My Week 12

Here is my week 12!

I keep looking for trends, habits and weekly rituals that I use in making my planner pages. Sort of as an opportunity to figure out how I 'tick'. Everyone uses these DIYFish inserts differently! I love that. I see some people 'plan' with them. I see some use them as they 'journal' through their week. And some people who do a bit of both! I'm noticing that I'm a bit of both!

I can't seem to get through the week without decorating! I MUST have color!

It's been a constant since I discovered these pages to chart my progress with my diabetes and blood sugar levels in the bottom left corner. Lately I have taken to writing down some of the things I'm eating during the day. I do use an app on my iPhone for keeping track of my actual carb intake and exercise regime. But! I wish I could remember to write it all down. It's just not practical for me to yank out the planner, sweaty palms and all after I've run for an hour on the treadmill. lol. 

Consistently using the bottom right 'box' on the right page for a quote or an inspiring thought. I also use it for doodles. Some days at work I spend a lot of time waiting on hold on the phone. This is a GREAT time to doodle! I encourage people to look up pictures or doodles that you'd like to learn how to create or draw better and do this while you're on the phone or talking to someone. Obviously this day I used a post it...and didn't draw...but how inspirational am I? :D 

My long box on the left page/right side with the numbered times is my bullet journaling! I think I am utilizing this as a bullet journal section. I write what I did with an asterisk * and make check boxes for things I plan on during that time/hour of the day. I also use stars as an indicator of something I wish to keep and color code. I am still quite horrible about color coding my day...but I'm hoping the stars will help me when I go back to reference and color code for the week. 

Top 'box' on the right page/right side is my daily 'TO DO' list. I seldom do everything on this list! haha! In fact it's mostly just a wish list. Like, Sarah, you wish you could do all this! haha. I did pretty good on Thursday though! I was definitely Superwoman that day. Geeze. Good job Me. 

The top left box on the left page/left side is for quote/weather/mood. Sometimes I cover up the weather and mood if my quote is longer. I will sometimes use this space as a list section. List of things I love, books I should read, things I'm grateful for etc...and sometimes I just tape in a quote! 

I have really been focused on using my planner as a dieting tool. It goes with me everywhere! I write all my important secrets and plans in it! Why not utilize it as such? So, I'm working on adding a DIYFish insert section for my diet/fitness plans. 

And on that note, I have almost strictly starting using my Malden for ONLY DIYFish inserts. I still have my A-Z sections, but eventually whatever information I have in there filters it's way into a daily page, then it's logged into the color code section and then filed away for reference later if I need it. I have been using Evernote to keep information that I need to keep an eye on for daily/weekly references. Needless to say, that using these inserts does make your Filofax bulky...however, I don't need extra sections with me ALL the time because I can file them away under older pages with my color coding to find later should I need them. 

The only thing I'm feeling like I 'need' is the fitness section. But, I made the finance section work using my DIYFish inserts, so I'm sure I can make a fitness section work out too. :) 

So stay tuned for that!

Peace Love Plan Ahead!

Sarah 

Kawaii Stickies came!

I am noting that even when I print Sunday I don't usually use my planner on Sunday. I use it as in I reference it and add to my calendars and sync with the other planners I have, but I don't decorate or 'plan' my day. I sometimes don't decorate if I stay home from work either. I just do as I do and don't need to write everything down as I just get things done as I am reminded to do them. 

Here is Monday. I stayed home from work and played Diablo 3. I dropped the kids off at school and picked them up. Basically I pretended I was a stay at home mom again with no planner. :) I didn't decorate at all. But, that's okay. 

Here's Tuesday! I really had a lot going on once I started my week. It should be noted that I worked 10-12 hours each day AND I had stuff to do after I was finished with work. Sometimes I am so impressed with me. LOL. 

I had gotten my stickers and notecard paper that I got from an Etsy shop called Doodie Bear. I LOVE how it looks. It's so cute and definitely something that motivates me to open and use my planner. 

I really want to figure out how to print onto my inserts directly. Especially with my quote sections! But, for now I'm just printing out a page of quotes in Word and cutting them to size, then taping them in. It works. I really enjoyed doodling a few weeks back, but it takes a lot of time and sometimes I'm unable to finish what I've started. It's hard for me to let it go unfinished. 

Which leads me to working through the process of using my planner as function and NOT JUST AS SOMETHING PRETTY! Don't get me wrong. I love the prettiness of my planner. I love it. It forces me open it and use it and revel in how pretty it all is. But, over all that is the desire to have something that helps me function at 100% in my every day life. 

With that thought too comes the practicality of what I'm actually USING? I have the DIYFish inserts. They're everything! I use certain sections less since I have the inserts. I have been tempted to take them out for the sake of space. But, I love my sushi dividers!! And I cannot imagine taking them out...yet! :) 

Typical Saturday/Sunday morning. :)

Okay, back to it!
Peace, Love, Plan Ahead!

