Planning Passions in an Unorthodox Fashion

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About a month ago, I broke down and bought the Passion Planner I've been eyeing since last fall. Sucked in by the beautifully illustrated pages that fill its Twitter feed, I needed to first make sure that someone lacking that degree of artistic talent could utilize its interior equally well.

My new purchase (with its undated pages) sat in my office for a few days as I decided what to do with it. I'm sure you're wondering why this was even an issue. I mean, it's a planner, after all. What does one usually do with a planner?

All sorts of things. As a fan of white space, I often use calendars to keep track of things besides appointments. I use a thin, inexpensive month-at-a-glance calendar to keep track of my writing and a smaller, spiral-bound, equally cheap school-year calendar (July to June) to keep track of the assignments and lessons for the classes I teach. This is in addition to the main calendar on my computer, duplicated in hard copy form on the bulletin board in the kitchen where it's accessible to all who live here.

And this new Passion Planner with its soft, leather cover was much too beautiful to use for something as mundane as word counts, assignments or appointments. Too thick to stash in my overstuffed book bag, and more journal than calendar, it begged to be used for loftier pursuits.

It didn't take long for me to dub it my "Brainstorm Book," and to create tabbed sections for projects I want to map out. Placing baby steps in individual squares not only makes big projects seem less insurmountable, but it also allows me to see progress as I check off each square as I accomplish it.

Yesterday, I grabbed my Passion Planner and started doing one of my favorite things: mapping out the summer. I pulled out my felt-tip markers and created areas on the page for the things I want to devote time to this summer, things that get pushed aside in the crush of class planning and teaching and grading. TED Talks. Reading for pleasure.

Then came the things that I want to focus on but not be consumed by. New promotional opportunities for my writing. My Thirty-One business.

Finally, I wrote in new ideas that popped up at the writers' conference I attended last weekend -- things I want to investigate or learn more about. And when I'd finished with those things, there was lots of blank space left for me to jot down new ideas that come up as the summer progresses.

Because I'm using the Passion Planner more as a project planner and less as a month-by-month life planner, I've yet to decide how to use the monthly reflection pages. I suspect that the perfect way to use them will occur to me as I continue to use the planner. Meanwhile, my I need to see it style is practically drooling over the sheer visibility of my goals laid out in a step-by-step fashion.

How about you? What typical organizing or time management tool do you use in an atypical way? How does it fit your styles?

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Tips and Tools for Making Lists

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As I type this, there's soup on the stove and I've checked things off my list, so I'm trying not to focus on the fact that this blog is being written much later in the day than I would like and that too many projects loom between now and midnight.

So, where was I? Ah, yes. Lists. 

Last week, I wrote about lists and the best laid plans, promising that this week, I'd share some of my favorite list-making tools. While I hope that some of them appeal to you, what's more important than trying new things is sticking to your styles and the solutions that work for them. 

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• A calendar with room to make lists. Last week, the featured photo was my 2016 Page-A-Day calendar. Although this is the first year I've gone with the word-a-day option, I've been using one of these for at least five years. The best way to use it is to take time on Sunday evenings to transfer the schedule for each day of the coming week onto the page, leaving space in between appointments to show me (an I need to see it person) where I have space for errands and tasks. Then, I can fill in the things I need to do, assigning them time blocks so they're more likely to actually get done. Or, you might prefer something with a different set-up, like the Passion Planner, pictured at right -- something that keeps the appointments and the rest of the day separated.
• Post-it Notes. If you're someone whose lists have lists, try making your supplemental lists (the ones you dash off when you can't get your hands on the original list) on sticky notes. That way, you can stick them together and keep them all in one place. Try keeping sticky note pads in the places where you tend to think of things you need to write down. And, if you find waterproof sticky notes that can be used in the shower, please let me know. That's where I get my best ideas.
• Electronic lists. My husband the I know I put it somewhere organizer loves using his phone to keep track of his lists. I've tried this, but as an I need to see it person, I find that this method fails me as often as it helps me. There are all sorts of list apps out there, but I mostly use the notes app that comes with my iPhone. Or, more often, I email myself with the item that needs to be added to the list in the subject line. Electronic lists can also be great for the cram and jammer who can always manage to fit one more thing on a physical note, if not into a 24-hour period.

Finally, when I'm really overwhelmed, I try the backwards to-do list. In fact, now that I think of it, I could have used that today. The backwards to-do list is perfect for days when you're busy all day, yet it seems as though you've gotten nothing accomplished.

What are your favorite to-do list tools?