Evaluate While In the Moment

I recently visited Concord, Massachusetts where the Transcendentalist movement took off.  Many places had merchandise with the words “simplify” and other variations.  I could not help but smile.  Yes, simplify!  One of the things that I find myself looking at is how efficient things work – is there a way to make it easier?  And who doesn’t want things to be easier? As technology tempts us more and our time feels so fleeting, there are steps we can take to be more effective in how we use our time and energy – to simplify.

In a previous post I talked about being “in the moment” as we do things.  As we do our dishes, we can focus our mind on what we are doing.  It forces us to do a good job and save us time by not needing to do it again.  Yet there can be more to this process, as we focus on the task we’re doing, we can think about whether there is another approach that might move it along more smoothly.

We’ve probably all seen the commercials that talk about washing the pots and pans last.  This makes sense from more than one perspective, not just from dirty water.  Those pots and pans are larger and often can rest easily on top of other dishes as the last things to get washed.  In loading the dish rack, making it easy just helps the whole process along.  There is no need to take time to rearrange things or throw things in haphazardly.

Each dish rack is different, as are your needs and situation.  Making an evaluation of how smoothly things work as you are working in it can be a sort of meditation on the very task.  In many ways it becomes systematized, you get into a “flow” and it all happens easily and with little thought, yet it’s done well.

I’ve applied this to mowing the lawn as well.  I focus on what I am doing – mowing the lawn, in this case, and find the rhythm of it.  As I follow that rhythm, I consider if there would be a more efficient approach.  When we first moved into the house and I started mowing for the first time in my life, my energy was a big factor.  I noticed that my energy changed depending on whether I started with the front or back yard, so I made sure to start with the back yard since I had more energy when I was done.  These days energy is less of an issue, yet I’m still evaluating if there are ways to be more efficient.  Am I backtracking to get at that weird area off to the side?  Or when I mow in that direction, cut grass does not cover the sidewalk, so it looks nice and doesn’t take more time.

This can be applied to any activity you do – from the routine tasks to those you do infrequently – and it will help you be in the moment while you’re doing them.  You can save yourself time, energy, and increase your productivity!  All these tasks, which we all have, can become easier – and we can all appreciate that.  🙂  It might sound too simplistic, yet each small step we take can help us.

What can you do with your tasks to simplify them?

Seasons of Decorations

With Halloween just around the corner, I started thinking about decorations.  Although there are many holidays that you can have decorations for, we have three big ones close together over the next 3 months: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I’m certainly no Martha Stewart, but I do love putting out decorations to celebrate these and other occasions.  This can create more work, more things to track and figure out what to do with – yet there are ways we can make this easier.

One of the things with decorations is that they spend most of their time in storage.  I have some seasonal decorations, and even those are in boxes 9 months out of each year.  For holiday decorations it is even more time since we don’t typically leave those out for much more than a month.

To start with, those decorations need a dedicated box or bin just for themselves.  It might be tempting to group more than one type together in a box, but this only adds to your work when it is time to use the box: whether to pull out or to put away those decorations. You might need only one, Easter or the 4th of July, often do not exceed one container.  On the other hand, Christmas can often fill many containers!

With Christmas and potentially other holidays if you have more than one box for, you can also separate types of decorations together within containers – like the tree ornaments going largely into one container and other décor items into another.

It is helpful to label them or choose color coded bins for storage so you know which box you want when you go to get them and not need to open multiple ones to find the one(s) you are looking for.

Since these decorations spend most of their time in storage, you also need to decide where you will keep them.  Ideally you want the space to be relatively easy to access.  If you store them in a hard to access area, it’s more likely you’ll procrastinate getting them out or putting them away.  Considering that you don’t use them that often, it is tempting for them to get buried amidst other things or stored out of the way in hard to reach areas.  If you truly want to use them each year, you need make sure they are relatively easy to get to.

