I am not a naturally organized person. In fact, for many years I was probably one of the most disorganized people imaginable. That started to change when I had kids. Keeping some sort of a routine is just a necessity when you’re a parent, like waking up early despite the fact you’re a night owl. When I started my blog, my organizational skills increased again. I do well with deadlines and so I set them for myself when running my site.
In previous years, I used a slightly haphazard but mostly effective system for managing my website and my household. Blog posting dates were marked on a paper calendar I kept at my workstation. Payments I was expecting were marked down in a separate small notebook. Kids’ activities were listed on a separate paper calendar in the kitchen. And school activities were remembered simply because I hung the school calendars the boys brought home on the fridge.
Three calendars, one notebook and I was at the limit of my organizational abilities. Anything beyond that, such as meal planning or goal-setting? It just wasn’t going to happen. In fact, even using a paper calendar to record blog features was starting to become ineffective as my site got busier. Then Simply Plan, the ultimate All-In-One Planner, came to my rescue. This planner is a must-have for any busy mom. While the roomy layout of each day with plenty of space for blog organization was instantly appealing, that’s just the start of the benefits of the Simply Plan organizer!
One of my favourite features is that each week starts with a one-page section for meal planning and a one-page section for managing the weekly budget. I have heard so many moms tell me how much money and time they save when they follow a meal plan and I was especially excited to give the concept a try for myself. And being able to record expenses throughout the week was an added bonus! The two-page layout of each week’s activities was the perfect place to record my scheduled blog posts. And with spaces for AM, PM and evening activities, it also helped me to better manage my time each day. There’s even a space each week to record goals, to-do lists and memorable moments every week!
I would have been thrilled with the Simply Plan All-In-One Planner if that was the extent of its content. But it isn’t. The book also includes Household, Family, Goal and Contact sections at the back to help manage different tasks. From current household projects and meal options, to family information and favourites for quick shopping and gift selection, to chore lists and goal-setting pages, I can literally use my Simply Plan organizer for recording and managing virtually every business, household and family task I have. And to top it all off, the book is simply gorgeous!
If getting organized is one of your goals for 2014, you’re in luck! Simply Plan is very generously offering one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader their own Simply Plan 2014 All-In-One Planner, a $40 value! To enter to win, just leave a blog comment about one of your goals for 2014.
The best tools in the world don’t bring any benefit if they’re not used to their full potential, so as part of my mission to get organized, I’ll be spending an hour or so every Sunday to organize for the week ahead so that family chores, meals and activities are all noted in the organizer and ready to be referenced when needed. With a little help from Simply Plan, this may just be my most organized year yet!
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make I bill customers more timely
I am going to save a little every week into my TFSA
One of my goals this year is to not sweat the small things.
One of my goals is to learn how to can more
to be more organized at work.
find a way to not have to go back to work after my mat leave is over!
My goal is to be more organized
continue on the organizing I started last year
Spending more quality time with family!
My goal for the year is to continue to go to the gym and to eat a little better.