Organizing My Life: The Simple Way To Stay On Track

Good Morning!

 I had hoped to write this post in January, but here it is already March and I'm just getting around to it.  Better late than never I guess.

For those of you who are looking for a stress free way to handle household documents or perhaps looking for a way to keep track of multiple kid activities on an given day I thought I'd share the system that I have been using for the past couple of years that has worked very well for me.

Basically I reach for three items to keep me organized and on track.

1.  A month at a glance calendar (notebook size)

2. a notebook (sits by my computer at ALL times)

3. A thirteen pocket plastic document holder

First lets talk about the document holder since this was a big breakthrough for me about three years ago.

I pick a new document holder up at Walmart every January for around four dollars and write the current year on the front.

Next I label each tab with heading such as insurance, medical, taxes, bank statements, receipts, etc.

Then as items arrive in the mail, or large purchases are made . . . I simple file them into their correct slot and I know right where everything is at all times.  The holder is kept in my mini kitchen office and is held in a simple wall hanging magazine holder.  With it always in easy reach I find I very rarely get behind in filing paperwork.

Looking up information, and finding important papers has never been easier.  At the end of the year, the whole thing is moved to a filing cabinet with previous years document holders in case it's needed for future reference.

It's so easy!

The second item that keeps me on track is a month at a glance calendar.  It's really the only calendar that I use.  The whole family's activities are listed which makes planning ahead very easy.  The notes section on each page I use to list next months activities if there something I need to plan ahead for.

I keep the calendar in a drawer by my computer in the kitchen and everyone in the family know to check it before they make plans.

The final item that has worked out wonderfully to keep me on track is a simple notebook.

This notebook is used to help me plan each week.  It helps me keep track of projects of a personal nature and for my blog.

At the beginning of the week I start a new page and break it up into boxes.  Each box has a different list like "This Weeks Projects", "Post's to write", "Photo's to Take", and "Misc."

The "Misc." section is used to write down idea's that come to me, phone messages, etc, basically whatever comes up over the week.

Towards the bottom of the page I have a section to help me plan posts for the weeks to come.  Sometimes I get ahead on my projects and this is a easy way to remember to share them.

As the week progresses, my page fills up and the notebook starts to look a little more like this.

Not so neat and tidy but very helpful all the same with my thoughts and tasks all in one spot.

Occasionally one page in my notebook will last a couple of weeks.  Basically when it gets too filled in to see what I've wrote down it's time for a new page to be started. LOL

And that my friends is how I organize my life.
Very Low-tech of me I know, but I'm a pencil to paper type of girl so this works perfectly for me.

Bye now,

Robin