Thursday, May 10, 2012

Blah Blah Blah: My Ramblings Book **POST #4 IN THE MOMAGER SERIES**

Take a look at this:

See that chaotic scrawling? that is notes I was making at about 2am last night when I just couldn't stand laying in bed anymore with these ideas running through my head...I was so scared that if I fell asleep I would "lose" them. So I got up and went straight to my Notes section of my Ramblings book and jotted my free form thoughts down.


This book is really a great little tool in the "goes everywhere with me" portion of my MOMager System...it's what keeps all of the reference material that I will need at any given time. and it makes a great hard surface to write on when I am sitting through my 4th carpool line of the day ;)


The notebook I am using is from the new Martha Stewart Line at Staples...I LOVE the quote on the inside of the front pocket 

OBSESS OVER A GOOD IDEA
"Almost nothing beautiful or brilliant happens unless a person has thought about it a lot" - Eric Maisel, PH.D.

Oh, Martha...she just GETS me ;)

Notice I have divided a plain 100 page spiral notebook in to 4 25 page sections...SIMPLE. 

LISTS


I've been a list maker for as long as I can remember...seriously, I remember writing lists in kindergarten...my mom is a list maker...and my little mini me is turning in to one as well. I make lists of lists to make...I make lists of things to do or to see or to read or to research...etc. Point is, I make so many lists that I really need a specific section dedicated to list making alone. 

NOTES


Next is my Notes section...like I said above, this is for free form thought, or for literal notes in regards to a meeting/special project. Now if your brain thinks better freely like this, then I would suggest you take out the lists section and double up on notes....but for me, I need a list...the notes is just a helpful place to jot stuff down. 

EMAILS


I get a lot of emails. A LOT. and they range everywhere from chatty with my wonderful Nana to PTA information to really important Cheer Emails telling me where I need to be and when a mere 24 hours before I need to be there. Point being, these are important; and since email is my preferred mode of contact (seriously, dare you to try to get me on the phone...its almost impossible) I like to make sure I am getting all of the information I need and responding accordingly. As I check my emails through out the day (I try to only check them twice...while sitting at my computer...If i check them on my phone on the go, I tend to forget to tend to them) I will make note of the important information...make note of any response I make and then file the email in to a folder in my inbox. Yes I have a color code system for this as well...its just a sanity thing :)

CONTACTS



I am probably the worst person with keeping up with addresses....3 times a year (2 birthdays and christmas) I send out mass emails, texts and facebook messages "Need your address, gotta send out birthday invites!" So I finally forced myself to make a place that I will keep all of this stuff handy. Do you see my super awesome way of keeping track of these? Yup those are address labels. Peel & Stick. This way, I have the info in hardcopy with me in case I need to quickly send out a note or find an address...but best of all, these are already saved in my computer in address label form, so when invite and christmas card time comes around, all I need to do is print and I'm done! (sorry you have to look at a blank page...I <3 my friends and family enough to not blast their personal info all over the internet)

Now I know some of you are going to ask me..."what do you do when you run out of space" thats the beauty of this stuff...it allows you to change with the season! it lets you get that fresh start feel 3 times during the year. It will satisfy your clean slate needs all by keeping things simple and portable. The amount of space I have allowed myself should last me through the summer season. And when fall comes around, all I will have to do is find a pretty new notebook that fits my current style and eye candy needs...seperate the sections using sticky tabs and print out some new contact labels and I'm done! 

To those of you who think "wow that is a lot of work.....why not just keep everything in one place? why not just make it last all year?" Because that doesn't work for me. I've tried it, I don't like it so now I'm doing things MY way and I encourage you to do the same :)



**In search of your own custom MOMager System? leave a comment on this post telling me what you HATE about store bought planners and agendas...I'm looking for ONE lucky friend to be the recipient of their own complete File Box System! Complete with custom weekly folders, file box, Summer & Fall seasonal Planners and a Ramblings book...$100 worth of organizing goodies all for you!**

76 comments:

  1. Honestly, I love the ramblings idea! I use my journal much the same way (: do you keep them all?

    What do I hate about store planners? They never have room for my kids, the squares are insanely small...my work takes up a lot of it and I get frustrated and go back to trying to figure it all out :/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a big box FULL of old folders and planners and notebooks :) some dating all the way back to middle school :)

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #1!

      Delete
  2. What I h.a.t.e about the planners or agendas is the I always lose them, there's never enough space to write your appointments or activities
    I cant add pages if I need to sketch something, they look so old or to childish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally agree about the "childish" aspect...I have big handwriting and when I would finally come across a planner with big enough line spaces...it would be covered with hello kitty!

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #2!

      Delete
  3. What I hate about stor planners: I am a work outside the home mom and my schedule is constantly changing and I do mean constantly I am a shift worker and on my days off I still have training events and meetings to attend. My husband also travels a lot and we have 2 little boys ages 2 and 6 and they have tee ball and school events. There is no system I have found to merge all of our schedules and the paperwork that the kids bring home from school is taking over my house. Store bought planners seem to be tailored to all business or all home. Is fustrating and I end up just stuffing the papers away and hoping i remember in time or folding to make them fit in my planner and praying they dont fall out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't that SO frustrating that they don't have a WORKING mom planner? When I used to work full time I remember I would have my home planner...then my work calendar..I was the WORST about double booking myself because I had too many different calendars going!

