Monday, May 17, 2010

The New Planner

My love for day planners/calenders began when I was a child.  The local Hallmark store gave out free purse sized ones at Christmas.  Momma would get me one and I couldn't wait to enter in everyone's birthday or anniversary.  As I got older I added other important dates and times like "Work: 1-8", "First Day of Driver's Training", "College Application Due Date", and "Pizza Hut w/ Michael".  =)


 
 
Soon after we got married, I decided to become a Longaberger Basket consultant.  Included with my Starter Selling Kit was a Franklin Covey Day Planner.  I'd never seen one before and it was love at first sight!!!!  There was something about those light green pages ... =)
 
The basket gig didn't last long and neither did the Franklin Covey planner - those refills are PRICEY.  I went back to the classic monthly calendar on the wall ... a free one, of course, from the local funeral home.  =)  Hey, all you had to do was cut off the ad at the bottom and no one would know the difference.
 
 
 
 

I discovered Home Management Binders in 2005 through some blogs that I was following and gave that a try.  It was totally up my alley ... schedules, plans, binder, dividers, color coding, page protectors, important phone numbers, high-lighting, to-do lists!!!  It went through several transformations, progressively getting smaller each time.  Then I just stopped using it all together ... keeping up with all the aspects of a HMB frustrated me and made me feel like a home-management failure.  =(   

 

Fast forward to May 2010 ... I'm very pleased to announce that I found a system that works for me and this is it:
  • A 8x10 monthly calender with 2 pages per week  - doesn't get lost on counter but not too big to carry in purse if I needed.
  • Important dates with times are written on the monthly calender ONLY - these are in pen.
  • Everything else is written on the weekly calender ONLY - these are in pencil.
The weekly pages are divided into 4 sections - Meals (what we are going to eat), HB (House Blessings), Blog (post topics to jog my memory), and Family (artsy-fartsy projects that I want to do or things to get for Mr. K or Abigail).  I keep a binder clip on the current month plus the "used" months.  I paperclip the current week's pages and the pages up to the next month together.  Everything is easy to find and it works so well for me!


Give this system a try - simplicity is the key!   I think it's pretty adaptable.  If you need any help getting a system set up for your family, drop me an email.  I'd love to help, if I can.  =)







10 comments:

Regina said...

Oh, I know just how you feel! I too have a sickening love for the new planner...

Regina said...

You know, I've tried to go to an electronic planner version...it just is NOT the same. I'm seriously considering a return to paper.

Erin Joy said...

DH upgraded to a new Blackberry and I thought about using his old one just for the calendar function. As I thought about it, I decided it defied the "keep it simple" rule. =)

Kim said...

so organized, you always amaze me :) I love the ole paper version, too! And what are House blessings?

Erin Joy said...

HBs or House Blessings is my positive label for laundry, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, moping, etc. =)

It's a form of reverse psychology. Choirs = negative. Blessings = positive. If we think of our mundane work as a blessing to those who live in the house, then it's easier to do.

Renee said...

I came across your blog through the Down to Earth forum and just wanted to tell you how much I love it! Regarding your post on your soapmaking, something I am desperately craving to try, do you have a tutorial? and also, I too am a lover of journals and notebooks and wondered if you had any tips on journal writing: things to write about, how to develop a habit of it, etc. Thanks for your fun blog!

Sue said...

Erin, I totally love your planner, especially how you simply divide each day into four categories. That completely fits in with my list-compulsiveness, and I'll have to imitate you when I become a stay at home mom again next month. Maybe I'll even find a calendar on sale!

Erin Joy said...

I had a hard time finding one that didn't start in July 2010. But Walmart had them for $6.00. =)

J A Hynek said...

I've been looking for a calendar method to keep up with my Fly Lady routine and incorportate my meal planning all into one relatively small package. I think this is it. Don't know why I did not think of it myself. Thanks!

Erin Joy said...

You are welcome ... I'm glad you found it helpful!

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