For about the last two or three years, I have utilized a planner to keep me organized. I read a lot about organization and probably over a hundred articles on how to organize my life. To be honest, I have never found one way that works just perfect for me, but I have found things that work and things that do not.
I tried using the calendar in my phone, which was a real flop. The only thing it is really good for is setting up reminders when I have to feed my friend’s dog two weeks from now. I have a calendar on the wall at home and one at work. The one at work is mainly for reference and has very little written in; the one at home hangs right by the door and has things like birthdays, appointments, and school schedules on it. Great for reference, but still could not keep me organized. I do not always look at this calendar, and when I do, I do not always realize there is something written on it that I should be planning for.
It all really was not that terrible until I went back to school and became completely overwhelmed with assignments. That is when I decided I needed to find or create a system that worked for me. Now, apps are great, do not get me wrong. I used AnyDo for quite a long time with great results, but they changed the format and it no longer works for me. EverNote is great for keeping track of projects; it has gotten me through many home improvements. But for overall life, I decided that I needed to go back to good, old fashioned paper and pen.
The last two years, I have utilized a formatted planner by Iconic, which I purchased on Amazon. The size was perfect to put just about anywhere, and the format provided me with plenty of room for each day and has separate note and list sections which were utilized to the max. The problem is that the format changes a little each year; so while 2015 was perfect, 2016 ended up being okay, and I never found 2017’s. I did not fret though; I decided it was time to go in a slightly different direction: Customization.
Have you heard of bullet journals? How about happy journals? Well, the bullet journal seemed like way too much work for me, but the happy journal did not seem budget friendly. I knew what I wanted my new planner to include, so I went more towards the bullet journal style. In the entire collection of articles I have read, they all mentioned their favorite picks for books and I decided on a lemon colored Leuchtturm1917, purchased from Amazon. I will not bore you with the details of it, but I knew it was going to be perfect when I opened it up for the first time.
For almost the last two months in 2016, I started figuring out what I wanted to keep in 2017’s planner, so by the time I actually purchased one, and received it; I was all set to get started. It was very therapeutic and almost empowering to draft out my whole year. It really gave me a sense of control to be able to essentially format my life for the next 365 days. I took me almost two days to get it completed to the point that that can be considered complete on the second day of the year, but it is a thing of beauty.
I originally wanted four sections in one book, but ended up with eight in three books! Yes, I got a little crazy, but it makes total sense to me, and that is really all that matters. In the main book, my Lemon Leuchtturm, I have all of the things necessary for the household, such as a budget, a bills paid section, outstanding checks (yes, I still write checks), and even a daily chore list.
The next section is what I titled “Personal Growth.” While I do not seem to have a lot of “growing” in there, it just seemed an appropriate title. This includes a few pages for tattoo ideas, movies I want to watch, books I want to read, quotes that I find inspirational, personal goals for 2017, and the ever important bucket list.
The third and final section in this book is dedicated to my son. In here I have everything I want to do with him, such as going to a really cool place I saw on TV, seeing a specific movie, or reading him a special book. It is by far the smallest section, but the most important.
The second book is an inexpensive impulsive buy from Target, which has been collecting dust (lime green in case you were wondering). It contains all of my “projects.” This includes sections for my business, Colt’s Bones, my blog, notes for all of my social media accounts that I use to promote them, and my personal projects, such as making curtains for my bedroom. In here I also have goals listed and tips on how to achieve them.
The third book is a soft-covered, black Moleskine. I have always been a fan of this brand for journals, and that is exactly what I am using for-a personal journal. I have always found that writing/typing out my thoughts has given my mind some piece, slows it down a bit so I can focus on things instead of filtering through the little thoughts or subconscious ones.
I still use sticky notes because they are easy to move from week to week, and can be transferred from the fridge to the planner or what not. I also just found out about an app for my favorite grocery store that I am downloading and going to check out.
Do you need three books? Probably not, but this is what works for me. I hope it helps you in your journey of organization.
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