Every year I try to simplify my life so I can enjoy the holidays. And every year I am inundated with “stuff.”
This week, I’m helping with three class parties, preparing teacher gifts, attending a holiday concert and an award’s ceremony, shopping with my children for their ornament/book/gift exchanges, taking my son to a birthday party, going to a Scout holiday party, delivering gifts to my friends and neighbors, returning library books, preparing gifts for my children, and trying to get my work done, the house clean, and “everything else” completed before my children go on break for three weeks.
I’m guessing this sounds very familiar to you.
So in the midst of this craziness–since I REALLY am just trying to enjoy my family and the spirit of the holidays–I’m doing three things to make my life easier. Thought I’d share, in case you’re needing a little help dealing with the stress.
First, I am clearing my plate.
My Current Projects List had gotten huge. I kept adding and adding and adding to it–until it overwhelmed me just to look at it:
So I took a few minutes to move some projects to a “Next in Line” page, and now my Current Projects List looks like this (I know it’s still long, but it includes several long-term projects, and many of these things only need brief “check-ins” each week):
I also created a few other plate-clearing lists, like this “After Christmas” list I started on my daily planner page for December 27th (some of the tasks are related to my Current Projects listed above, and I keep my grocery list somewhere else, but I needed a place to quickly jot down a few ingredients we don’t need until after the holidays):
When I check my planner on the 27th (because I check it every single day without fail), I’ll see this list and decide what to do with these tasks at that point.
I also created this “January” list and stuck it in my planner–right before the January calendar page. I’ll organize this further once I do my monthly planning at the beginning of January. See all these things that are no longer on my mind?
We are not super-human. We have limited time and energy, and we can’t do everything. So let’s decide now what we’re actually going to do and get the rest off our brains.
Second, I am planning Christmas deliberately.
We’re not doing a ton of gifts around here. We’re not going to a lot of extra events. We’re keeping it simple and sharing our hearts as much as we can.
For some ideas on how to plan the gift-giving, traditions, and activities that go with this season, I’ve got two resources for you:
My guest post on GTD Times two years ago: “My First GTD Christmas.”
This year’s Power of Moms Post, “Planning What Matters Most at Christmas.” (This one has a planning template you can download.)
Third, I am getting my tools ready for the new year.
Isn’t it exciting to get a new calendar system ready to go on January 1st? Now is a great time to decide if you’re going to go digital, use a paper planner, or use a hybrid of both styles.
Fetchnotes, Cozi, and ToDo by Appigo are three apps I’ve personally used in the past. Google Calendars are also wonderful, and we have a whole post on our site about that.
Personally, I use a hybrid of digital and paper.
My phone is used for my email, non-grocery shopping lists (Fetchnotes), and random, non-deadline-driven note capture (Evernote).
My planner is used for my calendar, daily task lists, Next Action Lists, routines lists, and deadline-driven note capture. It’s also my wallet.
I have a whole planner tour with photos, if you’d like to see it (let me know if you need a YouTube version).
And this year, I’m buying FranklinCovey’s Serenity Classic Daily Filler:
plus these wonderful note pads that fit in the back of my planner and work great when I need to outline projects, make new lists, capture ideas for Power of Moms, etc.
This is the purse I use on a daily basis (Target, $30):
It fits my planner perfectly (I take my planner with me when I purse shop so I can find just the right fit!):
And this is the purse I take with me to church, when I travel, or when I just have a lot of stuff that needs to go with me to the store (return items, etc.) It can fit my laptop, too (FranklinCovey brand, but I got it at Ross, $25):
I hope these ideas have been helpful for you. Getting organized is a beautiful thing. It helps us to focus on what really matters most. And if you haven’t yet implemented Mind Organization for Moms, I challenge you to make this one of your first priorities for the new year. It will literally change your life, free up your mind, and enable you to invest the best of yourself into the people you call family.
QUESTION: Any other tips you’d like to share? How do YOU get your mind organized when everything is coming in so fast?
CHALLENGE: If you’re feeling stressed out right now, sit down and move things off your list, and then use the space in your brain to deliberately plan your holiday celebrations.
