Gotta Love Calendars--They Are SO Useful!

Get This Calendar...

I found this calendar widget over at Thistle Cove Farm while Blog Trotting. They had a rooster on theirs but since I'm not on a farm, I thought this picture better suited me. They have several different choices but all with the same verse.

One of my favorite things at the beginning of a new year is to put up our new calendars and mark the important dates. We have some wall calendars, desk calendars, monthly planning book calendars and a pocket size calendar. They all serve a purpose and keep me organized. Here are the ones we have and how we use them:

1. The wall one I have at work I use for work notes and upcoming events. It has pets on it from the Humane Society. Usually, I use a customized one that I make with our family pictures, but didn't do one for this year because we had plenty already.  
2. Gerard gave me a day-by-day dog calendar that I have on my desk at work. It's purely for information on dogs and to make me smile at the beautiful dog pictures. There is no room to write on this one.
3. In our kitchen, we have a wolf wall calendar from the Defenders of Wildlife which we use for birthdays, pills/Frontline,and appointments.

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Organizing Tip for Week 11: Coupons

Put coupons with the item they are for or with your credit card. For example, when I get coupons for pet food, I put it with my pet food bag so I see it when I need to shop for more. When I shop, I put the coupon right with my credit card so I remember to use it when I check out. CVS coupons I put right with my CVS card so when I pay, I see I have the coupon and if it expired, then out it goes. This way I remember to use them and if they expire, then out they go.

On the other hand, Gerard uses a different system. He shoves them all in an envelope and every time he plans to go shopping, he sifts through all the coupons first just looking for the ones he wants to use. Eventually, he'll sit down and sort through them all throwing away the expired ones which takes him about half an hour to do. I like my system much better!

Organizing Tip for Week 10: Mail

Handle paper once. When I go through my mail, I make a decision with each piece. I decide right away if I want it or not. If not, throw it away! Bills get dated and the amount put on the envelope and inserted into my checkbook to be paid. Action items I take care of immediately if possible, but if not, then I put them on my desk or in my purse to be taken care of the next day. This way no big mail pile accumulates that things can become lost in.

I don't really like mail. It's just another nuissance that takes up time I could be spending on other things. Once in awhile, I'll get something of a personal nature but that is rare. The best though is when we get checks which happens maybe a couple of times a year . . . certainly not often. "No mail" days are fine with me!

To see what my dad did with his junk mail, click here to go to "My Funny Dad, Harry

Gerard's Schedule

As a follow-up post to our organizing tip for week 9--To Do List list, Gerard wants to share with you his weekly schedule and would like to know if any other husbands out there do all this stuff:

Monday: Clean all three bathrooms.

Tuesday: Clean the upstairs
Fitworks
Put out garbage for Wednesday pickup

Wednesday: Clean Living Room
Clean Dining Room
Do grocery shopping at Giant Eagle

Thursday: Clean computer/music room
Clean bedroom
Fitworks

Friday: Clean basement (Yes, he cleans our basement every Friday!)
Yard work
Laundry

Saturday: Fitworks
Wash car

Sunday: Loads up car for wife with all her Sunday School "necessities"
Vacuum and anything missed during the week
Fitworks

Everyday: wash glasses, dishes and take out the trash


On an as needed basis, he does the snow shoveling as well, although I help him sometimes if there's a lot.

I told you I married "Mr. Wonderful." Now, so that you don't think I am a total "Queen" who does nothing but goes to work and blogs, I will be sharing my weekly schedule in tomorrow's post.

Organizing Tip of Week 9: The To Do List

Use a "To Do List." Each day, think of 2-4 things that you must get done (or definitely want to do) that day. If you have more things than that to do, list all the stuff you think of that you need to do on one long list. Then from that list, choose several things that you feel you can accomplish for that day and work from that list only. This will help keep you from feeling so overwhelmed and also give you that sense of accomplishment and feeling that you have made some progress. Prioritize your long list--set up a timeline for the things that don't need to necessarily be done this week. Don't neglect to add some FUN to that list!

