Planner

I've tried bullet journaling.  Multiple times.  I LOVE the idea of it.  I love the freeness and flexibility of it.

But...it stresses me out.

I don't like things unfinished.  And with bullet journaling, it's never really 'done'.  So I found myself NEEDING to set up the whole thing at once.  If I have an appointment in December, and I don't have my December spread done, where do I put it?  Now, I know there are easy solutions and fixes for this.  But it still felt very unfinished to me.  And it was just always in the back of my head that I needed to get it done.

And then I would rush through it and not end up liking the spreads because they were messy (because of the rushing) and I just hated the whole thing.

I have issues.

So I got a 'regular' planner at Barnes & Noble.  

The one on the left is my main planner.

I love it so far.

There's monthly and weekly spreads AND habit trackers for each month (which I love):

There's a pocket in the front which holds bills, prescriptions to drop off, my Weight Watchers book, etc:

The book in the middle is for our finances.  I track what we owe, what's coming up, savings goals, etc.

And the little one on the right is for my books.  To be read, already read, wanted, etc.

And apparently I look books with elastic band closures.  :)

These books pretty much come everywhere with me.  They all fit in my purse.  So does this pouch (that my sister got me in Ireland!):

The pouch holds my pens.  I am fussy about my pens too (shocking).  

Paper

To say that I've been getting bored is somewhat of an understatement.

I mean...don't get me wrong, I have loved being able to relax and recover and not having to go to work for 4 weeks has been nice.

But I am not one to lay around all day and watch tv, or even read for that matter.  Usually when I'm reading I'm waiting on something or multitasking (like stirring on the stove while reading a book, for example).  Or waiting for my Instant Pot to finish 'Natural Releasing".  Anyways, my point is, I have to have projects.  Especially when I'm on week 4 of being off of work.

So one of my projects this week was my paper.  Before we moved, I did a pretty good job of purging our paperwork.  We've gone paperless on most everything, but there are some things that we still need to keep.  

And when we were buying this house and selling our old one, LOADS of paperwork was created.  And I didn't have the time during the middle of our move to sort everything.

And then when we moved, I just sort of shoved everything in the cabinets under our desk.

So this week, I went through EVERY sheet of paper in every folder, every binder, etc.  I was ruthless.  I got rid of a lot of things (especially moving related stuff, not to be confused with house stuff).

I cleaned up my husband's 'Public Talk Outlines' binder.  I made a 'Taxes' binder (we keep 8 years worth).  And I updated my 'Misc.' binder, and also created a new 'Mortgage' binder, with all of our house paperwork in it.

I've discussed my hatred for hanging file folders/systems before, but just in case you missed it, here's why I don't like them.  It's too easy to save WAY more than you need.  Things get lost.  Labeling is a pain.  You need either a drawer specially made for hanging file folders OR some kind of cardboard contraption for the folders.  They get stuffed full.  They curve.  They fall apart.  Etc.  They're just not for me.

So I use binders.  It kind of forces you to be ruthless, because you can only fit so much into a binder.  Plus, they can be stored anywhere.  We don't have a separate filing cabinet or anything, I just stored the binders in the cabinets under our desk.

I do have some 'working' folders also.  I created a 'Surgery' folder to contain all of my 'active' surgery paperwork (EOBs, notes, bills, etc.).  And I have an Iceland folder.  But those will both go away eventually.

I get the plastic-type folders.  NEVER buy paper folders if you can help it.  They fall apart extremely easily.  The plastic type ones are so much better.  And as you can see from my multiple labels above, they are reusable.

So that's one project down!

Upstairs Downstairs

So....we moved.

I had written out this big long post about moving like a month ago but it was basically 6 pages of me whining about how stressful moving is.  Ha ha.  But really....it's the most stressful thing I've ever done.  Within six weeks, we put 2 houses on the market (both sold within 6 days), and we bought another one and  moved in.  In SIX WEEKS.  Two households into one house.  Five dogs.  Two cats.  Three people.  SIX WEEKS.  I know other people have done it quicker than that, but oh my.  Six weeks from the time the 'for-sale' sign went up to the time we spend our first night in our new house.  Yikes.

