A little series is being born! We are getting organized here. Reasonably organized (in the same spirit as the Reasonably Clean House — no overwhelmingness!)
The first post: sticky notes to the rescue for those of us who have commitment anxiety when it comes to using a precious notebook for something as irrevocable as taking notes.
Then, making a notebook out of found materials may help, and at least is cute and allows us to handle paper in our dreamy way, if not actually to use it.
I thought I might show you some other ways I use to keep myself from forgetting things… if for no other reason than giving you that great sense that you are doing okay, after all!
I was talking to Rosie and she was mentioning the beautiful Bullet journal of dear Bobbi from Revolution of Love. Go look. Right? How appealing is that? Maybe we can get Rosie to show us her own attempts, inspired by Bobbi's, because I can assure you that this will never happen for me — there is commitment all over those pages! Pages and pages of beautiful commitment!
My commitment anxiety is why I still have a big, blank wall in my dining room:
Someday to be a photo wall, probably coming together around a major holiday. (This is a reference to me finally hanging some paintings in the living room on Thanksgiving morning, which almost certainly took a few months off Natasha's life, although I hope not — by now she knows me, right?? And she was so helpful! Without her and the rest of Team Commitment, couldn't have done it. Pictures to come.)
We are all about doing things the pretty way here at LMLD, which, sadly, the Post-It way of To-Dos is not.
I already admitted that.
And I pledge to you that I will work on upping the aesthetics, probably using the glue stick stuff that was mentioned in the comments, but it will take me a while.
Today let's talk about all the other ways of getting your life Reasonably Organized. Aristotle (not to pull out any heavy guns or anything) said that we ought to have right order. And we should put in the proper amount of time into achieving right order – the time itself must be ordered. In other words, I at least often fail at my efforts to organize because of two things: 1. I just don't, or 2. I put an inordinate amount of time and energy into doing something that doesn't merit it.
Also, know thyself, because if you are the type to go down the rabbit hole of organizing systems, you may never emerge to, you know, get things done.
So what works for me in the different areas of life? There's no one system. It's a collection.
Figuring out menus: I have worksheets for you and a really fool-proof method of getting the food organized, shopping for it, and keeping notes about it. You will need a binder, most likely.
Deep thoughts: For those, I use notebooks, journals, and Evernote. The latter is good for those things you are collecting as you are online. Quotes, sites, smart essays that you don't want to lose. Not everything! Just the good stuff you want to return to — bits of info that, back in the day, you would have clipped and put in a filing cabinet.
So this notebook here on top:
Too good/pretty/formal to actually use as a journal. It holds the names, birthdays, christening days, and other info of my grandchildren. I use my best handwriting in it. I agonized about how many pages to leave in between each child… The map-covered one was some sort of attempt to write about one particular category of ideas. Can't even remember. The battered one is my actual journal, kept over about 10 years, so, yeah. And under that…
A five-year journal.
Let me explain.
You think you will remember the actual events of your life (as opposed to how you felt about them and your deepest most intimate thoughts about them), but the years will go by and you won't even remember them at all, much less the year they occurred. Things like the names of the couple who befriended you in Rome, or that you met anyone on that trip, or what your favorite restaurant was, or the sequence of events that time the sale of the house fell through, or what the lawyer's funny secretary said at the meeting. Ever wonder how, in their memoirs, people remember all those names and events?
Well, they had what amounts to a log. This is that.
This is the best 5-Year Journal I could find. I started it in the middle of last year, and that is why the year above is blank — by July it will be the second entry on each page. Now is a good time to start yours. It could be kept by more than one person in the family. The point is to log what happened — and that is why in historical records you will find “bought six carts of hay” along with “Dad died” which seems heartless but — that's the kind of record it is. You write in it every day. Just a little.
Finally, I learned that for purposes of writing and giving talks, I need quotes and references on index cards. So now you know how hopelessly old-school I am, despite my best efforts to do things digitally. However, there is no substitute, I have found, for going through those note cards and being able to handle them, put them in the order I want and need, and then file them back away. I am going to need a bigger card file, though…
Yes, there are 3 x 5 cards and 4 x 6 cards. All in there together.
