Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Organizes and holds information for the family to use. Set up, maintain, and fine-tune your system here.
User avatar
Harriet
Moderator
Posts: 16505
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:48 am
Location: The Carolinas

Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby Harriet » Tue Dec 26, 2017 12:20 am

Is it a Planner you've prepared yourself, or... ...

Are you using a purchased Planner in a way that suits your own needs?

Is it your Household Notebook in a 3-ring binder?

Are you finding use in short-term temporary paper form, such as the PocketMod

or another template that seems to work for you?

Post here about any 2018 methods for gathering your planning thoughts onto paper. Even if you start with one idea and switch a couple times through the year, we'd love to hear what you like or don't like about any method. Ideas may rub off on someone else and be lots of help!

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23443
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby Nancy » Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:04 am

I am doing task lists in my daily journal seems to be helping. I have a coloring planner I am enjoying saving it for the New Year to do schedule events in for my days. I put washi tape over the times because I do not plan in hourly increments. More if tasks in groupings. Like OMM , MIT, Next Steps, looking forward to, prayer and gratitude, and
Script aka journaling
Affirm
Vision & Value
Encourage
Renew & Reflect
Stratagedy
Last edited by Nancy on Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:04 am, edited 5 times in total.

BookSaver
Administrator
Posts: 2970
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:08 am
Location: E Iowa

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby BookSaver » Tue Dec 26, 2017 11:00 am

PLANNER:
The library's sponsor/Queen Mum gave all staff members a funny 2018 "engagement calendar" that uses 1 page per week. There are vintage photos throughout with modern sarcastic captions. She gave a planner like this for 2017 which I've used with some success. However, the 2018 book is only 2/3 the size of the 2017 one. Since this is my desk calendar for forecasting the whole week, I think I'm probably going to miss the extra room for writing monthly goals and daily lists. We'll see.

PURSE CALENDAR:
3+7/8" x 6+1/2" x 1/8" Month-at-a-glance used to record work schedule, appointments, meeting dates. Plastic cover with front & back inside pockets which are handy for tucking a few return address labels, band-aids, etc. Combined with a PocketMod for work procedures.

MENU PLANNER:
Spreadsheet on my computer in my "Home" folder -- because DH has a lot of favorite meals that I repeat frequently. It's easy to cut & paste. Then grocery lists are written either on 3x5 cards (recycled from the library's old paper card catalog) or free colorful notepads that come in the mail from various charities. Grocery list goes into my purse calendar.

PANTRY & FREEZER INVENTORY:
Spreadsheet based on an old form from CEO many years ago. I have a hard copy on a clipboard in the kitchen to keep a running tally, and print a fresh blank form every few months or so to start over. TinyTown grocery store is too expensive for us to shop there every week, and Aldi/WM/Sam's are all a minimum 30 minute drive away, and longer in the winter. Keeping track of the food & supplies inventory helps me reduce the number of trips I have to make to TheBigCity.


New for 2018:

PERPETUAL CALENDAR to record family birthdays. I used to be able to remember my family's birthdays, and DMIL used to print family birthday calendars for Christmas gifts. Neither thing happens now. I'm hoping to find everyone's birth year, too, to keep track of ages.

PASSWORD LOGBOOK because I don't trust saving them on the computer, and my habit of recording passwords on cards/Post-Its/notepad papers stuck in in an envelope is getting ridiculous, especially when it comes time to change several of them at once. Modern life requires too many passwords! :x ... :lol:

User avatar
Twins' Mom
Member
Posts: 16701
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:41 pm
Location: Southeast

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby Twins' Mom » Tue Dec 26, 2017 4:58 pm

I am using Best Self Journal for the next weeks - each Journal goes for 13 weeks. Pages are unnumbered so if you skip a day you just number the next one. https://bestself.co/ I haven't been using the weekly pages in the front and the goal pages. I'll start those on Jan 1.