I keep trying different things but nothing seems to suit (or am I just looking for the ultimate perfect planning system that doesn’t exist?)
I have a multitude of apps on my phone and on my iPad. I have a half dozen or so paper planners, including 2 pocket size with and with out wallet and 2 classic size, one with zip one without. I have diaries from work, a4 ones I tried to make myself and a5 as well. I just can’t settle on one that seems to work for me.
I don’t have kids at home anymore. I work full time and I am president of an association. I’m not sure whether to keep everything separate or combine it all into one planning system? I have lots of things to remember and lots of ideas to implement and projects to complete.
I have the MOM system but have trouble coordinating it all. Online, paper. I think I prefer paper but my planner ends up really large and cumbersome to carry around.
I’m feeling a bit lost so any ideas would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Karalyn
Karalyn, you have a LOT going on, it seems! I don’t know if I have a perfect solution for you, since your preferences are most likely different than mine. I’m guessing, though, that you can’t totally separate your work/home tasks, since there’s probably some overlap there. I would keep your Next Actions Lists for work and home all in a paper planner, for starters–Classic is my favorite, but I don’t mind carrying it around. That way, you can always know what’s “on your plate,” and I would keep one calendar–whether digital or paper.
Then I would utilize the cubby systems/file systems more thoroughly to manage all the projects. You could have one set for work/one for home.
The way I mesh digital and paper is to ask myself what jobs I want each app/tool to do. Then I make sure that things are separate and consistent enough that I can wrap my head around each component on a daily/weekly basis. If I keep forgetting to check or use an app, I stop using it, but if it’s a natural fit to perform a job I need done, then I keep it. Simplification is really important. I’m excited to hear what ends up working for you!
And if anyone else reading this has ideas for Karalyn, please add to the conversation!
I love the close up photos and now I dont feel so crazy when my lists look like that too. More close ups of how you have your planner laid out, where it makes sense to you would be helpful for those of us that are visual. Not to copy, just to see how you organize it all. While the tour is helpful, seeing the actual photos, is also helpful.
Thanks for all that you do and even sharing when you get overwhelmed. It helps even me who is beyond that point and ready for some down time 🙂
Thanks Kirstan! Glad this is helpful. I will try to do more planner photos and explanations in the future. My planner is such a wonderful tool for me, and I would love to help others to enjoy it as much. Congratulations on your new Compact one. Hope it works well. You might just have to write small. 🙂
To answer the questions you sent me, I keep about a month and a half of pages in at a time. When a new month starts, I put in all the pages for that month, and then I try to take everything out of the previous month and put it in my storage binder. But every day when I’m planning, I glean “actionable items” from my previous day’s page, and I note important information on the planner’s Table of Contents so I can find it readily.
I’ve also been taking photos of key information on my planner pages and putting it into Evernote with proper tags and audio clips. LOVE that app. That way, if I’m out and about, and I think, “Oh, where is that list of all the people who were helping with the class party?” I can just go to my Evernote photos. I rarely need to go reference past months. It’s all organized and there if I need it, but the actionable things are on my lists, which I check weekly.
And I would TOTALLY recommend FreedomFiler, but it can be added anytime. I didn’t use it for the first couple of years I did M.O.M., but now I’m so glad I have it. My files are 100% up-to-date, and I’ve NEVER been able to say that.
Good luck!!
“We are not super-human.” Most of us aren’t–but I’m pretty sure that you ARE, April!
Oh, Rachel, come spend a day with me sometime, and then you will SEE. Thanks for the confidence you have in me, though. 🙂
Thanks so much April. I’ve been following you for a couple of years now but have never fully set things up. I recently bought the MOM system in 14 days. I think I got about half way through, and put it on pause. I got to the mind dump then didn’t know what system to put it all into. Lol
My whole life needs an overhaul too I think. A year ago we moved our home office to a ‘real’ office and I’ve never really found the time to re sort everything from that. So being disorganised there, not knowing what planning system to use to keep on top of it all is making me feel a bit overwhelmed. Although I’ve been struggling with the planning aspect longer at that.
