The New Year - 2022

Walking into a new year is exciting. There are so many things I want to accomplish in 2022. The biggest is getting my next book finished and published. There is a lot going on though and I am focusing on consistency this year. 

Consistency is an important thing in all aspects of life. As a parent, we must be consistent with our children so they have stability. As an employee, consistency is vital to our job. As a spouse, consistency is needed in the relationship to maintain it. As a believer, consistency is important in our walk with God so that we grow closer and keep the relationship strong. 

For myself, I have discovered that I need to have an idea of what needs to be going on. This is an explanation for all of the calendars and clocks in my house. (I suppose the reflection of a need to know the day and time for who knows if time blips actually happen.)  Having an agenda or a *to-do* list helps keep my mind straight. 

This leads to what I am excited about. I just got my new planner.

Getting a new planner is *always* exciting for me. Especially now that I know what I am looking for in one. It can be intimidating finding the *right* one, I choose to make it fun. For the last several years I have used a planner focused on the school calendar. I decided this past year that the style of an academic year no longer works for me. (After all, I am no longer *teaching* on campus, and homeschool wise we are hoping we are near the end.)

What do you look for in a planner? I need room for important dates, doctor appointments, and such. I also need room to keep my work schedules in check. Being a writer I strive to have set times to write. I also have work schedules to keep up with. This means I need space to write in on the days. I have learned that I don't use the whole month calendar in past planners regularly. So a daily calendar is what I need. 

The planner I have found is a daily planner. It has the month calendar page but it is only one page and can be used in different ways. It also has a page for the monthly budget, which is something I am trying to work on as well. It also has a scripture reading for every day. One of the things that I really like about it is that there is a column to check off what has been done. I like the visual of marking things as done. It shows me that the day was productive. The last thing that caught my eye about this specific planner is that it zippers shut. So notes, receipts, cards, etc stay put instead of falling out.

I had no intention to make this post an #ad. I had every intention to show something that works for me. I am a wife, a mom, an author, an employee, and probably a couple other things. Having something that keeps me organized is a blessing.

          

What do you use to keep yourself organized? Do you have a specific planner? Do you use an app on your phone? Is there a specific item?

Clicking on the Amazon link above will generate a *small* revenue for me while not charging you anymore for your purchase. Thank you for supporting me and my endeavors.

When It All Gets Crazy

In the life of a college student, November can get quite nerve racking. Typically this is the time in the semester when deadlines for all the projects are approaching and midterm grades are being released. It can get rather overwhelming.

For myself it is not just about being a college student. I have a family, plus I am also involved in my church. So while it does get crazy and insane and very overwhelming, I love it.

Currently I am planning three essays for Expository Writing, a video script, a mini eBook and a Portfolio for Technical Report Writing and doing classwork for Astronomy with my college studies. At church, I have found myself involved with two friends coordinating a business expo for November 17th. Then of course family wise there is never a dull moment.

The gist of this post though is not to go on and on about how I have so much to do. The point is that with a well thought out plan it can all be done and still have time to sleep, provided you have not drank too much coffee.

The first thing I did was print out a schedule of due dates. That was scary in itself seeing in my face that a few things were due on the same day, but I would rather know that today instead of a week from now when they are expected to be turned in. The next thing I did was let my spouse know that this month was going to be crazy and I was going to need a LOT of homework time. In addition to homework time I am going to need some help with the expo too. So let's see... 1. Written Schedule.  2. ASK for HELP.

That leaves the 3.Implementation. Getting to everything and doing it. You know how long you need to put your best foot forward. Yes, life gets crazy but what matters is how you respond.

A peek…

Remember the other day when I posted about being organized? I have my office semi setup. I am waiting for internet cables to be ran to the room. (We have dialup at the house, but are hoping cable gets here eventually)

So I thought I would give a sneak peak on what my office looks like. It is not finished, and there is much more to get done. But, it’s a start.

I am very thankful I have a dedicated area to work at.

Organization

I have discovered that it does not matter how organized your desk or computer are, that you are not organized fully until you have a set schedule for yourself. This has been hard for me.

Sure, I am a college student but I am also a mom and a wife. There is a lot to juggle there.

My top priority has been getting my office set up. With my office set up, other things can fall into place. It will make it so that when I have 15-20 minutes free, I can sit down and write or research.

That is my two cents. I am praying that my schedule will work over the weekend so I can get a short finished and have a beta look it over.