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #3!

      Delete
  4. Well I think you are doing some wonderful planning and I am excited to see more!

    Even more excited about your giveaway! I actually at one time found store planners effective if I kept three of them at the same time. One for me and work, one for my husband and one for the kids. Then as the kids got older I started feeling overwhelmed with planners...they got lost, left here and there and weren't getting updated and there was no way we all fit into one!! I am a little ocd as well and tried an online version but printing it out is a nightmare and I am terrible about keeping my phone with me for updates. I actually feel like a failure at times in planning.

    Right now I have a weekly folder I make a new one up each week. I'm not looking ahead...sad for a newly single mom with four kids! I keep trying though (: even if it does get overwhelming!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can totally understand that "Overwhelming" feeling...It used to be one of my most overused words!

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #4!

      Delete
  5. Hi! I am so glad to have found your blog last week! I am loving your MOMager series and how *detailed* the posts are. Thanks for the details because they are soooo helpful. I just beginning to slowly try to come up with something that will work for me and help me stay organized. Truth be told, I am in love with store bought planners -- they look so pretty, all stacked up in the store, just waiting for me! Ha! I've been known to buy two or three planners in a year -- I just can't help myself. But then the squares are too small and there's not enough space for each individual day. Then I end up with a bunch of pretty but nearly empty planners sitting around. So frustrating!

    PS. I am anxiously awaiting your post on how you organize your finances, as my own finances are in dire need of an overhaul. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I SO agree at the "eye candy" appeal of planners...Back to school and new years are major weakness times for me ;)

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #5!

      Delete
  6. I am so enjoying this blog, I came from another blog member who is in our office. She's right, it's the most useful system and it looks so together!

    My problem with store bought agendas was how thick they are. Then they'd get thicker and thicker and expensive! I tried using a mommy manager and it was useless! Who only needs five lines to plan meals for a week?

    I'm looking forward to all you can share to make it all easier for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HA! I know what you mean about the thickness issue...it seems they are either teeny tiny, or 2inches thick!

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #6!

      Delete
  7. I'm excited to see all your posts! When Suusi said you have a great system, I didn't expect such an eye appealing one! It is pretty!

    I really hate store bought agendas because I am set on not having to see things that don't deal with me. I buy them thinking I will ignore it and then I just can't do it, so I waste a lot of my extra cash.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did this EXACT SAME THING! I was always convinced "oh I'll just ignore the little time stamps to the right..." WRONG!!!! :)

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #7!

      Delete
  8. I am loving your organizing plan...I think it will work for me! I can never stick with something for a whole year, I need that fresh planner feeling!

    I hate store bought agendas because they never have room for all the stuff I need to plan, and I always have to keep all my notes/etc. separate! Very frustrating!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #8!

      Delete
  9. I hate store planners because they just don't flow with my brain. I am a list maker,but hate how fat daily planners are. I like big boxes on my monthly pages and I hate when the paper is see thru!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The see through paper issue is one I REALLY struggle with...with my incessant need to highlight, I HATE it when my colors bleed though.

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #9!

      Delete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I didn't notice my other post, posted!

      Delete
  11. I'll play! I think your ramblings folder is the perfect compliment to the other folders you carry with you. That way you have something always going. So what I have not been happy with on commercial planners is that they just don't fit everything we have going on in our family. I'm always having to work around them to make them somehow work! We homeschool, so I need to be able to fit that component in there, plus long term meal planning, plus the regular day-to-day activities, plus the house maintanence stuff, plus the gardening stuff, plus we're remodeling our new home, plus I bookkeep for a small not-for-profit...... you see how it goes! Nothing includes it all, so I haul around a big 'ole binder...which I would love to downsize to something more compact. I'm giving your way a go and seeing how it works for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The "big ol' binder" issue is one I dealt with...You seem to have a lot of the same things going on that I do...a need for multiple "systems" that run separably but one "Brain" that becomes the center of it all.

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #10!

      Delete
  12. I hate that store bought planners never have enough room for what I need. I also hate when they get messy--I get a new planner two or three times a year because it has gotten messy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #11!

      Delete
  13. I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS SYSTEM IT IS JUST WHAT I NEED OMG OMG OMG!!!
    xoxox
    Amanda
    www.insuranceoutlaw.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #12!

      Delete
  14. i sure hope to see a finances post, i could really use the help!

    what i hate about the planners, they charge so much and they don't put a whole lot in there! i'm always wondering what the heck, priorities? is that where i put get out of bed? get kids to school? i'm never sure exactly how to use them and no one is there to show me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #13!

      Delete
  15. I have so enjoyed reading all your latest posts! The party idea is wonderful, and your weekly folder is amazing.

    How cool to be part of a giveaway! I have never won anything!

