New Organizational System for the New Year

I am so excited about this. Earlier I noted that I had bought 1400 post-it notes and 82 pens. Here is what I am doing with them:

Stephen Covey, eat your heart out!

I have placed post-it notes all around the house and out of reach of Caleb and Elise. They are in my bathroom, by the shower (though I am thinking of investing in one of these for all those things I think about in the shower.) I just hate it, hate it when I am in the shower and I think, "Eggs. I need to buy Eggs." Then, I don't think about it again until after I've gone to the store and just before I start to cook breakfast. Apparently, Isaac Newton had the same problem. It is reported that Halley (as in Halley's Comet) once visited him to ask about the shape of the orbit of planets around the moon. This was, at the time, a huge question, and knowing the answer would be like knowing a way to burn 600 calories while sleeping and not telling anyone. All the great scientist were trying to figure it out. Newton, had done the math on it some time before and forgotten about it, until Halley said something to him. Then Newton couldn't find the formula. Newton would have been so much more effective if he'd had post-it notes. Of course, the parallels between Newton and me end there. Newton probably came up with the three laws of motion while in the shower. I just remember items that should be on my shopping list.

But anyway, where was I, oh yeah, my organizational plan.

First let me tell you, I've tried them all. I've tried Stephen Covey day planners--too tedious, religious day planners--too guilt ridden (tying all of my to-do lists to Proverbs was particularly disheartening.) Simple notebooks worked best but they always get lost. I even tried one of my husband's cast-off Palms. Cast-off or not they are really expensive, and I lost it in the park. It was such a sad day and I vowed never to spend more than ten bucks on an org. system ever again. The stress of trying to keep up with it outweighed the benefit of having all my days activities at the tips of my thumb nails.

But getting back to my org. system.

I even put pens and post-its under the cushions of my couch (only place Elise might, might not get to them in the living room.)

As I go through my day, I write things I need to remember and stick the post-its on any adhesible surface nearby. At some point, I collect them and put them on a clip board (I have lots of clip boards from my teaching days) where I categorize them as shown above. Either in the evening or in the morning I go through the post-its and put those I plan to address that day on the outside of my little pocketbook calendar (see above).

I write anything down that I might want to remember: funny things Caleb says, blog ideas, grocery items, decorating ideas, anything.

Okay, well, now I can wad the "Blog about my new org. System" post-it from my calendar into a tiny little pellet and try to toss it into my pen holder--so much more satisfying than a wimply little check mark.