Day 4, Personal Management Notebook

I really don't know what else to call this.  It's not a household notebook, where you would put information about things like utilities, credit cards, etc.  It's something I came up with because I am the type of person who cannot get anything done without a list.  Seriously.  If I don't write down "take meds" or "laundry", I will just forget to do it.  It started with my Daily Schedule, which is basically a list of things like "take meds" and "laundry".  For school, I was using a clipboard with my daily and weekly paperwork on it.  I felt like I needed to put those things together somehow, and in doing so, the project grew from there.  Let's take a peek. 



Just a simple Mead 3-ring Notebook w/a pocket inside the front cover



Inside the front cover, I have a spiral notebook for writing things down
The first item in the binder is a 2011 at-a-glance calendar



In the same page protector, on the back, is a montly calendar
The first pocket in the binder holds my Daily Schedule check-off sheet



The first section





The first Section includes:

• General To-Do List - things like "get a dog license" or "make doctor appointment"
• Master Decluttering List
• Contact sheet - where I transfer all those slips of paper with people's phone numbers and addresses written on them
• Allowance Record - I keep track of my kids' allowance kind of like a checkbook register, instead of giving them cash that they will lose. 



2nd Section - SCHOOL

2nd Section "SCHOOL" includes:

• Monthly  newsletter from our Homeschool Group
• Daily lesson plan grid clipped together with all paperwork needed for the week
• Brochures for field trip ideas
• Info sheets such as Episode Guide for the Schoolhouse Rock DVD's we have
• Timeline figures we will need for the rest of the school year
• State flag stickers we will need for the next 50 days of school
• A running list of books we need from the library



3rd Section: MEAL PLANNING



3rd Section "MEAL PLANNING" includes:

• A master list of all meals that we make
• Blank 2-week meal plan sheets w/a section for a grocery list
• Takeout menus



4th Section: Keepers of the Faith Club



4th Section "Keepers of the Faith" includes

• Monthly to-do list for the KOF Club
• Yearly schedule
• Lesson plans, meeting agendas, and any other pertinent info





5th Section - HOLIDAY PLANNING

5th Section "HOLIDAY PLANNING" includes:

• Nothing at the moment!  But I will use this for the endless lists that precede each holiday - gift lists, shopping lists, food lists, and planning ideas. 



6th Section: BIRTHDAY PLANNING

 6th Section "BIRTHDAY PLANNING" includes:

• A sheet for each upcoming birthday listing the person's name, age, theme of their party, and what design I will make their cake, plus space for party planning and gift planning. 
• Any printables for upcoming parties

7th Section "VACATION PLANNING" includes:

• Brochures on places we'd like to go
• All the lists that go along with planning a vacation!

8th Section - "AVON" includes:

• I am an AVON lady, so I have records to keep each month for my business, such as Sales and Expense records. 

 

9th Section - "Curriculum Planning" includes:

• Lists of what I need to look for at the curriculum fairs coming up
• Ideas on curriculum I'd like to look at or implement
• Curriculum catalogs

10th Section "MEDICAL" includes:

• Forms for upcoming lab work and medical procedures
• Vaccine records and schedules for the children
• Prescriptions
• Health records relating to homeschooling (required checkups, etc)

So there you have it!  The way I've been using it is to open it immediately each morning and check my Daily Schedule and calendar to see what needs done that day.  Then I check the School section and take out our lesson plans.  After school and lunch, during my break time, I flip through the rest of the sections to see if there is anything else I could to do that day.  I also do anything that needs done for school the next day such as scanning or making copies.  So far it is really helping me stay organized and keep on top of things that need done!  How do you  keep yourself organized on a day-to-day basis?