Making Organising a Habit

I will get my goals list under control soon. I went off the rails there for a few weeks but I so love the feeling of getting the things on the list ticked off so I am going to keep going with the To Do lists until it becomes easier.

I don't think it will ever become easy. It is just not in my nature to do things systematically. I really have to work at it.

I think that is why I love the Vision Board concept so much. I can be creative and go off on a tangent but the overall affect is a big To Do list with added inspiration.

I keep the board above my sewing machine and each month I create a new vision with new To Do's, new ideas and new inspiration.

I have been using my Goals Journal, my Habits Journal and my Dreams Journal to write up my daily To Do list. My habits and goals are part of what I need to do every day so this works really well.

My habit that I am working on this month is "write up a To Do list every morning". I want to make it a habit even if it is not a part of my genetic make up.

I have beautiful inspiration cards that I bought from Kikki K.

I also have some inspiration words that I printed up myself.

The words up there now are:

Sew, Laugh, Plan

Cheers,

Val

How to plan for your best year ever. No experience required.

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.

I recently read an article about planning for the new year.
It included things like:

1. Answer some simple questions about last year.
2. Write down 25 things you want to accomplish.
3. What is your vision?
4. Write down your goals and make sure you review them regularly.

You may be thinking:

1. So if I am trying to get my act together what have I got from last year that I can review?
2. If I am only listing 25 things they better be important. The small stuff just won't fit.
3. What the heck is my vision?
4. I wrote my goals down last year but I lost the note book or I didn't leave any room for review.

As I read through the article I realised that I was already doing all the right things in an easy to follow method with lots of structure and all in one lovely book that I will not lose. I will be able to keep it and use it to review when I come to do my goals for 2017.
I am not affiliated with Kikki K in any way but I just love the Kikki K Goals Journal.
It is a perfect companion to my 101 Dreams Journal.
You really need both because the 101 Dreams Journal is all about listing what you wish for and the Goals Journal is all about getting what you wish for.

SMART goals are the way to go.

There are easy to work through activities.

1. Smart and Present Goals
2. My Dream Life
   - Including how to work out what my core values are, and
   - How I measure success in my life
3. How I'm Going to get There.
4. Ideal Weekly Planner
5. Things I'm Not Going to Do
6. Monthly sections with room to set out 4 goals for the month, a monthly planner page and a page for review.

You get examples of how to complete the activities.

I will be breaking down some of my long term dreams so I can get started on them this year. I will also be using my 1 year dreams from the Dreams Journal to fill out at least 2 of the 4 monthly goals each month to make sure I achieve as many as possible this year.

Inspiration and instructions

The journals are so easy to use because they include examples and break down the sections into easy to answer questions.

How to write a SMART goal

The 4 goals for each month have several sections to fill in so you know you are writing SMART goals.

Space for 4 goals each month

You can read the original article from Finance Girl.

You can buy from Kikki K online from most countries.
The Goals Journal

Life is just so much more fun when you are aiming for something.
Life is just so much more rewarding when you achieve success.

Happy New Year,
Val

Nothing Happens Unless First We Dream

Just recently I have discovered some beautiful journals from Kikki K. I love to make lists and make plans. I have bought the 101 Dreams Journal, the Goals Journal and the Habits Journal.

I plan to use them together to plan my dream life. I am retired now so career and family planning are not my priorities but it is important to examine where we are going and what makes life happy and meaningful for us even now. I have achieved many things but I don't want to just sit back and drift for the rest of my life.

I prepared a little desk area that is very pleasant to sit at for my journal writing.

I have a small day planner where I keep track of my internet posts.
I have a little dish for my biscuit and a mat for my cup and tea pot.
I have a to do pad where I list what I plan to accomplish sewing and pattern wise.
Just peeping out on the left is my iPad stand and underneath is my colouring book.
In the centre front is my Dreams Journal.

Today I filled the first page with what I am passionate about. I used mainly one word thoughts with commas between them. For example I included sewing, reading, pattern making, cleaning my teeth, along with other greater and lesser passions.