-Me

Week Eight with my Filofax

Here is my week eight in my Malden Personal sized Filofax! 

Even if I don't plan anything...or *gasp* don't use my planner every day, I still decorate and will include it in my week. Some days I simply don't have anything to do...or it's nothing SUPER pressing, so I don't need to write stuff down. I could use it as a diary I guess and log my day, but some days I don't feel like it. 

I'm still working on my water intake. However, I have read some articles that show that I do get plenty of fluids in the day! I just don't count them simply because they're not water. I do try for that 8 glasses, but I drink other things like tea and coffee and they count as fluids. I'm pretty sure I'm well hydrated by how much I have to pee. LOL. 

I liked this day. I had time to think and doodle. And look on the righty hand side there! I color coded!! Go Team Wayword! haha. 

I decided this day to start a 5k running program. I officially started yesterday, but having it written down in my planner has kept me accountable to actually starting! 

I included in my week, my medication intake. I take my medicine twice a day, and I fill the little needle up half way for the morning doses, and fill it all the way up for the evening! I NEVER forget my medication. Like ever ever. But, I do forget to fill in my little needle showing that I remembered. Have to work on that! 

I visited my mom this day. As well as went to the doctor. Nothing extraordinary happened really...Well, stuff DID happen. But nothing that I logged. There are a few medical issues I should probably write down on this day just to remind myself of when those occurred. And maybe subconciously I didn't want to ruin the beauty of the SUPER CUTE CLOUD WASHI TAPE!!! I got it from Joann's and was dying to use it. I did...but then I didn't write in it. Go figure. 

I menu planned this day and ran some errands. I played video games, ate food and basically layed around at my house. But, again, nothing that I had to write down. I like that about my planner. Some days it's my right arm and my left brain. Then other days, we chill. We chill because we're like that. 

Here is my life mapped out for the day, week and month of February 2014! This is what I love about the DIYFish inserts. So many many many things you can do and record. Okay, until next week! 

-Peace Love Plan Ahead! 

Wayword

Using DiyFish

Here I am, setting up for my day...still using DIYfish inserts. Now, I haven't really been plagued with "planner rash", where you aren't happy with whatever new set up you try. You're always itching for a new planner or a new system that will work. I genuinely have only tried the Filofax week on 2 pages and this new system from DIYfish. It's working for me, I haven't felt the need to change anything. I do get a bit of a hankering for...bigger rings? Simply because I want to carry more inserts with me. However I don't think there's any justification for this as I don't plan that far ahead and what I do plan for that far in advance is covered by yearly/monthly inserts that Fish has already implemented in her system. (I can talk myself out of anything! It's a gift. ) 

That's not to say that I am not still tweaking what I am working with. I added monthly tabs to my sides. You can also see that I added the clear color coding book marker as well to my system. This is useful...but like I said previously I STRUGGLE to use this. I know that someday when I want to go back and look at a particular thing the color coding will save me. But, for now I have to remind myself to mark my pages and to remember to code where it's needed. 

DIYFish has a Facebook group now! Very helpful group of ladies who seem to understand the ins and outs of this system. I admit we make it harder than it is to print and use...but there is a bit of a knack to it. I consider this system useful for someone who wants to track everything! And you LOVE to track everything! On the Facebook group, Fish herself posted a photo of the top of her Filofax. It showed numbered tabs for the months. I HAD TO HAVE THIS. (sometimes I don't talk myself out of things and I insist that I MUST have them.) Oddly enough, even though I called Korea and spoke to some very precise speaking Koreans, they would not sell me these tabs Fish uses. So I had to make my own!! Like what? LOL. They're actually not too bad, but instead of handwriting, I wanted to use my labeler to give it that professh look. :) 

These were the smallest tabs I could find the day I was doing this...and I don't mind the colors, so I went with it. However, I know that Avery makes printable numbered tabs, so I may go that route in the upcoming months. 

Overall, still using system. Still making it work. Tweaking. Changing. Lots of realizations about how I organize and plan. I'll post my last week, next! 

-Peace Love Plan Ahead Always!

Wayword

Hem and Haw!

This photo got a lot of comments and likes from the main "Philofaxy" Facebook page. It caused me to think really hard about my "processes". How I plan, how I organize my thoughts and how I go about my week, menu and plans. 

It's complicated! And I realize that I'm a freak. Haha!! I don't follow any set codes for color coordinating and I'm so random with how I use my tapes...people were asking why I did this, what was that...etc. And I was really surprised about how much interest there was in my menu planning! 

So I've added that to my list of "to-do's" for this year. Figure out my meal plan/budgets and how to share with others how I make it work. :-) 

Exciting and scary. Lol

But you can accomplish anything if you have a plan! 

Peace. Love. Plan Ahead! 

-Wayword