Thank you all for your great comments on the 2012 Planner and diary giveaway. I was amazed at how many great ideas were shared so thought I would highlight the winners’ answers here for starters. More of the great ideas will be shared on the Facebook page or future posts. This was incredibly hard to judge and I spent a lot of time on this giveaway so hope the winners are happy with their planners and those who missed out gain from the amazing information that was shared.
There were so many entries for the Australian prizes that it made it extra tough. Valerie at inner b has kindly created a discount code for you to order from inner b and save 20% – use the code: HLS – 20% off and get organised for 2012!
The Moleskine winner from outside Australia and North America is:
Mashi who wrote in her comment:
“Something that has saved me oodles of time is putting our ‘organisation centre’ in the bedroom area instead of the kitchen. My husband’s work schedule for the week (meetings, lunches, free times when we can meet for a coffee), my son’s school needs for the week (football shoes for which days, swimming clothes for which days) with our family calendar and shopping list, etc. It means that in the mornings when we are getting dressed and discussing and sorting it all out there are not numerous trips to the kitchen needed – everything is right there outside of the bedroom area where we are in the mornings when we need this stuff!”
**This idea represents exactly my “find your simple” philosophy. There is no rule that says your organisation centre or launch pad etc has to be in the kitchen or entrance area. If you have space in a closet it can be made into a home office. If you catch up with your partner in your bedroom then that is a great launch pad. If you look at your home you can find what will work best for you. Adapt and thrive!
The Australian winner of the OTi planner is:
Karlene F who wrote in her comment:
“Do a job until it’s finished. I used to bring the washing in and dump it on the bed. An hour later I’d go back and sort it into piles. An hour later I’d put items away in drawers. An hour later I’d go back and hang up the hanging items. The task would hang over my head all day. Now I do it all in one session….30 minutes later it’s all done!”
** This is a great time management tip since you waste a lot of time when you start and stop tasks whether it is the laundry as Karlene mentioned or anything else that requires more than one step but is not a real “project”. I think this tip has an added dimension that made me want to highlight it – when you complete tasks in one go you reduce the clutter and chaos in your home. If you look around your house right now I bet much of the stuff laying around is an uncompleted task (I know it is for me). The mail brought in and dumped on a counter rather than sorted and finished, the kids’ backpacks half unpacked, your husband’s discarded clothes that did not make it to the laundry etc. When we put something down “temporarily” we don’t really have an end time set and things pile up fast!
The Australian winner of the Innerb planner is:
Candice Keeble who shared several tips including this one:
“My diary has a page for my nearest & dearest and throughout the year I jot down ideas for birthday, Christmas or just because presents. This has been very handy for those quirky pressies or the someone who has everything but mentioned how much they loved your homemade Aoli for example! I also have a list for myself: a book someone has recommended, a perfume I liked, or something I saw but couldn’t afford at the time. Works well for hubby too!!”
**This is a great practice to set up and maintain. You save time when it comes to actual birthdays and holidays as your planning is mostly done. You take the stress out of trying to recall small details by using your planner as a real “brain on paper” device – you think you will remember who it was that said they loved the Aioli, but really 2 months later you will probably forget. Tracking things that interest you in the moment also ensures you will be covered as well when others ask what you really want – you can answer honestly and easily.
If you were a North American commenter you were very lucky as there were 6 entries for 7 planners so everyone was a winner.
The winner of the Orange Circle Studio planner is:
Esty who wrote:
“Having everything written down is a must. I have lists for what needs to be done the next day, for the next week, for the next month, and then in the future. And each list splits between home and life / school work.
It makes me really feel accomplished when I can mark things off a list, so I even write down the smaller things to get done, so I get an extra boost from feeling like I am making progress”
The winners of the Amy Knapp Christian Planners are:
edmontonjb who wrote:
“I use email alerts to remind me of appointments or things I need to get done. I also use a kitchen timer to keep me on task during the day. I can waste an entire day playing around on the computer if I’m not careful, so when I sit down to go online I set the kitchen timer for 30 minutes. When it goes off I have to get up and get one of my tasks for the day done.”
Tara DL who wrote:
“I have a standard grocery list on the fridge and as we run out of items, I check them off. That way, when Saturday rolls around, my grocery list is done.”
Denise McCracken, an empty nester, who wisely wrote:
“My time management tip: Never stop using a Planner/Organizer! Take a few minutes at the begining of each week to schedule your appointments, grocery list, meditation time, exercise, date night (very important for those who still have kids at home), etc… then at the end of the week look over your schedule to see what you actually had time for, then you can make the necessary changes for the next week.”
Sonya terBorg who shared:
“I have recently become a huge fan of Google calendars but still love the “comfort” of having a place to write things down. My husband has reverted to the tried and true calendar in the bathroom so there are no surprises as we each update with our events etc. As a teacher I am always looking for ways to help my kids plan out their time and the Moleskine (a family favorite in our house) format works well for me as does anything with the elastic bungy or plastic pockets for keeping notes together. Our best strategy for keeping organized has been to meet weekly to synchronize our schedules and plan our week in advance rather than letting the week swallow us whole! Things like exercise and eating properly seem to happen when they are thought out in advance and made as much of a priority as say, showing up to meetings.”
Hester who wrote:
“Right now what works the best is a household notebook. (Or planner) I write down my cleaning routines in there and which child helps me on what day. (They have their own chore system that corresponds with mine) Meal planning, babysitter list etc is all in there. My business is also in there, but I need to be more on the ball with that. And was just thinking that now that the boys are getting a bit older, that I need to start carrying around a planner.
One other tip, that works like a charm, is my time management routine. So I have slotted certain times for certain things. For example, today I did my ‘business’ from 10-12, cleaning from 2-3, homeschool from 9-10. So I basically make an appointment with myself. WHAT I do in that time is laid out in those routines, but if I don’t make an appointment with me, I forget. I also make appointments with me for just a cup of coffee, otherwise I forget that too. Time is my most valuable asset (together with my health and my faith) and I tend to plan it well, but not too tight.”
All winners have been emailed so if you won and did not see an email from me please check your spam folder urgently!
Stay tuned for more ideas that were shared as I will post them in the new year as daily tips on the Facebook page. Thank you for sharing your great ideas. I hope the reviews highlighted enough features to help you in your search for a new planner for 2012!
Find your simple,
Deb
PS Only 2 weeks to go until the launch of the 52 weeks to simplify your life challenge. I hope to see you there!
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Great tips. Congrats to the winners.
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