How to build your perfect planner system? Week 4: Organize your stuff!

What’s up? Is your Inbox full with stuff? Great! Let’s start the hard work: organising it! Didn't read the last post? Do it now!

See corresponding video on YouTube!

The Information section

Before you start, make a new divider, called Information.

Add someday/maybe or future section

Create a divider for such things you don’t want do now, but you don’t want to forget. You can place here a notepaper too for writing on appointments in the very far future, for that you don’t have calendar pages yet. 

What is in the Inbox?

Remove all the stuff. I’m using a similar method written in David Allen’s book: Getting Things Done. But I'm not so precious. I recommend for everyone to read his book, but I think it can be difficult to make it perfect from the first day. I recommend small steps :)

Trash

You have to decide: do you need that paper? Can it go to trash? Throw it.

Time related, with to do

No trash? Have you time related stuff on that paper? Like - info from the school about an excursion. Write the date to your calendar. Mark it somehow (I use a + for that) to know, that you have additional information for it (what kid have to bring with, when they will be back etc). If you have anything to do related to this thing, like buy something, create a to do for it, for that day you should start with it: write into the calendar. When the time has come, you have the information by hand. After that you can throw the paper away. Leave that paper for now at the end/bottom of the inbox, we will create a system for storing such things later.

Call for submission. Contains information, has a deadline, generates to do: if I decide to make it, I have to start designing.

Written in my calendar, two weeks before.

Time related, only information

Do the same, as before, only you don’t have to create any to do.

An event in the school. No to do. I wrote it to my calendar, and kept this paper.

Stuff generates to do(s)

Some times is hard to recognise this category! You collected a flyer about a theatre program. You put it somewhere, and forgot absolutely. Why? You didn’t created a task for it. (Called by David Allen "next action".) What is the next action here? Read after that thing on the internet, to get information what helps to decide, if you want to watch it or not. Talk with your husband, if he is want to come with you. Buy tickets. So what to do with this stuff now? Write the task on your to do list, or calendar, if you know, when you want to do this, and place the flyer to the Information section. As mentioned by the lists, until you don’t have too much, do not care about the order of them! Use page flags for mark them.

Info about a course in the next semester. I had to check in my daugter. I wrote a note on the post it, when I did it.

Informations

Some stuff is only information in the pure way. A business card. A print out about postal prizes. Color codes for your homepage.

A letter from the new school, where my daughter will be going from the next semester. I don't have to do anything with it, but I want to keep it.

Informations written by my little hand :)

Ideas

You might have wrote some ideas what would be great make some day. What is it? Information? To do? It is really a project. What contents also informations and tasks. If it is something you are thinking would be good to do some day, place the whole thing to the future sections. But if you want to deal with this now, you have to separate the informations and the tasks from each other. Any project supporting material is going the informations section, any tasks to the todo section. Later we will talking more about projects.

What will be in the very first Newsletter? Do you know? :D Ok, I wrote it in Hungarian... No to do-s written here yet.

Notes

Notes are informations, except they might include tasks, in this case do what written by the ideas, but if it contains only informations, notes are going to Informations. Or create a separate Notes sections, but be aware creating too much sections!

Next week homework

It was hard, isn’t it? I can imagine, that you can’t decide about some stuff what is it exactly, and where to put. Don’t be afraid to ask me or the group on the Facebook!

It is also absolutely ok not to finish in a week! Do this: process every day all the new stuffs. And additionally work on the rest x minutes every day. I recommend 5-10 minutes, it is not too much, and any hard work can be easily doing so long time.

Read the next part here, where we are starting the planning process at least!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in comment! Share your experiments in our Facebook group, and get more help!  

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ADD style planning

I posted this picture on Facebook last week. And here some more explanation, what happened here?

I don't know why, but the last two weeks was extreme chaotic for me. More appointment, less concentration maybe... The week before I started with big hope and hard resolution: I will keep the plan! I made a 3 hours section for daily "must" or routine, or what, what included daily routine (started with brushing teeth, and work stuff as reading emails, etc), my little steps (for declutter, learning, and some other goal-related "I-do-every-day-a-little-something" tasks), social media. I made it Monday,  and I had so much emails to answer, that I couldn't finish this purple section until evening. Despite I shutted off Facebook and Skype and so on. I work concentrated and at 16:30 I was shutted off. My brain stopped to work. I was disappointed: if I leave myself to distracted with FB and things I WANT to do, than I don't finish with my plan. If I don't let it for me, that I can't finish, because it is so exhausting for my ADD brain to stay on the way... What was the outcome? I did not do anything on Tuesday. Really. I striked, and spent my time with I wanted. Don't say I am lazy, or I should have more willpower. I am not lazy, and I don't have willpower. I have ADD. It is really frustrating, when I loose the control so much. Fortunately on Wednesday I had a consultation with my psychiater what brought me back to life :)
Rest of the week? Try to save what you can... On the picture you can see Friday. Planning was more what I DON'T do, not what I do... I had to choose, what I leave. I didn't wanted to print new daily page, so I wrote on the green post it the most important tasks and covered the original plan with it. I worked from that list with the help of the little orange square post it. That is a great technique to stay concentrated and motivate yourself. How it works: pick from your list the 3 items you want to make. Choose the 3 most important, or what you have mood, or the first 3 one, take one with physical activity, one with sitting or something like this to work more balanced... After you are done this 3 tasks, reward yourself! Take a break, or do something for you (I make mostly some planner related stuff :D)
Extra chaotic stuff there: post its for tracking items (waiting on package :)) Note for myself, what to do, when I have headache. Procrastinated tasks, on post its, with a hope that I will do it at least. (They are still there...)