It's going really, really well.  We've been here for two months.  We have some big projects coming up (a small addition), so I've been trying to get everything unpacked and set up how I want it before then.  So far, so good.  In fact, as of today I'd say I'm about 95% done!  It's a good feeling.  The dining room (my nemesis) is officially unpacked. It became a dumping ground, because it's kind of the gateway from the kitchen to the front room to the upstairs, etc.  So I still had boxes of random things I didn't know what to do with in there.  Not anymore!  

Also, the front bedroom (aka the forgotten room...more on that later) is almost done.  We decided to make it into the gym.  Long story...for another blog post.  But it's cleared out and the bike and TV are in there...all it's missing is the treadmill, which takes some coordination and much more muscle than I have!  

I initially was going to do a room-by-room post of our house, but I got overwhelmed thinking about it, so I decided to just randomly blog and if I remember to take pictures of the room, I will and I'll post them.

So we moved to a house that has an upstairs.  This is a first for me!  Upstairs is our master bedroom/bath/closets and a library.  And a built-in desk/office at one end of our bedroom (where I'm sitting right now!)

I discovered that I was CONSTANTLY forgetting things from upstairs that needed to be taken downstairs, and forgetting things downstairs that needed to be taken upstairs.  And I REFUSE to have a constant pile of stuff on the stairs.  No way.  

So upstairs, I made this:

Anything that needs to go downstairs goes in here.  Easy-peasy.

And downstairs, I made this:

This is on the end of one of our kitchen counters.  The left basket is stuff my husband needs to deal with.  The right basket contains anything that needs to go upstairs.  I can just grab what's in there on my way up.  So far, so good.

It's just little things like this that I never thought of before that keep coming up. But trust me, after climbing the stairs 20+ per day on the weekend, this new system has REALLY come in handy!

And just for good measure, here's a picture of part of our laundry room.  The washer and dryer are on the opposite wall.  This wall is our freezer, plus a table with the cat food on it.  The only dog that has access to this table is Abby, because she can climb the stairs.  Every night, I feed the cats their wet snack and every night Abby patiently waits for the leftovers.  I usually try to intervene and take the bowls away before she gets up there, but she is sneaky.  (She has no interest in their dry food that is left out daily, thank goodness).

And one more....this.  This is consuming my life right now.  But, we only have a few more weeks of class.  It is HARD.  It's killing me.  I'm being dramatic.  But it is really hard.

That's all for now my friends.  More completely random blog posts coming your way soon!!

Taming the Paper Clutter Monster with your Planner (and more dental stuff)

This is another post about the wonder that is my revamped bullet journal and my six-hole punch.

The picture below is the paper ‘clutter’ that was brought into our house just yesterday.  AND, this isn’t even all of it.  Any mail that is addressed to my husband I set aside for him to open and deal with.

I separated it into 3 piles:  Dental, bills, coupons.

 

I had a dentist appointment yesterday with a new sedation dentist.  With my horrible experiences that I’ve had with dental procedures in the past, it was time to find a new dentist that would knock me out for anything – simple cavity fillings, cleanings, anything.

Yesterday I had x-rays done and a gum evaluation done.  And then they formed a treatment plan.  And then (it’s a fancy-schmancy office) they presented everything to me in a nice folder with their name on it, two business cards with my upcoming appointments, my treatment plan, and two other informational sheets.  It’s a nice thought…but it’s stuff like this that makes me nuts and makes paper unbearable.  *On a side note, I walked into this office and it smelled like lavender (relaxing).  As I filled out my paperwork, I noticed a little glass-doored refrigerator full of bottled water and juice.  Then while I was in the dental chair waiting for my exam, the hygienist whipped out a laminated sheet and asked if I wanted any complimentary services:  lip balm, a warm blanket, a warm pillow, an ipod to listen to with music of my choice, etc.  The plastic gloves they used are flavored (pink for bubblegum, green for mint).  And everyone that worked there was pretty and sort of acted ‘stepford-wife-ish’, but in a good way.  Super friendly, almost fake, but not quite.  And they were either wearing white or black.  The rest of the office was lavender colored (calming).  Anyways….a little insight into my new dental office.

