How to Use the Monthly Chart?

A monthly chart is a table with on column for tasks, or anything else :) and 30/31 columns for the days. In cells you can draw, check off, color, write.

1. Planning

I tried to use a monthly chart for planning before, but it didn't worked for me. Like: add tasks to the left column, and mark on which day you have to do this. I planned very well, just never checked :D 

2. Tracking projects

On the top of my chart I track on what project I'm working when. I want to summarize after couple of months to see, which type of project how many days need. As you can see, I color when I'm worked on something. My patterns stayes from more steps, where you see letters, means, where I am in the progress.

3. Tracking goals

On the bottom I mark, when I did something to my goals. When I have planned something on a day, I draw a square. As you can see, it is not going perfectly :D

4. Other ideas 

Weight loss

Write the weights to the rows, and mark every day, where you are.

Mood, other well being tracking

Write every day to every category how you rate it. Like 1-5 or 1-10...

You can also leave for something (headache) so many rows, how many value you want to use, and color so much, for how many you rate that day.

Keep track events

Mark no school days, your husband work schedule, trash days...

You can download this insert from my Etsy shop. For my readers I have 20% discount, use the SRBLOG coupon code!

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How many planner do I use?

This question was in the Philofaxy Facebook Group. And I could answer in a second. And I should write too much to explain for what and why.

Let's start with the why!

I have ADD and I want everything perfect. I can't say no for things. So I need all the stuff and all the stuff don't fit to one (two, three) planners. It's ok, until I can manage the all the planners. I was once on a Filofax meeting In Zurich, with suitcase. Others asked if I have a planner for my Filofaxes? :D No, it's in my head. and now, let's see what everything I use?

Main planner

An A5 Malden purple. This is the base of everything. I made a separate monthly booklet for it, to spare ring space, but not only that's why was this a great idea, I don't have flip back when I do my weekly review, I take out and see. I keep here notes, tasks (they will be move out), ideas (on a flyleaf just on post it notes), personal and family projects, main part: planning: 5 year pull out for holidays (in personal size, but never mind :D), weekly planning (no weekly calendar), daily pages, some wo2p for journaling, and miscancellaus section, in ABC order. Really very mixed stuff like online orders, contacts, infos, etc.

(On Youtube, some changes are since... :))

Work planner

A5 Malden ochre. Notes, yearly and monthly planning, projects, infos about my business, like color schemes, etc. 

(On Youtube)

Social media planner

Carpe Diem in pink color. This was first a section in the work planner, but it's got too stuffed, so I took out. This is not really a planner, because I do the social media planning in Asana. I keep here some ideas, printouts like "how to write a good newsletter", on piece of paper, what posts I have already written (I try to make it once a month).

Daily greatness business planner

I don't use this how it could be, because it contains weekly calendar, and I plan in my dailies. But I never learned about business, and this planner asks the most important question for a yearly and quarterly planning, So I use that part.

(On Youtube: How I use together the main, work and business planner.)

The 17 dividers system

This is my version of the 43 folders system. In A5 Original Deep Aqua. 

(Youtube video first part, second part - funny I used than the Finsbury :D)

Informations

A5 Finsbury Black.

Notes

A5 hot pink Domino. Notes I took like on parent meetings and I want to keep, notes I took when I read a book...

Wallet

Pocket Pennybridge, with one year monthly calendar only with appointments, notepaper, and wallet stuff.

Always by my hand handy cuteness

I was so lucky to get a pocket Malden in the red color (hmm, what is the name...), and as you can see, I have mostly A5 - what could I use this for? Hmm, mostly note taking! It's so small, that I bring with me when I go to bed, to the couch, etc. I was so often not brought my A5 with me, and not written down little thoughts while I knitted or read. When a tasks pops in my mind, I have a post it on the first divider, I write it there, and in my daily routine I have a task: check this out! :) So far I love the idea.

(YouTube)

Meal planner and recipe binder

Personal purple Domino. I don't really use this for planning any more, but it keeps my recipes and freezer inventory.

(Youtube)

So, let's count... 10. What a nice round number :) I hope I didn't missed any...

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The "Next Week" flyleaf

I have this flyleaf already for months ago in planner. It helps me in weekly planning. This is a laminated piece of paper, where I wrote with pen - Frixion users, attention: never write on a piece of paper you want laminate!!! I didn't wanted to spend too much time to designing an insert for this.

What all function the next week flyleaf has?

1. Keeping the weekly review checklist
Everything I have to do on my weekly review is listed here. I can use whiteboard marker to check the points off.

2. A list about our weekly routine

I didn't wrote this on the paper, because it can be change. It's on a post it note. As you can see some stuff is already added to it. Having the family routine by hand by weekly planning is very useful, I don't have think too much, what everything we have, only write them in. The are also recurring appointments and also tasks I have to do on a specific day on the week. 

3. Place for next week's tasks

Sometimes come something into my mind, and I don't want to add to my actual weekly tasks, because I have enough. I also don't want to write to my next week planning page, because I might use a different format (as before I tried so much options, or I just don't want to make it disorganized. I just jot it done here, and I can add to week, when I make the weekly planning. Sometimes works this post it as a master to do list, when I don't write next week something to my tasks, I just leave it here for later. While I have a page marker on the top, I can reach this place very quickly.

4. Pending items

On the back I keep waiting on stuff on post it's. I review them weekly, if it's finished, or have I something to do with that thing. I have also a don't forget post it here just in case :)

What do you think about this useful tool? Would you use something similar? If yes, what elements would you take?

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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Preparing myself for 2016

I don’t write too much, because we are were visiting friends, family, I’m were never alone! It’s amazing and horrible in the same time :) I got my Agendio planner in PDF in email (as a reward for sharing it), and I want to try it out. Even if I decided before to go with monthly and daily pages only. The advantage of having my weekly/monthly routines printed out is huge. 

Having both monthlies and weeklies is not a good option, as I found (too much copying), I needed to remove the monthlies, and making place for my weeklies. I took a deep breath, and removed the a-z dividers also (lot of width), and left only the most important-always have to be with me- type infos in the planner. I will place the rest (they are also very important :P) in an other planner, which will be stay at home. Now I have a Barbie-thin planner :D

I can’t wait to get home and print my weeklies! (Ok, done.) What is left?

The new 2016 main planner setup

1. Landing section

Flyleaf with sticky notes, Inbox, and note papers after the inbox.

2. Tasks 

Lot of master to do lists of creative, declutter, home, etc stuff. (I should do them one day.)

3. Ideas

I use the divider as a container, I removed all of the paper after this, because I will store my ideas in an other planner, I need the space here. That's why are they on sticky notes, I can remove them. 

4. Projects

First the index of the projects, than the project pages with page flags.

5. Calendar

As mentioned, I removed the monthlies, I have here my weeks, not on 2 pages but on 4 pages. I keep a daily insert between the two half of the week (as usual, double punched). This way I don't have to copy my schedule to my daily insert.

I designed a new (100. version…) weekly planner, what I can print on the back of the Agendio pages. (See, Agendio, one more argument for selling the planners in digital form!) At the front: weekly planning, but here I will concentrate first on goals and projects, only after than the tasks. I hope, this way won’t be so overwhelming the lot of tasks. (I've forgot to take a pic in use, so a printscreen here :D)

On the last page I have the weekly review, with my usual checklist, and an opportunity for myself to write done, what I did for my goals, that I can concentrate better on my successes instead on not finished tasks.

6. Infos, notes, etc

That's left:

I miss a little bit my monthly pages, I hope I will be happy without them. I filmed also more about this setup, I will publish it in couple of days.

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