Write it Down

There might be someone on earth who loves lists more than me, but I kinda doubt it.

If I turn my head to the right and left as I type this blog, I can see 2 notebooks and a day planner, all full of lists. I have my daily To Do lists in one notebook. I have my grocery lists in another--and yes, there are numerous lists going simultaneously because we shop at many different stores! Then I have a notebook of random lists of stuff I don't want to forget like songs I want to use for my Fit Jam classes, or films I want to watch, or books I want to read.

As I get older, I depend on these lists more and more. Sure, I might remember a few things without my lists. It's possible. But more likely I'd forget half the stuff I'm supposed to do if I didn't write it down. (Things I usually forget: to take my vitamins and supplements, to bring the reuseable bags when I shop at Aldi, to brush my hair, to brush my dogs, to drink enough water, the list goes on...)

Taking my vitamins is a great example. I really need to write this down for 2 reasons. First, I will not remember to take them unless I see it on my daily To Do list. Second, I will not remember whether or not I have already taken them unless I see it CHECKED OFF on my daily To Do list! Although I can't seem to remember to take the damn pills in the first place, it is also somehow possible that I'd manage to take them TWICE in one day without even realizing it. This sounds crazy, yet it is true.

I used to use a Franklin Day Planner. I used this system for many years, possibly decades. Obviously, it worked well for me because I was hesitant to try something new. But I had a couple of problems with this planner. It is expensive--about $30 per year for the insert pages. (You also need a special binder for holding the pages, but once you've purchased this, it will last for years.) And I began to feel that it was too wasteful, as all these pages eventually wind up in the recycling. Seems like a lot of money, and a lot of trees, for something you are just going to throw away.

So I switched things up and I am now using a free monthly calendar that my mom got in the mail, plus a cheap composition notebook for my daily To Do lists. My new system is not perfect, but it seems to be working well enough. And it cost me nothing, as the calendar came in the mail and the notebook was a leftover from my daughter's stash of unused school supplies. I like to see a month at a time for long-range planning--this is where the calendar comes in--but the little squares are too small to write everything on. Hence the need for the 2-part system.

So far today, things are going smoothly. I remembered my shopping list, my bags, and my quarter for Aldi. I only forgot one thing while shopping, and this was because I forgot to add it to the list. No big deal. I have already taken my vitamins. I didn't manage to brush my hair, but according to my daughter, this just causes breakage and doesn't make your hair look any nicer. So totally optional.

Hope your day is going well, too!