The weekend was a bit of a blur and I am facing a busy Monday and trying to not lose my perspective. Do I look at my flower bed and see that much of it is done for the season.
Or do I see the blooms that persevere – brilliantly.
This is important for me, especially when I have a really long to-do list today!
It includes planting these lovely mums…
cleaning these babies…
and about a million other things!
What’s on your list today?
If you Google “planners” you will get about a zillion results almost instantly. (Actually, I got 139,000,000 in .39 seconds) There is so much information available from Pinterest boards, to blog posts, to YouTube videos all with volumes of information on what people think is successful.
Perhaps the reason that there is so much information is that there is not one perfect system for everyone and this is absolutely true for me!
So, what I have done is taken parts of things from a variety of “planning styles” to create a system that works very well for me. This took a bit of work, because when I worked in the corporate world – Outlook worked perfectly for my needs. I combined that with some other online programs and my work life was well-organized.
However, now that I am self-employed and I work from home a digital planning system did not work as well. I am not sure why – perhaps the fact that I am a team of one, and what I am doing does not need to be accessible to others.
Now, I do use some excellent online resources for my work, Trello, Slack, and Harvest are wonderful resources for working on projects – and they make working remotely seem less remote! But, for my daily, weekly, and monthly goals – I really like a paper planner.
Last year I moved to the Midori Traveler Planner. It has become the best thing I have ever used. I did a bit of modification to it (thanks to Bradley at Stuff & Things) and now it is just perfect for me. I am not an “art” planner person. You won’t find stickers, washi tape, or collages of stuff on my pages – just simple planning – daily, weekly, and monthly/yearly. I use this insert for my planner. It helps me “stay in the week” and focus on the tasks that I need to complete. It helps me know where I need to focus my hours and how many hours I am spending on a project.
I borrow a few things from the Bullet Journal System – not many, just a few.
Sometimes, I have a task that cannot be completed in a week – a little arrow shows me I need to move it to the next week. In the new week, it gets an arrow to tell me this was a carryover project. Sometimes it gets cancelled entirely. I can easily look back to see how my week’s went and can keep clear records of the work I did. I think this will make tax time next year infinitely better.
I also have a journal insert for my Midori, which I use daily for my creative writing. This year, I have been trying to work on my creative writing so I am using Spunky Eclectic’s monthly journal prompts. I look forward to expanding my writing as the year continues.
The last insert I have in my notebook is just a simple graph paper insert. I use it to keep track of inks I like, of projects I would like to make, recipe ideas, Breed School notes, and just plain doodling.
Not in my planner – my monthly calendar – this sits on my desk open and visible. I use this to remember birthdays, anniversaries, personal appointments, etc. Things that are not work related, but I need to remember.
There you have my planning style in a very portable planner. Tell me – what is your “Planner Style”?
I read the best blog post today and it really made me stop and think.
I would not ever classify myself as a risk taker. I have no desire to engage in dangerous activities. I guarantee you will never find me jumping out of airplanes, swimming across the deepest oceans, or climbing Mt. Everest.
But, I really like challenges, change, and being different.
I am not afraid to fail either.
And that, to me, seems to set the risk taker apart from everyone else – they are different, perhaps, because they are not afraid to fail.
This post struck such a chord with me because this week I began a new job – one that I am extremely excited about. A job that is completely different from anything I have ever done before, but one filled with things I love to do the most. I am sure I will share much more about where this job goes and how it grows, but for now I am adrift in the Sea of Unknown and I could not be more excited.
Some years ago, I bought two pointy sticks, some fake yarn, and a ‘how to’ book and I taught myself to knit. It was a painful process to start out – everything just felt so awkward in my hands, as it is with any new thing we try. However, I persevered and stayed the course. I found a nice knitting shop where I took a class or two, and forged ahead. I do not remember at what point holding the needles in my hands no longer felt cumbersome and instead felt like a comfortable old friend – but that moment happened.
And, garments were made. Some good and some not so good, but I learned along the way.
Christmas 2010, originally uploaded by As Kat Knits.
Happiness and cheer, fun for all that children call their favorite time of the year…
Things have been quiet around Casa del KatKnits recently because I have found gainful, and very rewarding, employment.
If you are still here, reading this post, I am thankful for you!
I spent the weekend trying to pull something Holiday-ish out to create a festive spirit.
And, I loaded my iPod with all my Christmas music.
It is doing the trick… I am getting in the holiday spirit.
I hope you are too!