It is also helpful if you decide when you want the decorations to be put out.  We often think it’s tacky to have Christmas decorations out before Thanksgiving or after the middle of January – or whatever your thoughts are on this.  Figure out for yourself when you would like them to be put out, and then put some time into your schedule to do it.  The same thing applies for putting them away – figure out when you want them boxed back up by and schedule time for it.  I recommend deciding and putting it into the schedule as a repeating event.  That way, even if I’m distracted, my schedule reminds me that it’s time to put out/away the decorations.

The final step is to evaluate whether any of the decorations need to be purged.  Unfortunately damages happen, and as you are putting them out or putting them away at the end of the holiday, it is the perfect time to get rid of some that have outlived their purpose.

If you create specific containers for the different holidays, find an out of the way yet still easily accessible place to store those containers, and schedule time for yourself to pull them out and to put them away, and each time cull some items you no longer need — your decorations will perform their duty perfectly – to brighten your home and help you celebrate the holidays in the ways you choose.

Following Through

Did you know that when I started writing this weekly blog that I was not sure how many I could write?  I had a several ideas I was excited to share, but doubts crept in.  Did I really have enough to write something EVERY week?  I knew I was passionate about sharing my ideas, wanting to help people.  Despite those doubts, I jumped in, figuring that if I did run out of ideas, I would deal with it at that point.  This is not unlike deciding to make a change in the way we handle something – like setting goals to be more organized.

This very blog is my 52nd – I have now been doing this for a year!  There have been times when I struggled to write, the inspiration faltered.  Yet as with many things, the motivation can be halfhearted and what you decide to do with that feeling is that matters.  Even if few people were reading my blog, I felt the obligation to push through and write something.

When we set up new patterns, there may be times when we’re faced with that “I just don’t wanna” feeling.  What are you going to do about it?  What you end up doing is the most important thing.  The truth is that part of you does want to, otherwise you wouldn’t have set out to make changes.  The motivation can falter and to keep on the path of making changes, we need to push through those moments.  Remind ourselves why we embarked on the path we chose.

Too often I struggle with the drive to be perfect.  Everything needs to reflect the best of myself.  For more than a decade I’ve accepted that this is too much to aim for, that it interfered with my ability to get things done.  It’s one of the classic reasons people struggle with procrastination – I was no exception.  This blog has been posted sometimes with less than perfect results.  I still cringe that this or that post was rather blah.  I’ve struggled with seeing how inadequately it feels like I’ve expressed my thoughts.  What matters is not that I am perfect, but that I continue.

If you set out to work on organizing for x amount of time a day, there may be days that you get less done than other days.  Everyone has off days.  You might even find that you need to re-do some things, you forgot how you set something up, or whatever.  It is not about being perfect; it’s about following through on the resolutions you decided on.

I’ve mentioned before that it typically take 21 consistent days before it becomes a habit – and even longer if you struggle with attention issues.  The key there is the 21 days in a row.  I’m doing this once a week, so in some ways it is not habit.  I do get a feeling each week, the knowledge I need to do something, though the day on which that happens varies!  A few times I almost posted on Tuesday, or sometimes forgetting until late on Wednesday to get everything posted.

When we are looking at changing the way we handle something on a more sporadic basis, anything less than daily – I promote linking it to something else.  I have whole posts just talking about this idea and how helpful it can be setting up new routines.  The lack of a daily routine for some things can make it that much more challenging and finding a way to still implement it is important.

I’m excited that I’ve reached a year of posts and although my inspiration falters from time to time, I’m in this for the long-term.  It matters to me.  Persistence is critical to creating new patterns.  Getting tripped up sometimes is unfortunate, but need not stop you from trying again.  Now there’s a year of posts that outline many different approaches for handling various struggles you might face.  Always remember there’s hope to make a lasting change for the better.  🙂

Being Organized is Not Necessarily being Clean and Vice Versa

Do you want to know a secret?  It’s not something I’m proud of – I dislike cleaning.  I love organizing and always clean as a process of organizing.  There’s no better time to get everything spic and span than as you set up new systems.  Sometimes clients will ask me, “Of course, your house is always clean, right?”  There is a big difference between being organized and being clean, though both flourish with being part of a routine.

