How I Stay Organized-- My Planner

Yesterday I posted about my Home Binder and how well that works for us and I got to thinking.. maybe I should show you my planner and how I really keep organized! 

My planner is pretty much my life-- I'm not sure what I would do if something (God forbid) happened to it! I use Amy Knapp's Family Organizer. My MIL had it a few years ago and I liked that there weren't any lines in it-- I can free style. :-) Well, there are lines on the page obviously but not on specifically each day. Does that make sense? Here's a photo to help you:

I have a pretty good system that works well for me. But it doesn't matter if it works well for me because your planner system needs to work well for you!

Every Sunday I plan out the next week. Nothing too thorough, just what I know will be happening that upcoming week (Ex: laundry, workouts, bills that are due).

The right side of the planner is the week (Mon-Sun) and the left side is a giant list of to-dos. They are pretty much my weekly to-dos (not to be confused with my home binder to-dos). Some weekly to-dos for example would be-- Sew up Oreo's toy smurf, order dogs' medication, etc.

I truly recommend this planner! It's absolutely wonderful. You can read more about it here.

I'll write in my planner all throughout the day-- little reminders, notes, whatever. When something is completed I usually just check it off. If it needs to be done ASAP I highlight it. You can see I have been crazy this week from the picture above. :)

Now, my planner is not to be confused with our "family calendar" on the fridge. Ah confusing, I know!

Nathan pretty much grew up with a system like this and when he asked if we could incorporate a "family calendar" into our life, how could I say no? Love that boy! So I basically also stole this idea from my MIL. 

First-- this calendar is the calendar I talked about here that we used for our rehearsal dinner guest book. I love that all our closest friends and family members have signed it on their birthdays. More information on that here. 

Anyway, this calendar has all the information that we do as a family, or separately. For example, a doctor appointment, someone visiting, etc. Because we only have one car, it's kind of important to know what's going on ahead of time. This calendar does not have to-do lists, just stuff we're doing. Does that make sense? It's even really nice when Nathan will write in when a football game is, for example, so I won't make arrangements for us to go somewhere.  

Sometimes I write what's for dinner but I find it's just more work. Maybe I'll start incorporating that-- I know my husband would love that idea!

I have no idea why Nathan's uncle signed his name "Instructor Craig". He's a goofball!

Like I always say, this system works for us. It may not work for us in the future, but it works for now. Don't think that if you go out an buy a planner and a calendar that it's going to work for you. You have to do what is best, easiest, and most convenient for your family! I encourage you to try multiple systems before you settle with one. 

Feel free to leave your questions in the comment section below! xO

My Home Binder-- How To!

Below is some information on my home binder. It's pretty simple and easy to use because that's what works for me. If you like this idea, be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! And be sure to follow me on Pinterest.  

There is only one necessity when it comes to a home binder-- ease of use. Mine is pictured above and I always need 3 writing utensils.. a pen, pencil, and a highlighter.

My binder is from Staples and I believe it is a Martha Stewart one (just like my home filing system).

My binder looks pretty empty (and to be honest, it is) but it has a lot of important information. I have these dividers with 4 different sections-- To Do, To Buy, Household, and Misc. 

I need to start writing my goals down. Maybe I'll put that in my to-do section. :) For now, I keep track of goals in my head and here on the blog. 

I keep mine pretty organized but I do have lots of post-its on the inside of each divider with "print 5x7 of wedding photo", etc. I'll breakdown each section for you below.

To-Dos

:: This section is obviously where I put all my to-dos. From big to small, they are all listed, crossed out, highlighted, and posted in this section.

:: Some to-dos are quite simple-- write a check for a bill, and others are a bit more complicated-- set up our thrift savings account.

:: Usually, when I finish my work for the day I'll head to my home binder and try to tackle a few to-dos. Some days I'm lucky to get a few things done.. others, not so much!

To-Buys

:: This section is also quite obvious. I usually put Christmas lists for people, random items we need around the house, etc. If someone is at my house and say they've always loved our bedspread, I'll write it down. If I'm stumped for a Christmas gift, I'll at least have that post it that they liked our bedspread.

Household

:: This section is my favorite! I have my cleaning list (One day I'll have to make one so readers can download it), stain removal sheet, etc.

:: I also put anything related to house stuff in here (Ex: When to change air filter).

:: When I'm about to work on a freezer cooking day, I'll put my plan in here. I usually plan it out about a week ahead of time (so I can buy everything) and make notes in this section.

Want to make your own home binder?

:: Make sure you have a binder. It doesn't have to be huge (1-2 inches is perfect). Make sure the binder has pockets and is pretty sturdy. You'll be opening and closing it often! 

