Planning Problems Solved

I love planners and I love planning. Still there are a few things I find
challenging.

1. So. Much. Unused. Paper! – When you are a mom, the plan seems to change
the minute you wake up. Occasionally, I would have appointments or events or
something nice like that to add to the pretty little pages in my planner. But
for the most part from early morning to late at night my calendar would read
(Raising kids and loving it. Warning: Quick change of plans expected.) While
there were no direct plans there was a lot to do consistently every day. And
the lovely little pages in my perfect little planner would go unpenned or
unnoticed. They just added bulk. I needed everything in my planner to count.
And I didn’t want to wastepaper. At the same time, there were always handouts,
recipes, notes, printouts that were pertinent and important in my life, like
meal lists for menu planning, inventory, chore lists and daily tasks. The
problem was they were 8 1/2 by 11 and my beautiful planner was oddly sized,
with specialty punches. For some time, I would custom make my printouts but
when you are a mom, who has time for that?

2. Keeping track of all my information – Sometimes I had a notebook for my
notes that I would have to add to my planner and sometimes, I needed
information from my planner for my notes, and goals. So, for me, it became
imperative for me to have a place for both. Then I needed a way to find my
notes when I needed to review them.

3. Keeping track of my memories – One of the best planning tips I’ve ever
heard was to take your wall calendar and write something for each day. This was
doable for me. Scrapbooking just wasn’t in the realm of possibility as a young
mom. And so there were many scrapbooks that got started and never finished and
I never knew where that photo was when I needed it. Gratefully, technology has
changed so much and we can find our pictures so much easier but it still would
be nice to have a space for our memories that we have access to on a daily
basis, instead of being stuck in some bin in the garage until I can get to
them.

4. Journaling – So now I had a Planner with a lot of blank pages, a notebook
for my notes, a scrapbook I don’t have time to do, and a journal. I’m
researching my future or past experiences in my notebook, I’m planning my
experiences in my planner, writing about them in my journal and then
scrapbooking them many many years later when I find the time. I needed a way to
consolidate all these things to expedite my learning.

5. The Expense – I was blowing through planners and journals and notebooks,
all the time. It became a continued expense. And the planners were expensive
enough. The planner itself and then the punch I had to buy and the added
fillers, could really set a girl back. And that’s if you were able to find all
the missing parts! Then heaven help me if I found a different brand of planner
that I liked the next year because I would have to buy everything all over
again.

6. Past, Present and Future – Here’s the thing, those tiny little calendars
on the side of the month page in my planner are not enough. To know where I’m
going, I need to know where I’ve been and to live in the present, I need to be
able to meditate, focus on and enjoy the everyday moments of my life. I need to
learn from my past. I seem to keep asking myself the same questions or talking
to God about the same lessons over and over. I need a way to learn life’s
lessons faster, so I can break chains and enjoy my life in the moment.

7. Lastly, I need a planner that I not only enjoy picking up each day, but
one that picks me up as well. I need one full of hope and happy thoughts of the
future, and joyful memories of the past. I need one that tells me what I expect
of myself but at the same time tells me how amazing I’ve been.

I think I’ve finally done it! I think I’ve solved all of these challenges. I think I’ve come up with a system that makes planning easy, streamlines the paper planner and actually gives back in time of need or hopelessness. Stay with me folks. I can’t wait to share it with you.