Do you know anyone whose house is always immaculate, yet if you get a glimpse of one of their drawers, it is overflowing with stuff?  Or there is a room that is off limits, while the rest of the house is pristine?  Then there’s our house – you will probably see fuzz balls in corners and décor items will not pass that white glove test!  Of course, there are people who have both or neither mastered.

Dusting every week is something I just don’t want to do.  As I looked at my behavior and feelings, it occurred to me that I was trying to make myself do the cleaning like my mom had me clean – each week we’d clean the house, all in one day.  Here we are back to the idea of finding what works for you, we can change the ways we do things to fit with our personality.

First, I looked at where I cleaned easily.  I get the dishes done regularly, though not the way my mom would do it.  It works for us.  Vacuuming certain areas of the house – where the cat hair dominates – is done fairly regularly.  I congratulated myself for the things I do well, even in the realm of cleaning.

Then I examined my preference for cleaning as part of having things cleared out.  A great time for cleaning the bathroom was when I washed the towels.  The bathroom was cleared of them then and was a great time to dig in and get everything spic and span before I put the fresh towels back in.

Next, I found FlyLady and she presents the idea that we can do a little bit of cleaning each day and break the house into zones.  In the way she developed this system, over the course of a month your house is actually cleaned more thoroughly than if you set aside a day for cleaning each week.  I tweaked her set up to fit with our house and my style, but the idea of doing a little every day I could actually enjoy doing!  For those who need it, she includes de-cluttering in her system.

Have I mastered cleaning?  Nope, but it is a process and in setting up new systems, it takes time. Also, I continue to look at what is not working, with curiosity, to see if there is another piece I could tweak.

Maybe you do not struggle with cleaning, though this is an example of how to approach whatever you might struggle with and discover an approach that will work for you.  Make sure you recognize where you succeed and give yourself a congratulations.  When you identify how things fit for you, you can develop systems for getting a handle on those things you’ve struggled with.  If you can limit the self-criticism, you can keep an open mind about finding solutions, as you need them.

Take Time to Plan

I don’t know about you, but I always hear how important it is to take time to plan and schedule. I even believe it – how could I not, being a professional organizer? I recognize how important it is to take your time and figure things out before jumping in. Taking the time to plan means that you are more effective and productive. Most of us have probably heard the saying, “He who fails to plan is planning to fail.”

When we re-did the room in our home, we waited until we had certain things figured out. We did not empty the room, let alone paint it, until we knew what we wanted to do with the room. This is an interesting example since I am not sure how many of us would do it any other way.

Why then do we not take the time and consideration for the smaller things in our lives? We all have busy lives, yet too often we neglect planning. This is one of the most critical times to plan. If we want to live fully today and every day – to suck the marrow out of life – we need to take the time to figure out what we want and need to do. And we need to make a routine out of it – set aside time regularly to do plan, and this also means having discipline to keep up with it.

Recently I have been struggling with what to use for planning. I have been considering lots of different options and considering what I need and want. I was using some lined paper and creating a schedule with to-do lists based on another design. I was getting fed up with re-doing my outline for it each week and sat one day and created the design on the computer. It took me less than an hour.

You know what though? I felt guilty! I was consumed with feeling like I had wasted my time. “I had better things to be doing.” “I was neglecting all those other things that need my attention.” As I was talking to my husband about it, I was struck by the illogic of it. I was creating an easier way for me to schedule and plan. I was saving myself time each week in creating the outline, by spending this one hour; I could save myself 20 minutes every week. In less than a month I will have saved myself time. Still it did not FEEL that way.

This is the problem many people face trying to set aside time for planning and scheduling. On some level it feels counterproductive. We also often manage without taking the time to plan; yet the key word is – manage. We manage to get by and get the things done we need to. This is not thriving.