I also learned — too late, alas, but trying to make up for it now — that it's a good idea to write in your books (one of the many good thoughts in How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler). I used to be super anti marking up a book. But — you don't want to have to reread all your books (unless you want to!) in order to remember what you thought. You want to have a conversation with your future, possibly busy-because-she's-preparing-a-talk-or-teaching-a-class-or-simply-making-a-point self.
Underline and make notes in the margin in a way that doesn't make the text unreadable — but do it.
(This charming page is from The Memoirs of Louis Bouyer, a book with a fantastic beginning and a fantastic ending — and basically a romp through his log book in between — names and dates and places and not too much more!)
Google calendar: You need it to be able to see your recurring and one-time events and those of your spouse. You can have a big white board in the kitchen, but if you are both on the go, online is best. Want to escape from the sense that your husband has no idea when soccer practice is, even though it's the same blasted days every week? Put it on the sync-able calendar. Ditto pulling all your calendars together. In the olden days, I had yet another binder for all the sports and activities' calendars, and I'd have to transfer them all onto my big kitchen calendar. Now, that activity better use a google calendar so you can add it to yours. You can color code them, and it's amazing.
Pinterest: I think that those who find Pinterest useless are using it all wrong. You might want to read this post on how Pinterest can help you train your eye and become a better homemaker (that post has another link in which I talk about it even more).
Homeschooling: I will put all that in another post. It's too old-fashioned for you anyway!
Those are my ways. They may not be your ways, and that's fine! Tell us how you do it!
And know that it's still like this, next to my desk:
diane says
My bullet journal looks *nothing* like that. While I do some doodling and try to make it look reasonably nice, what I really need it for is to keep track of my brain – and that it does brilliantly.
The key to any organizational system is to find one that actually works *for you*, isn’t it? Something that takes exactly the right level of commitment, that gives the results you need and generally keeps you on track. Psot it notes that *work* for you are better than a bujo that is gorgeous – and whose upkeep prevents you from doing the important things.
Tina says
I agree with you on the comment about Pinterest. People are shocked when they find out how many boards I have on pinterest, but that is so I can find things. Its perfect to file away recipes to try (sorted seasonally and by type, of course!), a place to put homeschooling ideas, books I want to read, books I can recommend, etc. I am visual, so I LOVE being able to store links that way. 🙂
Julie says
I am writing on my i-pad which is perched precariously atop a piece of art from my daughter, a christmas ornament that needs mending, a power chord, a child’s guide to Tolkein, and two file folders (of whose nature I am not sure, but I am certain they cannot be filed away, or they would not be on my desk.) These items are surrounded by a black vine weevil to show my bugs and art class, my entire history curriculum, the packaging for a set of fleece sheets (which turned my son’s face blue after 2 washes!- letter to the company forthcoming) books to be returned, you get the idea. If anyone needs this post it is me. I lean toward’s the un-ordered, and the “wonder” as in I do wonder what is going on here with all of these objects. I needed this post today!
Thank you,
Julie
Laura Jeanne says
These are some very helpful ideas – thank you. I especially love the idea of the 5-year journal. I wish I had started something like that when I was younger. I am currently 37, and honestly even 5 years ago is getting fuzzy, let alone my early adulthood.
That particular 5-year journal you linked to is very nice. You know what though – I am in Canada and when I looked it up on the Canadian Amazon, it was out of print, and the cheapest copy available was $100! Yikes! Too bad, because it looks perfect. I do have a blank journal my husband gave me last year, and I guess I could use that for that purpose.
Dixie says
Laura Jeanne, I have this one and really like it. It’s laid out very much like the one Leila has. It’s a little pricier in Canada than in the U.S., but it is definitely not $100! http://www.amazon.ca/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452731631&sr=8-1&keywords=five+year+journal
Dixie says
Okay, so Auntie Leila says below that this one is smaller than hers but…honestly, I find it does just fine!
sibyl says
Although my mother maintains that she only has two sisters, I feel almost certain that you are really an aunt of mine and that your sensibilities got handed down to me in that way that they sometimes do from aunt to niece. The notebook post is one I have planned to re-read to really soak in, but this post about the 5-year journal, not to mention the commitment of putting things on a wall, really speaks to me. I also need index cards.
Although I am firmly ensconced in my second decade as a housewife and mother, I am still learning. Thanks for being willing to teach.
