How to Set Up a Planner

As the New Year approaches, plannerds everywhere are setting up day planners.

Even here at Giftie Etcetera, the new year means some tweaks to my planner. The most critical change is that I am moving back to a running to-do list.

How to Use a Personal Planner for Work and Project Management

I've been blogging about how to use a planner a lot less lately because I've been working at my big girl job a lot more often.

How to Use Your Planner Like a Household Notebook

If you have a planner, there's no reason to keep a separate notebook for household chores or big projects.

Hints for Using a Notebook with a Planner

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As an advocate of one planner for one life, it might surprise my Loyal Readers to learn that I use a notebook at work. 

How to Use a Planner to Survive the Chaos of a Natural Disaster

If you aren't familiar with this blog, I mostly write about day planners. In fact, Giftie Etcetera has a pretty active Facebook group where we discuss getting and keeping our lives in order. 

When my hometown in Louisiana flooded in a massive, 3-day rainstorm, the group kept talking about planners and order in general. 

That is, they did until one member said that her house flooded and she was stuck. Her planner wasn't good enough for the to-do list that grows so long and massive after your home is completely ruined. 

The First Page in Your Planner

Things have been crazy here in Louisiana. But in my planner, things have been pretty routine.

The system that I use on the first page of my planner gets a lot of credit for that routine in the midst of chaos.

Louisiana Floods - What About the Homeless Children

Louisiana has flooded on a massive scale. 

Our state is now the "home" of over 40,000 HOMELESS households  - a number reported by CNN - and growing.

We are finding dead bodies in cars and homes as some flood waters recede.

My home was threatened, so we evacuated. My childhood home is currently sandbagged and still under threat. The picture below shows my aunt's house, but it could have shown my cousin's house, local teachers' houses, or my friends' houses.

This flood event had a 1 in a 1,000 chance of happening. Imagine that. 1 in a 1,000. People don't insure (and are not advised to insure) for a 1 in a 1,000 chance of something happening. Those with flooded houses lost everything.

Yesterday, I tried grocery shopping in the local stores. Of course, food and supplies are difficult to ship on the cracking, waterlogged interstate system, so I came home and wrote this on my private Facebook page.

But the story deserves to go public.

Combining Daily Planner Pages with a Weekly Plan

Since I've moved to mostly daily pages in my planner, people keep asking the same question over and over - "do you also use weekly pages?"

The Cleaning Schedule in Your Planner That Will Actually Work

When I was younger, I was a history teacher. I was obsessed with the colonization of America. I thought maybe, someday, we'll colonize the moon.

Well, I have now achieved greatness by doing something I've only ever dreamed of doing.

I've colonized my home...

A Glimpse at a Typical Planner To Do List

When faced with a blank planner spread, sometimes it is difficult to decide exactly what goes on a to do list.

What belongs on today's page? Which items are important enough to list?

Trust Your Planner with Your Vacation Planning

Do you bring your planner on your summer vacations? Is it too much to pack? Does it stay at home? You think you don't need a plan because it's vacation?

Big mistake!

5 Critical Components of an Effective Daily Plan

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Most days, I make a daily plan in my planner. You should consider doing this, at least on busy days, even if you track all upcoming stuff on a weekly spread.

How to Make All Those Lists Work in Your Planner

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If you use a planner, you probably make lists all the time. To do lists, to buy lists...lists are an organized and efficient way to plan.

A planner basically exists because of lists. If you just needed to write down appointments, you could simply use a calendar.

Keeping a Monthly Master Calendar in Your Planner

Even though it's summertime, a glance at my monthly calendar shows just how overbooked I truly am at the moment.

In Pursuit of Imperfection

It's been a rough month for me.

How to Write a Better Task List in Your Planner

What does your to do list look like?

Tiny Tweaks That Change How To Use a Planner

If you follow my planner posts, you know I constantly make changes to the planner (but not to The System) to make my planner work better for me!

The Importance of Using a Planner in Crisis Mode

I almost have no words for how hard last week was for me and my family.

Maximizing the Power of the Middle of the Planner

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When you open your planner, does it serve you? Is the information that is most important right there, in front of your eyes?

4 Uses for a Free Box Printable from Planner Fun

Becky at Planner Fun teams up with Giftie Etcetera every month to offer a free printable, with a ton of new ways to use it.

This week, we are using her cool page full of boxes. So versatile. So simple. So useful.

Make sure to visit Becky's blog (link at the end of this post)! She's awesome and most of her printables are free.

Closing Time - When to Stop Working the Planner at the End of the Day

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I use my planner all day long.

The Truth About Mothering a Child with Exceptional Needs

I've drafted the first line of this post over ten times. It started as a celebration of mothers who raise kids with exceptional needs.

But that wasn't enough.

It morphed into a cutesy illustration of what moms of "normal" children can expect - footprint art, tissue paper flowers, or breakfast made from cereal and spilled milk - versus what moms of kiddos with special needs can expect.

But if a child can't remove his corrective foot braces, has inadequate fine motor skills, or had seizures pretty much every day this week, moms already know they won't be getting that traditional stuff. They don't need me to tell them (or you) that.

