Well Planned Life

So I thought I was all set with the format I have been using – personal size, week on two pages and month on two pages. It has been working well for me – everything in one binder, all easily accessible at any time. Until. There have been lots and lots of talk about the pocket size binders. With more to posts come, I’m sure. In terms of Filofax organizers, I always want what others have , mainly because they look so delicious and perfectly organized or perfectly messy, depending on the situation. I’m so highly organized that my own planner always looks as pristine as a used planner can look. There aren’t too many papers stuffed into it, and if there are, they are put neatly into the front pocket or folded nicely and put at the back of the planner. So, organized planners catch my eye because they are like mine. But messy ones catch my eye also because they are not like mine. Either way, I want what someone else has and tend to think my own planner and system are just useless and mund...

I have bought and received my 2011 inserts. I am staying with the system I currently have (for now). I have strayed in the past and I always end up back in the same place, so why fight it? I bought Day Planner pages (to keep track of certain things that happen during the day, as they happen), monthly pages (which I outline just like Laurie ), and a pack of week on two pages lined. I absolutely need those lines! The first thing I did was add birthdays and anniversaries to my 2011 pages. I only add these to my weekly pages, as there isn’t enough room on the monthly pages for this. I mainly use the monthly pages to write down appointments. A lot of what happens at work is done on a monthly basis or a few months in advance, so this helps me to organize my month better. I refer to my Google calendar for adding the birthdays and anniversaries. I could look back at my 2010 pages for the information, but with all the other scribbling that is now on the pages, this is easier to look at. Plus...

… See what’s become of me … Several weeks ago, I was so overwhelmed with things going on and things needing to be done I was stressed beyond belief. But I muddled through it all, as we all do. Then I went on vacation , letting all of that stress go. One of my goals upon my return was to not allow myself to get so crazed – to plan less and plan for more downtime. I have been successful. Maybe a little too successful. In the few weeks since my return from vacation, I have allowed myself more downtime then I have in a long time. I have some things planned, but not many. I’ve been very choosey in what I do plan. In fact, the only thing I have “planned” for this weekend is a pedicure. This turns out to be a good thing. I have been neglecting so many things in favor of downtime that now I am behind in many areas. I have been catching up with many things but I’m not forcing the issue. If only a small part of something big gets completed, then that’s good enough. One of the things I have bee...

I recently read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert . This is my second reading of the book. I loved it when I read it a few years ago and loved it even more the second time around. I can relate to many of the ideas the author presents for many different reasons, even more so this time because of where I am in my life. There are two ideas that really jumped out at me, the first because of the topic and the second because I it got me thinking about myself. A quick background for those unfamiliar with the book: After a heart-wrenching divorce, Gilbert decides to travel for a year, spending 4 months each in Italy, India and Indonesia. Her journey is not only one to different places, but one where she must look inside herself to find out who she is and what she wants from her life. Some readers do not care for the book, arguing that Gilbert is whining and trying to get sympathy for her lack of being able to “suck it up and move on.” I did not feel this way – I found her journey to be ins...

For those of you keeping track , I went to my local Filofax retailer today to see what they have in stock. First, let me say that I must be an idiot. It seems as though this store has been carrying Filofax items for a while. I don’t know why I never knew this. But there it is. With that said, I have to say that I was a little disappointed at the selection. The lack of items could be due to the fact that they are awaiting their 2011 refill supply. Thus, I was unable to purchase anything for next year. They had plenty of 2010 items left, but all at regular price. Perhaps they will go on sale when the new shipment arrives. All other 2010 calendars seemed to have been marked down ( At-a-Glance , Day Runner , and the like). The selection of non-dated inserts seemed okay, though a little sparse. I’d like to think this will also be replenished when the 2011 items come in. I did buy the only 3 Day Planner page packs they had left. This is one of the items I was after, so it was worth the trip...

The newest member of my Filofax family is the Guildford Personal . Reader Gregorym bought this and did not like the leather and so offered it to me – I was toying with the idea of purchasing this binder and so his offer was just what I needed. I have been using it for two weeks now and I love it. I have several personal binders and love them all, each for their own individual reasons. Last December I bought the Guildford Slimline because I wanted to downsize. I absolutely love, love, love the Guildford Slimline. But in recent weeks I have been nostalgic for a personal size binder to keep everything I need in one place. When I switched back to the personal size, I realized that my love for the Slimline wasn’t so much for the slimness of it, but for the Guildford style itself – the soft, supple leather and the front secretarial pocket makes this binder perfect for me. When I knew I would be getting the Guildford personal, I reorganized not only my entire system, but also every pie...

I have returned from vacation and I quite depressed about it. I’m always a little blue when my vacations are over, mainly because I so rarely get an actual leave-the-house, leave-the-area vacation. But this particular annual vacation always makes me sad because it’s the one place where I can really and truly unwind and let go. A week there is never enough time. From the moment I walked in the door at home, I felt the familiar pull and tug of my routine and my life – all the things that need to be done and the places I need to be in the upcoming days and weeks. I was a little slow to get started on them, taking my time and easing into everything. But it seems that when I’m home, I can only think about all of the things that I should be accomplishing. This prohibits me from fully relaxing. I have promised myself and my husband that the craziness would stop after vacation, that I would no longer plan as much and above all else, stop putting so much pressure on myself to “get things don...