The Best Laid Plans are Flexible

As you know, last Friday I posted what I realized was an aggressive list for Finish it Friday. Since the weekend is when I have my biggest block of “do-stuff-around-the-house” time, I love the idea of starting the weekend with a to-do list—a.k.a. my Finish It Friday list. My list helps me stay focused during the weekend, which means more things get done than if I didn’t have a list or a plan.

Now, from working with clients and online workshop participants, I know there are those of you out there who avoid planning because you feel like if you make a plan you have to follow it. The thinking goes something along the lines of this: If I make a list for the weekend and don’t check everything off the list then I feel like I’ve failed.

Ouch! That is pretty high stakes stuff. Do it all or you’ve failed. I can see why you’d resist creating a plan if success or failure was that black and white!

My approach to planning is a bit more flexible. See, I didn’t finish my entire list this weekend, but I did get an awful lot done. I don’t think I failed at all. What do you think? Here’s what I checked off my list:

• List three items on Craig’s list. Partial check. One item was listed, the other two are closer to being listed, but not quite done.
• Straighten up the basement back room.Check – and well worth the effort. Yay! 
• (Start) and finish cleaning the house! Check!
• Transfer photos to jump drive for my family in Michigan. Check!
• Order samples for master bedroom window blinds. Check!
• Paint a picture frame. Check!
• Finish up my projects for Get Organized for the Holidays. Nope…but hey, that’s what today’s for, right?

So…did I fail? Well, first let’s explore why those other things didn't get done. In a nutshell, I got a better offer (or made a better plan.) Yesterday, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful October afternoon and go on family outing to the pumpkin farm. We left the house at noon for some much needed clothes shopping for the kids, and then headed to the pumpkin farm. We returned home at about 8:30 PM after dinner at Jay’s parents. Long story short—there wasn’t much time to get things done yesterday! And that was fine by me. Because I made my plan on Friday, I got a lot of stuff done on Saturday. Even though all I did was post one thing on Craig’s list and put a second coat on that picture frame—I wasn’t at all taunted by my to-do list yesterday. I knew the world wasn’t going to come to a screeching halt if my other two items weren’t listed, and I knew that I could finish up the holiday class projects today. So…it was all good.

The moral of the story is this. When you make a plan, even something as simple as a weekend to-do list, you don’t have to get it all done to be successful. This isn’t a case of all or nothing. Anything you check off your list is a success. Every check mark is progress. Every check mark is a step forward.

So if you avoid making plans or even to-do lists due to fear of failure, try reframing your thinking. To-do lists and plans aren’t all or nothing propositions, nor are they set in stone. They’re a tool to make it easier to get things done—and they do work! So give planning a try and give yourself the permission to keep it flexible! You can change it, tweak it, delete things, and defer things to your heart’s content. Remember, the best laid plans are flexible.

So…I’d love to hear from you. What works for you when it comes to planning, making to-do lists and getting things done? Do you love lists or avoid them like the plague? Or, if you’d like to share what you finished this weekend, you know I’d love to hear!  (And thank you to Brenda, Mikia and Cheryl for joining me in Finish it Friday! And Michelle, I look forward to hearing from you next week.)

Happy Monday!

 

 

Join Me for Lunch?

(Or maybe coffee…depending on where you live.) I’ll be hanging out with the super fun ladies on the O’Myth Radio show today at noon Central / 10 AM Pacific! Come have a listen as we ponder “Supermoms...do they exist?” Hope to "see" you there!

Perseverance

If you’re anything like me, your college years were filled with two primary areas of focus:  studying and having fun. (And if I’m being completely honest, for me those two priorities were flipped. But I digress…)

The real point of this post is to tell you about Carolyn Rubenstein and her new book. See, for Carolyn, the standard college repertoire of studying and having fun weren’t all she accomplished during college. She did much, much more. For example, she continued her work at Carolyn’s Compassionate Children, a charitable organization she founded at age fourteen to help children with cancer and other serious illnesses. And she wrote a book—a book that would come to be PERSEVERANCE, a book that just yesterday was released to the public.

As Carolyn says, “I wrote PERSEVERANCE while I was in college, and it became my way of communicating to 20 important people in my life. In short, it was a raw, emotional, and deeply personal experience. PERSEVERANCE is a collection of candid stories from 20 young people who have faced cancer head-on and emerged with a new outlook on life. Contained within the pages of PERSEVERANCE are life lessons that all of us can take away, with the message that “now is everything.” This book is a labor of love, and I hope the life lessons I learned from these brave survivors will inspire you, as well.”

These stories do just that—they inspire you in ways you couldn’t imagine.