I owe it to the mom who stood by me in the special park (the one with a wheelchair swing and an adult-sized harness swing) - watching our two "probably have autism but doctors are nervous to label them" kids to make sure they were at least not physically mean to each other - to tell the truth.

The Context Task List Planner Hack

I just did something so simple and so smart in my planner that I kicked myself for not doing it earlier!

Pin This on Pinterest!!!

3 New Ways to Write a Schedule in a Planner

Today I'm sharing three simple tricks that I use when writing my schedule in my planner.

When Well-Meaning Strangers Don't See Special Needs

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Imagine you are sitting in a restaurant and a child picks up the salt shaker from the table and licks it.

Now, pretend that the parent moves the salt shaker away, but doesn't correct the child. 

Why You Should Be Taking Notes in Your Planner

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I love that moment when I sit down with a blank planner page. 

Filling in my schedule and listing my tasks, cup of coffee in hand, is so much more fulfilling than doing the tasks! (Truth, right?!?)

Creating Happiness in Your Planner

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I've talked about depression many times at Giftie Etcetera. One of my most popular posts ever is about depression. 

But what about happiness?

One-on-One Consultations With Giftie

***Not Currently Doing This***

***Will let you know when I am back.***

I am excited to announce that I am offering a new service at Giftie Etcetera!

I plan to offer planner, time management, or organizing advice tailored to your needs in exchange for a few cups of coffee.

To find out the details, click on Consultations.

Of course, it'll always be free to read my blog or join the conversation in the Giftie Etcetera Facebook group.

In fact, members of that group will get an exclusive discount. Join the group to find out how to collect your discount.

Etcetera.

If you enjoy what you read at Giftie Etcetera, please share on social media. Click here to join the Giftie Etcetera Facebook group.

6 Ways to Use a Free Planner Printable - 12 Month Tracker

When I team up with Becky at Planner Fun to offer free printables and new ways to use them, I am rarely stumped.

Usually, my problem is limiting myself to 6 ways to use the printable.

Pomodoro Time Management for Lazy Planners

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The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique in which people basically use a timer to get themselves to get things done in brief and successive periods of time.

Think Differently About How You Use Your Planner

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I'm anything but traditional when it comes to planning. 

Sure, I use a monthly calendar for appointments. Sure, I make to do lists.

Crazy Ways to Save Money

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I try to be frugal, without sacrificing too much time or energy. 

13 Genius Items to Include in Your Planner

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Using a planner is not just about the binder or the inserts. Using a planner is about making it work for you.

Sometimes, the Village Just Needs to Hush

With some kids, it's hard for strangers to tell when children have potentially serious special needs. 

Decorating a Planner With Distracting From Planning

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Let's all be brutally honest. Giftie Etcetera does not feature the prettiest planner pages on the internet.

What Do People Think I Do

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Every morning, I get out of bed when my husband leaves for work. Doesn't that sound lazy and decadent?

When Your Exceptional Kid Needs a Schedule

As most of my Loyal Readers know, my kid has some exceptional needs. 

Creating Focus With a New Set-up for My Planner Dashboard

I did a complete revamp of my inside front pocket and dashboard of my planner.

See how simple and boring it looks?

My Planner - Featured at Philofaxy

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My friends from across the pond (can an American say that?) featured me!

Optimize the Use of Your Paper Planner (Featuring Franklin Planner Day on Two Pages Layout)

Are you using your planner to its full potential? 

Some simple tweaks to your daily layout can help you to stay organized and on task.

10 Seconds With Your Planner

Readers ask me all the time, "Giftie, how do I make myself use my planner?"

10 Simple Steps for Copying a Video Off of Facebook

Grandparents, aunts, and uncles want to save videos of their little relatives that parents post on Facebook, but Facebook doesn't make it easy! 

How to Clean a Peanut Butter Knife

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I know some of you will read this and laugh at me.

Trying a Traditional Day on Two Pages Approach to Planning

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There is a reason that traditional planner producers, like Franklin Covey, produce certain planner page layouts.

Why I Added a Pen Holder to My Planner

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I can't tolerate things that stress out my planner.

Countdown Cleaning

In today's flashback post, I'm teaching you a simple technique for helping kids deal with chores.

How to Organize a Large Tote Bag

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The level of lazy that I am capable of achieving is staggering. I try to NEVER do anything that I don't have to do.

So when I say that I carry a HUGE bag outside of the house almost every time I leave, you have to understand that it is about making life easier!

Dividing Parenting Duties Fairly

As my family was getting dressed to leave the house for a playdate, my husband urged me to go ahead and get dressed.

"I'll take care of the kids," he said.

Using a Double-Sided Daily Page in a Planner

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People who carry planners grapple with the same question time and time again.

We need more space.

We need less weight.

How to Use a FREE PLANNER PRINTABLE by Planner Fun

Time for Giftie Etcetera's monthly collaboration with Becky at Planner Fun, where we work together to provide you with a no-strings-attached free planner printable and some unique ways to use it!