Posted by Serenity in things I love | 8 Comments
excuse me while I write that down
This is my new love. It’s a five-dollar planner from Wal-Mart. Paper, spiral bound, requires actual pen – the whole thing. And I’m just now using one for the first time in my adult life. At this rate I should be graduated to a digital planner about the time we’re all driving flying cars.
Or maybe I won’t graduate, because great texture is very important to me (I can only stand going to the grocery store now that I use cloth bags, and oh how I love leather seats.) And there’s nothing like actual pen and paper for writing down spur of the moment brilliancy and pleasant or not so pleasant I-promise-to-be-theres.
I write down school stuff and work stuff and birthday stuff. I write down blog ideas when they strike me and book ideas when I’ve been allowed to think for a long period of time and finally make it to that part of my life. With a little effort, if I die before my novel’s written, you should be able to piece it together from the pages of my 2010 burgundy planner.
With the love of my planner has come a newfound love for lists and goals. I have word counts written on the days of September. And “What I want most if I could have anything” in the back on the official “Notes” page. That was a fun one. I highly recommend a list like that. I was feeling really out of sorts at the time, kind of unhappy, and certain that very few things in life were just as I wanted them to be. Making that list made me realize how irrational my unhappiness had been. So many things actually are just as I want them, or on their way, and the things I want weren’t nearly as far from what I have as I’d thought.
Still, oh the fun of the lists. Kind of a 5-year/10-year thing, only mine is more like if we’re shooting for the stars, the moon, or something equally delightful but realistically located on the planet.
Seriously, try it some time. Write a list that begins with something like, “I wish…” You can’t worry that it’s selfish or that people would scoff. You’re perfectly allowed to write, “I wish I could win the lottery” even if you don’t buy lottery tickets. If you really want to win it, if you really write that down when you begin your list, then you’ll know. From this point on, you better get your butt to the 7-11 and buy a ticket already.
My car if flying. But I’m not sure I like it. I’m working diligently with my iTouch, but I really miss the tactile sensations of my Retro-berry. I got one of those free planners in the mail the other day, and came close to listing my itouch on e-Bay :)
Good idea about the goals, too. I’m gonna do it.
I’m ashamed to admit that I write less on pen and paper than ever before. My handwriting has started to look like a squirrel ran along the page.
Oh, it’s all so shameful.
But that list of things I Wish…I think I can write that!
I love writing things in my planner. I never use the one on my phone or computer because making the note feels kind of cathartic to me :) I think there was a girl in a movie who did that too … maybe Elle Woods? I don’t remember. Finding a planner for cheap makes the whole experience even better! I remember making a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30 … back when I was 18 and thought 30 was really old. Now that I’m 28, I realize that 30 is really not as monumental as I thought :) I definitely have a list of life goals too though. Places I want to see, things I want to do. I’ve never done an “I Wish” list, but I’ll have to see what I come up with … :)
I wrote everything in my planner when I was in college. Then I graduated…and stopped. And I forgot where I was supposed to be on occasion. Especially since baby #3…so I got a new one last week. I have everything from early outs at school to dentist appointments and haircuts in there. As long as I can remember to look at it often I will be in good shape. It makes me feel good to have a plan on paper.
I have a 12 month wall calendar hanging in front of my desk in my office, and IT IS MY LIFE. It’s actually not only my life, it’s the life of my whole family. Every upcoming event, where we need to be, when we need to be there. Jenelle once told me, “Mom, when you’re out of town, our lives fall apart.”
Yes, forgetting to actually look at the planner after things are written down – this could be my downfall. And that cracks me up, “Our lives fall apart.” That hasn’t really been true with my mothering style thus far!
I LOVE PLANNERS. Or to be more correct these days I HEART PLANNERS!
I haven’t been without one since I took my first real job. In fact, I have several for different areas of my life. I have a bill calendar which hangs on the wall near where I put the mail. When I get a bill, I put the due date on the calendar, and I put pay dates on there as well. Then when I pay the bill, I cross it off. Very satisfying.
I have my work/personal planner too. All appts, school functions, etc go in this planner.
Then I have the magnetic wall planner which is where I put the things that the family needs to know about. Ball games, Dr. Appts, etc. This way Scott can’t say “You didn’t tell me we had back to back ball games Tuesday night!”
Glad you’re on the planner bus with me now! You’ll love it…
Your comment about graduating to a digital planner by the time we’re using flying cars cracked me up! Actually, digital planners have nothing on the paper version … there’s just something about writing it down on paper that so quick, easy, and accessible. I have a little notebook too … and, after reading your post, I think I’m going to expand it’s use a bit!!