Day 7 - Clutter Free - Devotional and project management planner example

Hi Ladies!

Yesterday you read a great post from Glynnis sharing how to organize your ideas and thoughts in one place. So today I wanted to share about my project management planner and how it has literally changed my life! I have tried many different calendars and planners throughout the years but this one definitely beats them all. 

Here is a picture of the various components of my planner. Since I run a company along with a household I decided to keep several different calendars to keep my sanity. Lol!

So I have: 
 * one calendar designated for plans, activities, and school lessons,    etc. all linked to my daughter Symphony
 * one calendar linked to our overall family plans, household bills, important events and dates, etc.
 * one calendar related to my company - upcoming orders, events, shows, etc.
 * a page showing our meals for a week at a time (I have a 3 week rotation.)
 * and finally a neat little journal I bought that keeps track of upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It even has a pocket for each month to hold all of the cards I buy up in advance 4 times a year for these special celebrations. I love...love...love how it's all in one place!

In my project management binder I have a pocket in the front for inspiring pictures and quotes I love - that I tear out of magazines and read from various books. At the end of the month I file these away in my "Creative Idea" folders. This is something I started in January and I'm excited how I can easliy go back now and find exactly what I am looking for - within a minute or two.

I have the main "TO DO" list at the front of my binder and usually organize it a week at a time. I simply take all of my info from my various calendars and get it onto my "TO DO" list. I am one of those people who LOVES to cross things off of her list after completion. Are you? I guess I just love to celebrate the feeling of accomplishment.

I have the MASTER list at the front of my binder that Glynnis speaks of and then my tabs are:

Projects
Prayer Requests and Answers!!
Meals
Ideas - for brainstorming
Gifts - (I normally try to buy up all of the b-day gifts, we need 4 times throughout the year. I also plan ahead in buying for Christmas too, but I will talk in detail about that in a few weeks. My mom, Irene, is simply amazing when it comes to gift buying, AND being frugal. She is going to guest post on my blog in August with all sorts of helpful ideas for you!!)
A Year From Now... a place for goals and things I want to accomplish, a timeline,  and how I need to break them down into smaller chunks to make them a reality!

I also use Pinterest as a source of inspiration and my pin boards really help to organize things I am planning to create. I have run across many women lately who have never been on Pinterest before. If you haven't ...I want to encourage you to check it out. Having your own bulliten boards and the ability to pin and store your ideas is very liberating for the mind. Go to pinterest.com to see what all the fuss is about!

I definitely agree having my thoughts and committments all written down in one central location has really freed my mind and allows me more time for creative thinking. I used to feel like I was in a constant state of overload and panic trying to juggle all of my responsibilites and hardly slept at all. Now things are very different for me and I owe it to my sweet friend Glynnis and her genius organizing abilities!

Today's GIVEAWAY!!!!
I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas regarding your own project management planner. Leave a comment about what you are already doing or plan to do and a winner will be randomly selected on Wed (7/11).

Here's the prize:

A gray plastic coupon organizer, a Mary Engelbreit journal, clear push pins, Mead pagemarker paper clips, Scotch page sticky organizers, Mary Engelbreit sticky notes and sticky tabs

Thanks!
Brandy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please remember this Clutter Free Challenge was posted by Glynnis earlier in the year. Any reference to the January dates of the challenge, and her book or gift card giveaways, etc. no longer apply.

Of course you are always welcome to subscribe to Glynnis' blog.
You can find her at www.glynniswhitwer.com


Two-for-one:  Clutter Day 7 & She Stands Alone Devotion
Posted: 17 Jan 2012 12:00 AM PST

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming two groups to my blog.  The first is my faithful group of new friends who are de-cluttering their lives through my 15-Day Clutter-Free Challenge.  We are on day 7 and we are going to take a look at paper clutter.  I’m also welcoming Encouragement for Today devotions readers who read “She Stands Alone” today.  Finally, I’m also announcing the winner of Karen Ehman’s book “The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized” and Target gift card.  It’s a busy day, but I’m going to do my best for you.  If you are just here for my comments on “She Stands Alone,” feel free to jump to the end of the post.

First a winner of Karen’s giveaway package.  Based on a random selection method, Michelle posting a comment January 13, 2012 at 2:38 p.m. is our winner.  Michelle, send me an email at editor@proverbs31.org with your mailing address.

CLUTTER-FREE DAY 7

Next, I’ll address our paper clutter.  One would think given the digital age we live in, managing paper wouldn’t be a problem.  But it is!  Organizing stacks and piles, papers and files is an ongoing challenge for women.   Especially those of us who grew up pre-computers.

Years ago I saved anything I thought might be handy in the future.  Especially information on paper.  I saved every bill, receipt and magazine.  For years! My approach was filled with “just in case” and “what if” thoughts.   Because maybe, just maybe, I might someday need to know how many times we changed the oil in our vehicle.  Ahem.  (probably not)

It took years before I realized the paper I was trying to manage, was really managing me.  I was over-cautious, overly sentimental, and much too optimistic.  Plus, sometimes I just didn’t know what to do with all that paper, so I postponed making a decision.  And the piles grew.

Maybe your reasons for amassing paper are different.  But whatever the reasons, too much paper affects our productivity, creativity and causes underlying anxiety from the visual clutter. So today we’ll start addressing the paper-based items in our homes.  Remember, we aren’t going to focus too much on organizing, just de-cluttering.  Although I’ll throw in a few of my favorite tips here and there – I can’t help myself.

