Planning Ideas and Resources For The New Year

Around here we're not big on resolutions, but now that the holidays are coming to a close and life is settling into a regular pace, we took a few hours yesterday to look over our l-o-n-g ongoing project list and began making a plan to start chipping away at it.  Rather than thinking big picture and planning out the whole year, we just focused on what seemed do-able for January, then towards the end of the month we'll revisit and see what we were able to accomplish.

Along with that, I  have my own list of ideas and projects that I'm mulling over, books I'd like to read, ideas for posts I want to share here with you, as well as making an earnest effort to get back to writing my book, which is something I barely touched this year. There are also a number of crafting projects I'd like to try my hand at. . . . if I'm honest, there are so-many-things that pique my interest, I have a hard time narrowing it all down. That's why I like to keep lists and plan things out, and while I do utilize my phone, at heart, I still prefer an old fashioned paper planner.

I've been putting together my own planner for awhile now, and it's something I look forward to about this time every year. That along my with my portable office cart is how I keep things organized and running smoothly. My planner has varied over the years, but at this point I've finally settled upon a system that is working well. I'll be sharing more about that in the coming days, but for today I thought I'd direct you to some of the free resources that I've used in the past, and some that I still do. Perhaps if you've shifted to your sights toward the new year and have your own list of to-do's, you might find some of these helpful.

2025 Yearly Calendar

This website offers a number of options for a one year page at a glance calendar. I keep one of these at the front of my planner as well as another on clipped to the front of my weekly files.

2025 Monthly Calendars

And at the same website, you'll find monthly calendars that you can print, as well. 

Weekly Calendars

This website offers a number of styles for weekly, day-to-day planners, and here is another one that looks nice. 

To-Do List

I've found a to-do list to be one of the best tools to help me keep things moving and achieving my goals. Something about writing it down and getting it out of my head and on to the paper. I'm much more likely to get it done if it's somewhere I can see it every day.

Suggested Home File Categories For Organizing Your Filing System

One of the things on my to-do list is go through and clean out and organize my files. These category suggestions might prove helpful.

From here you'll find a number of other ideas you could include to help you break down tasks and stay organized. 

- 12 Lists To Help You Organize Your Life

- Home Project Notebook - I really like some of the ideas I found here!

- Make A Yearly Meal Plan - I don't know about planning meals for an entire year, but she has some good ideas! My friend, Heather, breaks her meal plans down by season and that's something I plan to try to implement this year.

- Password Log in today's age, keeping up with ALL the passwords can be challenging. Having them logged in one place can be a huge timesaver.

- Subscription / Membership Tracker - this is something I'm going to be adding to my planner soon. It's just too easy to lose track of things you're paying for but never use!

- Monthly Re-set - 10 things to do at the beginning of each month. I LOVE this idea!

This should give you plenty of ideas and resources work with, and if you don't find what you need, just Google "Free Planning and Organization Forms" or visit Pinterest and you'll find more resources than you'll ever need. As for me, I like to take an idea and then create my own forms using fonts and colors that I like, so that's what I'll be doing with a few of the resources I linked above.  I also have other forms I've made, and I'll be sharing those here in the days and weeks to come. I'm going to begin the year with a series of posts about my homemaking routines, so if you like that sort of thing, be sure to come back and visit. I'll be sprinkling posts on other topics as well to keep things interesting and I hope you'll join me!

❊

My Portable Office:What's In My Cart And How I Use It

If you happen to be a person who enjoys posts about planning and organization and learning about systems that other people use, then this post if for you! And if not, feel free to pass this one by and hopefully in the coming days I'll post something that will interest you. This post will be image heavy and perhaps over-explained, but since I am a person who enjoys these types of posts when I come across them, I thought today I would share!  The picture above is my rolling cart. I bought it a few years ago from Amazon, though it doesn't appear that this particular model is available anymore, which is frustrating because I was considering purchasing a second one for all of my Bible study supplies, so I guess for now, I'll stick with my current system (I'll discuss that in an upcoming post!).

I think the best way to explain what is on this cart and how I use it would be to simply start at the beginning with the top shelf and then work my way through until we reach the bottom, and so with that, let's begin.

SHELF #1 - TOP SHELF

This is a picture looking straight on at the contents on the top shelf.  

In the very front is where I keep my Ipad.

