Honor Your Day - The Plan, Take One Week

 

Shamrocks, luck, this is not about luck, it's about planning. You deserve to feel good about yourself and how you live. Having your living space in order is just one step toward that goal. I will try to help with that. Using my method you may see the answer to something that has vexed you. You may see something I share as a jumping off point for your own process. Keep an open mind, here we go.

By honoring your day you honor yourself. You deserve to live a life where things such as dusty light bulbs and leaves tracked onto your clean floor are not triggers for anxiety. Respect is the key here. Respecting yourself and the work you do will only strengthen your resolve, and will imprint those around you to respect what you do as well. 

My journal, nothing fancy, plastic yet. One of these days I need to upgrade the design.

Now that you have your lists, hopefully, we can approach the next important step. A written plan, a "Control Journal" as Marla calls it, puts the structure of your new way to work at hand. I have a simple three ring binder and a collection of plastic page inserts for mine. By putting all my important information on paper, I can recall a phone number, an address, or monthly plan for cleaning the living room before Christmas in a blink. So can the rest of my family. I choose not to keep all this information in my phone. My husband, who is the most likely person to need that information, is tech limited. In his work, he had assistants, technicians and support people who did for him, in retirement, that person (s) is me. Thus, the notebook. I made the first version just with notes and handwritten lists, when I was sure of the contents, I typed it up, printed the pages and inserted them in their little sleeves. I do date them as well. 

I even keep some older business cards tucked in there.  

-All this planning will help you organize your large and small tasks as well as quarterly and annual projects. This includes lists of tradesmen, clergy, contacts at certain governmental offices, etc. So this week or so can be spent working on your control journal, gather up all the information you think is most important. I have a category for birthdays, anniversaries, and even menu's for holiday dinners. While that might be more than you wish to include, I hope you get the idea. 

-My first category is phone numbers and addresses. Page one is Family and friends.

-My second category is the phone number, address, website if any, of service people and tradesmen. My plumber and electrician, my HVAC company, our family funeral director, and lawyer.

-The next pages lists our doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, physical therapists etc. Everything related to medical issues. In addition, I have small maps of the large campus hospitals we use and the parking garages. I included each doctors speciality so that my son or daughter in law will know who we are referring to.     

-Grocery stores, memberships such as Costco, big box stores, such as Home Depot, Lowes, etc, local hardware stores, garages we use as well as our car dealer. 

-Favorite restaurants, take out and reservation numbers, club numbers, pro-shop etc, furniture store, bank etc. Or any other category that applies to your life. 

Having all this information in one place is much like making sure your doors are locked at the end of the day. Put it in a place that is easy to reach and let your family and/or significant representative know where it is.   

So, in conclusion, you will honor your day by organizing yourself.  It's a process, it takes a while, don't fuss, don't worry, baby steps here, baby steps. 

Finish your lists, work on your control journal information, clean that sink!