Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Reasons Why I Love My Paper Planner Over My Phone Calendar

I'm going to be one of those grandmas who has to have her grandkids come over and show her how to work things.

Frankly, I'm already that mom.  I don't even know how to turn the TV on without the remote.  There's seriously no power button in sight on that thing.  Kids...???

And I'm certain my iPhone is under used, and I feel like I'm on it too much as it is and it's not even for phone conversations.  I text, facebook, pinterest, instagram, and google on safari.  I play words with friends, draw something, chess with friends, and dice with buddies.  I read my scriptures on it and check my bank account.  I email from my phone and can check the TV guide app when I get the occasion to sit and watch TV.  Once I used it as a flashlight because they have an app for that.  I can check what's playing at the dollar theater and use it as my camera since it's with me all the time.  It times me when I go running, counts down for me when doing push ups, wakes me up in the morning and goes off to remind me to buy milk.

But even with all of that there's one thing I know I'm not using to it's full capability and that's the calendar. 

It seriously bugs me to use that calendar.  

It frustrates me to look at the calendar and just see dots.


I hate that.

And if I want any more information I have to start selecting things.  I need to see what that dot is for tomorrow.  Oh, okay, Cas has an orthodontist appointment.  And if I want more information than that, I need to select it.

Seriously, I just want to look at my calendar and see what there is.


In this instant gratification world we live in, it doesn't get more instantly gratifying than this.  I can see exactly what I have every day.  Even if it is a little bare right now because I was really giving the phone a valiant try.  But I hate it.  So I'm switching back over to my paper and pencil.

Also, when it's on paper, I can color coordinate it.  Where's that feature iPhone???

My paper planner also gives me a place to make my daily lists.  Things I don't need on my calendar per se, but still want to remember to do on certain days.  Like when I make an agenda for a certain meeting next month I need to remember to add a sub-committee reporting.  I don't need that on my calendar, but I can add it in the awesome place my calendar gives me for daily lists and notes.  So when I'm on that day, that reminder is there. 


And the best thing about using my paper planner instead of my phone is I get to cross things off. 

Because apparently I'm OCD like that.

And I have to have a list. 

And with my phone I was making lists on separate pieces of paper so I could just see everything and not have to select all sorts of stuff to see my lists on the phone because I'm sure I under use the reminder thingy on my phone and the notes thingy is too much selecting and you can't cross it off so now my purse looks like this because it's full of all the loose paper lists I'm trying to keep track of.

And apparently I love run-on sentences.


Yeah, I'm loving going back to a planner just to have a clean purse again.  All my lists can be made in my planner.

So there's no chance for me surviving in a technology world.  I just want my paper and pencil, no matter how archaic it becomes.

But that's what grandkids are for, right?

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Confession: I am a lister

Confession: I am a lister.

I can't function without them.

Right now I'm working off of three lists.  And if I'm going to be perfectly honest I guess I'll have to admit that I just started a fourth about an hour ago.


Lists purge my brain.  They organize me.  They help me remember the small details that will matter and the random items.

I can sleep at night because I know it's all safe on my list and I don't have to worry about forgetting any of it or keeping it all straight. 

Perhaps this plays into my slight OCD nature?  Or maybe it's just because I have 6 kids and a very full life? 

I even have a list that started at Thanksgiving that listed all the events I needed to plan for.  It keeps me from forgetting anything now that we're in the middle of birthday season.
Thanksgiving (hosted at my house)
West's birthday
Christmas (all three stages of it)
Jayme's birthday
New Year's
Anniversary
Cali's birthday
Valentine's day
Florida trip
Casidee's birthday
Easter
Tayler's birthday
Family Reunion

Now that I know that the trip to Florida for my brother's wedding and Casidee's birthday are all on lists and under control, I started a list for Easter. 

It's not that I'm an over achiever, it's just that it takes me this long to feel I have a grasp on the next situation in line.  I list and re-list until I'm satisfied with the details and the "to do" and the "to buy" parts.  When it gets closer I start assigning days to get the tasks done.  Then I know it will all happen without running out of time. 

Sometimes I make lists on a spreadsheet on the computer and print them out, but I usually only do this when it involves the circus packing for a trip.  I make the packing list, add the names, and then they can color in the box under their name when they've packed that item.  It works so well.  It also helps me to see what laundry needs to be done so they can finish packing :).  I love taking the guess work out of life.

I guess perhaps the next perfect stranger who says to me, "you sure do have your hands full! How ever do you do it?"  I could just simply answer,
"I make a list."
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