I am a bit of a stationery addict! Over the years I've amassed dozens of diaries, planners and organisers in the hope I would find 'The One'. It never happened. I would use one, trying it for a while but something was missing and I couldn't pinpoint what it was.
I tried a day to a page diary but wasn't really busy enough to fill it. Next was a week to an opening. A little better. But since becoming a part time worker with a little one attending kindy, taking on a P&F Secretary role and blogger with a Facebook page I needed something that I could group those roles and see them at a glance.
And then I found it. The One...a horizontal planner. The Master Plan. I.love.it.
The horizontal planner lets me see in columns what is coming up for the week for each role. This year with the addition of an extra column I was able to add a Projects line, which is fantastic and allows me to write down specific projects I'm working on.
Use it to keep track of after school activities, play dates and appointments. Being A5 size it's portable, pop it in your handbag or keep it at home as part of your Family Command Station.
I love that this year the pages are white which means if I have to use white out it doesn't stand out (I know, OCD much). I'm also this year using my washi supplies and cards to brighten up my week ahead.
The Plan is a 15 month calendar commencing in September & while I start using mine at the beginning of the year, I use the extra pages to write notes etc. There's also a removable notebook included.
The menu planning section is a favourite because as you know we love to menu plan, 5 years and counting and saves us so much money and time. Being able to see at a glance what's for dinner prompts me to get the meat for that night out of the freezer ready to go.
Even if you have already bought this years diary, it's never too late to change to the perfect planner. When you make the switch you'll be buying it every year, trust me! This is my second year and I haven't looked back. The hardest part is choosing the colour. I love the Mint, my signature colour for the year.
Thanks to the lovely ladies at Sweet Creations for sending me The Master Plan in mint to review & keep. As always the opinions are my own.
Annabel from Milestone Press has also kindly given me a copy of The Master Plan for one of you to win and love.
Giveaway details
The Giveaway will run here on the Because Everything Counts blog page.
It will run from Tuesday 28 January and end Tuesday 4 February 2014.
Entry is open to Australian residents only. One entry per person. This is a game of skill and the winner will be chosen based on the answer given.
Comments require approval by me before publishing. This reduces spam comments. All genuine responses are published.
If you have any issues with Rafflecopter please don't hesitate to message me via my Facebook page
How to Enter
Please leave your answer below and include your full name & email address. Good luck xx
The one tip I would recommend to everyone organising a family is to have a weekly calendar on the fridge. On Sundays, I sit and prep the week ahead from Bdays, meals etc and post this on the fridge. Its the place everyone would go and thus promps us to remember whats happening, what to get out of the freezer etc :) Love your blog. First time reader and love it!
ReplyDeleteMy tip for an organised family is to, keep momentum. By that I mean do lots of five min jobs vs waiting for a block of time to play catch up. Also we have just started colour coding. Toothbrushes, drink bottles....each family member is responsible for their colour. We have had less lost or broken items since starting this system. Love your blog. Alicia
ReplyDeleteAs a Mum of a 1 year old, I have found that I need to keep on top of what is happening more so now than ever before, especially as I/we are still sleep deprived. We have a weekly calendar which lists all our events for the week, but even with that in place we are at times chasing our tails. Two things, which I think works (and would definitely work if I did it consistently) is colour coding events and sitting down one night on the weekend to write up our events etc.
ReplyDeleteI find it easier if I keep track of what my husband has on and when he has weekend work if I have access to his calendar on our iPhones that way I'm not double booking things etc
ReplyDeleteKaren Edwards
saekae at bigpond dot net dot au
My husband keeps trying to get me to use the calendar in Google, but I love stationery too much! I also prefer to see things actually written down. Probably this whole comment just shows my age, but you've got to do what works for you. The planner looks fantastic, where can you buy them? Kylie Rogers kylie@faberex.com
ReplyDeleteI just realised I didn't read the question before commenting! My one tip is to write all appointments and events down as soon as I hear about them. Otherwise I forget about them and end up double booked, which is a big risk with two kids, their activities, play dates etc.
ReplyDelete