I use Google calendar for my calendar and dh's - he doesn't always put things on the calendar so it's a guess with him at best. I can access the Google calendar from my phone and the laptop at home. The Best Self journal has calendar pages for 3 months that one can fill in. Perhaps some future planning there? Fill it in monthly from Google and update weekly? Not sure.

I use pen and paper for grocery - list in the kitchen that I add things to as I think of them or as I run out. I could do a better job of meal planning. DH wants to start "Paleo" diet in new year and I am sticking with my "Always Hungry?" way of eating. We usually have chicken breast and thighs, pork loin, fish, and steak in the freezer from Costco. I don't inventory because it's easy enough to rummage through it.

I'm using Last Pass for passwords.

Need to get the Best Self journal habit going!
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better [wo]man. Ben Franklin

User avatar
Harriet
Moderator
Posts: 16505
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:48 am
Location: The Carolinas

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby Harriet » Tue Dec 26, 2017 6:00 pm

For upcoming year I bought a vertical-day-page Day Designer planner at WMart. They are about $9. Day Designers have been around a while, but only published by Blue Sky Co. for a couple years, so they're more available.

I like that each day has a separation of different areas that allows a divide-and-conquer thought process.

Aside from 4 pages at front that are for planning of "big picture goals" (needed by me, for sure), the main feature that's different is that each weekday is broken into three areas. "Today's Top Three" is at the top with checkoff squares :idea: (yay) Then there's a time schedule until 7:00. The light, tiny numerals can be ignored when the clock isn't the priority, and then beneath that is an open square for "tonight". Unfortunately, the weekend is combined onto just one column of blank space (?); fine for people who have nothing going on on weekends, I guess.

For 2018, the months have plastic tabs in 12 different bright colors to find easily. The lined pages for notes at the back number 60 - no kidding. I've never used the notes part of a planner much, because usually there are just a few pages. But I'll almost have to use these, so as not to be wasteful, lol.

I think Twins' Mom's self planner has similar "top three" called "targets"

User avatar
Harmony
Member
Posts: 11417
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:56 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby Harmony » Tue Dec 26, 2017 11:55 pm

I still have my Household Notebook with all my schedules, it's a 3-ring binder (Harriet has seen this one). My problem with using it and keeping it out where it would be most useful is that my counters get so cluttered with work papers / files / receipts / misc. that it would just add to the mess. So I don't use it as often as I should.

I do keep miscellaneous lists in there: sizes of the furnace filters; schedule of hurricane panels and how many for each window and their letter designation and how many fasteners; my to-do-list for going away (what to pack, what to do -check tires etc., remember phone chargers etc. etc.) a nice list I copy for each time we go away. That one DH uses each and every time, otherwise all these chores would be mine or I'd have to tell him each thing.

My go-to thing for appointments is still the wall calendar which is 4-5 steps from the kitchen and the most useful thing in the house. I have my 2018 started already. I put all the birthdays and all our appointments on there.

This year I decided to try a purse monthly calendar. It's about 4x7 in a plastic cover and this one is 2 years long. When I'm out I can put appointments in there and not guess and have to call back once I'm home to change the date. I'll see how this works. It is one more thing to carry in my purse which is already too heavy.

I still don't do any planning on the computer. Just not there yet.

I did make a binder with monthly calendar pages for DH, with dates etc. of when each and every tax or report is due and how to do that... and where to find the forms or passwords, etc. etc. He was nervous if anything ever happened to me he'd not know what to do with anything. He barely knows where our banks are. :roll: Which reminds me, I must update that thing because a lot of stuff has changed....

User avatar
lucylee
Member
Posts: 13741
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:17 pm

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby lucylee » Wed Dec 27, 2017 12:02 am

Following... thinking...
Tomorrow is another day.