Jennifer says
The five year journal is very nice, but could you use a regular journal and just commit to three lines for each day? Then start afresh the next year? I’m wondering if there is a particular reason to cycle back through each year rather than just continuing forward. I hope you can make sense of my question!
I receive/ buy pretty journals and notebooks regularly so I believe in using them up. Although yesterday I made a beautiful mini notebook from a greeting card based on your tutorial. 😊
Jennifer says
I watched a video of a woman explaining how to use the five year journal, and she mentioned how you get to see what you did on that day in previous years when you enter the daily account. I can see how that can be interesting and much less time consuming than getting sucked into rereading lots of pages which I would probably do!
Also, there is a less expensive one listed on Amazon. It is blue.
Leila says
Jennifer, yes, I think you could do that with a regular notebook. I think it would work well. The appeal of this one is just that it’s done for you already. The appeal of cycling back is just that it does restrict you — which is good for a log — and that then you can see your years.
That blue one — if it’s the one I think you mean — is quite small and seems not as nice. I think a regular journal divided up would be fine.
Jennifer says
Thank you for that tip about the blue journal.
I think I’ll make one. I’ve been journaling out my deepest innermost thoughts for years, but like the idea of simply having a record. My husband recently mentioned something in a our Bible study group that we (as a couple) used to do and I did NOT remember what he was talking about!! 😁
Kathy H says
Yes to Google Calendar! Sync-able and on-the-go is a must for scheduling. Everyone can see and if you use Gmail it often has a link in the email to automatically put it in the Calendar.
I’ve been trying to use Google Docs for my log, 5 year journal. That way if I think of it at work, I can just update something quick. My husband thinks I’m nuts, but I think it will be useful to remember those little dates of big purchases or little trips in the years to come. I also have a “baby book” for each kid in Google Docs too, just to log the exciting little things 🙂
Colette says
I started a 5 year journal last January so am on my second time through. It is so fun to read the little snippet that I wrote a year ago. Just small things, what was happening, funny things a kid said that you always think you will remember but totally forget, etc. I wish I had known about these years ago. I would get overwhelmed easily when I would try journaling in the past. This I can handle and stick to and love it.
briana says
I bullet journal, but I don’t do the pretty stuff. I mean, if I have time, but most of the time, I don’t have it. So it takes the pressure off the commitment. 😀 I did just fall into a bunch of wash tape on sale and had a blast with that for a while, but I’m still of the idea that if I have extra time, I’m going to be reading or knitting.
Jennifer says
This may be off topic, but how do you ladies organize your art supplies, particularly the ones the children use? I have a large kitchen cabinet that has been dedicated to arts and crafts for almost ten years, but it’s never really organized. I have things tucked into containers and such, but I have to pull out several containers to get to the items I want. I’ve looked on Pinterest at many neat and pretty ideas, but like Auntie Leila, I can’t commit! I just make due with what I have and I’ve tried numerous methods. Perhaps there is an old blog post someone could refer….
Thank you!
Jamie says
Just commit to a big see-through tub and throw it all in there. It can live in the garage and be The Art Tub whenever you need it. The question is what to do with all their creations….
Jennifer says
Ahh! I don’t know if I could do that… Paint? Oil pastels? Play doh? Glitter? All thrown together? I do have a bin of odds and ends, but I want to take care of our quality media. ( okay, play doh may not be “quality” but our colored pencils and such are. ). I guess I should have mentioned my children are not preschoolers.
Jamie says
Yes, you can. Quality materials suggest quality throwing. Rubber bands hold box lids on tightly. Glitter jars go in a ziplock. Etc. etc.. Older children should understand how to stack things wisely. Such as putting paints on the top. This system worked for us and the children learned to take care of it all. They learned not to be careless-we didn’t replace things mishandled immediately. And if they got glitter everywhere, oh well.
Two or three shallow tubs may be better. One for all things painting and one for all things crafting.
Jennifer says
Thanks. I love how you boldly told me “yes you can!”
Robin says
I’m sorry, but glitter is from the devil.
Jennifer says
I love glitter! I love how everything in the room sparkles for weeks after a glitter project!!!
Jennifer says
I feel the need to give you my report, Jaime!
