Well Planned Life

If you haven’t yet seen it, this is what I have been up to the last few days. After mentioning it once or twice in passing, I finally took that step and contacted Steve about organizing a meet up in New York City. He was kind enough to post something on Philofaxy, as well as just about everywhere else. I think I even saw a billboard for it on the expressway. In all seriousness, I am thankful for his help in this matter, not only for advertising the event but also for offering me tips on successful ways to plan such a meet up. So, thanks Steve! I am happy to say that there are seven of us interested. So of course this little project deserves its own place in the Malden . I am keeping a list of items on a sheet of green note paper—the names of the people who will be attending, a general location of where they are traveling from, and once we start discussing ideas and specifics, I will add to that list, places to meet, eat, and shop. Anything else that pops up too will be added here. T...

“It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis.” – Margaret Bonnano I recently finished reading The Happiness Makeover by M. J. Ryan . I loved this book. It is similar in feel and idea to Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project . The difference between the two is that Rubin’s book was about her personal happiness adventure whereas Ryan’s book is more about offering tips and advice on how to find and create happiness in general. Ryan does offer her personal examples, as well as examples from clients. If you’re interested in happiness in general, I highly recommend this book. Just a few things from the book I’d like to share: “We tend to think that loving ourselves is selfish or self-centered. However, if we understand we are doing it not for ourselves but for everyone we meet, then it becomes easier to do. The same is true for happiness. It may seem self-indulgent or self-centered to make it a priority in our lives.” This quote reminded me once again of Caribbean...

You can find today's post over at Bagsey . I've gone and bought 2 new bags, each for a different purpose. Read all about it there. Have a great weekend!

Working in a public building as I do, one sees many types of people. One of my favorite types is the very organized, the list-makers; some of those lists even live in planners. Each time I see one, I am so tempted to talk about the planners. But that’s not exactly what I’m getting paid for, so I somehow manage to contain myself. Plus, I’m sure the patrons would think I’m a little nutty for discussing their planners at length and in detail when all they want is for me to get their book or information and be on their way. (Though, I have to admit, I have discussed bags with patrons before—just a small “I like your bag” comment. It seems a little more normal than “Ohmygosh! I love your planner. Look at mine. Mine’s a Filofax, a Malden . What’s yours? How do you use it? What tabs do you have? What calendar layout do you prefer? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”) Anyway, my favorite patrons who fall into this category are as follows: Mini Slim – There is a man who carries a plann...

I love my Malden . I don’t think I have loved a planner more. Well, maybe I have loved other planners just as much, at least at the very beginning. But I don’t think I have loved a planner as long. I have not strayed from this planner once since its arrival. I haven’t even thought about it. This planner has everything I have wanted– soft, supple leather ; card holders ; back pocket for a pad ; the ability to hold all the things I carry with me; it’s functional and looks great too. And yet… I have been finding myself wanting something different, not because I no longer love the Malden (perish the thought!), but because I want something different from my system. I have been craving simplicity. Though it works for me, my system tends to be a little complicated . Even my planning habits can get a little out of hand—sometimes I tend to spend more time planning how and when things will be done than it takes to actually do them. I have everything in one place, which is how I often want it—i...

Finally! After weeks of working on this binder , I am ready to reveal its contents to the world. It will be a continuous work-in-progress, as I’ll be adding items as I see fit. But the main sections are to remain the same (at least for a while). Before I unveil the finished product, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have stuck with me and my numerous Happiness Project posts . Considering that most of you are here for the planner/organizing posts, I’m sure I have been a little dull lately. But this is something that I needed to work on for my own well-being, and writing about it makes it a little more real for me. Plus, writing about it also makes it more concrete in my mind, and the process has been very therapeutic. So, again, thank you. Now, on with the show! I am using my Personal Jade Finchley for this project. It was previously used for my “ Me Binder .” Some of the information is the same, though a lot of what was inside has been updated. The first thi...

Here are the answers to the questions posed with the last post : I spend every Friday evening eating a hamburger and drinking beer at a biker bar in town. There is a biker bar just up the road from me. It is well-known amongst bikers in the area. However, I have never been to the establishment, though I hear they have excellent burgers. Maybe one day I will go. I spend every Friday evening having pizza and beer with my family. I was once hand-selected by a government official to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. I was once hand-selected to do this, though not by a government official. In 8th grade, four students were hand-picked by teachers to perform this honor. I was one of them. I once tried out for American Idol . Caribbean Princess was right when she said that I like to sing but not in front of other people (wow! I’m impressed at what you remember from my blog!). I also have a love/hate relationship with American Idol. I like the idea of it, b...

I have been tagged by two fellow bloggers—first by Caribbean Princess with this post ; then again by Laurie at Plannerisms with this post . I am ashamed that it has taken me this long to respond to both. I am honored to have been given the virtual blogging Oscar. Clearly, if a speech were expected, the people would have been waiting an awfully long time for me to step on stage, being as I’m so late in responding. Here are the rules for this game: You must proudly display the absolutely disgusting graphic. (As hideous as this graphic is, this is a rule I can actually follow this late in the game, so I will “proudly” display it.) You must list 5 things about yourself and 4 of them must be bold-faced lies. (I’m so not good at this kind of thing, and you can probably guess what is true versus false, but here we go anyway…) I spend every Friday evening eating a hamburger and drinking beer at a biker bar in town. I was once hand-selected by a government official to lay a wreath at ...