Time for New Calendars
It is a brand new year and time to get going. Take in the cold, but fresh air, re-group, take inventory, purge some junk, organize the files, donate some coats and clothes not in use for the various reasons and begin planning the weeks and months ahead. I don’t know about you but for me, that requires a new calendar.
Since I am lagging in the way of personal technology, I don’t yet possess an updated hand held smart phone or other such device to log in my moment by moment agenda items, thoughts, plans and dates. I continue to rely mostly on good ole pen and paper, numerous lists and lovely hard copy wall calendars to keep up with my life.
Also, I carry with me at most times a spiral bound planning calendar for constant modifications, additions, cross checking, scheduling and reminding of everything going on in my life, my husband’s and the three teens. I like going out to one of the book stores just after Christmas to search for the perfect new planning calendar to get the new data (and some of the old) plus birthdays, anniversaries and other important upcoming dates secured in highlighted colors in the appropriate spots.
I remain a visual learner after all these years – not a bad thing. I like to write, see and touch the paper, enjoy the lovely Boston Museum of Art prints on the pages, imagining perhaps the places I’ll go one of these days. I like to get manually and visually organized, map out the next few weeks and months, prioritize the stuff in front of me and generate some novel ideas along the way. I sit down with my last year’s planner right beside the new one and began transferring certain continuing data such as birthdays.
It gives me a last parting chance to see the previous year in review as I thumb back through the pages, jotted notes, clippings, lists and such… and I amaze myself seeing ALL that I have already done and accomplished during the last 12 months – how did I do it? Can I do it again – and MORE? I had better gather my strength because I have only sketched in through May so far and have worked up a planning sweat. January brings Lydia’s 16th birthday, end of semester exams, a church youth trip; Kass returns to school and will visit Chicago with Tim; an oyster roast, volunteer time, days at work, an away soccer tournament, an indoor soccer tournament and more. I have already made hotel and restaurant reservations in preparation for Kassiane’s high school graduation in May, which is where I stopped for the moment!
I really like the new pretty little calendar planner but it occurs to me that I may indeed need something of more industrial strength! Your thoughts?
How you do you juggle all of the things you have planned for 2012?