User avatar
Lynlee
Member
Posts: 4766
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 3:03 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby Lynlee » Wed Dec 27, 2017 3:24 am

I have resisted buying a diary, day per page per view as my follow though with those isn't there.
I did buy an exercise book with bujo style dot grid, and an A6 notebook so hope to get back to old habits of monthly daily check list, rather than the true bujo, and daily journaling.
Recently I found my old fl cj control journal, so may look again at that.
Also, following the pocket mod design I made lists to use randomly with thrown dice. I might aim at one of those in lieu of Kelly's mission.

I do like the original FL method of one new habit a month,(she lost me with 31 baby steps, and the odd rant ) . At the once upon a time ?radio.? FL msg board some would adjust the baby steps to suit themselves, and take as long as they wanted for each step.
My aim will be more the monthly one new habit thing, maybe deciding the habit definition for myself .

Remembering the old monthly new habit thread at sheforum. You got a point heart for posting because you at least remembered you had a new wanted habit, even if you didn't do it.
I loved their 4 steps to making a new habit.
1. Remember the wanted behaviour change, even if you do it.
2. Remember and sometimes do it.
3. Do the new action more often than not.
4. It becomes a daily habit.
Apologies at my paraphrasing,and memory mistakes. It's been a lot of years.

Time will tell what I actually do. Wanting to give it a good bash.
Just begin.
Living this day, today
Take a reality check; Remember to breathe; Do what I am able to do.
Look for the good in all.

User avatar
Ramblinrose
Member
Posts: 4187
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 12:43 pm
Location: Sunshine St

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby Ramblinrose » Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:58 am

I use the yearly calendar blotter that I keep on my desk... cheap, simple and I USE it all
The time. I write important dates like birthdays on it as well as dr and hair appointments on the appropriate months. When the month is over I tear it off, fold it up and mark the month a year on it.. like Dec 2017

I use a space in my desk draw folder to store it for easy acesses. I toss the old ones after a certain period of time and usually keep up to 18 months at a time.

I don’t really schedule my day.... never have cause for me it is useless and a waste of my time. My weekly schedule has seldom changes since starting She box I used decades ago and have it committed to memory.

Because I am now fully retired my daily schedule is fluid. I use my iPhone contact as my address bock BUT also keep paper record of addys and phone #’am

Don’t laugh, but I have. Three ring notebook entitled ... When I Die...with important info about people to contact, etc. Both sweetie and my Son know where I keep it. Sweetie keeps a folder in his file with the same nformation.

I have never been a daily scheduler, except for my box, with the exception of when I taught and even then I used the BOX to run my classroom. My desk became my sink and I used all I learned from P&P to organize and run my classroom.

I have several personal planners but I am of old school... if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it :D
Live Boldly, Take Risks, No Regrets...Jilliam Michaels

User avatar
lucylee
Member
Posts: 13741
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:17 pm

Re: Planning on Paper, Any Style! 2018

Postby lucylee » Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:09 pm

I love your thoughts, Lynlee. I just printed out a lot of that --
* Adjust babysteps to suit yourself & take as long as you like with each step...
* Monthly -- one new habit..
* Four steps to making a new habit.

I just want to * POOF * start EVERYTHING fresh Tuesday and * POOF POOF * suddenly have tons of energy and motivation and be this * POOF * NEW PERSON... and I am struggling SOOOO MUCH to try to be patient with myself.

It is probably very unrealistic to think I can suddenly develop 31 new habits --
Plus exercise/drinking water/organizing all my scrapbook materials and photos/making dmom a photo book of pictures of houses I will have to travel all over the county to get --
PLUS babysitting --
PLUS attending a lot of basketball ballgames with dh...
* SHEESH * Now I'm exhausted again.

It IS unrealistic to think I can change my whole personality and way of facing my day in the space of 24 hours -- and MAINTAIN that change.

So I HAVE TO be patient with myself. I think EXERCISE will be my number one priority -- the "NEW HABIT" that I will focus on for January... while still striving to get my routines under control, finally.
Tomorrow is another day.


Return to “Household Notebook/Planner, and PocketMod”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests