to do and use that to guide your decision. If advertising, price, or label dictates your choice, then you are at high risk to be disappointed.

Updated organized plan

I love my tech toys, but when it comes to organizing my day, I love paper.  The monthly calendar is the most important tool I use when planning my day to day life.  I need this to see what is going on in my life at a glance.  I love Easy Calendar for my iPad, but it still has not replaced paper.  

The past several years I have used the Vera Bradley agenda.  I love the agenda and I do not have any complaints or recommendations.  This year I decided to try something different.  I plan to start Project Life in 2014.  2013 is a year I would rather forget, so I have not done much memory keeping from this year.  Next year I want to start a new approach that records our every day lives.

After following several Project Life boards on Pinterest, I saw a repeated theme, using your planner to plan Project Life.  You use the planner as you normally would, to plan your life.  What is different, you use the weekly space to plan your Project Life layouts.  The planner used most often, Erin Condren.  So I decided to splurge and I purchased the Erin Condren Life Planner.  

My Erin Condren Life Planner arrived today.  I have been so anxious to receive it since it shipped.  So while waiting on my son during his Boy Scout meeting, I added the events I already have planned for next year.  I love the look and feel of the planner.  The fact it was designed for me makes me happy and the photo stickers just make me smile.  

My planner includes December 2013, so I am going to try and get my Project Life method down this month so I am ready to go next month.  I am excited about what 2014 has to offer.  I am looking forward to the memories to be made and the album that follows to be enjoyed.  

So as I work through this process, I will update more reviews about my planner and if it meets my needs.  I had originally made my planner for next year.  So at the end of 2014, I will write a final review of the Vera Bradley Agenda vs. homemade vs. Erin Condren Life Planner.

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Starting Fresh

Freedom Filer

Freedom Filer

Well, paper continues to be my nemesis.  Last July I purchased the Freedom Filer system.  Though it is expensive, it is well worth the money.  Since July 2012, I have minimized the amount of paper that takes over my space.  Many of the tips and tricks I’ve learned are really common sense.  I keep a recycling basket in my bonus room for paper.  As soon as I get the mail I sort mail into three categories: keep, recycle, and shred.  It is amazing that if you sort the mail that is brought in, the paper pile doesn’t overtake the desk or table.  Other paper that comes in from work, doctor visits, car maintenance, tax documents, etc: I stack them in one location and file every 1-2 weeks.  Since I have been using the Freedom Filer system, I have an organized method of keeping the paper I want or need to keep.  Even my son’s artwork and school work.

Visual Clutter

Mess, that is really what gets me. When my space is cluttered and a mess I become paralyzed. I lose the ability to think or function. So now you understand why paper and the paper monster are my nemesis. Whether it is at home or work, I cannot tolerate paper on my desk. When I have paper sprawled on my desk, my productivity decreases. 

I do have a lot of decorative items and functional storage pieces on my desk, but I need the surface clear to work.  Not only do I want my space clean, but I want it to be beautiful, so I decorate my work space in a way to make me happy and creative.

The Paper Monster

Paper is my nemesis.  If there is one thing I do not manage well, it is paper. I have a system that works, a filing cabinet with all life’s papers organized by subject. When I need a paper, if it has been filed, I can find it easily.  The problem is getting paper filed.  

So much paper comes into my life. I love mail, but the daily delivery of paper adds the the disorganized heap that lays on various furniture pieces. I need to find a way to manage the incoming mail. Don’t worry, I sort immediately when mail comes in, mine, my husband’s, and I place junk mail directly to the recycling bin.   The problem is: I am either not disciplined or I don’t have enough time to manage paper weekly. Beyond a week of management, and then a paper monster is created, creating a sense of overwhelming mess. 

I have seen a few ideas to try and manage paper that comes in, but honestly I haven’t tried any of them.  I am not really sure why.  So my goal over the next month, try a system and see if it works.  Below I have attached a few links that shares tips on managing the monster.

So after doing some research I am going to try to implement an action file and the Freedom Filer system.  Hopefully this will be the year I tame the paper monster.

Organized Home–Paper Management

The Clutter Wizard

Simplified Living Solutions