I’m having a hard time articulating the essence of this book in a way that does it justice. I’m (beyond) inspired that a young person, someone who has never personally experienced cancer herself, has dedicated her life to helping young people with cancer, and now she is sharing their stories and life lessons with the rest of us. When I get this inspired, I get weepy (in a good way) but I have a hard time putting my thoughts together in a manner that is coherent and blog-worthy. I’ve been trying for two days now, so instead of continuing with the struggle, let me just share a quote from the book. This is an excerpt from Caroline Bridges, one of the young people whose story of perseverance is shared in the book.

“Having cancer causes a major shift in priorities. Your priority becomes yourself and your health. It isn’t that you become self-centered. It’s more that you become more attuned to what you need or want. Your health depends on your ability to listen to what your body and instincts are telling you.

 

For me, and probably for many people, I think I used to have an attitude similar to, “Okay, this current life isn’t pleasant, but I can deal with it. Something will eventually change.” I never honestly tried to figure out how to make my life better. I think I just figured it would automatically become so.”

 

And then later she says “It sounds silly, but most of us can’t or won’t admit to ourselves what we really want, and even fewer go out and try for it.”

 

If you’re looking for an inspiring read that will give you a new perspective on life, PERSEVERANCE won’t disappoint. There are so many nuggets of sage advice from young people who have a point of view few of us will ever have in our lives. (At least, so we hope.) As Caroline Bridges shares in the book “You don’t need a terminal illness to hit you over the head before you say, oh, wait, maybe that’s not how my life should be….think of it like I got sick so you don’t have to.”

Go here to order your copy of PERSEVERANCE. You will come away inspired and help others in the process—all of Carolyn’s proceeds from the book will go directly to Carolyn’s Compassionate Children and the Chordoma Foundation. Both are 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.

Finish It Friday is Back!

I mentioned last week that I would be away from the computer and unable to personally finish anything this weekend. Originally I thought I’d skip Finish It Friday this week, but then I thought why? Why take a break now, just when you’re picking up such terrific momentum? (Great job, by the way. It’s been really fun to see what you’ve been crossing off those to-do lists!) So even though I’m offline right now…the finishing will go on! (Hooray!)

If you want to join in the fun this week, just share in the comments what you plan to finish this weekend. And know that I’m cheering you along from a far. Plan to check in on Monday too. I can’t wait to hear what you finish when I get back on-line!

Happy Friday…and happy finishing!

Back to School Idea: Lunchbox Notes

One of my favorite organizing solutions for the school year is my lunch bin, something I blogged about a few years ago. It is still going strong and making the everyday task of lunch prep a notch simpler and a notch more enjoyable.

One of the items I have tucked inside my lunch bin is a supply of lunchbox notes. I found these “lunch mail” notes when my son was starting kindergarten. I fell in love with the idea of surprising him with a little extra something in his lunchbox. I didn’t put a note in every single day, which added to the element of surprise and made note days even more special.

(Photo from the compendium inc. website)

Here are some ideas and resources for stocking up on your own lunchbox notes.

Buy pre-made lunch notes. I found these super-cute lunch notes at Starbucks this summer, on clearance. They already have messages printed on them – but there’s room to also add something of your own, if you like.

I noticed they were made by Compendium, so I checked out their site, and found they carry the lunch mail notes I originally purchased years ago, plus a variety of others like the “You’re incredible” series, and “dream big” and “I’m proud of you.” These are seriously cute. They’re such a great way to send your love to school with your child in his or her lunchbox–which can be great therapy for Mom and child alike.

Make your own notes ahead of time.If you’re up for a creative project, pull together some basic craft supplies and make a few custom-made notes before school (a.k.a. the busy season!) begins. Use up some of your cardstock and patterned paper scraps, and some of your almost-gone-but-I-can’t-throw-them-away-yet letter stickers or phrase stickers. Your kids won’t care if their notes don’t use up-to-the-minute supplies, so it’s a terrific opportunity to breathe new life into some of your older supplies. If you don’t scrapbook, you can still get in on the fun. How about finding fun words and phrases in magazines and make some ransom note inspired lunchbox notes. That sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Create notes on the fly.At the end of the day, the truly important thing here is sending a note to school with your child. This can be as simple as jotting down a quick “I love you” or “Good luck on your test today” on any piece of paper you happen to have around. So if you’re short on time or don’t want to purchase pre-made notes (or can’t choose just one style because they’re all too cute!) consider this last option. Simply corral together some small pieces of paper and some markers, and stow them with your lunch-making supplies, along with any purchased or custom-made notes. You’ll be ready to spread a dose of cheer any time the mood strikes!

Do you have any ideas to add? I’d love to hear from you! 

What will you finish this weekend?

Who is up for another round of Finish It Friday? I know I am! I’ll be away next Friday…so I have to do some serious finishing up this weekend to prepare for being away and to make up for being away! So…here are a few of the things I plan to finish this weekend:

Grocery shopping. Okay, this one shouldn’t even be worth mentioning…but I’m afraid if I don’t mention it, I will continue to talk myself out of going to the store. It’s amazing what you can find to eat when you really don’t want to go grocery shopping. I’m okay with this new approach; my family—not so much. So…grocery shopping is on the finish-it list. (My shopping list is made…so it’s just a matter of going.)

