Tracking and Planning in 2014

Ah, procrastination. I'd certainly rather write this blog entry than work on the next episode in the serial I'm writing about a Old West Bad Romance. Must submit a thousand words in less than a week (thought I had more time; there goes vacation). The tough part is that I'm just not in writing mode. I'm in housewife mode. Made 16 quarts of beef stock the other day (just before cooking Christmas dinner) and have been polishing surfaces and doing laundry this morning. ANYTHING to avoid writing.

And now this post, which is an excellent distraction. It really is kind of important to get my tracking and planning system for 2014 all set up. Isn't it?

This year I have abjured all expensive Filofaxes and Franklin Covey binders and binder inserts. Instead, I'll be using the Amy Knapp's Family Organizer found at my local Barnes and Noble and also Martha Stewart's vertical weekly inserts, with 12 monthly pages from Day Timers. Martha Stewart's calendar does have monthly pages but they are embedded in the weeks and not tabbed. I needed the Day Timer months with their fronts and backs for goals and plans, so bought them separately.

These together will serve as my tracking and planning system for 2014. I've put the Martha Stewart weeks, the Day Timer months and some loose pages at the front in a small 3 ring binder from Staples (slipped some scrapbook paper in the view pockets for decoration). The loose pages are for my goals and project lists. The Knapp goes in my bag, the binder stays on my desk.

Why this particular system? I find the vertical weeks in the Martha Stewart planner best for accurately planning how much activity can be fit into a finite week. I block off my work hours with Washi tape which helps me see how much time is left for my other projects.

Martha Stewart Vertical Weekly Pages - I track exercise & meditation in those boxes at the bottom

Here's how it all flows. Throughout the week I am writing items onto the shopping list and weekly to be done list in the Knapp, which is with me all the time. 

Amy Knapp's Family Organizer (my personal tabs!)

But at the weekly review, I go to my goals and project lists and pick out the next steps. Those go onto the Knapp weekly list, too. At this point I turn to the vertical weekly pages and spread my weekly list over the day blocks to see if there are too many activities and tasks for the available time, in which case I cut some. Then I write a brief final plan into the Knapp weekly calendar boxes and go to the next step, menu planning. I love how the Knapp meal plan lines up with the weekly calendar so it is easy to see when to adjust your plans for family activities. When the meal plan is done it's easy to add the ingredients to the shopping list.

The vertical weekly pages in the Martha Stewart calendar have two boxes at the bottom. I use the top one to track walking/cycling and the bottom one meditation. Creating these daily habits is one of my goals for 2014.  

Adding major goals to the weekly list keeps me from foundering in minutia. I like cooking but in the larger picture publishing my first three part fiction serial means considerably more!