Well Planned Life

I used to be a very busy person. When I was in my junior year at college I was part of a large campus organization. I was first the PR person, then the treasurer of this organization, which meant that I was busy all day long. I held office hours where students could stop in and ask questions. I had meetings with individual members of the organization as well as the entire group. We planned and held various programs for the entire student body living on campus. This was on top of taking 5 classes, holding down a part-time job, and doing homework and papers, all while keeping a fairly busy social calendar. So I was on the go from the moment I woke up (at about 6 or 7 am) until I went to bed (around 11 or 12 at night) almost every day of the week. That entire year I used what my friend and I called “The Hairdressers’ Planner.” It was At-a-Glance’s Classic Weekly Appointment Book that has slots for every 15 minutes of the day. I wish I had kept that planner to look back on – that thing wa...

One of my favorite products is 3-M’s Post-its . I use these little guys just about everywhere and for any reason. I have quite the collection at home which you can see from my picture. I also always use them at work. It’s fun to collect the different colors and styles, as well as the specially shaped Post-its. Some professional organizers don’t like Post-its, pointing out that they create more clutter. This can be true. Whether or not one should use them depends on the person and his or her organizational style. If you’re someone who needs major help organizing your home or office, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them unless you are a visual person and need to have reminders in front of you at all times. But this only works if you actually look at them on a continual basis. Otherwise, the more you have, the more you use, and does something like that really stick out at you if you have a hundred of them posted to your computer monitor? But if you are already organized o...

There has been much talk on the Internet and organizing and planner blogs in the past couple of months regarding 2010 planners and what will be used and why. The great debate revolves around electronic devices versus a paper planner. The consensus is that you should choose whatever works for you – after all, a planning system is only as good as the user. If you don’t or won’t use it, its point is moot. I know a few people who have an iPhone or a BlackBerry . They use these devices for everything and wouldn’t think of using anything else. I have never used one of these devices and even if I owned one I don’t think I’d use it as my only calendar. Aside from having a preference for paper and the act of writing things down, I’d be too afraid that a device like that would fail just when I need it most. There is no need of “backing up” or “syncing” a paper planner. True, I could lose it, but the same could be said for an electronic device on top of the chance that it could malfunction or r...

For anyone who isn’t familiar, Upromise is an organization that helps you save money for college tuition. (From what I gather, this is an American company – I don’t know if there is a similar organization in other countries.) From their website: “We’ve partnered with hundreds of America’s leading companies to create a rewards network for Upromise members – whenever members buy something from one of our partners, they receive a portion of their eligible spending back in the form of college savings.” Individual merchants are not the only companies associated with Upromise – restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies, travel websites, and others are as well. There are over 500 merchants associated with Upromise. As I understand it, different merchants contribute a different amount of savings towards your account. They also run deals every once in a while, offering things like free shipping if you spend a certain amount or if you buy something specific. You may also find an increase in contr...

Along with always having a book in hand, I often times have an audio book in the CD player in my car. I’m currently listening to Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus , the sequel to the best selling (and made into movie) Nanny Diaries . In the sequel, Filofax is mentioned in a scene where the main character whips out her binder to write down the date of her husband’s return home and banging her wedding ring on the clasp. (If I had the actual book copy I would quote this scene for everyone’s entertainment.) I gave a silent cheer – silent so that other drivers wouldn’t think I’m a nutcase for cheering by myself in my car during my morning commute to work. I’m not that happy to go to work in the morning. =)

Today I had a lovely day…I was off from work, went to my reflexology appointment, got a cup of coffee, then drove to the beach to enjoy my relaxed state of mind and body and contemplate life while looking over the frozen bay. Now I can write without a cluttered mind. I’m currently reading Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner . In a nutshell, it’s a memoir about a woman who became an Orthodox Jew then converted to Christianity. It’s an interesting read. But one section struck me in particular and gave me an idea for a blog post. Winner (an avid reader and observer of religious materials and people, respectively) and her rector are talking about Lent and what it is that she will give up. Winner has decided that she will fast every Friday. But her rector asks her to give up reading as well: “‘Reading, it seems to me, is something you really love. It may be the thing you love most. I would like you to give up reading for Lent.’” The night before, the rector had given an Ash Wednesday homil...

Today's entry is actually a guest blog over at Philofaxy . Thanks to Steve, Nan and Laurie for allowing me to contribute to such a great blog. I hope everyone enjoys it and that it's not too boring. ;) I'm looking forward to all of the great topics coming in 2010. Philofaxy is by far my favorite blog!

Happy 2010! Today, to ring in the New Year, I did a lot of lounging around, a little driving, some organizing and reorganizing. Of course I put my new 2010 diary pages in my planner. But I also went through everything currently in there – all my lists and whatnot and rewrote them. I eliminated everything that was old and updated those items than needed it. I feel better and more clear-headed for having done this. I also want to try something different for 2010. For the past few years, my planner consisted of appointments, notes, to-dos, and deadlines. But beyond that, I didn’t keep detailed information for how I spent my day. I know where I was and the items I checked off that were completed, but I didn’t keep track of how I felt, if I added a quick trip someplace, important things that happened at work, etc. Thanks to Laurie’s entry at Plannerisms , I think I will keep more detailed lists of how I spend my days, a more journal-like account. I do have a journal where I write my feeling...