There is no one easy answer to solve this struggle. We need to find ways to show ourselves that it actually helps us. If we make the time regularly to plan, it can become obvious that it is worthwhile. The way life starts to suddenly feel easier somehow. Our stress levels decrease while we are actually more productive. Our happiness increases. We feel in control, or at least more so! The goals we want to achieve are within reach.

In closing, a lovely quote from Annie Dillard,

“A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.”

Overwhelmed by E-Mail No More

E-mail is a fabulous, wonderful thing that speeds the process of communication as well as a way to get tons of information. There are listservs and newsletters everywhere, including this one! They easily accumulate in our mailboxes. This does not even include the e-mail from co-workers and friends. Unlike a physical mailbox, they can keep piling up without demanding that we discard them. Often we tell ourselves that we’ll get to them eventually. Yet there are things we can do to control the demands of our e-mail.

First, you need to deal with your e-mail – the pattern you establish from here on out. When you read your e-mail, you need to choose an action. Do you need to respond? Do you need to delegate it? Do you need to take some action before anything more? Can you delete it? Do you need to save it? Some of these will be addressed as you read on, but you need to figure out when you are reading each e-mail what action you need to take. Then take the action!

Second, de-clutter. What do you have that you don’t need? Delete it. If you are subscribing to things that you are regularly not reading, unsubscribe. From many years ago, I subscribed to some library related listservs, and I didn’t unsubscribe for a long time. I did manage to delete them as they came in, but the e-mail notification distracted me… oooh, new mail. It was information that was coming in that had lost relevance for me. Do you have any of that? You can always sign up later if it becomes important.

What if you have e-mails that are relevant though not urgent? I adore the NAPO listserv- the questions and answers, and the ideas it generates. It is a fabulous resource. The number of e-mails coming in during a given day varies, but trends toward around 50 a day. Hopefully, you can understand that I might fall behind in my keeping up with them! I am reluctant to just delete them. This is where you need to realistically evaluate your ability and commitment to make time to look through any build-up of e-mails. There comes a time when your time is more valuably spent elsewhere. In my case, those NAPO e-mails are archived on their website, so I can always find them later.

Remember the goal is to de-clutter, to reduce the number of things distracting and demanding time that you don’t have. A general rule for all organizing is to ask yourself when you don’t need something currently, if you can get the same information easily if you discard it now. If you can, then you can get rid of it. As a society we keep way to much stuff and that electronic stuff seems easier to hold onto, but this is no reason to not get strict with yourself and delete it.

Third, make folders to collect specific information. Most e-mail programs offer this feature; you can choose the title and even tell it which items to put in the folder. You can do this manually as well. Setting up folders allows you to focus on your priorities. If you filter all the less important things into folders, the e-mail that remains in your inbox is likely to be things that need your attention.

Consider whether you could use a folder for things that require follow-up. You want to keep the e-mail as a reminder that you’ll need to check with someone else down the road, but does not need action for a while. If you have folder dedicated to this, you check that folder periodically and see at a glance what is approaching.

Your imagination is your limit as far as how many and what folders you create. They need to make sense to you and help you reduce clutter and distractions. I have several folders that sort automatically. I also make sure that I move the non-sorted items that come in, into folders after I have taken some action, but might require more action down the road. I like to keep the general inbox for items requiring my action and short enough that I can see everything without scrolling. For me, if it requires scrolling, I start to feel overwhelmed and I know I need to make time to deal with it.

We cannot live or work without e-mail. It is the way the world is, so we need to take control of it. Like so much in life, we need to make time to work on our e-mails, whether that is deleting, sorting, or archiving. It is worthwhile to set aside time in our schedules for doing just that. With some determination and planning, we can save money and create systems that work, without spending money on a program that claims to solve our electronic clutter. As with so much, finding what works for you is the ultimate goal, so what can you do to solve your e-mail clutter?

Habits from Our Past

How often do we do things just because that is the way it’s been done? There is a story that has circled the Internet many times, and different versions exist. You may have heard of the pot roast whose ends are cut off before putting it in the pan. It is just the way it has been done, but it turns out that the only reason it began, was that it would not have fit in the pan otherwise. In the meantime, generations have been cutting off perfectly good meat for no other reason than “that is the way my family does it”. This certainly sounds anecdotal, though carries a message for us. What do we do simply because that is the way it has been done?

