Well Planned Life

Work is busy.   Home is busy.   Everything is too damned busy.   And it’s only going to get worse with Christmas season now upon us.   But I’m trying to take it all in stride.   With that said, there won’t be an official post this week, as in nothing special.   But I didn’t want to not post something.   We spent all day decorating for Christmas, and there’s still more to do.   So rather than stress myself out with yet another thing to do, I’m going to keep this short and sweet (for this week—I have plenty to write about, just not enough time). If you want to check out how we decorate for Christmas, you can (re)read this post .  You can also (re)read other Christmas-related posts throughout the years: The day Well Planned Life was born It’s Christmas Time In the City Christmas Tree & Coffee Christmas Survey What’s In My (Christmas) Bag Happy Holidays! (only because it features my favorite pictur...

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know I was contemplating dabbling in the digital planning arena.   I have to say that while I’m still dabbling, I’m also sprinting back to my paper planner.   The thought of going digital was short-lived.   There are several reasons for this, the main being that I can’t seem to find an app that is available for both iPhone and iPad, incorporates appointments with to-dos that I can place on a specific day as well as a running list, and keep other projects and notes.   It seems that I would need different apps for these different things, and the whole point of having a planner to begin with is to keep everything together. I looked into different apps to keep me organized, and while there are some that are very good, they just don’t do it for me, not the way my planner does.  See, my planner can be what I need it to be, rather than me having to tweak my system so that it fits into the confines of what it can do....

Just the other day, I spotted a planner-like binder I had never noticed before.   One of our patrons—a regular for a few years now—was carrying what looked like a planner.   I had never noticed it before, so I don’t know if carrying it is something new for him or if he’s always had it and kept it in a bag.   But there it was, in his hand the other day, and the day after that too.   Of course I eyed it and tried to see if it was an official planner, but I can’t seem to bring it up in conversation for fear that the patron and/or my coworkers would think I’m nuts.   (Well, my coworkers already think I’m an organizational nut, but we keep that hidden from the patrons as best we can.)   I’m not sure that it is an official planner, and I don’t think it’s a Filofax .   But I can say that it has a very similar look to the Slimline Guildford —it is a thin binder (thinner than the personal but larger than the slimline, more like the compact Guildford might be ...

Most people would probably tell me that I over-plan for just about everything.   I’m sure this is true to a point.   But I am truly in awe of people who don’t plan anything.   I often wonder how they know where to be at any given moment or what to do when they have a free moment.   How do they know what they need from the store when they’re there if they don’t make a list?   I can’t fathom this kind of life, and yet, sometimes, I’m jealous of it.   As much as I love to plan and organize, I have to admit that sometimes it’s a little debilitating.   I create so many rules and guidelines for myself, that I often feel chained to them, hindered by the shackles of the organizational rules I “have to” follow.   I envy the free life of not caring about lists or writing things down or accomplishing my to-dos.   I often ask myself why I plan so much.   The answer of course is that I like to, that it makes me feel in control and calm, which says ...

Source It’s been one week since Hurricane Sandy swept through the US Northeast.   I am happy to report that no one in my family suffered any great damage.   I lost electricity but got it back within 24 hours; my sister’s house never lost it; my mother’s house got it back three days later; and some people still don’t have their electricity.   And as annoying as that is, it doesn’t compare the actual devastation that others have experienced—things like no running water, flooding in their homes, no homes left to speak of, loss of life. I’m sure everyone has seen pictures of the devastation the storm has caused.  The event made it into my planner—I made a note of it on last Monday’s insert, as well as when we lost power, when it returned, and the days that I did not have to go to work due to power outages and cleanup.  That cleanup continues today and for many, will extend into next year, and for some, even beyond that. Removing the true devastation f...