So I brought home the folder they gave me, then checked the mail to find it stuffed with ads, coupons, and the electric bill.

I immediately threw out what I could (the envelope and other stuff that comes in the electric bill), and also the ads of places we never go (Albertson’s?  come on….even when their stuff is on sale they are WAY more expensive than any other grocery store here). 

I went through the coupons and clipped the ones I might use.

Then I went through my dental folder and pulled out what I needed.  I recycled the folder (meaning I put it in my ‘folder stash’ at work to use for something else).

This is what was left:

 

 

I got my planner and wrote down my appointment times for the dentist.  Then I 6-hole punched my other documents and filed them in the week of my appointments (after-care instructions for after my sedation appointment, etc.)  I did the same with the coupons and filed them as well.

 

 

 

And suddenly, my large stack of paper to deal with was no more!  Paper clutter is the WORST and I try to deal with as much as I can right as it enters the house.  Husband is pretty good about dealing with his stuff.  And we scan anything important that needs to be kept.  This new system has been great because all of my papers are always with me at ALL times.  I highly recommend it!

 

Bullet Journal

Can you believe I'm blogging about another planner?  I can.  I'm not surprised.  My last one didn't work out because it was too big and cumbersome.  I should have known, but I had to give it a shot first.

When my sister came to visit in June, she introduced me to the Bullet Journal.  In a nutshell, it is a planner/journal/tracker/list keeper, etc.  All in one.  And you make it your own.  Basically, you can take any notebook (although a higher quality one works better, like a Moleskine or a Leuchtturm).  Then you create your planner, lists, etc.  I started off with a Moleskine.  I made a monthly page for each month, then a weekly page behind each month.  Then I made lists and trackers.  That's what my Moleskine consisted of.  A lot of people do doodling, practice their handwriting, etc.  But I just never got into doing that.  I was more into making my lists and weekly pages look cute by using stickers and Washi tape.  I am not a doodler.  I do like coloring though and I love using cute stickers and tape.

But then I had to make some changes.  I was carrying my Moleskine bullet journal around, plus my wallet, plus my coupons in a separate pouch, plus the bills to be paid in a separate pouch and my checkbook and stamps.  It was too much.  I'd be at the store and have to whip out my coupon pouch, then my journal to look at my list, then my wallet when it came time to pay, etc.  It. Was. Too. Much.  I wanted the Bullet Journal to make my life easier, not add one more thing to keep track of.

So I basically transferred it to a zippered planner.

I wanted to still be able to add some flair to my general monthly and weekly calendar pages, but I also wanted to be able to add to it and reorganize the pages as needed AND keep everything contained.

The zippered binder is from Office Depot.  It's not large, it's a standard 6 punch size.  It can fit into all of my purses.  The 'insides' are all from Michael's AND my former Moleskine bullet journal.

Above is my calendar for September.  

Here is October:

Very simple....a standard monthly calendar plus some tape and stickers.  

Here's part of a weekly spread:

On the left side is part of this week.  You can't see the right side of the week, because what I'm now doing is putting the bills to be paid in my journal as well. I add them to whatever week they are due.  This is our insurance bill, which is due on the first.  I will pay it tomorrow.  Once it is paid, I remove it and put it in my bill binder (which I keep at work).  

I LOVE having the bills to be paid not only in one place, but in due-date order.  