How to build your perfect planner system? Week 3: Create an INBOX!

Missed Week 2? Read it here.
How is going for you and your planner? I hope after 2 weeks you got the habit using your planner, it is always with you, open, and you write every little and big thing in it!

Why should you write everything down? When something comes into your mind (“I should have to clean my refrigerator”) means your brain: “I MUST do this now.” If hundred’s of I should things are circulate in your mind, you will be failed. You can do only one thing at the same time. But if you wrote it down, you don’t have to think on it never more.

In this week we will add a landing place to your planner - where you can collect your stuffs, called “Inbox”.

What is an Inbox?

Read about it more here. In short: Inbox is a physical place in your planner, where stuffs arrives. Place an envelop right after your first page protector sheet in your planner. Or create a pocket (see the tutorial here). 

My inbox folder, cleaned up

Place some notepaper after that. Every piece of paper you have to deal with, place to your inbox. Every thoughts comes to your mind, write on the notepaper. 

My inbox-notpaper section with random notes - not cleaned up yet. My daughter uses my inbox too :D

What to do?

You will have to “clean your inbox” every day. Until you don’t know, what to do with your stuff, left it here. You have your calendar already, so if you have any time related things on that paper, write it to your calendar. If you have on that paper nothing more than an appointment, you can throw away that paper. If you have additional information for the appointment, left the paper in the Inbox for now. 

How it looks like after cleaning up. I hadn't thrown it away because of the picture on the other side :)

Homework for the next week: collect all stuff what you will need to deal with. If you have more than you can keep in your planner, take a box, or paper tray, or whatever and use that. Next week we will start to process them. - Week 4: Organize your stuff!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in comment! Share your experiments in our Facebook group, and get more help!  

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DIY Project: Inbox tutorial

For A5 size 

I took a 12" craft paper (ca 30.5 cm wide). Cut to 21 cm tall. 

Mark at 16 cm, scratch it... 

and fold it.

At the edge mark 8 cm from the top, where will be folded, 8 cm from the bottom. Cut the top part.

Use washi tape to stick it, and punch. 

As you can see, it is not closed at the rings, hopefully it will be enough. But I hated the idea to waste paper, and then it should have been glued at the sides too. 

In use: in this size it can hold a folded A4 size paper.

For personal size

Do the same as by A5, only the numbers are different: Cut 21x17 cm double sided paper, fold by 10.5 cm. Cut the pocket by 7 cm from the top at the edge and from the bottom at the folding-line.

By this version I had the correct width and used washi tape by the side too. If you make this way, first punch the paper, use washi, than punch again!

And my big pain: it cannot hold an A4 paper even folded in 4...

How to build your perfect planner system? Week 2: Add some structure!

How is going with using your calendar? Have you missed any appointments? No? Great! Have you checked your planner regularly? I hope so!

At this week we will start adding sections to your planner.

Didn't read the first part? Start here!

(Video version on YouTube.)

Create sections 

If you got dividers with your planner, you can use them. Or create some for yourself. How? Cut nice paper to size, with tabs, or add tabs later, like these: 

I recommend this type, until you are working on your system, because they are removable! You can stick it also on the original dividers came with the planner. Make a calendar, to do and a lists divider for now. 

To do section

If you have wrote some to do-s already somewhere, place all here.

Start collecting lists

You have already thinking about such things like 

"oh, yes, I should read that book"! 

"I want to watch that movie!" 

"Next time, when we are going to the IKEA, I have to buy …" 

"There is no more sugar at home." 

"I gave that book for XY." 

"I want to try that recipe out!"

Where to write these things? You might never known, have you? Place some note papers to this section, get page flags, and collect your lists. 

Mark all list with a flag, so you can find them easily. Until you don't have more dozen, you don't have to care about the order of them. If you have only one item for a list, do not hesitate, start that list! 

An example from my planner:

Your planner should look like this now:

See you next week! - Create an INBOX!

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Tutorial: How to make a foldable sticky note holder?

I have some sticky notes what I like, but they are not too sticky. I use for it glue. Keeping them on a divider as usual is not an option. I created this holder to my personal size planner.

Step 1: 

I used cardstock paper for it, I cutted to size. For A5 size, you should have 21x29.6 cm paper - which is exactly A4 size :) Cut the stripes for the same with and the wished high.

Step 2: 

Fold all pieces to half

Step 3: 

Punch it

Step 4:

Fasten the stripes to the holder with the help of washi tape. (As you can see, I kept the stripes on place with some little piece of washis.) Cut the unnecessary washi.