Update the family calendar. My calendar is one of those blank ones that you fill in yourself. So the goal this weekend is to get the entire school year filled in and record school holidays, etc.  

Sign Kailea up for soccer. The form and check are filled out…so this just needs to be finished up.

I’m sure the list will grow…lots to do this weekend. My brother-in-law is coming to town this weekend so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for doing (and finishing!) stuff. So the list above is what I’m going on record with!

How about you? What nagging to-do will you check off your to-do list this weekend? Let me know and then, be sure to check in on Monday and share your victory (or victories!). I was so excited to see what everyone accomplished last weekend—congrats to all of you who participated! Let’s get some more things checked off this weekend. Are you in?

Create a Family Message Center

As I mentioned before, it’s hard to believe…but summer is winding down in my town. We have just over three weeks to go! Needless to say, back-to-school is back on my mind! I’m ready to kick it in to high gear. Yes, I’m still drinking in the joys of summer, but I also have some fun things planned over the next few weeks to help us all get ready for back to school.

Now if you don’t have school aged kids to get ready, you can still join in the fun. Back-to-school is a great time of year to get back to order, back to routine and back to the comfort and joy that order and routine bring to your life. So when you’re ready to get back to order, come here for ideas and inspiration to get you started! By the way, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign up for my newsletter, because you’ll find even more back-to-school ideas there.

Alright—let’s kick it off by talking about the family message center, sometimes known as a command center. Here’s what’s included in mine:

1. Magnetic chalk boards.

 

Our message center includes one magnet board for each family member. We record daily chores and to-dos on the kids’ boards, and it will be a great place to jot down assignments and reminders once school is back in session. I use mine for family to-dos. I keep my main calendar and to-do list in my office, so the chalk board helps me keep personal errands and to-dos in sight and in mind when I’m out of the office. Chalk and washcloth-turned-chalkboard-eraser lives in IKEA pots close by.

 

2. Command central binder.
This binder (shown in photo above behind basket) keeps all sorts of family reference paperwork handy yet organized and out of sight. Essential items like carry out menus, phone directories, team sport schedules, the classroom schedule and procedure info sheets, etc. all live in our family’s command central binder. (If you want more info on setting up a customized reference binder like this for your home, this topic is covered in the Paper Clutter Workshop, or you can DIY using the instructions included with the Command Central Binder.) 

3. File basket and file folders.
Both of my kids have a file folder labeled with their initial. These folders hold short term reference items—things that don’t make sense to take the time to slide into a sheet protector because we won’t be holding onto them very long. Items like the weekly spelling list or the guidelines for science fair projects will be tucked inside each child’s folder. Also in this basket are pens and pencils, store shopping coupons, and right now, the summer 2009 folder, which has info for camps and other activities that are going on this summer.

 

4. Family calendar and menu plan.
I use a large family calendar to keep track of the kid’s activities, due dates for school projects, school holidays, and so on. This lives nearby on the refrigerator, which is also home to the weekly menu plan and a running grocery list.

 

 

Does your family have a message center? How do you organize yours? I’d love to hear what works for you and your family. Thanks for sharing!

Weekly Organizing Quick Tip: Slow Down…

In my neck of the woods, summer is more than halfway over. I can hardly believe it myself…but school will be starting in just four short weeks! It’s time to slow down and savor the rest of the summer.

It’s time to slow down and enjoy fresh vegetables from the garden and meals cooked on the grill.

It’s time to slow down and enjoy trips to the pool with my kiddos.

It’s time to slow down, put my feet up, and relax in my hammock with a glass of iced tea and a good book.

It’s time to catch some fireflies, make some s’mores, and simply enjoy the best that summer has to offer. 

What’s on your summer to-do list? Does it include slowing down and taking a few minutes to drink it all in? If not, slow down for a minute today and make a short list of simple summer pleasures. Then…slow down…and simply enjoy!

  

p.s. I'd love to hear your list of simple summer pleasures! Please share your summer-time favorites in the comments. Thanks. :)

Hello Friday (afternoon)

It’s Friday…which always makes me happy. A weekend fresh with possibilities is just around the corner. Hooray! I have a few things I want to finish up this weekend. I need to donate some books to the library, and “list bike carrier on Craig’s List” has been on my to-do list for far too long. This weekend will be the perfect time to do it…the weather here today is gorgeous. (Though chilly enough to cut a picnic short—it's a perfect day for a bike ride.)

So those are my two Finish It Friday commitments. How about you? What do you plan to finish this weekend? (If you haven’t played along with Finish it Friday yet…you can find out all about it in this blog post.) Hope you join the fun!

It's Friday...

Who's joining me for Finish It Friday this week?

Are you in?