Behind that I have a small hanging file folder basket where I keep my seasonal, monthly and weekly files, although I just realized my Autumn file, (I've already switched from summer), which would normally be in the very front, appears to not be in here, so I'll have to look for that tomorrow. Never the less, for now the first file you see is August, and behind that there are files for Weeks 1-5, and since we are in Week 1 it is currently in the front. Typically this time of year I would still be in summer, but I've been a little lax with my filing system this year, and I never finished it out. That is why I've already switched over to autumn but I am still working my August files. Behind Week 1 there are files for Sunday-Saturday, and these files get rotated daily bringing the current day to the front. At the end of the week, I will bring the Sunday folder back to the front and then rotate the weekly folders to Week 2 and place Week 1 in the back. I will do this all through August, and then at the end of the month the file for September will come to the front and the August file will be moved to another hanging file folder basket I have that houses all of the out of season files until the following year. Hopefully that makes sense. :)

I don't use these files as heavily as I once did when we were homeschooling, but enough that I appreciate having the system in place. I've used this system for years, it's familiar and it works.  I use the daily files most of all, it's where I keep things like receipts from any shopping I've done that day, mail that I want to keep, notes about upcoming appointments or fun events I want to attend, among other things. I work my files every Sunday afternoon, and as I go through my daily files for the week everything that has accumulated in them gets filed to a more specific place, and then I start the week fresh with empty files.

The picture to the left is a top view of the same shelf.

Behind my hanging files is my planner which I use daily, and it deserves a post of it's own, so I'll be sharing more about it soon.  And then behind that is my clipboard filled with notebook paper (college ruled!), because I am a writer and I write down everything! After that  I have some clear pocket sleeves, which is a new system I'm trying out. I have seven of them, and they each hold a print out of my daily routine. I also have this in my planner, but I found that dry erase markers were not working as well as I would prefer on the cover sheets, and these pockets are designed to be used with dry erase markers. I tried it for the first time last week and so far I'm liking it. And then behind that I have an accordian folder where I keep important papers and files. I don't have nearly as many files as I once did and most of them fit easily here. I do have a small plastic filing box in my office where I keep my archived files, but most anything I need access to is in this accordian file.  Then on the side you can just see a couple of pairs of scissors, and there are a few pens in a little pen cup, as well as a whole punch, a couple of rulers, just a few basic office supplies at the ready. I also have another small accordian file on the side next to the hanging files, and another small spiral notebook with some 3x5 cards inside of it. My plan is to use this to keep track of all of my passwords. I currently have them in a note on my phone, but I decided that probably isn't the safest solution, so I plan to take some time to write them all down and keep them in this little notebook.  The small accordian file I've had for a couple of years now but still haven't found a use for. I've considered tossing it a couple of times, but I really like it and I think eventually an idea will come to me and I can put it to use.

SHELF #2 - MIDDLE SHELF

The second shelf is where I keep most of my notebooks. I have a notebook for blogging, which you can see more clearly in the first picture at the top, a notebook for a book that I am and have been writing for a couple of years now, my recipe/meal planning notebook, and a notebook for our house/homestead, which I haven't used as much as I thought I would and I may end up repurposing, but the other three I use regularly. I have two other notebooks that I use for Bible study. One notebook is dedicated to the my study of the spiritual practices, and another houses my individual studies of each book of the Bible as well as other studies I've done in the past. I would like all of them to fit on this shelf but they don't. I currently use a morning basket system for the Bible study supplies, and I suppose for the time being I'll just continue on with that. 

In the back you can see a black and white striped magazine holder and that holds a good portion of my scrapbooking paper, although I don't scrapbook, at least not in the traditional sense, anyway. But, I do like to keep little journals that I make out of cheap composition notebooks. I used to make and use these all of the time and I've kind of fallen out of habit with that practice. But I'm in a stressful season of life right now with a lot of unknowns and struggling to find the balance, so I think I might try to resurrect that idea, and . . . that will have to go on the cart somewhere as well, so I'll have to figure that out. Anyway, I use scrapbooking paper to cover the front of these composition books and to decorate the insides at times as well, and since red and green are my favorite colors . . . . as you can see, most of my scrapbooking paper are Christmas designs, but the biggest percentage of these patterns, the florals and plaids, work for me year round.