It’s easy to just do things the way we’ve seen them done. How often do we stop and think about whether it works for us and the way we do things? Or that we dislike doing some things due to our previous experiences?

I strongly dislike drying dishes. Growing up, I was in charge of drying dishes. I rarely washed dishes. I became genuinely curious why this happened, so a few years back I asked my mom. Although it was not a definitive answer, the theory was that when she was growing up, she was in charge of drying dishes and came to dislike it. How interesting and actually funny! It reminded me of the pot roast.

We are shaped in various ways by our past. If it benefits the way we do things, great. If it creates more work for us, then it might be time to make changes.

Many people grew up with a day that was devoted to cleaning the house. It was the day that all the dusting and vacuuming was done. A good friend of mine prefers this way of doing things and energetically dives in each week. I personally cringe at the thought and immediately feel overwhelmed. I found another approach that appeals to me more, where 5 days of each week I do some cleaning, so that the whole house is cleaned regularly.

Are there things that you can do differently that will make your life easier? Even small changes can make a huge difference to your energy level and the amount you get accomplished. Are you storing things where and in the way that you use them? What minor changes can you make to simplify your life?

Passing on the Skills to Your Children

A mini-you: your children are supposed to be that, right? Or at least hopefully the best parts of you. Not necessarily. At least not immediately. Looking back at some of the good qualities of your own parents though, you probably have some of those in yourself. Until that someday for your kids, it is easy to get frustrated that their household duties are not done with more enthusiasm or with the attention to details that you would like. Children may act like they do not hear much of what you say, but it sinks in and stays there.

A mom posted a comment on my first blog on chores: “I think I’ve got this mastered for myself, but how can I teach my 7-yr old? No matter how many times I try to explain that if we “do as we go” it won’t be so overwhelming, he just doesn’t seem to catch on!! :(” My mom teased me about this, commenting that I was not much different as a kid myself, yet look at me now. She also shared a memory of her own life: there was a chair in her room which would collect piles of clothes over the week and each week her mom had her clean it off. She cannot imagine doing this now and cannot remember quite when or how it changed. The habits and behaviors that we had as children and adolescents do not always last. Life seems to happen along the way and we change. It is common for kids to explore and test limits, even completely rejecting the way a parent wants it done. I don’t remember caring whether my room was clean or tidy. It started to matter to me much later in life.

I hear how kids need limits, and how they secretly want and need rules. This is just one reason that it is a good idea to set up those expectations. My mom knew that once a week she was expected to pick up her room and clear off the chair. These house rules also help teach what it takes to maintain a welcoming house as well as return your home to that state you want it in. The key in setting these guidelines for your children is to accentuate the positive, think of Baloo talking to Mowgli in the Disney version of The Jungle Book, compliment the efforts you see. The last thing you want is for the task to become so dreaded that they avoid it.

Demonstrating skills consistently is an effective way of passing on the know-how to your children. This can also apply to showing them how to not do something. If you fall behind on doing your dishes, be real, let them see how if affects you. Do you get more frazzled? Are you more likely to drop something? Or miss some food particles and therefore create more work for yourself? If you are comfortable and the kids are old enough, talk to them about it and share the consequences. When you have not kept up with doing laundry, does someone need to where dirty clothes for a day? How much time do you lose catching up on the one thing while other things have to put on hold? Does it negatively affect your energy level? Do you get more snappy and short-tempered? Some of these things may be obvious anyway, and the point is that by doing, just doing, you are teaching your kids.

There are so many different approaches to organizing and the ways for it to be effective. It all depends on the individual. This includes kids and adolescents. If you are determined to try to find a way that they will be more orderly, think about different ways and what will work for their temperament. Maybe having some neat containers will inspire them to put everything away. This is not likely a long term solution as nifty new things lose there appeal after a while. There are pros and cons to the different approaches and so finding a way that accentuates the strengths already present means it is that much more likely to be successful. We are frequently changing and adapting, so what works for any of us at one moment may not work down the road, so knowing the other options just benefits us in the long run.

