Planner Rules And How To Break Them | Giftie Etcetera: Planner Rules And How To Break Them

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Planner Rules And How To Break Them

To make my planner work for me, I follow some guidelines. Guidelines are like rules, but we get to break them without guilt - or so I tell my OCD. I don't break them too often, though, or they wouldn't work (and my OCD would revolt).

Here are my top planner rules guidelines and the many ways that I break them.

*Write everything down.

I do write everything down. Mostly. I write down trash day and my plans for Christmas shopping. I write down appointments as soon as they are even tentatively made (with a question mark after them until they are confirmed). I write down my chore schedule and my daily task list.

But I don't write down things that I never forget. I never forget to take my meds (as they are in a little pill case next to my alarm clock and Nook in my bedroom, so I see them when I grab a book for nightly reading). So I don't write that down.

I don't write down things that can be done immediately. I just do them, right away. The lazy incentive to avoid digging out my planner and writing it down is enough to ensure that things get done.

*Use only one planner.

I use only one planner for almost everything. The advantage of this system is that I never lose anything. If I take notes at a meeting, they go in my planner (until they are irrelevant and discarded or put in my permanent files at home). If I need to jot a note to myself, it goes in my planner. Christmas and party planning? All of it is kept in my main planner.

However, I use a different planner for special things that would bulk up the main planner. In my case, it's my coupon planner. I put grocery lists in my planner all week, but when the time comes to plan for grocery shopping each week, I use a separate planner because the coupons that I use, kept together in binder clips, would bulk up my main planner too much. I keep this planner with my reusable grocery bags.

*Keep your planner with you.

I keep my planner with me all the time. I only buy purses big enough for my planner.

The one exception? I don't bring planners to black tie affairs. Instead, I leave it in the car and send my husband to get it, should the need arise. (He grumbles a lot about these situations. I don't know what his problem is with the bonus exercise. {grins innocently})

These three simple rules will help you to get the most positive results from your planner, as long as you are willing to break them.



Homemakersdaily.com said...

Those are my rules, too. But like you, I will break them if it makes sense.

Mandi Jayne said...

I have to laugh at the part about sending your husband to get your planner! It sounds just like something I would do, ha.