I included cleaning my teeth because my dentist said I had to be careful about keeping my gums healthy to help prevent heart attack. I passionately use a pickster twice a day along with brushing and I floss in the evening as well without fail.

The second page I used to list things that give my life meaning or purpose. I described five things including my family and my doll clothes pattern hobby business.

Until you start to think about them you don't notice how important some things really are to your well being. I found this exercise very enlightening. I am passionate about the big things such as peace, freedom, and freedom of speech but it helps to articulate those little things that make every day a happy day and nurture them.

My tea mug has 'Be Grateful Today' written inside.
One of my pens has 'Be Brave' written on the side.
It helps to be constantly reminded of such things.

A journal from Kikki K. You can buy them online.
I have no connection with Kikki K but I like a lot of their products.

Cheers,

Val

Ready With My 2015 Calendar Pages

I do get a small commission when you buy through my affiliate links.

I love it when things are easy. There may be some free calendars out there but I love the reliability of Mom's Toolbelt. I visit my downloads area and it takes a few seconds to download a whole year of plain or themed calendar pages in a great variety of styles.

I still like the two page spread for a month. I downloaded the summer theme and used some washi tape to tape it to the inside covers of a manilla folder. I added a few plastic pockets to hold planning ideas I am working on this month and the beginnings of projects that haven't been assigned a folder yet.

I also printed out an  'At a Glance Planning' page to list the things I want to do this month in no particular order.

One thing I want to do this month is get back into my applique quilt. It is on the list.  I will put it on the calendar maybe twice a week.
I also like having the calendar and planning files on my computer so I don't have to go on line to get them.

A great resource for quilters and crafters. Get your UFOs listed and organised on pretty calendar and planner pages.



Happy Planning,
Val

How I Use the Calendars in Mom's Toolbelt

One thing I like about have a lifetime subscription to Mom's ToolBelt is having access to a variety of calendar page layouts and knowing I will get the new year's dates without having to look past my MTB download page.

Landscape month to a page Summer theme page 312 of mtb-calendar-monthly-2014-pdf

I love the landscape month to a page view for jotting down my blog planner but I now realise that I need a computer version so I can have active hyperlinks to linkup pages and pattern tutorials.
I link up with several different linky parties and I find it a nuisance to have to open my blog page up so I can scroll down and find the various link up addresses.

Excel version mtb-calendar-BASIC-5wk-xls9703  the basic 2pg (3) table

Today I used the excel version of the month to a page calendar to insert the links into the correct days and I also added a picture of the paper piecing pattern I am going to make as well as a link to the tutorial for the more complicated paper piecing block.
I included notes on what I want to sew each day so that when I walk into my sewing room I don't get side tracked by the first pretty fabric or pattern that I see.

I opened the xls with Numbers on my Mac. It converts just fine.
I merged the cells on one the day sections to add a picture as cell background and I created hyperlinks in other cells.

Export it as a PDF

When I finished I exported it as a PDF into my Google Docs drive so I could access it from my iPad. I didn't need the info about my posts on the iPad but I did want to be able to see the sewing plans and patterns links I had.
I like to use the iPad in the sewing room because it doesn't take up much space.
Here is an image of my calendar. The top photo is my beach :) The PDF maintains the hyperlinks too.

Laptop - Google Docs - iPad - Google Docs - Laptop

I can swap files back and forth from my laptop to my iPad using GoodReader on the iPad to link to Google Docs. A while back I paid $9.99 for the GoodReader app and it has been worth every cent.

I open all files I download in GoodReader now. I can read them, email them, make notes on them and upload them to Google Docs.

One reason I decided to pay for Mom's Tool Belt files was the convenience factor. Just like paying for GoodReader. You generally get what you pay for and if it is for free then it is often limited in its usefulness. Also I liked the drawings on the themed pages :)

I use affiliate links to MTB in this blog. I think Mom's ToolBelt is a good thing and I like sharing how I use it.


