I usually keep my schedule in an old-school kind of way. Sure, I use Outlook for work and Google Calendar for volunteer activities, but I don't always want my personal appointments on those calendars and needed a better way to keep track of my whole family's comings and goings. In the past, I've used various datebooks, but this year, I grabbed the 2014 Do It All Mom Planner by Orange Circle Studio and sheepishly approached the checkout counter at a local shop.
I was embarrassed.
This may sound silly, but I don't usually see the "mom" theme as aligned with my personality and I worried it wouldn't work with my professional needs either. Even more, I just couldn't see myself happily pulling this book out at a board meeting. However, at the checkout counter, the cashier said, "This is really popular. We sell a lot of these and people love them!"
My embarrassment disappeared (says a lot of how much a testimonial can help) and I went home to write, write, write.
This planner comes with two pages of itty bitty stickers representing various activities and events. These are great for marking appointments on the month-view calendar pages. At a glance, I can see there's a birthday party this month, or a dentist appointment, etc. If I want more details, I can look at the week view and see what I've written, but it's nice to be reminded, "hey, you have a doctor appointment this month."
The week view is really unique. Normally I write whatever and put in parentheses if it's for my daughter or my husband, but the Do It All Mom Planner has several rows, so I can have a row for my husband, my daughter, and even the dog. Rather than cluttering up my day with reminders of my husband's business trip or my daughter's weekly sports activities, they have their own space on my calendar.
I also find this helpful to indicate who is dropping and picking up at school, or running certain errands that week. It's easier for me to see that I'm in charge of something when my space on the calendar is only for my activities.
There is room in a slot on the cover (the first image in this post) for storing some paperwork or a bill to mail, and some slots inside the back cover that are perfect for appointment reminder cards or business cards.
One of the more useful parts of this planner is a section where you can write up a short shopping list and tear it out if you don't want to bring the whole book to the store. Super convenient.
I'm pretty impressed with this planner and though there are times I still feel a bit silly (everyone else whips out an iPad and here's my mom book), it's been crucial for keeping me organized. I keep it in my purse and never leave home without it.
I was embarrassed.
This may sound silly, but I don't usually see the "mom" theme as aligned with my personality and I worried it wouldn't work with my professional needs either. Even more, I just couldn't see myself happily pulling this book out at a board meeting. However, at the checkout counter, the cashier said, "This is really popular. We sell a lot of these and people love them!"
My embarrassment disappeared (says a lot of how much a testimonial can help) and I went home to write, write, write.
This planner comes with two pages of itty bitty stickers representing various activities and events. These are great for marking appointments on the month-view calendar pages. At a glance, I can see there's a birthday party this month, or a dentist appointment, etc. If I want more details, I can look at the week view and see what I've written, but it's nice to be reminded, "hey, you have a doctor appointment this month."
I also find this helpful to indicate who is dropping and picking up at school, or running certain errands that week. It's easier for me to see that I'm in charge of something when my space on the calendar is only for my activities.
There is room in a slot on the cover (the first image in this post) for storing some paperwork or a bill to mail, and some slots inside the back cover that are perfect for appointment reminder cards or business cards.
One of the more useful parts of this planner is a section where you can write up a short shopping list and tear it out if you don't want to bring the whole book to the store. Super convenient.
I'm pretty impressed with this planner and though there are times I still feel a bit silly (everyone else whips out an iPad and here's my mom book), it's been crucial for keeping me organized. I keep it in my purse and never leave home without it.
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