On this shelf I also have three journals. The two black ones are my dump journals and typically I carry one of these with me wherever I go. The world is filled with inspiration, and so often when I am out I'll see a quote, or hear a song, or find a neat recipe in a magazine. Just the other day I came across some sauces that Ranch is making, they have  Garlic Ranch, and a Hot Honey and Jalapeno flavor, but I don't see those two on Amazon. Anyway, I want to look up recipes for ways to use them and maybe try a few, so into the notebook it went. Sometimes I will take a picture on my phone, as well, which I did with the sauces because sometimes a visual helps. But if it's just a quote or an idea that comes to me that I don't want to forget, I try to immediately get it out of my head and into the notebook. Then on Sunday afternoons I go back through my notes from the week and move things to another location, like my commonplace notebook, or if it's an idea for a topic I want to discuss here, I'll make a note in my blogging notebook. As I move each item I draw a line through it in my notebook so I'll know it's been processed. And as for the Snoopy journal, I  recieved it as a gift and I've had it for several years now but so far Ihaven't written a thing in it! But, I loved the gift and the giver so it's not going anywhere. If it's Snoopy, it's a keeper!

And finally . . .

SHELF #3 - BOTTOM SHELF

This shelf is where I keep additional office supplies, envelopes, post it notes, 3x5 cards, a larger three whole punch, a stapler, glue sticks, tape and my small collection of washi tape which I use to decorate my journals, as well. 

I also have two bags of pens and pencils that usually lay right on top of everything else. I have a small bag that I was keeping in my planner, but it got so full that it wasn't allowing the cover to close and that was driving me crazy. So I need to sit down and purge it so that it will be functional again. The larger bag is where I keep my surplus, and if you are or ever have been a homeschooling family, then you understand what I mean by a surplus of pens. I could probably never purchase another pen or pencil again and still never use all that we have. But alas, I have my favorites and they do run of out of ink, so it seems I am will always be adding to the collection!

The black bag is the one that I like to keep in my planner and the plaid one, which is actually much bigger though it doesn't apper to be in the picture, is my surplus. 

And there you have the contents of my portable office/rolling cart. I really love this system, and even more so that it's portable. I love the flexibility of keeping it near me whether  I want to spread out no the couch and work, or sit at the dining room table. Once we get my office/craft room finished, then I will probably move it there, but I haven't decided yet. I do have a desk out there, so I may just keep a few supplies there and leave this as it is, I'm just really not sure, but thankfully those are all decisions for another day.

Tomorrow begins my seasonal deep clean. I've decided to stretch it out over several days/weeks, and I'm beginning tomorrow with the kitchen and dining room, or it may end up just being the kitchen because things tend to always take longer than you originally planned. The pantry needs to be cleaned an organized, I'm taking everything out of the cabinets and giving it all a good wipe down, so the dining room may get bumped to another day. The plan is to do the family room on Friday, but since I think that may be an easier job, I may try to lump the dining room/family room together. And then next week is the bathroom, our bedroom the porch and my office.  My plan is to l take you along, share some pictures of our home and how I have things set up and the way things function, so if you liked this post and you're interested in more like it, then follow along! Summer is winding down and it's time to prepare for the 'ber months, my favorite time of the year!

Until then!

"The greatest wealth is to live content with little."

- PLATO

❊

The Small Ways and Ordinary Days of August

It's hard for me to believe that we have passed the half way mark of the year! We have arrived at August, and in thirty short days the autumn months will be here!  This week I've been doing a little pre-season planning and thinking ahead to the coming months and days, but today I want to focus on the time at hand, the lovely month of August.

"August brings the sheaves of corn,

then the harvest home is born."

- SARA COLERIDGE

Here are some small ways I plan to spend the ordinary days of August . . .

- Complete my regular daily and monthly tasks.

Over the summer months I typically set aside my more disciplined schedule of tasks for keeping our home neat and tidy.  The yard and garden take up much more of my time in this season, making indoor tasks harder to accomplish. The necessary day-to-days are seen to, but a good bit of dust does build up over the summer months, which is why late summer and late winter have always been my preferred times to deep clean.  I'll be seeing to that here in just a few weeks, but over the next week or so, there are a few outdoor projects that I need wrap up.

- Switch Out Files / Update Planner

I have a rolling cart were I keep 3 months worth of daily, weekly and monthly files. I used this system heavily in my homeschooling days, and while I don't need it as much now as I did back then, I still find it helpful in keeping things moving along at a smooth pace. As with other things, however, it's sat untouched over the summer, in fact, I never even switched out the spring/summer files! So today I'm going to take some time to clean it and straighten it and get it ready to serve me for the rest of the year.

