The Notebook Part I

While I was cleaning yesterday, I came across some papers that I printed a few years ago. They were for creating a household control journal from the Flylady. I had started making this household binder to become more organized. Unfortunately it had been abandoned within a short period of time.

Last night I did some research online for creating a new one. I was amazed at how much information is available. Free printable documents could be found on many sites. Some of them were well thought out and helpful. I decided the best approach for me was to take bits and pieces of different systems. I integrated things that I had already been doing for a while with new ideas.

I have one calendar in which every appointment and event is written. This includes information for my teenager too. It goes everywhere with me. As soon as I return from an outing, it is returned to its home in a filing crate by my desk. I tried using electronic versions in the past. They were useless to me without having internet on my phone. I had considered using a "family" calendar on the wall, but I soon realized that I needed something I could carry in my purse if I was going to keep it up to date.

I keep my calendar separate from the main household binder. Both are stored in the same crate along with my coupon organizer. This keeps everything in one location eliminating the chance of forgetting needed items.

A few months ago, my cousin introduced me to the idea of writing my goals onto post it notes and placing them on my wall. (I believe that this is similar to what Jon Acuff recommends in one of his books.) I would then break them down into smaller easily reachable steps that were recorded on an electronic calendar. (I've talked about this some in other posts.) This was only helpful for me when I was seated at my computer since I did not have internet "to go." Now I understand that I must hand write my goals for them to be concrete in my head.

Continued in The Notebook Part II