Step 5:

Strengthen the holes by using washi tape on the other side too.

Step 6:

Hole punch again.

Step 7:

Cut to the holes on the right side: it will allows you to open the holder without open the rings.

Step 8:

Enjoy!

How to build your perfect planner system? Week 1: Let’s start!

This series is for planner newbies. We will add new things to the system, to leave time to build habits, and feel what good is. I believe in ring-bound planners, because it is the most flexible system, so I'm writing about them. Follow the series, make the steps, and create your perfect planner. You have to know: everyone is different. Every planner is different. I’m trying to write so open as possible, offering choices to you to find your way. But please at the beginning, follow my instructions! Building out a good, working system is not simple. It will be never perfect. Be patient with yourself and your system, try out things, and left your system evolving.

(See you on Youtube.)

What you will need?

A planner 

First you have to decide, what size would be perfect for you. You need more space to write - A5, it is comfortable. You will carry with you a lot? Personal size - you have to now, it is small, really.

A5 and Personal size

But for a lot of people it is working. For me too, but I have more than one planner. Are you not sure? Buy a cheap/used planner, and when you found your size, you can buy, what you really want. When you buy one, pay attention: it lays flat? (It would be...) How many papers can hold it? Bigger rings need more place in your bag. But you have more place for papers too! I think 25 mm is normal, under it is too small, over it for me perfect, but some people find it too bulky.

Binders with 25 mm and 30 mm rings

Recommended brands: Filofax, Kikki K, Dayrunner, Franklin Covey, Dokibook. But probably there is a lot more, what I don't know. More sources: Amazon, Ebay, Spreenow. Recommended sizes: personal or A5 size.

Calendar inserts

A new binder contains almost always a set of calendar inserts. For most of people is week on 2 pages important (you might see this way: wo2p). It can be horizontal or vertical. We can add later more calendars if needed. If you buy a binder without calendar, buy a set for the year (best source: Amazon), or print out from the internet (see by Philofaxy). In this case you will need a puncher, maybe a cutter too, and I wanted to make you a quick start, without special tools, so simpler to buy :D

Notepapers

Hopefully you get notepapers with your binder. For the start, pay no attention too, what color is it, plain, or ruled, or whatever. You need paper to write.

A pen

A pen is a pen, pick one you have. Later you can buy some special pens if you like. But the pen must to be with your planner. Always.

What to do?

Ok, you have all the things above? Lets start.
Your calendar is for writing in time sensitive things. Not for tasks! Write in your calendar every appointments what you have. Write optional programs too. Use your calendar for remembering deadlines. Do not write to do-s here! It is planning. If you want to remember something to do, write it on a notepaper. If you would like to see it near to your calendar, you can put a notepaper between the two pages of your week.

What should you write here? Shopping list. Todays chores. Notes. Anything comes to your mind. It can be messy! You don't mind. If you ran out of place, take a new piece of paper. Other solution: stick a post it on not current half of week.

It can be useful: one post it for shopping list, after buying the things it can be go to the trash. Daily to do-s done, trash. Notes you want to keep: stick somewhere on a notepaper (in your planner :)). Keep your binder always with you, open on your desk, in the kitchen.

Take your planner with you!

Do not let it home! Remind yourself to take a look in it regularly more times a day. If you need, at the beginning set up in your phone reminders ("check your planner"). After a week your planner will be going alive. Maybe messy. Never mind!

I have a not used personal size Filofax, I will show you every week, how it looks by me as I follow my instructions. (I cheat: I move my used inserts here :))

So few paper at the beginning

See you the next week! - Add some structure!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in comment! Share your experiments in our Facebook group, and get more help!  

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What I learned/found this week? - Week 23

Yes, it is, why I always complain! I have a lot simple, few minutes tasks. And they suck my energie, and take more time as the total of the necessary time for each. I can better work on a hard task, what needs more hours and full attention!

"It feels like you have no time because it’s so fragmented with little annoying tasks that drain the life out of you." http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/

A great post about important but not urgent tasks: http://zenhabits.net/nonurgent/

Use a timer, and it will help to concentrate and do what you have to do. http://timemanagementninja.com/2015/06/set-a-timer-and-get-your-work-done/

Why is good to have a planner if you have ADD, and use it every day?

I'm participating in an ADHD research by University of Zürich. It is 2.5 year long, I have to go in this time 5 times to a test, and I have to fill out plenty of surveys.
The first year is over. I started to use planner(s) in this year, and learned a lot about time management, organizing, and also about ADD. Things are going even better! I was today in the Brain Assessment Research Center, where the research leader told me, what changed in my brain. Lot things! Concentration is better, emotional stress is lower, different areas in my brain working better together, the excessive reaction on tones went back to normal. He asked me, what I did? Because what happened with my brain is amazing. I told him about my journey in planner land, show him my Filofax. He was very impressed me, he told me, I should teach him :D
I never thought, that my brain will also change. I used planning only to make my life simpler. But it is changed me too!