Combining Franklin Covey and FlyLady

Reposting an old idea:
I need to revisit this now I am back to using an electronic organiser.

Over the years I have tried many ways of planning.  A paper binder worked well bk (before kids) and my Tungsten E Palm was good too, but I got to a stage as a homeschooling, stay at home mama that neither of these tools were working for me.

That is when I transferred all my planning pages to index cards and created a paper version of the Franklin Covey software I like to use. I was finding that 20 minutes of daily planning was taking 2 hours of also checking emails, surfing links set in said emails, etc, and then signing off with several games of Spider Solitaire. Not a good start to the day!

Here is how I have worked it so if you're really not into the whole idea of mission statements, goal setting, prioritising etc this could be over the top. It is sort of a combination of FlyLady's CJ and a Franklin Covey planner.

I have my routines written on index cards and inserted into a photo album. The cards are in this order...

1. Morning Routine for me
2. Morning Routine once kids are up (or need to be kick started lol)
3. Breakfast and post breakfast routines
4. Chore Time only written on card
5. An empty space that I put that zone's card into each day as I do my planning (I have my house broken into 6 zones Mon - Sat and then have 4 different weeks that I rotate through for monthly tasks)
6. Yard Time routines
7. School Time only written on card
8. Space for putting post it note with quick details of school to be done
9. Morning Tea and School Time
10. Space for putting post it note with quick details of school to be done
11. Lunch and post-lunch routines
12. Table Time space for Science/History activities, Art/Craft ideas, Preschool activities, again with post it notes with prompts
13. Project Time space for my personal project time, time for kids to use PC or watch pre-approved DVD, or work together on a bunny trail from our lessons
14. Afternoon routines
15. Dinner and after dinner routines
16. Bedtime routines
17. My personal time routines

How I do my day...

On card 1 I have personal planning time. In this time in the morning I look through some index cards from a file box. These are:

1. Mission Statement/Inspirational Quote for this period of my life
2. Values eg Family, Education, Service with a short statement of what each means to me
3. Roles eg Mum/Teacher, Homemaker, Individual, Church Member, Family Member, Wife, Community Member each again with short brief statements of areas that are important to me in each role eg as Mum/Teacher giving my children basic skills in personal hygeine, 3Rs, etc suitable for their age
4. Project/Long Range Goals with tasks/steps necessary
Eg Homemaker Project 1
Goal: Tidy and catalogue outgrown boys clothing
Tasks: - Sort clothes by size into boxes
- Make a list for each size noting item brand, style of clothing, colour, condition
- Type up lists in Excel for analysis
- Send lists to my mum
- Put list in HMB (Home Management Binder)
- Move boxes to garage

I have cards for all sorts of projects and regularly check through them, pencil in dates when I write a step on a post it note for in my photo album, then cross off as done or rub out pencil because it has dropped in priority and I must do some other Project task more urgently.

I also have a Misc project card for those things that I want to do that are only one task to complete, like posting a letter off or hemming a certain skirt for instance.

Next I insert the appropriate zone card and write up lessons from my Homeschool binder onto post-its in a very brief summary form, sticking them in the appropriate spots in the photo album.

A list like in Franklin Covey overwhelms me or makes me want to do it all now and my routines fly out the window. Having only routines with no place to record big goals/projects or one off tasks wasn't working either, so this is my way of combining the two. Now I know to leave projects till the afternoon, to not get caught up cataloguing clothes when school hasn't been done yet, and other similar dilemmas.

Ok, was that overwhelming?

For me I needed to put it all in one place and my to do lists kept clashing with my routines and I was running around stressed but not doing anything important. So far this seems to be working for me.

Ask away if you have any questions.

Life as we know it, Jen!

Does anyone else remember that song?  Star Trekkin' ... slowly going forward, things are getting worse!  lol

I definitely had to show my kids that YouTube, after all their cultural education would not be complete without Star Trek and Star Wars, would it?  Oh, and Grease, and Labyrinth, and The Never Ending Story.

Ahh, the good ol' days.  Can't even trust Disney movies these days.

Anyway back to our scheduled post.

The boys have been going to a morning holiday activity put on by a local church this week.  They love it each year.  Even my 13 year old has been enjoying it.  He is so quiet though that he finds it easier to relate to the girls than the boys.  The others are loving the craft and games.  Overall a good event for them all, and free.

We have also bought ourselves a pool, only 12 foot across and about 2 foot deep but quite good for getting cool and having a little exercise anytime we want.  Of course the security for it cost more than the pool itself but having a secure gate and back door are very important when you have little ones.

Rosie the chook is recovering well.  Her crop is not getting so stuck.  It seems I do still need to massage it at least 3 times a day to keep things moving along but I don't mind.  Chasing her around each time (why she can't just come like a dog when I call her I don't know!) gives me some exercise and amusement anyway.

We had to move a bookshelf to get to some Telstra wiring the other day so while one was empty I thought I may as well empty all my shelves and paint them white.  They are Billy bookcases from Ikea that I bought about 12 years and are still going strong.  Couldn't say the same for the Billy bookcase I got about 3 years ago.  They were a dark red brown but we needed to lighten up the room so white they will be.

It could take me a few more days to get them finished so there are boxes all over the place filled with books.  Bit messy but then you do have to break some eggs to make an omelet as they say.

Best wishes
Jen

Making Pinewood Derby Cars Part 2

These cars have moved from a plain block of pine to some very nice looking race cars over the last 3 weeks.  Dh has now weighted them with lead and there is only a little touching up to be done for them to be ready for racing next Saturday.

Eldest's car from the front

Eldest's car from the back

Second son's General Lee

The side of third son's car

Third son's stripes (excuse the lounge, it had an accident - ask ds1 about it.)

The "phone" that will possibly drive too!

Sleek shape, huh, but will it drive?

We have all had some fun with these and are seriously consdiering continuing to make more and more cars.  Getting wheels here in Australia is not so easy but we are thinking that an overseas order wouldn't be a waste of time.

I have really liked how the boys have seen and learnt the process of creating something in their head and then translating that to paper and then to wood.  I think this is a really important skill.  After all isn't that what we do when we set goals - create the unseen, the intangible first before the concrete.

Best wishes
Jen

Today's Mission

Today I have decided my mission is to get the little things off my rolling to do list that have been lingering way too long. Most times it seems just normal life just takes up all my time, but with some pondering, I am realising my normal life doesn't have to take up all my awake hours. I just let it.

I am slowly working my way through a long list of projects. Just knocking them on the head! The good feeling I get from finishing some items is motivating me to work on my normal jobs more quickly so I can "finish" another thing from the list.

I use a system called AutoFocus to keep track of my endless ideas and projects. It helps to catch those someday project ideas. And now I am working faster on the mundane so I can get to those projects.

Maybe you can check it out for your projects this year!

Best wishes
Jen
(originally posted 3 Jan 2010)