The most important thing though is simply sharing and passing along the knowledge. Even if the behavior does not change right now, the knowledge is there for them, and when they are ready for it they have it on hand. This is not unlike passing along the skills of cooking. Most people I know after they moved away from home, resorted to eating ramen and any boxes or cans of food. Yet down the road, when they became motivated, they started cooking meals. Even if they are not used, skills and knowledge remain with us.

I hope that you are not frustrated or sad that your child is not obviously picking up the skills you are trying to impart. Just remember that they are still absorbing the information and will have it available when they are ready for it. I would wager there are examples from your own life where you had habits that would make you cringe now, yet you changed and created habits that you appreciate. Providing the knowledge is what matters most. In the meantime, the rules of your home set the limits and give the opportunity to practice the skills. There is hope!

Life is Blossoming Again, Time to Clear the Dust

Has spring arrived where you live? It feels like it has here in Wisconsin, despite the small snowfall last weekend. The crocus and tulips bulbs are peeking out. The tradition of spring-cleaning beckons. The time has arrived to air out the house and rid yourself of the dust that has collected over the winter. Of course, officially Spring is here, the equinox was a few days ago, and the days will just get longer and theoretically the weather will just get warmer.

I recommend taking one room at a time. It does not matter which room you choose to start with, but stay focused on that one room. It is easy to get distracted and lose focus. If you happen to stray from that room, stop what you are doing, and return to the room you chose. Then just pick up where you had left off.

Since dust just falls to the ground, work with the gravity and begin with the top of the room. Clean the light fixture and ceiling fan, if you have one. Knock down the pesky cobwebs from the ceiling and corners.

Take down the curtains and any other else in the room you can get laundered. Decide whether you can throw them in your washer or if you need to take them to the dry cleaner. This is also a great time to take out any rugs and shake them out if possible. Even just hanging them outside while you are working in the room can freshen them.

Continuing with the clearing the dust, wipe down whatever is on your walls. Any shelves and décor items need to be wiped down. This can be a great time to consider whether you love the items in the room. Is it time to move some things around, or for items to leave?

As you examine the things living in the room, grab a container or three and pick up whatever does not belong. The container can gather things for another room. I will use one container, even a plastic bag, for getting items together that belong in another room. Depending on the amount of things, I might even use one container for another level in the house, like upstairs, instead of a specific room. The key to this is to stay in the room in which you are working. The container is there so that later it is easy to transfer the items. Leave the container to the side of the room or just outside the doorway while you are working. You might find more items as you continue as well as keep yourself focused on the room you’re working on.

Remove the cushions and vacuum them, and don’t forget to do both sides. Find what might have fallen under the cushions and then vacuum up what remains. It is always surprising to me how much dirt and debris collects under our cushions, even when there are no “treasures” discovered. If you are able, this is a good time to move the furniture out and vacuum under and behind it.

Wash any windows in the room, inside and outside if possible. Don’t forget to wipe down the light switch plates, they gather fingerprints surprisingly noticeable if you stop to look!

The rest of the floor comes last, sweeping and mopping or vacuuming, as required. Be sure to check your canister in the vacuum and change the water for your mop periodically as you go.

Depending on the room you are working on, you’ll need to apply the principles to that room. I might be forgetting some things, but here are a few additional details to remember:

  • Flip and/or rotate the mattress – check your manufacturer’s instructions for their recommendations, as some newer mattresses are not made to be flipped
  • Clean out the refrigerator and freezer
  • Go through all medications, disposing of anything that is expired or that you don’t anticipate using
  • Wipe down washer, dryer, refrigerator, microwave, and cabinet fronts
  • Empty trashcans and clean out, don’t forget any lids, too
  • Clean any litter boxes after empty
  • Clean stairwells – vacuum or sweep

Unless you have time and energy to spare, pace yourself and do not try to do it all in one day. Having a nice day where you can hang out the rugs or even the linens, where having the windows open is a possibility, can bring home the change of seasons.