Here's my list for Today:
A--record auto deposit in checkbook
A--prepare Sunday School lesson
B--draft post about 3-day Breast Cancer walk and get pics from Jan
C--watch some of Olympics

A, B, C are the prioritizing symbols. In your list, A items are things you absolutely must do, B are things you definitely want to do but that aren't absolutely necessary to be done today, and C are things it would be nice to do today but if not, oh well.

Gerard's list looks like this and he writes it on a little white board every day:
clean computer room and bedroom
Fitworks
Go Sox!

We have simple lives right now with everything normal. My list is short enough that I don't need to write it down. I just make a mental note in my mind and fortunately, my mind remembers. This is how I like it! At this point, the normal routine stuff I just remember to do without having to write it down. When I get really old, like my dad was in his late 80s, then I'll probably have to write down everything like I did for him.

To see what my dad's daily To Do List was like,here's the link:
Harry's To Do List

Organizing Tip of Week 8: Scrapbooking

Keep the camera and camcorder handy if you have children or pets. You never know when someone or something is going to do something new or cute so keep the camera/camcorder handy to get some great shots. Then, organize your pictures right away so they don't pile up and become a chore to do later. Whether you put them on your computer, get prints made and put into an album or scrapbook, do it right away.

Here's a cool site I found recently that may interest you about digital scrapbooking

Organizing Tip of Week 7: Pills

I keep my pills with my glasses in the cupboard. That way they are out of sight but where I see them every time I go for a glass. The one I take every other day at supper time so I just mark it right on my calendar ahead.

Organizing Tip for Week 6: Special Spot

Have a "To Take With You" spot. Set aside one place near your way out as your "To Take With You" spot where you put things that you want to take with you that day or the next day. Otherwise, this spot should be kept clear.

Organizing Tip for Week 5: Reading Books

Since I read so much, I keep a list on the computer of the books I read by author with a short description. This comes in handy when I want to check if I read a certain book or not (usually I remember what I've read though) and more importantly, it's great for when I'm looking a book up to recommend to someone else. It was very valuable to have this list when I started on Shelfari! Books I own are on shelves by category.

Organizing Tip of Week 4: Clothes

Organize clothes by season first, and sub organize by type and rotate them. Providing you have the closet space, put fall/winter clothes in storage closet and spring/summer clothes in bedroom closet. Then switch them when the season changes. Have a sweater drawer, t-shirt drawer, sweatshirt drawer, and jean/shorts drawer, underwear-socks drawer. I find that rolling the clothes instead of folding them works best because you can see them all and take them in and out easily. It also prevents them from getting as wrinkled. In the closets I put dresses together, then pantsuits, then polo shirts, then other blouses and tops.

I have so many clothes (thanks mostly to my wonderful husband who buys me nice clothes all the time) that I take from the left end of the drawer and put them back on the right end. If I find that I want to skip something, it's time to give that one away or try to sell it on eBay.

Organizing Tip of Week 3: Paying Bills On Time

Put bills to pay right in checkbook in order of when they are due. As soon as I get a bill, I mark on the envelope the due date and the amount and put it into my checkbook in order of due date. This helps me remember to pay them when I mark our check deposits.

It is also incentive to pay them quickly because the big envelopes take up so much room in my purse! The phone bill is in the biggest, most cumbersome envelope so that one I usually pay right away, just so I don't have to keep trying to fit it in my purse.

Organizing Tip of Week 2: Keep Things Handy

Keep things handy that you use often. For example, since I teach Sunday School every Sunday, I have a bag (actually 2 bags) that contain all my Sunday School class supplies that I take every week so all I have to do is grab it. I keep my keys on my dresser, pens near all my phones, litter near the litter boxes, coats near the door, etc.

Organizing Tip 1: A Place For Everything

It amazes me how many people find organizing tips helpful so I will share one of the things I do each week to be organized. Organization comes easily to me. Most people I know will tell you that is one of my best strengths.

Have a place for everything, and put things back where they belong. I believe this starts early in life. Teach your children to put away their toys when they are done playing with them. This is not hard. They can do this. If you name any item in my house, I can tell you right where it is--providing my husband did not move it without telling me which makes me nuts!

If you don't have enough storage space, shelves can easily be built. (My dad had a lot of various kinds he made--see pictures of the things he made for me on my blog all about him at My Funny Dad, Harry).