Answer: How I used wardrobe planning to plan other parts of my life.

Sal

In response to Lisa's question on her thread, here is a summary of my weekly planning. Nothing too revolutionary but it works for me.

WHY: I like to be online but I found having all aspects of my planning online didn't work for me. The act of writing tasks down clarifies them and helps me remember them.

I am juggling several balls as most of us are

we have our own business (x3)
family meals and activities
I have a voluntary position
I need to find time to pursue my own goals such as exercise, relaxation and professional development

When I started using a style statement and key words to plan my wardrobe it worked. When I look at a pair of shoes - I say to myself "Do these fit within a flamboyant natural wardrobe?"

I decided by having weekly statements it could help me eg

Take a Risk
Take time to strategise

This week it is "health and organisation" as I was unwell last week and have been a bit out of action with a glute media spasm. As the first full week that my sons are back at school I am focussing on organising a few things that have been put aside (an office revamp and a small home update of our living room).

TOOLS:

Iphone using ICal
Laptop using Ical through ICloud
Purchased A4 Desk weekly planner (stays on my desk)
Pretty diary (travels around with me)

PROCESS

I use Ical for all personal and work appointments and meetings both on my phone and laptop. This is constantly being updated and I sometimes schedule in work/tasks as well ( not consistently though)
Once a week (Usually on a Sunday afternoon) I sit down and plan the upcoming week - what do I have on, what do I need to achieve and what mood do I want. Sometimes I need to take a big breath and be calm - other times I need to generate some energy, and I always need to remember to take time to be strategic.
I also try to plan at least three - four meals and a shopping list at the same time.
I think about any special occasions that I have on and what I might wear. This week I have nothing special during the work week but on Friday I am off to a live show at the Arts Festival locally and on Saturday I have my sister's birthday party. The Arts Festival will require low heels or flat shoes as it will be on grass.
The notebook has the following sections

Yearly and monthly goals at the front.
Menu Planning - maybe some meals I want to cook, some ideas about what we can eat.
Style section- my style statement, my key adjectives, what I want to buy, what I DON'T want to buy (this is inspired by Angie and a list of what I have already added and how much it cost. It is pretty rough.
At the back I am trying to keep a Gratitude Journal where I write down at least one positive thing about every day.

I find having the work list on my desk is very visual and helps me, but I like to take the notebook out with me. I can have times at sports practices where I can take a bit of time to do some planning on the go.

It is helping me stay on track, be more positive and make progress on some of the bigger goals that we have.

7 years ago

Off Topic

13 replies

Latest reply was from Jenn

Anonymous

This is great , thanks Sally . So the notebook you refer to , that you carry around to work on when you have time -this is your “ pretty diary “ ? Or is it the A4 planner ? I just ordered the PandaPlanner today after seeing my daughter’s new one . I’m not great with planners - tending to make a mess of them or forget them on my desk when I should have them in meetings , or abandoning them half-way through the year after finding something cuter . I’d like to find a system that works and stick with it . I use my phone for appts only for person things like nails and hair , and then a day planner for work things . Meal planning is a huge fail for me - I vow I’ll do it , work on it faithfully for a week , and then it falls by the wayside . I’m not sure why I seem to reject organization when I so crave it - some kind of psychological issue at play here . I like your idea of setting a theme for the week - that’s very smart . You’ve given me lots to consider here - thank you ..

7 years ago

Sal

Veteran

Sorry yes - it is more of a notebook than a diary. When I say pretty - I like to have quality paper and a cover that I like...

I keep my main planner on my desk - but I don't travel for work so I may do it differently if I did so.

One of the reasons I like pen and paper is so I can note things down while talking on the phone - I can't note things in my phone at the same time as talking on it.... I do have some double entry at times but that reinforces things to my way of thinking.

7 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I miss my Filofax. That was the most organised I’ve ever been. It was a tiny ring binder, so you could rearrange pages. It’s hard to get the refill papers now, tho.

7 years ago

Style Fan

Veteran

Thanks for sharing this Sally. I have a few journals that I write in. I find the physical act of writing very therapeutic. I also like to make diagrams for everything. Using a computer or app doesn't do it for me. I do have pictures on my laptop and I use the YLF finds.

I like your idea of keeping a gratitude journal.

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Sal, YOU ARE FABULOUS IN EVERY WAY.

7 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

OMG, Rachy, FILOFAX was the BOMB!!! I still have my old one...don't use it any more. But I loved it.

Funny. I tried keeping a gratitude journal and felt like a complete imposter. But I do write a tiny poem per day. It's not really a poem, but a kind of 4 line observation of the day each day and it's a mini-diary. And as a family we also keep a "joy jar" and write down the really happy moments/ joys and on New Year's day every year we open and read them.

What I like about this system is the weekly review. I do this, also, and it really helps to keep me focused. I do go off track still, but less often than before.

I put EVERYTHING (almost) in ical. I have different coloured calendars for different roles in my life. Self-steward (health, self-care) is green; grey is student; dark blue is writing time; lighter blue is all the writing career-related stuff or prep; friends are one shade of purple; time reserved for me and Mark is pink; etc. I have a "community volunteer" role, a teaching/ teaching prep role, etc. The calendar below is not fully filled up but this is the idea.

Fo my creative projects I have an accountability partnership with a friend -- we plan in 6 or 8 week "runs" and put these in google docs -- then check in on each other weekly to cheer each other on.

A person could do this with meal planning, exercise routines -- any area of life where it would be helpful to add a bit of outside perspective and cheerleading/ accountability.

We do meal planning on the weekend, too -- try to get at least 3 or 4 meals figured out, and I often make a big soup or similar, for lunches, that will last us several days.

