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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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!

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Yearly Plan

If you have you own business, or you have to plan "only" you family life to organize, you will need a plan for the whole year.

Yearly Plan Insert

For this reason I created in my Filofax the Yearly Plan inserts. There is one page for every month. In the PDF I have the possibility to fill out a field for all boxes with the theme I want to use it. There are boxes with list and also without list.

What themes should they be?

• Birthdays 
• Holidays
• Marketing 
• Which pattern I will release
• Which zone to focus to organize in the flat?

How to use it?

It worth to plan for the whole year! Fill out your themes, save the file, and print it out. That write in, what you want to do in that month. As the year is going you can print more pages - for the next year!

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The 17 dividers

Do you know the a 43 folders system? You have one for all month and 31 for the days. I don't want folders. And 43 divider? No way. If I plan, is enough for me to know, which week I want to work on one project.

This is my solution

One divider for every month. I bought monthly sticky markers for them.

In one of my Filofax were numbered dividers. I use from them the 1-5 for weeks 1-5 in every month.
(Find a tutorial about creating the pockets here.)

How it works?

Actual month is the first, with the 5 weekly divider. The divider has a pocket to store little scraps of paper. Where I have repetitive tasks, I wrote it here. 

 bills to pay in every month comes to second week

If I get something, I will need later, I put to that month, if it is the current month, to that week. Think about reminders from school, invites for party. 

Email for holiday course of my daughter (goes to February)

As I make my plan, I put the project planner pages also here. Why is that good? You will find such things as bought concert tickets month before. If you get and idea for the next christmas, make a "Christmas project planner" page, and put to December. Or to November, if you have to do before! If you use a folded page, you can fold into every page that has something to do with it. Ideas for gifts, receipts, eg.

You may want also put after every month divider a to do list, for miscellaneous ideas, to dos.

I have a post it now on April divider with a deadline.

Sometimes I have to wait for something. I write on the page, until when? And I place that project to that time. I send sometimes submissions to magazines with pattern ideas. As I sent it, I write it on, and the expected datum for feedback. Then I place it to that time. If it it over, probably it is not accepted. I know how much longer they send my submission back, I write that time also on the project page, and the whole packet moves on. If that time has come and I didn't got that back, I can write an e-mail, if I got it  back, I can archive the project. If that is accepted, I will be told when I have to knit the sample and write the pattern. I can then build it to my plan.

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Sample Project: Christmas planning

What all do you have to know for planning the Christmas?

1. Infos
List: gifts, menü, etc - these are detailierte infos - they have to go to  the projects section/Christmas project. Take notes here, ideas, and checklist! Write everything done. A list about people you want to give something. Ideas, what. No ideas - you have to find out! It generates a task (go to planner page....) What you want to eat? If you can, hole punch the recipe too. Internet? Link it! From a book? Write on the title and the page! It generates task! You have to make a grocery list! Go to project tasks. Grocery list goes to infos.

2. Appointments
When you have to where, whit whom? Appointments go to the Calendar.

3. Project tasks
And what you have to do? Its place is on the planner page. The planner page is a todo list. Without ideas and details. So you wont loose the track what to do. Break it done to doable actions. Can you do "organize Christmas? No. Say:

• buy the Book for Jenny "How to be happy".
  
• Find out what to buy for Tom.
  
• Call Eva, when we can met.
  
• do grocery shopping (place your list in Projects section!)
  

When you plan what when you will do, these todos wont be vanish between the lot of notes.
A trick, what I use on the todo list: if I have additional info/note for a task, a write a symbol + there.
These three section I think the most important in a planner. But there is more depth you can use: Planning!

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How to organize your planner?

Lot of people uses the planner as a calendar, maybe an address book extra, and thats it. That is not too much to organize. But if you use it for planning too, that can be a big question, how to organize all the things that you write in?

I believe, that it can be work better if it is simple. You have to find a simple logic, that works for you. I saw videos, where different segments of the life were the different segments in the planner. Work, home, blog... It wouldn't work for me! I'm working home, and make parallel housework, kids stuff. I need to see everything in one place. But how, that is impossible?? No, it isn't.

Let's have a look, what type of things are in a planner.

1. things you have to do in a specific time. Appointments. Deadlines. Kids school activities. - For this purpose you can use the calendar. It is not important, which one, monthly, weekly... A calendar. Where you have enough place to write things in that in a definite time happens.

2. To do-s, tasks. Things you have to done. They are lists, and I find it simple, if they are together. Not all tasks in a mixed list, I use tematic lists. I call them projects, maybe not a perfect name, I found not better yet. If I would have a tab for kids stuff, and one for home, I would probably forget something....

3. Infos. Things I have to know. Addresses, insurance numbers, it can be simple identify as an information. But ideas, notes are also information, or not?

All things can go to one of these categories. Are you unsure, where it belongs? Question it: It is a date? It is something I have to do? Or it is something I have to know? It can be a very good guideline to organize your planner. Don't mix this things together!
If you have all these things, can be started planning using all this infos. By me it is the 4th part: planner system, where all things come together, with cross references. So I wouldn't be confused about a lot of informations at the same time, I see only what I need to.
Next time I will give a sample for this logic.

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What is all about?

I'm a home work-at-home mom, with 3 daughters. I was always a crazy chick, but as I get children, moved from my country to another and started my own business, I found, that I can't manage my life. I've forgotten appointments, never got a lot of things done, and feeled always overwhelmed, tired, disappointed. As we found out, that my middle daughter has ADHD, I went also to a psychiater, and... I have ADD (attention disorder deficit), and makes sense, why is so hard to me to organize our life. I learned a lot via internet, and bought my first Filofax. And the second. And it worked! Then we started also our Family Organizer too. This blog is about organizing the life of a work-at-home mom and a family. Planners, projects, daily routines, time managements, and everything that comes into my mind connected with this topic.

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