When I was young and had a memory that actually worked I did not feel joined at the hip to my planner. With every birth, I have become more convinced that somehow a woman's memory is connected to the baby, because as each child left my body, so did some of my ability to recall where I'm supposed to be, who I told which story too and why am I standing in the middle of the grocery store?? So, as all good women eventually do, I quit trying to wing it, and began writing everything down as my primary plan. My memory had been relegated to a back up plan B.
Over the years I have had many different types of planner and calendars and have finally come up with a system that works for me. I use two planner/journals per year for my scheduling, meal planning and sermon notes. I have discovered a new sweet benefit of my attempts to keep everything running smoothly throughout the year: in writing down all the appointments, meals and thoughts about God, little reminders for kids schools or sports, etc. I have created a chronicle of our year. I have never been a good "journaler" and Millinery doesn't really count because I certainly filter which events and thoughts I share with the world at large. But my journal for my meal planning/sermon notes as well as my daily planner are a true uncensored look at my life.
It was a fun treat to begin looking back at these as a year would come to a close. I could see the ebb and flow of life in myself and my family as I read my weekly menu's, scanned all the plans made with friends and family, all the work appointments and doctor appointments and trips I'd taken. My favorite part was looking through old sermon notes to see how God was showing me more of Himself and His love and His purposes in my life. Some of my scribbled notes and crossed out to-do lists showed me how I still teeter on the edge of over-committing and how I still struggle to be consistent in things like exercise/bible study/healthy eating.
I highly recommend keeping all your to-do lists, menu's, ideas and plans in one or two planners so you can look back as well. It is practical to plan and make lists, but having a year's worth all bound together to reread is also nostalgic and offers a perspective on life I haven't experienced until I began doing this.
Over the years I have had many different types of planner and calendars and have finally come up with a system that works for me. I use two planner/journals per year for my scheduling, meal planning and sermon notes. I have discovered a new sweet benefit of my attempts to keep everything running smoothly throughout the year: in writing down all the appointments, meals and thoughts about God, little reminders for kids schools or sports, etc. I have created a chronicle of our year. I have never been a good "journaler" and Millinery doesn't really count because I certainly filter which events and thoughts I share with the world at large. But my journal for my meal planning/sermon notes as well as my daily planner are a true uncensored look at my life.
It was a fun treat to begin looking back at these as a year would come to a close. I could see the ebb and flow of life in myself and my family as I read my weekly menu's, scanned all the plans made with friends and family, all the work appointments and doctor appointments and trips I'd taken. My favorite part was looking through old sermon notes to see how God was showing me more of Himself and His love and His purposes in my life. Some of my scribbled notes and crossed out to-do lists showed me how I still teeter on the edge of over-committing and how I still struggle to be consistent in things like exercise/bible study/healthy eating.
I highly recommend keeping all your to-do lists, menu's, ideas and plans in one or two planners so you can look back as well. It is practical to plan and make lists, but having a year's worth all bound together to reread is also nostalgic and offers a perspective on life I haven't experienced until I began doing this.
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| My current pretty journal..... |
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| A recent meal plan, and notes from an incredible sermon series through the book of Genesis |
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