You don't need to have the perfect planner and inserts to start using a planner

Starting a planner system is not too simple. You can learn from others, how they do, but you have to find your way. When you start you might don't know, what you want. If you wait for the perfect inserts and system, you won't be never start.

You don't have to be perfect!

Use what you have, and try out more things

Starting is the most important!

Here I tried out a new layout, because I wasn't happy with my daily planning layout. This is also not so good for me.

You want to start a to-do list? But you didn't have any by your hand? Use notepaper for it. 

My "Tutorial ideas" in my blog planner. Not too sophisticated. But I wanted to write it down. If I would looking for the perfect blog planner, or creating my own, I might forget all.

Dividers

I didn't made dividers for this sections (yet). I used, what I had, and wrote on a washi tape the name of the section. I will make it later. 

Until you are not sure what sections you want, make no final dividers! This is my projects planner - I'm working on the setup yet. It seems chaotic, or not? 

If you don't have divider by hand, use a notepaper and a tab. If you don't have a tab, use a flag or post it.

Make drafts

Before I worked out how I will my yearly plan, I made this drawing on simple Filofax notepaper. 

Be eco

A fals printing, a little bit smaller as has to be. But why should I throwing off? I use it.

If I don't used both side of an insert, I save it for later for making notes.

Lets do it

I planned to make nice stickers with the weeks for a long time. I didn't had time for it. It is better to writing on a not so nice post it, as not doing it.

Stop to looking after the perfect system, just start your not-perfect!

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A day what started as a disaster and getting worse, but finished very well

After a busy day, what wasn't successful

I started a day, what already at the beginning (as I wrote on FB) didn't seem promising.

You know: priority. If my daughters's brace falls out, than bringing her to dentist springs to the top of the list. No one cares about what I plant before. I worked some before I went to school. We agreed to meet on the street at 9:50, but she didn't come. I have waiting some, that started too looking for her. No one known, where she is. After 20 minutes my other daughter find her on the playground. (It was break.) Dentist, came home, eat something, then I started to make my tasks. I marked what really important and urgent is and what not too much time need. Yes, if all tasks are like this, which one should I start with??? Ok, make phone calls. I asked a mother of a friend of my smallest daughter, when will be his birthday party, because I left the invitation (why isn't that in my Filofax??? - good question....). Ok, I have one and a half hour to get a gift for him. Drive again, mission completed. Back to my Filofax. I was so tired, I had so terrible headache. I thought, this day can't be worst. But. It. Can. There was no internet! But I was no more angry, I made only resignated what I could. I told myself, I make what I can, and that is all, I can. Why should I be angry about the other things? I started a film, and working by that. You can say, I'm crazy??? Yes, maybe. Of course I didn't have to make math or writing an artikel. I made advertisement, and such things. Seeing a film when I'm in such circumference can the film my thoughts distract from feeling angry or sad. I done everything except 2 things, but they are not important (they are in the "I wish do it" category).

Almost everything done

At the evening I have language course, I didn't have too much mood to go, but I left. I meet with an other hungarian women, what was fun, and as we talked each other, came a man and bowed us. He was also hungarian, and was going to an other course. This little thing made me happy. The course is also always something, what I don't want before (8 PM is too late for me to go out), but it is so much fun, that at the end I'm less tired as before. So I came home happy. I write the post at the evening, but I'm tired enough to give pictures to the post only tomorrow...
Bye :)

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7 ways to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed

I have ADD (attention disorder). One symptomes of that, that I need always something new. Doing the things the same way is depressing. I have good days, and bad days, when I can't concentrating and focusing on my tasks. There are so many methods you can use to schedule and do your things. I have favorites of course, but sometimes they don't works!

The ideal planning method

To know, what you have to do, schedule and do it simple. For that I use Monthly-Weekly-Daily planner pages.

But if I'm feeling overwhelmed

I might not doing anything, because I can't choose. Or I choose wrong, and do not-so-important thing and forget to check my planner page and leave out really urgent and important tasks. What can I do in this case?

1. Marking tasks "MUST DO". Starting with this. I can use highlighter.
   
   

   

   I used here highlighter for the most important things

   Or I take a little post it, and copy this task on here.
   

   

   MUST DO-s on post it

   
   It's on my mood. If I'm done with them, I can decide to give up for today, and make something for me. Or it can happened, that I don't feel myself overwhelmed any more and I can continue with other tasks because the stress decreased by finishing the MUST DO-s.
   
2. I choose tasks can make in some minutes. I do them first. Maybe after turns out that my todo list is not so much as I thought.
   