Behind the monthly and weekly spreads (which include the bills to be paid, AND monthly habit trackers), I have a section for trackers.  I pretty much just removed these straight from my old Bullet Journal and hole-punched them and put them in my binder:

Mortgage payoff tracker:

TV shows to catch up on:

This one probably only make sense to me, but I like it:

After the tracker section, I have lists and other miscellaneous items:

Highlights:

 Coupons:

Restaurant coupons:

I LOVE having the coupons all here.  They are in order by type (pets, food, health, etc.)  When I'm at the checkout counter I can just tear them out to be used.

I bought a 6-hole punch when I decided to go this route with my planner.

I was hesitant to buy it at first because I wasn't sure it was necessary, but I use it ALL the time.  I hole punch everything to stick in my planner.  Not only everything that I transferred from my Moleskine, but also coupons, receipts, and 'things to be done' like looking into this balance transfer offer below:

It has made using this system even easier.  Plus it's pretty and gold and shiny. 

I keep all of my bullet journal supplies together in these two bags:

The first picture holds my most commonly used pens and highlighters.  The striped bag holds everything else:

Pens, pencils, washi tape, stickers, stencils and stamps.  All in one place.

I also added a plastic pouch in the back to hold my checkbook and stamps:

And then I added a plastic insert to the front of my planner to hold my cards:

(The receipts on the left are ones I need to enter into YNAB).

So my bullet journal has now become my planner, tracker, lists keeper, coupon organizer, bill organizer, and wallet.

I LOVE IT!!!  I love that everything is together and contained.  Most everything was purchased at Michael's (with coupons of course).  They have a great selection of planner accessories, including starter packs (that are blank, so you can start on any month), stickers, tape, etc.  I also added the little tassel to make it a little more 'me'. (Also purchased at Michael's).

So that's the latest on my journal.  I have a feeling this is the ONE!!!

Where Have I Been?

Yikes.  This is probably the longest ‘blog’ break I’ve ever taken.  It wasn’t intentional.  It just sort of happened. 

This year has been….interesting.  Which, in a way, I kind of figured it would be.  Last year was so amazingly phenomenal (travel!) that it was kind of expected that this year would be more of a letdown ha ha.  Not that it’s been a letdown even…it’s just been difficult at times.  We’ve both had some health issues that we are working on, but like all things, it takes time.

 
I have a HUGE list of blog posts to write and post.  My sister visiting in June (that's how far behind I am).  Podcasts.  Bullet Journaling (life changing).  Revamping my bullet journal to make it work best for me (and my newfound love for my 6-hold punch).  Organizing.  My completely ‘Kon-Mari’d’ house (also life changing).  A new business.  Lots of random things.  Service dog training.  Couponing (again).  5-dinners 1-hour (again).  Small house-updates.  House tour (including cabinets, closets, drawers, the whole she-bang).  Organizing tips and tricks (want to know how to organize your fridge?  I can tell you!).  Why I have decided that I HAVE to be super selective about the books I read lately (it’s a health issue…seriously).  I could go on and on.  I have a lot of these posts at least 75% written, it's just a matter of pulling together photos and actually posting them.

But life is INCREDIBLY busy with work, service, meeting parts, public talks, more meeting parts, and did I mention meeting parts?  In a different language? 

 

Also, currently we have a guest staying with us for a week (which is really nice).  We've been keeping it nice and quiet in the evenings so that she can study in peace, which is SO NICE for us as well.  Each day I come home from work (I get home an hour before she does), I go over the floors with my vacuum, clean out the cat box, do our daily load of laundry, light a couple of candles and make sure dinner is in place for the evening.  It's been great getting back into a routine, and I hope to keep the routine up even after she leaves on Saturday.  

I am still here.  I am still plugging away.  I am just busy!  More to come....

Planners....Again

If I had just a dollar for every planner out there that I’ve tried, well, I’d have a lot of dollars.

I used to be able to get away with just a small monthly pocket planner (the kind you can buy for $3 at Target). 

But then, I outgrew that and needed a larger monthly format.