I’m dividing this topic into three days due to the amount of different types of paper we all have.  Today I’ll talk about what to do with informational content like books, magazines, brochures, and the like.  Tomorrow I’ll address the types of paper we tend to file, like bills, receipts and reports.  Finally we’ll talk about miscellaneous things like children’s schoolwork, artwork and phone numbers on little pieces of paper.

Before we get started, I want to remind you of something.  As I go through the next steps, please know I don’t expect you to do all this in one day.  This could take weeks.  My hope is that by breaking down the tasks, you can work on de-cluttering your paper as you have time.

Okay – enough introduction.  Whenever I start trying to de-clutter paper items, it helps to have some supplies handy.  With paper, a recycling bin is critical.  So get something big enough or you’ll be frustrated fast.  You might also want to get some plastic tubs or boxes to carry things out of the house.

Once I’ve got my supplies handy, the second step is to sort items into similar groups.  Pick one area of your space to tackle.  This might be a kitchen counter, your desk or the table by your bed.  I don’t recommend trying to address your entire house at once.  But if you are up for the challenge, pick a room.

Then, sort all the paper into like stacks.  For instance, books in one stack, bills in another and bank statements in another.  You could have five, 10 or 20 stacks depending on the variety of papers you have.  As you do this, put paper you know you don’t need (old newspapers, envelopes, etc) in the recycling bin.  Do not recycle anything with your name, address or account number.  Tear off that section of paper, and shred it.  Then recycle the rest.

If you are overwhelmed with paper, this approach may not work for you.  You may want to just pick one item to sort at a time.  This will keep this process simple and focused. Maybe you are only going to gather bills right now and that’s okay. Do what works for YOU!

Once you have like items together, you can start de-cluttering.  That might start with putting things where they belong or throwing damaged items away.  I think you’ll have great ideas now that you’ve broken down the problem.  But in case you need some help, here are some tips for what to do with a few common items:

Books –  Books were made to be read. If you have extras, please share them with someone else.
 * Donate to local library
 * Sell used books on Amazon to make some money
 * Sell at a used-book store
 * Host a used-book sale at church to raise money for a mission project
 * Donate children’s books to a homeless shelter or school

Magazines – Do I really need years of Victoria Magazine?  Really?

 * Donate to local elementary school for art projects
 * Clip things you want to save like recipes, decorating tips or craft projects and put in an “idea notebook.  I use a three-ring binder with plastic page protectors.   Then donate the rest to a school.
 * My library accepts donated magazines and sells them.  Check with yours.
 * Take them to your next family or friends get-together and give them away.

Brochures/Menus/Ideas

I created a “Family Fun Book” to keep track of papers I wanted to keep, but didn’t want to file. Using a three-ring binder with page protectors and tabbed inserts, I keep things like takeout menus, brochures, ideas for family activities, movies to see and more all in one handy place.

I know this is just a small portion of what causes paper clutter, but I hope the idea of sorting first makes this more manageable. When I take the time to sort, it’s so much easier to make decisions.  Plus, I see how much I really have. Tomorrow I’ll address more types of paper, including what you really need to keep and how long.

Heavenly Father, some days it feels like I’m drowning in paper.  I have so much anxiety of how to manage it and what I need to keep.  Help me to take this one step at a time.  I want to be a good steward of my time, energy and space and I know that means addressing the paper in my life.  Help me release my grip on things that others could use. In Jesus name, Amen.

Finally …

SHE STANDS ALONE

In my devotion today, I shared about a bold woman I saw standing firm for what she believe God called her to do. I can still see her little figure standing there holding a Bible, her head lowered.

Her devotion to her beliefs challenged me to look at myself and my commitment to stand for what God has called me to do. No matter how hard it gets.  No matter how much I question myself.   In my devotion, I promised to share a personal challenge.  I hope that by doing so, you’ll be encouraged in your own hard place.

Six and a half years ago, my husband and I heard God clearly call us to adopt.  We already had three biological children, but we knew God wanted us to care for orphans.  And it shocked us when God told us our daughters were waiting for us in Liberia, Africa.  This hadn’t even been on our radar screen.

But we obeyed and brought two little sisters in our hearts and homes.  It didn’t take long to realize our daughters had suffered greatly from their upbringing in a war zone.  We knew they would need tender care, but the depth of their cognitive and emotional damage was challenging –  especially since they each have unique issues.

There have been many times in the past six and a half years when I have felt like I was drowning in their complex needs.  I have felt unqualified to help them overcome the hurt and scars of their past.  And my husband and I underestimated the cost we would pay to care for these precious children.  Let’s just say that no one is lining up to make a movie about our great success story … at least not yet.

In spite of the daily, often painful, challenges we face, nothing else in my life has driven me to my Heavenly Father like this calling.  My utter helplessness to heal their brokenness has made me dependent on God like never before. And we are learning the power of the name of Jesus to still the storms like we never did in the calm.

Years ago a friend shared this quote with me:  Don’t doubt in the dark what you know to be true in the light.

This is what I know in the light:
 * We were hand-picked to parent our daughters.
 * God knew their brokenness.
 * God knew our limitations.
 * He never planned for us to do this alone.

Are you facing a mountain that seems too big to climb?  You were never meant to climb it alone.  But you are meant to climb it.  Will you join me in putting one foot of obedience in front of the other?  Will you join me in asking for God’s help when we feel too weak to take another step?  He is faithful.  And I can testify that you will experience the reality of God like you never have before when you turn to Him for help.

Thank you for joining me today.  And if you want to join me on this clutter-free challenge, please sign up to receive my blog updates by email or RSS feed.  You can read last week’s posts by clicking on “Clutter Free” in the categories.

Grace & Peace,

Glynnis