My planner is actually updated, I did that this week! :)

- Make a list of outdoor tasks to be completed by September 1

I still have a few things on my list that I would like to complete this year. We have so-many-outdoor-projects, and about 80% of those fall to my husband.  But this year I discovered that I like landscaping, and I'm fairly good at it. My nemesis, of course, is weeds. I've tried pulling them, and had some success with that, but the largest percentage of them just grow back. To my detriment, I tend to be a touch it once and done kind of girl, and gardening does not lend well to that thinking. Come to think of it, not many other things do, either . . . laundry, cleaning, cooking. If only. I had hoped to accomplish a lot more than I have this season, and I may still piddle away at a few projects here and there come September, but the 'ber months bring with them a their own list of to-do's, so anything outdoors that requires my involvement (at least on a large scale), needs to be wrapped up this month.

- Deep End of Summer / Autumn Cleaning

I'm not sure at this point which week I will schedule this for.  I briefly considered the first week and to then set my mind to outdoor tasks. But, since so many of those outdoor tasks track dust and dirt into the house, it seems more fitting to move this to the end of the month. My husband is going to be out of town for a week at some point later in August, and that might present the perfect opportunity. It will keep me busy and we won't have to work around each other.  In the mean time, I'm going to begin making a list of all-the-things that entails beginning this week. 

Fun Ideas For the Month of August

This week I sat down and did some seasonal planning, including filling in my calendars from now to the end of the year with all the fun days ahead!  Here are a few that are coming up in August.

- Today!

August 1 is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, which is and always has been one of my favorites!

August 2 - National Watermelon Day, this one is on my Summer Bingo Challenge, which I need to review and update, but I know I haven't marked this one off yet.

August 3 - National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day - hands down, my favorite cookie! I think I'll make up a batch for the coming weekend and be sure to eat some on Sunday!

August 9 - Booklovers Day - I've had Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright on my summer reading list for a couple of months now, maybe I'll try to tackle it in my spare time this week and write a review.

August 12 - National Vinyl Record Day - I have a turntable and a small collection of vinyl records, but when we moved I somewhow misplaced the power cord to my turntable.  If I have time maybe I'll try to locate it and spin some tunes!

August 17 - National Thrift Shop Day - I used to a do a lot of thrifting, and while I still enjoy it, I decided it was high time that I do something with all the items I had already thrifted before I brought anything new into the house. But, I do have a few things I'm on the lookout for, so maybe this would be a good day to peruse a few shops.

August 18 - National Fajita Day - this one is easy! I LOVE fajitas and I have a couple of wonderful recipes for beef and chicken fajitas! I really love throwing shrimp into that mix, too, so maybe I'll splurge and do all three!  I'll share my recipes in time for you to make up a batch if you want, too!

August 30 - National Beach Day - my daughter and I do have plans to go to the beach this month, and by beach, I mean a local beach at a nearby lake. While my daughter would prefer a trip to the ocean, I am definitely not a sun and sand kind of girl, and I won't even get in the ocean! The man made beach at the lake suits me just fine, and thankfully she enjoys it as well!  We have been going to this particular lake since she was a child, so it holds a lot of memories.  We didn't get there much last year, and this summer we promised ourselves we would be intentional about going at least once a month, and we've been three times already! One more to go!

August 31 - National Eat Out Side Day - the weather towards the end of August can be pretty hot, so we'll have to see about this one. If nothing else, maybe we'll eat under our covered porch? We typically do this on Labor Day Weekend, which is the official end of the summer season in our home, so we'll probably just wait until then. It's a nice idea though!

"The long, languorous days of August have cast their spell over the earth. Little by little, nature yields to the seductive influence and sinks into her summer sleep. Lazily-languid like southern beauties, the hours follow each other in slow succession. "

~ SISTER MARY BLANCHE - from "A Summer Siesta," Idyls and Sketches, 1916

I'll be sharing more in the upcoming weeks about my plans for my seasonal deep clean, my yard and garden projects, and my daily homekeeping routines, so if you are interested in things like that, be sure to meet me back here! What about you, do you do a deep clean this time of year?  What are some of the to-do's on your end of summer list? Let's chat in the comments!

❊