My planners

Why I use planner instead of calendar and notebooks? I say always, I need everything in the same place. Funny, but I have three planners. :D

Let me introduce my favourite: 

Kikki.K Large lilac

This one is which comes with me everywhere. Calendar, planner section, notes and infos live in.
Pro: It looks nice, so feminin. Contra: I don't need the pockets. It takes lot of place from me.

Filofax Finsbury A5

This was my first one. As I realised, that I need a Filofax, I started to look after MY FILOFAX. I wanted one, that lays flat. Not too expensive (who knows, may it is not for me?) and I found this on the Amazon. For couple month it was enough. I saw: it works for me. Finsbury was getting fat, I need another one! And not black, something funny, so I bought my second, lets see in the next chapter :)

There are infos, and notes, they I don't need always.

Pro: quality, simplicity, Filofax. Contra: color, pockets.

Filofax Domino, hot pink

Second one. My brain said to me: you are not normal to buy a second one! But I need! A color one! Ok, than it should be something simple. I used that for a while as my main planner, but as I saw the Kikki.K, I couldn't resist. No problem, now is none of my planners fat. Projects are in this planner, very comfortable.

Pro: it is slim: no unnecessary pockets. Bright color. Contra: Maybe that is no leather? But who cares?

I would be happy to see your planner(s) too on Facebook.

Happy planning!

DYI project: Pocket for the divider

As I wrote in the "The 17 Dividers" post, it can be very useful to create a pocket on a divider. Sometimes you have to keep in your planner something what cannot be punched. I will show in this tutorial, how I made pockets to my dividers.

Step 1: 

Take an already done divider...

 ... or make one. Very important: it has to be punched already!

 Step 2:

Cut a paper to the half size of your divider. Punch it.

Step 3:

With some washi tape you can fix your papers. Stick the bottom of the two pieces together with washi tape.

Step 4:

Stick the sides.

Step 5:

Punch the washi tape.

Step 6:

Use it!

Project Planner - for what???

I got questions how to use and why the project planner insert?
If you don't work in projects in your workplace, it can be hard to imagine, how could be this insert useful. If you try to forget the word "project" and thinking on things belongs together it can be more simple.

Some example

Plan your holiday. 

   Tasks:
      -- find out where - subtasks: look through the catalog you collected already, make a list about what is for you (and other family members) important (it will help in the decision),
      -- book flight
      -- what I want to see - subtasks: buy a tourist book. Read the ... blog for ideas. Print some out. Buy a map.
      -- make a packing list.

Plan your Christmas

  Tasks:
      -- Gifts. Subtasks: create a list with names, ideas. Buy the gift for x. Order from the internet.
      -- What to eat? Subtasks: create a menu. Ask xy if he is not vegetarian? Buy ... Order cookies from...
      -- Schedule. Subtask: call xy, when could she come. Look in the calendar when starts the holiday in the school.

My own examples

Planner Project

Because it is slowly too big, I made some "subproject" from it.
There are: "New inserts". I collect here my ideas I want to make some day. "Corrections/developing ideas" for the inserts I already made. "Personal size". Inserts to reducing for this size. "Miscellaneous Ideas".

Folded note to a new insert idea:

By corrections a Task is an insert like "Daily Planner V1". This is Nr 3. I have two marks here: + means, that I have a note for it. It is folded into the Project Planner, and I wrote the number of the task too. S means, that I listed minimum 1 Subtask on the other side.

In this case: more hours. I should have more Subtask for a Task, as by the Nr 1. I can write the Nr of the task into the second column. I highlighted the subtasks, that I find important and want work with first.

My note for the correction.

Homepage Project

This is also a huge project, on it I work continuously. I have here subprojects too, as "Home", "Webshop", "Blog". This is more complex, because I have a collage who works on it too, I have to know, what he will make, and when...

Pattern Project

Every pattern is a project for me. There are always the same things to do: find the idea, choosing yarn, designing, knitting, writing the pattern, make proofreading, testing, releasing, marketing. Usually I don't make a Project Planner page for them. I started to make laminated checklists for the different part of the process, and I use them.

If I need to write something, mostly I use a to do list insert. Things such "measure the shawl". "Change Chart C on page 4". 

Little projects

If a project is not too complex, I don't use the folded version, only the two pages, or a to do list. 

Where to place the projects?

You can use the chronological method, as I wrote in the 17 folders post. I find it perfect, because I can place a Project page now for the next Christmas, and write in if I get an idea...

If you have only some project, make a "Projects" tab in your planner, and mark with flags your folded pages. If you have more, you might want to make an index page and sort the projects in ABC order.

The Daily Review

It would be to do at the evening to know what is waiting for you tomorrow. But I'm not able to. I'm making it always mornings.

Lets see, what I have done and leave yesterday:

I have to make corrections on the planner, and make the Thank you promo. I use these markers here:

Take a look on weekly plan. I marked with highlighter what I already done. Two things are what I have to do. See the Fata Morgana release? I know it, that I won't have time to do it, it is not in my Monday plan...

For Purple Caramel (this is a pattern) test I have a checklist, laminated, I can re-use it later. This can I find in my 17 folder system by this week. A test runs more weeks, I only have my eyes on it, answer, correct if there is something. I checked the list, I have nothing to do now with it.

This is the miscellaneous weekly to do list. I could pick some to do-s from here and write to the Daily Plan, but for now, I leave it so, and I scheduled time for working from this list.

And what I got for today. It seems a little bit too much, but we will see. Can you see the little dot by the Thank you promo? It means, that I have rescheduled it already once. I have to start with it...

How do you do your Daily Review?

Happy Planning!

My February plans

This will be not an efficient month. In the first two weeks are holiday in the school. My little one is at home this week, and the other two are in ski camp. It means, I have to cook every day, and of course, I cannot work as much as usual, if I have a 6 year old at home. Next week we will going to skating every day.

Thats why I planned only a few things for this month. I have some monthly routine for the first and second week (promotion, paying bills). I plan writing a pattern for some weeks already, I have on my weekly plan it yet, but as you can see, I didn't planed it for a day. It might have to skip again... Other things are most important.

My weekly plan looks not too busy...

But if I start to collect every little things together, my daily plan is full:

I use color coding for the different things: pink is work, orange is family, blue is me.
I also use numbers for the tasks, it is useful if they are little things. Take a look on number 2: they are tasks can do in couple of minutes. I reserved for them all an hour. I have a weekly task list too, with such to do-s, which I can do whenever I want.
Little flags are to keep my extra attention. On the orange is "hang out clothes" - I'm tending to forget my washing... By calls the yellow one reminds me, that I'm waiting for a call back. Tomorrow I can replace this flag for the next Daily Planner page. As I see, I have almost done everything.

What is your plan for the month/week?

Happy planning!