:: Dividers are completely optional but definitely help keep you organized. You can have a divider for each child, each room in your house, you can really go crazy with this. I don't keep stuff about the dogs in my home binder, that's in our home filing system.

:: Don't keep anything too personal in there just in case you lose it. Social security cards, health insurance info, and other stuff like that should be in files (or closets) in the back of your house. I like to think of a home binder as the thoughts in my head on paper. 

:: Keep it out. If you keep it away in a desk, drawer, or hidden in a closet, you won't get it out often and use it. Keep it in your kitchen or in a place where you spend a lot of time.

:: Don't write down too much. I noticed at one point I was writing down "email Jessica". In the amount of time it took me to write "email Jessica" I could have just emailed her! Please don't make yourself crazy.

*Always remember that this binder is here to make your life easier. If you're finding it's a pain or not working, change the way you're using it.

Enjoy! xO

Sister Visit

My sister came and visited for Labor Day weekend. We had a blast doing all the touristy things because she had never been to DC before. Here are some pictures from her visit.

We had a behind the scenes tour of the Capitol Building. It's such a beauty inside and out!

She's cute but she's not single. :)

We took a boat ride on the Potomac River to Georgetown. This is my favorite thing to do when people visit! Granted, I've only done it twice but it's super fun. You can watch the planes take off and land right at Washington National. 

We were on the boat the same night as that "blue moon". I'm not sure where the name Blue Moon came from, but it does look really nice! That "neighborhood" is actually an air force base.

Once we got to Georgetown we stopped at Georgetown Cupcake. I'm sure you've seen them on TV-- two sisters own a cupcake shop. Tasty!

We got stuck in the rain on our way to the White House. 

Gosh, he's handsome.. but crazy! 

I guess you could say there is a "story" behind the sign at Arlington National Cemetery. We went to the cemetery when we first moved and I just didn't get it. No jogging? Are the security officers going to come up to someone and say, "Sir, please slow down to a speed walk please". Then we realized! They don't want joggers coming in and just working out. Ah ha! 

We had lots of fun! Tomorrow I'm going to post about our little "off road-ing" we did. It's quite exciting. 

Nighty night! xO

This Week's Goals-- September 10th

Last week I posted my goals for the week and I did not do as much as I thought! It was definitely a crazy week and I was not feeling well for about 5-6 days. 

:: Write Nathan some notes to open while he's at work; I actually wrote him lots of notes! 

:: Run 20 miles-- 4 miles/5 times a week; I wasn't feeling too well, only did 8 miles. 

:: Read my Lightroom how-to book for one hour and continue my photography "course" for 1 hour; Nope. 

:: Keep looking for Kale at the Farmer's Market and grocery store-- I want to use it in my smoothies before it starts getting too cold out; The farmer's market is closed for the year. I'll have to check Shopper's.

:: Blog at 20something Saver for 3 hours each day (except Sunday); Not even close. Ugh!

:: Have 1 hour of no technology with Nathan each night. (Walking, cuddling, go out to eat, just be together).; Yes! We walked every night. So wonderful!

:: Clean out/organize freezer; Check! Even if I did do it this morning. 

:: Put all my important dates in my new planner. (I got this one because my old one wasliterally falling apart). And of course I just went to see what brand it is and it's already ripped from being in my purse. Awesome.; Check! I did this Monday and I'm finally feeling organized. 

:: Help Nathan every way I can to get him organized and ready for his new job; I helped him a lot all week. I'm not sure how he felt about my helping, but I definitely helped. 

:: Put photos from my sister's visit on our Shutterfly share site; Check!


This week is much less crazy than last week, and I hope I'm feeling 100% when I wake up tomorrow! Here are this week's goals

::  Run 20 miles-- 4 miles/5 times a week. 

:: Blog at 20something Saver 1 hour each day. (I'm decreasing the time and I'll see how that affects my weekly goals). 

:: Keep looking for Kale! If I don't find it this week I'm going to give up! 

:: Read my Lightroom Book for 1 hour total. I'm praying I will accomplish this! The program is so complicated and I really want to learn. I just need to make it a priority.

:: Clean up/organize my "test" gallery wall (more on this later!).

:: Return library books and DVDs. Check out more books.

:: Take the dogs on 3 long walks (more than 1 mile). 

:: Take the dogs to the dog park. Maybe one day after work? 

:: Check out Macy's (online or in store) and see if there's anything we need. We got a large gift card from our registry there! Make a list-- Christmas gifts, clothes, etc? 

:: Wash our bed quilt. Ugh, my husband spilled lasagna on it and I've yet to be able to get the stain out. If it can't come out, get it dry cleaned or something! 

Well, those are this week's goals. Do you have any goals this week? Feel free to share them in the comment section below! xO