Life Planner First

I’m pretty organized.  Every morning I’m up early – running through the things I mentally noted that I needed to take care of.  Somehow, I manage to stop at least once a day to concentrate on what I was “suppose” to do.  On occasion, I remember whatever it is and other times it comes to me as I lay me head on the pillow.  I’m not proclaiming that I’m forgetful but I will acknowledge when change is needed.  I was determined to get my schedule in in check and become more productive.

I purchased a daily planner from target the beginning of the year.  Things were on track but I didn’t have enough space to write down what I needed.  So, I only used the monthly view pages, which allowed me to see when I was doing things.  I needed more!  A colleague (HA! – I said colleague) of mine had shown me her Day Designer Planner early this year and I never forgot it.  So I thought maybe this is something I need to invest in.  Needless to say, I kept going with my poor method and wasn’t maximizing my day.  In this new position, I realized that I had to get some order in my schedule.  I was on the hunt.  I liked the Day Designer but it wasn’t me.  I went to my homie, YouTube for answers.  Through a few comparison reviews and unboxings, I found the one for me in the eRiN Conderen brand.

Here it is!  Isn’t it lovely?  If you would like to hear the details of the order and features included, please follow me on Periscope @stoical127 for the live review.  Why I chose to go with this company?  I like the customization options because I don’t want to walk around with the same planner as everyone else. That’s just one of my quirks.  The colors were bright and changed throughout the year in the planner. There are motivation quotes, sufficient space to write and the little welcome pouch was a nice way to get you to try out other products.  So I ordered the planner after I finally decided how I was going to decorate my work space.  I decided on the Cynthia Rowley Floral office collection to breathe a little life into my cube of beige.

After some very stiff competition, I went with my favorite shade of blue in navy surrounded by flowers and we know how much I love flowers.  In an upcoming post I’ll show you how I decorated everything.  There are still things to hang on the wall.  You all know decorating takes time.  It’s never as easy as HGTV will have you to believe.  Is it wrong for me to want a chic chair or should I hold of until I get my library?  😉  I’ll be looking forward to your feedback in the comments.

Other reasons why I went with this I like the layout. It allows me to break my day up into 3 sections that are important to me and provide room for changes.  I’m not taking about morning, noon and night.  My days consists of fitness, work and evenings.  I’ll have some pictures after I set it up for you to have a peek into my daily life.  Another unconventional criterion was the CEO‘s energy.  She put a face to and voice to the products.  I felt she understood what some of us busy people feel. We want to take care of everything but feel there’s NEVER enough time in a day.  Some people wouldn’t have cared that she made those YouTube videos but it mattered to me.

I’m in love and have picked up quite a few tips on how I can make planning fun and personal for me.  The cover is my very own (check my IG: @bmisunderstood) picture and the cover can be switched out with another.  This is awesome for me because I like to change things up from time to time and like the idea that I never have to lose my cover because it’s time for a new planner.

I’ll keep you updated on how everything progresses through the year and if this method works for me as well.  🙂

Moving Pains

I think you all remember when I thought coming back to this Eight Mile Road was joyous. Trust me it was until the kid started going to school downtown. 😦 Doing my job as a parent to transport him to and from school through all this hellish weather was a beast. This past winter was one of the worst and the snail crawl to Lafayette from the northern perimeter of the city was killing my rest and wallet. During the school year, I made a decision to move close to school and work. The resignation letter I submitted to the city had to be rescinded, due to my child wanting to stay at this specific high school. I bit the bullet and my tongue for his happiness. Keeping the thought in mind that this time will pass by quickly.

After hunting around during the last several weeks of the school year. I found exactly what I needed and prepared my family to move one final time before I became an empty nester. The place was spacious allowing us to maintain our privacy and function as a household. The thing I dreaded most was about to happen again. I needed to move all of my shit to another place. I had spent a good portion of this spring getting rid of stuff and giving stuff away. It still seemed as if I hadn’t made a dent. A stop at a Uhaul packing location empowered me with 20 boxes, tape & a mattress cover to take this thing head on. This will go down as one of the smartest investments in this decision.

I had already been planning and buying things I needed for the place over my time here. Now it just seemed that I had too much but I knew once everything was in its place I’d be fine. One day while #19 was away I went to his room and gathered everything in a few boxes and closed them with the tape. He literally was dragging his feet with this small piece of business. I, on the other hand, was exhausted with the idea and the time I knew it would take for me to get comfortable. Then there was leasing office staff, which left nothing to be unexpected in the future. (That’s all I’m going to say about that.) I was going to make the most out of it until it was time to move on to the next chapter in my life.

Moving day came and the movers were late, it was a million degrees and I was over it!

 

9: Streaming Garden Project

No, we haven’t decided to place a stream in the church garden. I’m speaking in reference to the digital streaming that prevents us from receiving information as fast as we want. You all know how passionate I am about gardening and the assignment I have within the church. Well once again the progress was halted by congregational administration red tape. But you probably already figured that out by my lack of posts about the next step after we prepared the bed for flowers. I’ll give you the short version. Moreover I want to explain why this is an important event of my 2013.

The bed was cleared for us to prep the soil and plant the flowers as the introduction of the Herbert B. Robinson Sr. Memorial Garden project early summer. I even agreed to have the church landscaper to clear out the remaining portion of the bed because only three (3) members assisted me with the work. As I stood a little taller filled with pride over our forward movement with the endeavor, I was hit with an unforeseeable blow. They said “don’t plant yet until we get the building painted.” Okay! When are they planning to paint the building? It was so long ago, I can’t remember if they said this week or next week. Either way it went it was neither week. The summer was almost over before they painted that wall. The grass had filled the bed up again and once I again I felt defeat. A feeling I want to personalize because I find it hard to believe the church doesn’t want to have this garden prepared or functional for other events. I feel no true support for the vision I have for the space or the memory/tribute I feel is owed to the legacy of our but mainly my former pastor. There has been hurdle after hurdle and my frustration has yield a sour taste on my tongue for the non-profit. With all of these feelings I still have a desire to continue. The question is am I alone?

I’m currently, planning a schedule to present to the pastor which meets my needs and satisfies the work I want to begin. It’s been two (2) gardening seasons since this was initiated. At all times, I’m exploring other avenues to create a better life for my family. This was a portion of my talent & time offering to the church. Now that I am equipped with more information and a stubborn attitude to reject the failure I feel. It time to aggressively move in the direction I want to see on land rather than just in my dreams.

The reason this pitfall event made it to the countdown is because it displays the growth I’ve experienced over these years. The old me would have just threw her hands up and said just forget about it. The matured woman understands that sometimes you have to go about things a different way. Especially when those things will add value to your life and as much as I love making money – that’s not the value I speak of. 🙂