Goldilocks and the Three Planners

 I have had  planners which I called date books for many (many) years.  First there were the calendars with spaces large enough to write info in like weather, work schedule, dates and vacations.  Then there was the small thin, barely can write in, pocket calendars. 

Then I joined Tupperware and I needed one to keep my parties, meetings and rallies written in as well as not double dating on family and personal appointment days.  This was the start of the wire-bound planners.  As Tupperware consultants we were taught about color coding, stickers and making your pages look fun way before it became popular but not to the extent that is done to day.

The problem with the wire bound planners was that if you wanted to take extra papers with you they had to be stapled, paper clipped or stuffed into it.  The chances of losing those papers was always there.

Then I discovered Franklin planners (now call Franklin/Covey) and their entire system. Being able to carry everything I needed in one place was great.... and awful.  What size was big enough to hold what I needed but small enough to take with me when I traveled?  Yes, I take my planner everywhere.  I was taught the golden rule of owning a datebook: always keep it with you.  It was and is a good rule.  I can't tell how many times, when I didn't bring my planner with me somewhere I was asked what I was doing on such and such date.   But because of this rule, I went through may different size and type of planners.

For several years I bounced between a classic and the pocket size, with the compact size throw in for awhile.  I felt like Goldilocks and the three sizes of planners.  One was to big to fit in my purse comfortably, one was two heavy and one was just right but small to write in.  Once in a while I would go back to a wire-bound planner but that didn't last more then a year as I once again stapled, paper clipped and stuffed papers into it and then would lose paper out of it.  Every year about September I would get anxious as it got closer to a new year and that time when I would have to pick a planner style for the year.  Part of the problem was I would make myself live with my choice for the year.  For better or worst I was stuck with my choice.  I learned a lot about my needs in a planner because of this, with the ringed planner (and so far this year a pocket size) being just right.



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This thing call Filofax

I had never heard of Filofax until a couple of months ago while looking on YouTube for some organization ideas.  What a wonderful world I come across.  The colors, styles and choices. 
 Why had I never heard of these?  I guess it is because I live a small town (and in the US).  I still haven't seen one in person but that's okay because it's the wonderful people who live in the Filofax world that I like the best.  All these like minded people showing how they set up their planners.  Showing us all the choices and colors. They buy and sell and collect.  What a wonderful world I came across.  There are others, who can't decide what is the best system for them to use.  Then there is the decorate/don't decorate groups.  I love it all.  I have a new family of friends who think like me. 
So now I am searching the web and reading blogs to see pictures of all the pretty planners, learn all the different names (and paper sizes) and enjoy being part of a group of people who love planners as much as I do.

The power of a checked box

I have a page in my planner that is two sided and  gets printed out every two week.  It has boxes of things I want to do on a daily bases.  I made this the first of the year and sometimes add or subtract from it.  It’s sort of like my daily goals for the year. 

It's a pretty simple list and has room to grow.  Some of these boxes get checked regularly, yeah me!  These could be removed as they are now a habit but I like the feeling of checking off a box (and you list makers know what I am saying here).  If I removed them then I would feel the need to add more and I still have room for improvement with the ones that are there.  Most of the boxes get checked off most days and I love how they remind and motivate me.  There is the box that only gets a check once or twice a week, lots of room for improvement there.  Then there is the box that haven’t seen a check mark all year. Enough was enough, today was the day to do it.  It was the first Monday of a new month so no more excuses, just do it. The item that I chose to check off was exercise.

I have been wanting to ride my bike again but had every excuse in the book not to. 

So today I powered through the I don't want to excuses.  Did I have to think about it, no because I decided to do this yesterday and had everything ready that I needed.  I did have to do it alone, yes as my friend who I was going to use as a crutch called to say she couldn't make it.  Was it calm with no wind?  Nope but I had a route picked out in case of this that didn't involve me riding into the wind.  Did it hurt?  Not really as I took it easy and only rode 4 miles to get started.  Did it feel good to check that box off?  You bet it did.

I guess, want I really wanted to say was if that box hadn't been there I wouldn't have felt the push to just get it done.  There has been many a night when looking over the day that I realized something hadn't been done.  I love having a last minute chance to finish off the day with a check.

Now on to those other boxes and getting more checks marks.