Are you ready to jump into a room and get it ready for spring? It is a good time for the blossoming of life and clearing the dust and clutter is just one aspect.

Happy Spring!

Organizer Problem or Personal Problem?

I have been exploring planners and date organizers lately, being dissatisfied with my current setup and wanting to find something that accommodates my preferences and limitations. In talking with my husband about my personal pros and cons of different systems, he brought up his struggles and said, “I don’t have an organizer problem, I have a personal problem.” I knew exactly what he meant. There are systems and organizers aplenty out there, yet they are not the answer to all our problems. Finding the perfect one is not going to solve the struggles we have in using them.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there are personal preferences and different ways that we all process and function, so there are organizer systems that will work better for some people than for others. Yet, some people can bounce from one organizer to another searching for the one that will somehow “fix” the ways we manage ourselves.

I could argue that most planners are all relatively the same concept with slight differences. The market continues to keep producing variations, offering more selections and in some ways propagating the idea that there is a perfect solution for everyone. The temptation is to try the newest, latest versions. This is further complicated by the ever-growing electronic choices. Now we need to choose between paper or electronic, or find a way to work with both.

When I was in high school, my dad was quite persistent about getting me to use a planner, and he was (and he still is) a huge advocate of the Franklin Covey system. Due to the price of getting started and possibly due to my resistance, I began with a DayTimer planner. After using the DayTimer and even liking it, he moved me to a Franklin planner. And for most of that time, it worked for me – in fact, for the past 20 years, I bought purses so I could carry that good-sized Franklin around with me, to the point I was getting shoulder and back pain.

In recent years, I found myself using aspects of the organizer, but there were facets of the system that I was resisting. I find the month at a view crucial for tracking my schedule and I use it consistently. Yet, the daily task list was either empty or it was overloaded with items. I was either significantly overestimating what I could accomplish in a day, or avoiding listing anything so I would not feel bad at the end of the day. In using the task list, I ended up doing the very things I encourage others to avoid: underestimating the time you think a task will take and overestimating how much you can get done.

Attempting to compensate for my resistances to daily task lists, I started making a general list of tasks on a blank sheet of paper, referring to it periodically where I would pick and choose what I was going to work on. The problem with that was it was a huge list, had varying degrees of importance, and could easily feel overwhelming just to look at.

Recently I have begun making weekly lists, working at keeping them relatively short and limited to the important tasks I want to accomplish in the next week. Finding myself processing things in this way I started thinking about the PlannerPad system. It has a two-spread page with a section at the top for the task list, under it the tasks can slide into specific days, and finally at the bottom is the schedule with time slots.

Despite my struggles with certain aspects of planning, I recognize that I have slipped in my own discipline. I was feeling overwhelmed with all the things I wanted to get done and overestimating how much I could do in a given day. This is the very reason I have talked about being careful in our thinking about how long things take us.

We need to stop looking outside ourselves for the answer to the difficulties we have.

As I have been looking at and considering different systems, I am focusing on what would benefit me, the aspects that will assist me in the areas where I am struggling. There is no telling how long the planner I choose will work for me and I will need to re-evaluate its functionality regularly. I have identified how the monthly view and concrete schedule continues to work, but the area where I have faltered is the tasks. Now considering where I slipped into being more lax, I want something that will help me strengthen those skills again. It will not happen overnight, and no organizer will cure that problem. Nevertheless, there is a system that will support me while I improve my techniques.

If you are struggling with a planner or day organizer, step back for a moment and consider: is this a planner problem or a personal problem? If it’s a planner problem, there’s plenty of alternatives to choose from and try out. However, if it’s a personal problem, no amount of money spent on planners can help. It takes discipline, attention to the areas where you are struggling, and most of all, a commitment inside yourself that, no matter what, you will work to be more organized.