planning on paper

it’s kind of funny that i’m writing this post now, at a time when i feel like there are too many loose ends to count.  but i do have to say that any shred of sanity i’m still holding onto is due to good organization habits cultivated long ago.  my planner is still an incredibly helpful tool for me, reminding me that the to-do list really is finite and that everything that’s really important can [and will] be done in good time.

first, as promised, an update on my 2nd erin condren planner.  in summary: yes, still loving it.  the layout just seems to fit my needs more than any other, and i love the wide-open monthly planning pages and notes pages. plus, the cover is customized with a [now super-old but still cute] pic of annabel, and it still makes me happy every time i use it.

i wouldn’t call this a comprehensive review – more of a brief tour, with notes on how i put this baby to good [i think!] use.

first — the monthly pages:

these are on two pages so there is plenty of space, and there is a column on the right for goals.  LOVE this feature.  i put all of our call weekend dates on these, since this greatly dictates our availability for the month.  i’ll also add any BIG events [ie, travel, relatives visiting, due date . . .] so i can get a sense of the more important things coming up ahead.

i try to be pretty reasonable about choosing monthly goals, putting things that are actually actionable in the time frame and avoiding vague reminders.  for example, i’ve been able to check off all of the above even though ‘make plans to do closets’ just means that josh and i have picked a weekend to go to the container store and go nuts in the near future.

then – the weekly pages, or really day-by-day:

here’s a closeup of that bottom part:

finally, for those into stickers, there are plenty of labelled and blank ones in the back so you can doctor up your weekly or monthly pages.  i don’t use these much except to clearly delineate call weekends, but they definitely draw attention to important dates.