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7 years ago

Anonymous

WOW. I am awe. I am so much in awe that I am reconsidering my entire system. Like Suz, electronic tools suit me better than paper (I see the power of both though). Perhaps I need to expand and grow into those electronic tools. THANK YOU so much for the inspiration to take a look at my system. I needed this today.

7 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

What a great system. And Suz, I am in awe of your calendar skills. I use iCal but not that extensively.

I really like the idea of one or two distinct areas of focus for the week, Sal. I end up sort of doing this by nature, but I think it is so much more likely to be successful if one is mindful about that intention at the start of the week.

It's funny, I kind of had this in mind for this week, when I had a big organizing/cleaning/closing open loops kind of weekend (it was rainy and gross here, so I didn't really feel like leaving the house). I had a couple of work things wrap up last week so it was a good time to take a breather and focus on some personal projects. I've since taken a very full carload of stuff to various donation places, and a big bag of returns from some online shopping. I got to chip away at some home projects, and it's been really satisfying to ease some of my mental clutter along with the physical stuff. I even bought us new dining room chairs, which I've been wanting to do for a couple of years! And I also tackled one big hurdle -- I went through one of the boxes of stuff I'd brought home from my mom's house after her death nine years ago. I found some treasures and it was a relief to have part of that process accomplished. Still more boxes to go... anybody know someone who would like about a half dozen vintage Barbie dolls??

I had been working on some long-term planning and goal-setting for a couple of weeks leading up to this, so it felt good to take a break from that and get some other, smaller things out of the way. I'm also more a fan of written lists and planning. Somehow I don't internalize these things as well with online tools. But I ALWAYS have a least one written list going on! I've started carrying a very small notebook with me again to help me write down all kinds of things, from my current to-do and shopping lists, to books and music I want to check out, to ideas and inspirations that hit me while I'm out and about.

7 years ago

Sara L.

Veteran

Lisap - I'm terrible at meal planning too. It's not good since DH and I both work full time and I have 3 kids with loads of activities. I have some work arounds though and maybe this will help you. I've finally accepted that I'm never going to be good at meal planning. I'll plan a couple days out and that's as far as I get. So I pack my freezer with big bags of chicken, fish, shrimp from Sam's Club, I have a harvest box delivered every 2 weeks with fresh veggies, and I assemble crock pot meals every 3-4 months (this website https://newleafwellness.biz/ is great for crockpot freezer meals). I can wing it with these tools. It's quick and easy to steam some fresh veggies while I saute fish in garlic and lemon juice. Luckily, everyone in my family will eat fish, even the picky 4-year old.

This week is a classic example - I had meals planned for Monday and Tuesday, realized I had nothing for dinner when I was in the shower this morning so pulled out frozen crockpot black bean soup that I plopped in the crockpot, will probably make fish or chicken tomorrow and uh... that's as far as I can think. Not sure what will happen on Friday.

7 years ago

Sal

Veteran

Thanks all - it is good to get some ideas.

Sara - your menu planning system sounds similar to mine - I can only plan three to four days out... And sometimes freezer meals are just what is needed.

Janet - thanks for your ideas. Setting aside for thinking and planning can be the hardest part - especially for those in self employment. I struggle to prioritise this even when I have the time. And I love the feeling when I do progress a task (such as decluttering) that I have being putting off.

Sterling - I like online tools too but I did find myself missing things. I like Suz's system and will be referring back to it.

Suz - I am going to look again at Ical - I think I could be getting more out of it. I like the idea of checking in with a friend regularly for accountability...

Angie - thanks:)

Stylefan - yes writing and drawing can be therapeutic and compelling. I think we just need to all work out what works for us. I am trying to plan some colours for our living room and finding it a challenge in my mind - as soon as I see them I know what I like though!

Rachy - I never had a FiloFax and occasionally see them around still. Suddenly everyone moved to Ical or outlook.

7 years ago

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I’ll come back to this-lots of ideas to ponder. How to remember? I’ll email myself so I’ll see it tomorrow.

7 years ago

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

I'm a huge fan of the Bullet Journal process, but I rely on Ical for its ability to trigger reminders AND to put stuff on DH's calendar. I am also a David Allen/GTD fangirl, and do my weekly review almost without fail.

A few things I've added to the mix: when I do my weekly review, I write down things I want to remember from the past week, as well as what worked and what didn't. Those are great to see again when I review over longer periods. I start each week with my "top three" goals. They don't always get done, but it's good for me to focus on important over urgent. And when I start the new week, I copy forward all the things still undone from the previous week in its own group. If they keep getting moved without completion, maybe there's something deeper that needs thinking about.

I like Sal's idea to focus on how I want to feel as well as what I need to accomplish, and I want to add that to my system.

7 years ago

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Sal, my system is really close to yours.

I have a Moleskine weekly planner that I use as my carry-around notebook. It's a calendar/notebook hybrid that I use mostly for work/life planning. I plan out 3-4 meals a week in it (also usually on Sunday afternoons), write down a few pieces I'd like to wear in the coming week, and plan out work goals (sometimes day-by-day, and sometimes just bigger picture, depending on how busy the week is). It also has yearly goals in the front, and I use space in the back to track my clothing purchases and wishlists. There's also room for just general notes from meetings or trip planning, and I track my workouts in the calendar part.

I also use iCal for appointments, and especially for things that affect the whole family. We have a shared family calendar that shows up on all our phones, which helps to keep everyone on the same page.

My husband and I just started using the Anylist app for a shared grocery/errands list. It's great, because we can add things to it, and whoever is at a particular store can pick items up and mark them off the list. It even has a function that allows me (mostly) to take a picture of packaging, so he's sure to get the right thing.

7 years ago

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