I followed your advice, and Auntie Leila’s. I cleared out my cupboard and cleaned the shelves first off. Then I looked at my pile of stuff and threw away things in order to see what I was keeping. I ended up with three medium bins- one for all things paint, one for all things sculpting, and ones for crafty items. I had four smaller containers with lids and handles which are just right for markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, and crayons. I put my paper in a hanging file container that can easily be pulled out of the cabinet and can hold a few misc. items like empty pocket folders that are occasionally needed. The only thing I’m not totally satisfied with is how glue and scissors are sort of tossed together in a container but I think I’ll just get over that! Thank you for telling me to just do this already. I feel satisfied having completed a task in a short amount of time using materials I already I had on hand. 😊
Terri T says
I use one of those plastic transparent shoe bags hanging on the back of our playroom door. We have every pocket labeled and all our crayons, colored pencils, glue, scissors, markers, etc go in there. I actually have each category in a ziploc bag too so the kids can take out the items they want all together and then bring them all back and put them in the correct pocket. There are other kinds of over-the-door bags that have larger pockets where you could put things like paper or craft kits, etc. I also have a few sets of those plastic drawers that I have different types of paper or collage supplies, etc. in.
Mary says
Love this idea!!
Leila says
Jennifer, at first I too used a built-in in the dining room for all the art supplies, and we have so many, because Habou is enabler-in-chief when it comes to crafts. Which I appreciate, I really do. Things got easily jumbled.
I found that it’s really important to put like things together in bins, well labeled, and to put bins on shelves. It happens that now I have a large closet with shelves that is “the craft closet,” so I feel abashed at even mentioning this. But if there is a place for shelves anywhere near where your kids tend to want to do crafts, this would be the best solution.
Some thoughts on that: Basement stairs. If you have a finished basement, shelves on those stair walls are prime storage. An area of the pantry, if you have one. If you have a large coat closet, what about dividing it and putting top-to-bottom shelves on one side of it.
Glitter goes on the highest shelf 😉
Jennifer says
Thank you, Auntie Leila. I didn’t see your reply until after I completed my organization project, but I will keep your advice in mind when it comes time to clean it out. As we know will happen… 😉
Lauren says
Dear Auntie Leila- please do share all your old fashioned homeschooling ideas. I am a fairly new homeschooler and would love old fashioned tips since I am rather that way myself. Nowdays when I ask for advice most people suggest technology. “You don’t need to use books to teach math. Here is a computer game app that will teach for you and you can do it while on the go!” Oh dear! I am not opposed to technology but that doesn’t sound like a legitimate plan. So, please do share- it is needed!
Sara says
I love this series! I’ve tried a three-item to-do list on a post it note this week and the thing I’ve noticed is that keeping the list short makes it much harder to neglect the things I’m supposed to be doing every day for the sake of the stuff I “have” to get done off the list – like, well, I did my three things, so I guess I have time to wash the dishes after all.
I recently got this box – http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J07JYQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00 – for my copious index cards (grad school habits die hard). It’s nice and sturdy, although I am now committed to 3×5.
My husband is great about taking notes in books that are helpful to him later, and he also seems to retain what he’s read better than I do as a result. I do like to make a little index on the last blank page or two to refer me back to pertinent points or write out ideas linked with relevant page numbers, although it’s always a little depressing to look through my notes in a book and discover I’ve had the same life-changing, earth-shattering, break-through realization before and…forgot it.
Leila says
Sara, Habou gave me just such a box. It’s just so much bigger than what I have now… I’m… not… ready 😉 And first I need to clean out the bookcase next to my computer so I can put all my books away — the ones currently on the little white table on the other side (which I pictured at the end of this post). And that means finding places for the books that are there.
But yes, index cards are surprisingly helpful!
Kelsey says
How important do you feel it is to journal? The deep thoughts and feelings kind of journaling. I’ve never been able to commit to keeping a journal, and I wonder if I will regret it in the future. I am overly critical of what I write, I can’t stand to read some of the things my younger self wrote when I did (shortly) keep a journal. Now, I am considering giving it another go.