Then, I outgrew that and decided I wanted a monthly calendar with weekly pages as well. 

Then, I outgrew that and the size of that (I was using a medium size one).

To say this has been frustrating is pretty much an understatement.

The reason for the ‘outgrowth’ of each planner is because frankly, we are busier than ever.  And I make my planner WORK.

Here’s everything I track in my planner:

Monthly Pages:

Doctor’s appointments (me and husband)

Paydays (me and husband)

Work meetings/outings (me)

Spiritual assignments (me and husband)

Bills to pay and dates they are due

Travel (me and husband)

Visitors

Other appointments (Weight Watchers, Watson training, hair appointments, etc.)

Daily Pages (Weekly Spread):

Daily tasks I want to accomplish.  This can include things I do every single day, and also extra things I would like to accomplish.

My planner does other things too though.  I get planners that have a pocket of some sort.  In this pocket I keep any bills to be paid, any items to be done, stamps, checkbook and stickers.  Sort of like a portable office.  I do all of the bill paying/budgeting and I do this at work mostly, so I need everything with me.

It’s easy to find a medium sized planner that can fit in your purse that has everything listed above.  But…the pages are small.  The pockets are small.  I was folding up my ‘to be paid’ bills into fourths to shove them in the pocket.  Then the pocket would be huge and stuffed full and I would try to shove the whole thing inside my purse.

I thought and thought.  What was the solution?  I already knew that going all electronic would not work.  I have to see the entire month at once.  Always.  And I need the weekly pages as well to write down my daily ‘to-do’ lists (instead of using sticky notes that get buried and crumpled in my purse).  And I derive great satisfaction from actually crossing things off of a paper list (actually I highlight each item as it is completed)

I’ve always gone the ‘smaller’ route with planners because I always thought that they HAD to fit in my purse.  Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that they do not need to fit in my purse.  Here’s why.

The main two places I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS take my planner is work and meetings.  At work, I have a tote bag that I throw my lunch bag in, the current book that I’m reading, my water bottle, my breakfast shake, etc.  A larger planner could easily fit in there as well.  

At meetings, I don’t take a meeting bag anymore, since everything is on the apps on my iPad (even my studied and marked up PDFs).  So I just take my purse.  But I can carry my planner, no problem.  I take it to meetings to check the board and write down every part that me or my husband has coming up and any other important dates (assemblies, co visits, etc. for both French and English).  Usually, we get certain schedules and assignments emailed to us, but I always check the board anyways.

So off to Staples I went with a new idea of what my planner could look like.  Staples has TONS of ‘At-a-Glance’ planners.  I’ve always been a fan of their designs and products.

I selected a notebook-sized planner and a planner cover.  

I liked the large pages of the planner, both the monthly and weekly pages.  The planner cover I chose is plain black.  They had a bright red one, but I wasn’t a fan of that one.  The planner cover came with a notebook in the back, and multiple pockets both on the inside and the outside.  The whole thing zips up to keep everything contained.

In the large pocket on the left, I keep everything I need ‘to do’ (renew my AHIMA membership, make my eye appointment, etc.) and also keep the bills to be paid.  The small zippered pocket holds my stamps and stickers (I get a smiley face sticker each day I am 100% on plan with Weight Watchers.  Yes, I am 3).  In a hidden pocket in the back is my checkbook.  I only write one check per month, so I don’t need to access it regularly.

The daily/weekly spread is super helpful.  I write EVERYTHING on here...the mundane tasks I want to accomplish every day and the not-so-mundane things I need to do.  I highlight each item as it is completed.

I really like it.  And I like how my purse isn’t weighed down anymore by a heavy planner.  I only need it at home, work, and meetings.  I don’t need it when I go to the grocery store.  Or anywhere else for that matter.  I don’t know why it took me this long to figure this out, but oh well.  At home, when I don’t have it opened up to my to-do list, it lives in the same cupboard that my purse is kept.

So far, so good!