Happy Organising,
Val

Personal Planning - Training Your Brain with the 100 Days Calendar

When you don't get up, shower, dress, have breakfast, clean your teeth and put on your makeup then go to work it is pretty hard to set up a routine that you stick to. For a long time I have gotten up when I feel like it, had breakfast as late as 10 o'clock, forgotten to clean my teeth, had a shower after doing the garden or housework and tried to do some yoga in the evening. Really the only habit I had was to clean my teeth before bed.

I needed to find a way to make me feel happier about my day.

37 days ago I discovered the Hundred Days Calendar.  It is a very simple and amazingly affective way to train your brain. The link takes you to the site of the free printable.

I know that it is said you need to do something for 21 days before it will become a habit. I needed 30 days before I just did my 10 mins of yoga without thinking I had to do something else. Before then, each week we would go shopping in the morning and I skipped the yoga because I had to get ready or I just wandered into the kitchen and started breakfast without cleaning my teeth.

Why couldn't I just follow my plan of clean my teeth and do 10 mins of yoga before breakfast without ticking it off. I don't know. It was just too hard.
Knowing I had to tick off my calendar each day reminded me to do those things and also made me think that I would be disappointed if I didn't get to tick them off. It motivated me to get them done each morning.

There is room for three goals each day. I started with two. Clean my teeth and do 10 mins yoga before breakfast. Now I am comfortable with those I have added the morning shower. So regardless of what is planned for the day I am having my shower before breakfast. Just like I used to when I went out to work. If you are not retired you probably can't understand what I am talking about. Suddenly losing the daily routine is quite unsettling. I finally feel as if I am in control again.

This is why it is so important to set up routines with children. It makes them feel in control and safe.
Here is a cute routine I found at I Heart Organising blog.



My days are still pretty free form. I like to sew as soon as I get up so breakfast is still quite late and sometimes I like to sit in bed and play on the iPad but I always do my routine before breakfast.
If there is something that you would really like to include in your day then print out the Hundred Days Calendar and write it on each day. You will be surprised and pleased how well it works.

Happy Organising,
Val

Organising my Blogs

I don't plan to make a living from my blogs or related business but I do want them to generate some affiliate income from Mom's ToolBelt and I want to encourage visitors. After all my blogging is not just a personal journal it is a publication and I hope that I can give back some of what I get from reading other people's blogs.

With that in mind I decided to do a bit of organising :)

Mom's ToolBelt is mainly a household organiser but I really like the calendars and binder/notes pages. They can be used for any kind of organising and combined with some of the free printables around Mom's ToolBelt printables make awesome organiser folders.

The first thing I did was print out a February calendar and plan my sewing blog. I used page 120 of the mtb-calendar-monthly-2014 PDF from the Calendar section under Monthly Dated then PDF 2014. It has all the seasons and black and white calendars for each month in lots of page layouts.

I have lots of BoMs and Challenges on the go and I love to join up all the Linkies for them. Each one has to be linked up on a particular day so I had to organise what went where.

It has helped me decide what to sew each day and also motivated me to do more sewing and blog more. Getting organised has helped me find more time. Well, really it is allowing me to use my time more efficiently.

The next thing I did was look for some specific blog organising printables. I found a PDF at Living Well Spending Less that I downloaded for free and just printed out a few pages that suited me.

I liked the Long Term Goals page. It really made me think about what I wanted from my blog and how I might try to make it more inviting. I want it to be good for me and for the visitors.

I also liked the Year at a Glance page. I haven't quite worked out the best way to use this yet but I will probably print out one for each blog I write and put in some post headings or topics that I could use throughout the year. Kind of like a brainstorming page but with a little more purpose.

I have been getting March ready lately. I am quite a visual person so I have used different coloured pens to highlight the different posts I make such as linking up or sewing progress. This pretty March page is page 216 of the Mom's ToolBelt mtb_calendar_monthly_2014 PDF.

I don't actually have a folder for my blog planner yet but I will buy a small ring binder and set it up like my Home Planner with a cover and spine and dividers from Mom's ToolBelt.

If you like blogging it can be a very satisfying experience to turn your blog into more of a publication rather than just a few musings. Getting organised is a step in the right direction.

Happy Organising,
Val