Ellen says
I think you should just do what works for you, I am pretty much the same as you – I ended up burning my journals from when I was younger because they were just too… just too much! I have been doing the ‘One Line a Day’ (thought terribly unreliably) and I find that is great because it kind of gives me a feel for how things were going, the sentiment of the day and any notable points without all that deep OTT stuff that I don’t care for. Actually, I am reminded now to get mine out again and get back in to it.
Leila says
Kelsey, I am not good at journaling. I’m not even very good at a to-do list. Hence my happiness at finding the post-it system and the 5-year journal.
I think the downfall of journaling, for me, is the “voice” and the thought that I have to be profound about things, when really, I have discovered that I actually just wish I had written down the facts about what happened and who was there!
Over the years, I have written pages about my thoughts — and now I wish they were all on index cards (and have made good progress in getting them on there).
But it’s what works for each person. Deirdre and Bridget at least do journal extensively. Mainly, I would encourage some system for keeping notes on events and people (as in their NAMES — I forget names!!).
Melissa says
I am SO looking forward to this series!
January just screams, “Get organized!”
Unfortunately, I am firmly in the category of “too busy to figure out what works.”
Amelia says
I think I may be even more commitment-phobic! Writing stuff down on paper? It’s all on Google Calendar and Google Drive so I can’t misplace anything or, I guess, write down something that could become obsolete clutter. Google Calendar is brilliant for recurring events, from birthdays and feast days to assigning myself suggested days to remember to do the vacuuming and reminders to perform routine maintenance for things that I’d certainly forget otherwise. I have several different calendars in my account so different categories are different colors, such as one dedicated to meal planning. I put generic meal ideas as recurring events (e.g., soup every Monday, stir-fry every other Wednesday, Saturday night leftovers, etc.) so I don’t have to think up a new meal plan each week, which just always sounded like too much work. I can easily add details or switch it up when I do have good ideas and other days there’s an autopilot to fall back on.
It ends up being a log to some extent as well because I use it to brain dump what I want to do and did do, and the things I don’t get done I drag to another day. I have started keeping a running to-do list in Google Drive because too many ideas get to be a drag to drag (couldn’t resist!), but time-sensitive stuff I keep in the Calendar so it can keep nagging me to get to it. I also keep a budget spreadsheet in Google Drive plus my multi-tab grocery pricebook/inventory system. And a spreadsheet NFP chart that my husband can also look at. It’s basically an extension of my brain! I love reading everybody’s little techniques and continually tweaking my system to perform better for me and “outsource” more mundane mental tasks.
Annie says
Your timing, as always, is impeccable. Just last night as I was going to bed, I said I wish Auntie Leila would write more about index cards, etc. My question is this: please tell me more about that bookcase you have pictured. It looks narrow. There are baskets on it. And a basket of napkin rings. Is it in your dining room? I have an awful side table with two drawers in my dining room now that no longer serves the purposes of a growing family and I desperately need something better.
Leila says
Annie, it’s in the kitchen under the black plate rack, next to the kitchen table. I’m sure you can see a million pictures of it if you look at old posts 🙂
Laura says
I have been working on getting organized by accepting the way I do things, not the way I wish I did them… I tend to struggle with on going pick up… I do better using chunks of time each day, devoted to that task–restoring order. In the midst of doing some unrelated task is NOT the time for me to sweep under the table, wipe it off, and run those books upstairs. I also think that attempting to flesh out the patterns you already follow help you become more organized. For example, for years, we struggled to find a way/place to put my hubby’s work related shoulder bags and misc. papers. We couldn’t just leave them out, b/c we have always had toddlers/babies around to get into everything. So eventually, I emptied out the bottom of a cupboard that we didn’t use for much that was important, and is literally 5 steps from the front door. He knows it’s there and that I will put ANY of his work related things there. This works better than telling ourselves, it should go in our bedroom upstairs. It will NEVER make it up there. Where do you sit when you find yourself needing a pencil? Keep pens/pencils there. We eat in our dining room, which is quite far away from the kitchen. It made more sense for our use to keep the silverware compartments in the dining room and NOT the kitchen, so that everyone can quickly and easily, get their utensils in the same room we eat. Then I put spices in the empty drawer next to the stove! Ah, flow! We do school at the dining room table. Therefore, we have a tall narrow book shelf right next to the table, rather than have it in another room. This enables school related books and papers to actually make it to the shelves, rather than being ambitiously foolish, by trying to relegate all the school papers to another room, or whatever… It’s a journey! Great ideas and suggestions!!
