… in a little binder.

Binder

On the message board in my goals 101 class at BPS we were chatting about my planner. I shared some of the details on the message board, but thought it’d be fun to show pics and share it here, too. You know, so you can see the madness to my method  … er … I mean method to my madness. Or do I? Let’s see …

But before the big reveal (ha ha) I have to bring you up to date on the status of my circa. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may be surprised to learn that I’m not using my circa any more. I know .. . I’m a fickle girl. What can I say? Except that, really, you would be fickle, too, if you walked into your husband’s office every single day and saw him surrounded by russell + hazel mini binders. You, too, would come up with any excuse under the sun to have one (or two or three) of those little gems to call your very own. It’s like sending a shoe fanatic into a space loaded with shelves full of brand new, beautiful shoes. Could the shoe fanatic resist? But of course not. In time, even the strongest becomes oh so weak. I rest my case.

You will notice, however, that my basic system is the same as it was with the circa.

I have binder tabs where I keep my lists organized. My tabs are as follows:

Binder tabs

Lists: For my action list, master project list, and future project list. I’ll also include gift lists or lists of movies to watch, books to buy or blogs to read. It’s just a fun place to put one of my favorite things: lists.

Errands: Yep, you guessed it, this is where I jot down things I need to pick up when I’m out and about.

Notes: Project notes and random ideas for blog posts, newsletter ideas, scrapbook ideas, etc.

Paper: Cleverly, this is where I store my blank paper 😉

Calendar: Like the circa system, I still use Outlook for my calendar. I print month views of my calendar, three hole punch and fold them, then snap them into my binder. If there were a way to make my paper calendar ding and automatically record recurring appointments, I’d forgo the electronic calendar altogether. But since it can’t, I use this hybrid system to get the best of both worlds.

Calendar

In the front of the binder is a paper pocket — great for stashing checks, coupons, and other small items.

Paper pocket

The clip on the front can be used for daily to-do lists … if I want or need to break down my larger action list into a daily list. And if not, I just like that clip sitting there with the little ribbon tied to it. For me it’s the simple things that make me happiest.

OK … so recently in Better Homes and Gardens they did a feature on planners. It was one of those articles that totally fascinated me. They showed three lady’s planners and I seriously don’t think I would have grown tired of it if there had been fifty planners shown. So … if you want to indulge me, I’d love to see YOUR planner. It’s seriously fascinating stuff. Wanna play?