I found your reply to Kirstan interesting. I like the table of contents idea and the photos into Evernote. I use Evernote to store things. Don’t usually use them once the’re there, but can see the benefits in what you suggested. So this is what I’m going to try. The classic 2 page per day, as I have lots of scribbles I need to remember each day, with next actions in it. Then because I have to cart lots of a4 papers around for meetings and just to transfer from the office to home, I will have a folder with important actions, someday and projects and the papers for meetings/home. When I go to meetings I will just take the folder and ipad for notes which will be part of my inbox. I’ll still be carting a folder and planner about though which will probably drive me nuts. …. Oh here we go again!! No I’ll put next, important actions, someday and projects in the planner. Then I’m only mostly carrying the planner. I’ll definitely make more use of the cubbys for my projects and ideas and I really like the look of the freedom filer. I hope they post to Australia!!
I so keep thinking though that I have an ipad and it would be easier to have everything on there but it’s not as easy to flip pages to look at other things. Does anyone else use a tablet for all their planning needs?
I’ll give the above a whirl anyway.
Thanks April, I wish I could be as organised as you. 🙂
Thanks for your reply, April. I know you are busy and hope my comments dont add any stress LOL.
Something I thought of after I read your reply, was, how do you not overcommit? Example: I asked for more pics of your planner and how you organize it to glean ideas and you said you would work on that in the future. My problem is that when someone asks me for something, I try to get it done then (not following the 2 minute rule) and therefore fail because I dont get it done. I have 2 people asking me about couponing and I said back in October I would email them and have not. its in my planner, just not set in stone…what would make sense with that? I have not had a chance to organize my 2500 emails that are in my inbox and I know i need to do that soon. I always come to my computer though. If I were to do it from my iphone, what is the easiest since it doesnt hold that many at once?
This system you have introduced us all to is amazing and we all want to be as organized as you, I think we just are having a hard time getting there. I hope to be able to come the seattle retreat when you are here, because I live here! Thanks again!
Kirstan
Okay, two-minute rule on this response . . . then I’m off to sort MY email inbox. It’s a definite balance, but here’s what I do. When I told you I would do more planner-related photos and info., I went to my Current Projects tab in my planner and added to my M.O.M. newsletter idea list “More Planner Photos.”
I look at that every month when I prep the newsletter, so eventually, I will do more. But I didn’t tell you when, and you’ll remind me if you need help sooner. 🙂
DON’T do everything right when you say you will. Trust your lists. Streamline your lists. Use your lists. If you have to take something off your list, send a quick email to the person and say, “I would love to help you with such and such, but I am swamped right now. I’ll check in with you again in March . . . or you call me if you need it sooner and come watch my kids so I can help you out!”
Be careful about your commitments. Don’t give deadlines unless you know you have the time. But if you commit to small things, then put it on your Immediate N/A list and make it a priority. Or create a calendar trigger for yourself in email.
And yes–email organization is HUGE. Do 10 at a time and just sit down and hammer it out. Use Gmail, if you can, so you can have folders available on your phone, and then you can sort easily. This is a process, but it is AMAZING. You’ll be so glad when you get your systems in place. 🙂
Ok, that makes sense…one more thing and Im done commenting LOL. I use comcast because of my scentsy business and that email is on EVERYTHING. that is the only reason I have not switched to GMAIL, otherwise I would. Unless you have a suggestion for that?
I am referring to my planner more and more these days as baby is getting closer and I love that my brain is mostly in there. Still have some tweaking to do to train myself to use it all the time, that is the tough part. But we are getting there and because of your help, that is making it so much easier. THank you!
Import all your Comcast into Gmail. My husband just did it with Hotmail, and it lets you even SEND from that address within your Gmail as your default. It will change your life! Google how to do it. It’ll take awhile, but it’s SO worth it!
April, I’m not sure if you have a mac or not, but after starting to dig deeper into GTD, I found a lot of people that are using Omnifocus. I finally decided to take the plunge and put EVERYTHING in the system. It is really working for me – I needed to get the app for mac (I got the student rate) and the iphone app to really make it work, but I LOVE the way it keeps me current. It might be an option for some of your “hard core” MOMers. 🙂
Thanks for everything you do!!