Jennifer says
If this were Facebook, I’d like this comment! 👍🏻 “flesh out the patterns you already follow “
Ellen says
You are so right! You really do have to come up with practical and realistic solutions to actual real life problems. I set up a bookshelf in my front hallway (it’s a tiny hall, and I needed something narrow) and it holds the ‘keys basket (keys, sunglasses etc) and also baskets for seasonal hats and a space for things that are coming in and out of the house, such as library books, loaned items or things that need to be returned. Yes, some books are there too, but it’s primarily a functional thing. I always know where my keys are, I just can’t manage to train my husband though! He’s actually often surprised when he finds his keys there!
Mary Lou says
You are like an Auntie to me and I’m older than you … so grateful for the wisdom and inspirations you share ~ … our new generation needs to know how many things can be done and done better in a practical way and not necessarily on line. I’ve struggled with how to use the computer in daily life. I do love paper and pencil and have found a few very good helps on line (anybody know about plantoeat.com?), but I still hate that the back of my head is more what my almost grown family sees of me than eye contact. So many good things, but I think there is a cost. It’s one more huge to-do and I wonder what advice you have for using technology, especially with everyone on it, versus human contact, family time etc. Does it just come down to discipline?
Christmas morning with all our grown and not all grown children, fiances and spouses, my husband put a large kitchen bowl in the middle of the floor before we opened gifts. He said, “The first person to answer their cell phone, puts their phone in the bowl!” It was a joke, however, he’s a farmer and just can’t love all the technology (cost for one thing) that he is watching interrupt simple daily living, so many interruptions. Old-fashioned for us is really a time when in some ways it was better ~ leisure, knitting, wasting time with children, no screen at all except for Little House on the Prairie. We couldn’t carry the Vatican Library in our pocket, the whole world for that matter and feel how tempting it is to want to ‘know’ so much. I have to confess your blog pushed me over the edge to get my computer skills going so I could be more efficient, but I haven’t acquired much discipline over it. My two blogs that I read are my lifeline, but I need a post-it to schedule my computer hour(s) because once on, it always leads to one more thing I’d like to see and then my to-do list is undone. Does anyone know what I mean? How do all of you deal with this modern day reality which touches us all and yet has made such an impact on our lives for good or for bad? I think that one of the most dangerous heresies of our time or in all of history for that matter may just be that the human person doesn’t know how to be human anymore …. we’ve outdone ourselves, yes? And it seems to be snowballing ~ so there is a big need for ‘old-fashioned’ because it isn’t even old. And I don’t remember my Mom or Grandma needing to organize at the level we all do … any thoughts?
Jennifer says
I was thinking about this same idea this morning. My mom and grandma kept tidy homes and cooked good meals but they were not obsessed with planning and organizing. I know there was a grocery list on the fridge and my mom had a to do list (still does), but that was all. Our lives were not hectic or stressed even though my mother was a single mom for several years. We had stuff- games, books, toys, etc., but not an overwhelming abundance. I think our “need” to organize comes from having so much stuff, yes, even the stuff in our heads and phone. I find my own mind skips around so easily that focusing on something like organizing a cabinet offers a piece of peace because it is not rocket science and I can concentrate on one concrete thing. Does that make sense?
Mary Lou says
Maybe you younger ones can learn to navigate better than we (me) older mamas can! I still find myself doing multiple, unrelated things while interrupted ?? times all day long and bits of pieces of everything get done, but nothing wholely done!! Just like I got so off the topic in our comments! This is a topic for another post Auntie? Organizing is just one part of the whole I guess, but it’s the part I love doing most especially now. And it feels so good! Maybe I need a lesson in ‘scheduling’! I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been doing this for umpteen years and like Leila in nearly the same fashion, but my system needs updating since technology snuck in there! Real old-fashioned was that ‘time’ before we had the computer to better our lives …! I did order the five year journal! All my other pretty journals are piecemeal ~
bobbi @ revolution of love says
Organizing posts make me giddy but when I saw my bullet journal mentioned by people that I love and admire, I almost fainted. Thank you! I will say that the original bullet journal is not decorated at all. It is simple and streamlined. My sister uses the bullet journal and she does not decorate it. I do, but that’s me! It’s important you use something that you love and will use, whether it is cut and dry or decorated galore. As long as it is serving it’s purpose. I could never have used a bullet journal five years ago when I had babies and toddlers. But now that my youngest is 4, I have more evening free time, so it works. Anyway, I loved the post and look forward to reading more. 🙂
Leila says
Bobbi, our pleasure — your journal is a work of art. It makes me question all my choices in life 😉 My youngest is almost 19… LOL.