    What do I hate about the store planners, they offer such limited colors, and they suck at getting what is right for me working! They also don't personalize, if you want it done you have to pay out the nose for that! It's scary how it works.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #14!

      Delete
  16. Oh Shelly, I can't even begin to thank you for your posts!

    I have tried 28 planners including a site on creating my own and they are alljust too bulky! I forget to add stuff when I'm on the go and I end up worried and anxious. I think you Momager is a brilliant idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #15!

      Delete
  17. Girl, this is so adorable, I could just eat it up!

    I am the homemaker in my little family. Our little girl is going on 15 (she is in reality 8!) we spend so much time between dance and all that jazz, and a whole bunches of other things we just can never get a calendar that we feel fits us! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, I'd love to own your system! It looks amazing, who doesn't like eye candy that is oh so useful!

    Keep up the posting girlie! You have such a beautiful little family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #16!

      Delete
  18. I hate that I don't have enough room for what I do want to write, and I really hate having stuff in there that I don't need/use. It feels so wasteful to have pages that I'd rather just rip out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #17!

      Delete
  19. I hate that sore bought planners have such tiny squares for the calendar. I also have big handwriting and run out of room quickly. I love that your system has so much for room for lists and lists of lists.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #18!

      Delete
  20. Never have found a system that I will actually use. They always inspire me with all of the pretty blank pages but I get overwhelmed trying to make it work for me. I love the detailed explanations of your system and how it is working for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #19!

      Delete
  21. what i hate? they always have one row for it all. time slots that are so small i end up writing in three of them to be able to read it. and they think i'm a machine that only needs time frames from 7am to 5pm. it's hard to even keep looking for one that fits!

    i'm not sure of why this is making me sign up for blogger when i have my google account? maybe this would actually be a lot easier if they allowed those of us with yahoo or other sites to use our sign in's instead of having to use a google?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #20!

      Delete
  22. I hate spending 50 dollars for a mom organizer from franklin covey and still not have all my bases covered. I still have a notebook for all those things my planner forgets I may need!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #21!

      Delete
  23. There are several reasons I HATE store bought planners, #1 I have yet been able to find one that accomodates all the "hats" that I wear from day to day. #2 the cost of Franklin Covey and all the refills is a budget breaker #3 the fact you have to buy "accessories" & "inserts" to make it usable

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #22!

      Delete
  24. The thing I hate most about store bought planners is that they never seem to fit "my" life. There are usually many sections that I don't use and will often just rip out so as to cut down on the size of the planner. I've tried the binder ones but they are just to bulky and the pages rip out easily. I love your handwriting and I too write big, so finding one that fits my style isn't always easy. I am a sucker for planning/office supplies though and have spend way too much time and money and am never satisfied with how they work. Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #23!

      Delete
  25. I used to love buying planners, I'd buy them. I'd fill them in, and I could never figure out where to store recipes or contacts or notes that weren't at teh very back that I could never find what the date was it was about!

    Thank you for the giveaway! I'm so exited! I love that my brother gave me your site! (I just hope I win!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #24!

      Delete
  26. The worst thing about store bought planners is that they are geared for men. Logic, time oriented, and one dimensional. It just doesnt make sense for a woman-wife-mother-community servant to have a one dimensional time line.
    I love your rambling ideas pages! I think you're really in to something that's not too overwhelming yet complete.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #25!

      Delete
  27. The worst part about store planners they aren't personal, they are business. (To quote You've Got Mail.) Then add to it they think Mom planners need to have flowers and kids drawings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #26!

      Delete
  28. I loved the store bought planners when I was single, then getting married made them harder to use. Having my son made it even harder then becoming a widow, just left me with so much space that I used to use. I can never find one that actually fits planning more than a month out as well, who doesn't look ahead to October? Or next January? I agree with the comment from West Majinney. They are geared to men, and simple for them, too much to think of when you are a wife and mother to make it complete. What kills me is, women that create them that still aren't including enough. Is anyone else being forced to join Blogger.com? Oy! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was forced to, and I'm not sure of why I need a blogger.

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #27!

      Delete
  29. I hate store planners only because I have two older children that drive, and can't keep everyone on the same page. I end up with notes everywhere! They onjly think of one person not more than one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure of why my open ID with AOL isn't working? I'm Lambie99, but I'm not a robot!

      Delete
    2. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #28!

      Delete
  30. I hate those planners because 1.) I'm not a college student anymore, so the ones I like then, don't fit me anymore. 2.) I need lines to write on, and if there are lines, it's not enough space.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #29!

      Delete
  31. I hate most things about store planners, especially the cost and the fact they aren't for those of us who are retired and raising our grandchildren!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #30!

      Delete
  32. You are so organized! I'm amazed and inspired! Heck, I'm trying to remember just to look at my planner everyday and I need lists to function, so hopefully this post will get my "on board" with my hectic schedule!

    Thanks for sharing it @ Creatively Living!
    --Katie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for participating! A winner will be selected via a random number generator and announced on Monday's blog! you are entry #31!

      Delete