   

   A weekly task list. I marked some with point

3. I decide to make me today free. I'm working on one thing I make with pleasure. 
4. I start on the top of my todo list and I don't care about how much I achieve.
5. Pick 3 method: I take a post it and I write 3 tasks on it. If I'm done with it, I give myself a reward: I can knit some rows, or something else. Than I pick 3 new tasks. 
6. I decide don't care about my todo list. I pick one big thing, and work the whole day only on that. I don't know how other people are with this, but for me doing a lot little tasks takes more-more energy as to working hard on only one thing. I will do the little things tomorrow, if I'm in better form.
7. I use my clock. I say myself: I will work on this important task for a half our. Than I can do what I would like for the next half hour. Of course you can choose other time limits too :) The thing is: working only a short time on something is not too painful as to know: I have to finish this huge and frightened thing.

Has you any other idea? Do not hesitate to write in comment!

Happy planning!

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Simplify! 4 tips for using flags in your planner

Flags are fun and useful tools in planning.
I have my flags from Sigel. Flags are very eye-catching, and most important: removable, thats why reusable. Why would you write things again and again? Why would you waste paper to re-plan something, if you need it? Use flags, if you have to do the same things more time, if you need something to outstand or if the schedule can change.

1. Things that I have to do often - I keep them on my dashboard. What I'm using often: laundry. My washing machine is in the basement, and I can so quickly forgot, that I started it... Flag comes to my daily page. It has a bright color, won't be hide between other to do-s!

2. Things I have to do again and again - Hair dyeing is every 4 weeks. If I done, I replace my flag for 4 weeks later.

3. To wait. I started a task, but I'm waiting someone else. Here: I wrote an e-mail, I wrote on the flag also, when. It is shifted all days, and if I don't get an answer in an appropriate time, I can ask after.

4. Planning. In an ideal life I would do things in that time as I planned for the first time. But the real life works other. Here you can see my planning for the year, for different topics, as knitting, pattern writing, etc. Flags give me the chance for re-plan.

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Simplify!

We tend to be make things complicated. But why? Something don't goes well for you? Try to find out how to simplify!

For one of my daughter was always a problem to place the used clothes to hamper. Clothes was on the floor. I bought here a hamper to her room. I made simpler for her to get the clothes in the right place. I wanted to try some coffee brands, and only buy next time, what I liked. I didn't remember, which I loved. Next time I cut out the name from the packing and glued on the box with a post it. I can write here, if I liked or not.
Ask a question from you: why I cannot do this? What makes this thing hard to make? And find a solution what help.
You have little kids and the bring they toys to the living room. You want a nice living room without kid stuff. It is really so important? Buy some boxes and put every toy at the end of the day in them. If it is full you can bring them back to child's room.

7 tips to planning:

1. flags 
2. post its
3. routines - on laminated inserts
4. filing
5. trying not to be perfect
6. laminated checklists
7. finding the place

I will write detailed post about these in the next days.

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DIY project: creating a transparent holder

For little piece of papers, or stickers is a transparent holder very useful.

I bought thicker sheet protectors in A4 size.

Marked the size of a divider (wider as an A5 page!) with CD marker.

Cut to size.

I cutted also a diagonal from the first side starting from the middle of the pocket and sticked together with washi tape.

Repunched for Filofax rings, and started to use :)

Happy planning!

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3 tips for how to make sure you complete "Important but not Urgent" tasks

Choosing the right task what you do now (or decide, when) is the most hard part of planning. Take a look on this diagram:

1. Important and urgent: it is very simple. You must do. Now. No question. There was an accident, someone got hurt: you has to bring in hospital. Not tomorrow, now. This is an urgency case. But other things can be falling in this category if you don't plan carefully. Making not important thing and procrastinating important things for the last minute can cause big stress. The goal should be to avoid this situation! How? To plan carefully the important, but not (yet?) urgent tasks.
2. Important but not urgent: this tasks tend to be always postponing. Why? Because that had maybe no deadline, or it is somewhen in the future. We can find other most interesting things to do and thinking, that we don't have to work on this task now.
3. Urgent but not important
4. Not important, nor urgent tasks

About this two category will I write in an other post.

3 tips to avoid the stress caused by not urgent but important tasks waiting to do

1. For little task, dedicate a project, named "procrastination list". Find a time frame for this project every week. Plan an hour or how much you would like to working on this list. Keep the list by hand, and write everything here what falls in your mind. If the times come, do not care about any other thing! Even not your urgent tasks. Pick any task from the list and start doing. If the time is over, stop. List goes to rest until the next week.
2. If the things are long term projects, you can schedule for each of them a day. Decide, how long you will be working on that project, and do this! Very important to make good notes and task list, not to forget what you started. To make more clear, on what I'm thinking, my "Task of the Day" are: working on my homepage, bookkeeping, dyeing yarn.
   
   
   
3. Use markers every time you reschedule a task. First one point, second two points (or what you like), if you reach 5: make a decision. Do it now. Or cancel. Or find someone who can do it. Of course it makes no sense to plan a task, if you are not able to do it on that day. 

I wish you more success to finishing every important tasks!

Happy planning!

Zsuzsa

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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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