Seriously, thanks for the inspiration!
Lisa G. says
Ah, a bullet journal in the hands of an artist can be a wonderful thing! Mine is a mess; but I do like the system (if I can just remember to bring it with me at all times – ahem). I’m sure Deirdre would be good at this!
Mary Eileen says
Is scribbling lists, recipes, book titles, and upside down lecture notes randomly in a moleskin, then ripping the pages out or lavishly X-ing defunct lists with the stubs of children’s crayons called bullet journaling???? If so, mwahahaha! I have you all beat by at least 5 years!!
Second, my husband’s grandmother did multi year journaling for years – hers must have been a 20 or 30 year journal because each day had only one line, and it was probably standard notebook size. I’ve always thought that would be a cool thing to do.
Donna L. says
Dear Auntie Leila,
Thank you for helping me get reasonably organized! Yes!!
I would love to hear more about “old-fashioned homeschooling”, too, please!
I find it amazing that people keep journaling–I sometimes find a moment to write on my oversized wall calendar funny things family members say and celebrations and things “to-do”–but that is about it~
Ann Voskamp uses a large, blank artist journal with large pages to write down things for which she’s thankful, as well as a list of things to do, and artwork she does in the borders~sigh, I wish *I* were an artist of any sort…..I found her ideas inspiring~
logan says
I love book serendipity. You mentioned the Louis Bouyer book in a response to my comment on Goudge and the name was in my head. And then after I read this quote you highlighted above I came across the same (or similar) quote in the “Duty of Delight” Dorothy Day’s journals, which I’m currently reading. Apparently she also loved Bouyer.
Heather H-M says
Dear Auntie Leila,
I really love this blog … and this series on organizing. I too find it hard to commit to organizing/cleaning an area. These suggestions are great.I hear that google calendar is the way of the future but I haven’t figured it out yet:(
Also, I am inspired by that 5 year journal!! Because I always thought I had to write a whole lot more…. but I don’t.
thank you so much!
Libby Jane says
Auntie Leila,
I have loved this series on organization! I find it helpful to see the different systems. I’ve been turning your post-it concept over in my mind and playing around with it. I found packets of post-its recently in colors other than fluorescent and pastels. They were named for cities; Marseilles, Bangkok, ets. I think the Bangkoks were mostly flour., though.
I like the idea of taking out the item instead of crossing it out or checking it off. This is big. I want to use paper but find pages full of crossed-out or checked off things muddies my thinking.
Thanks again!
Rebecca says
Thank you for this! My digital systems include pocket for saving articles online to read later (the Chrome browser button is handy and syncs with my iphone), Goodreads for keeping track of the books in my life (its own button lets me save books I’m checking out on Amazon so I can hypothetically order/read them later), YNAB for budgeting money, “Copy Me That” iPhone app/web system for recipes, the ShopShop app for shopping lists, and Evernote for sundry other lists like passwords and login information. Paper systems include a small pocket purse calendar for events and little logs of habits I’m trying to form, e.g., working out every day for a month. I plan to use your post-it-note system (which I think is quite pretty, by the way) for a daily to-do list, so thank you for that! I think eclecticism/pragmatism is a suitable philosophical approach to organization systems. Find pieces everywhere and use what works!
J says
I bought this 5-year journal and so far, I really like it! The cover truly feels so nice in my hand, and because I am merely writing down facts about what happened that day, I leave it out on my desk, and yesterday I read it to my husband, which I would feel weird about doing with my regular old journal (the one I cannot seem to keep up with). In hubs’ words, “this is great because now I know what happened that day too, even when I lived it with you.” 🙂 Thanks for sharing the specific journal you use! I have wanted a five-year journal for so long and this one is perfect.