The other day I mentioned the seasonal planners I am setting up for the new year. I wanted to share a little more about them, since I now have them ready to go.
Before I get started though, can I just mention how nice the winter sunshine feels today? It's pretty cold here (31 at the moment) but the sun seems so much brighter than it did just a month ago. On days like these, it's easy to lull ourselves into thinking that spring might not be all that far away ... of course, there's a storm coming in tonight, so that will put us right back in our place.
Anyway, back to those planners! Each one is assigned a season (there are six in all), and the whole set is coordinated with my household journal:
(Those are tiny alphabet stickers I bought at Michael's last month - for an Advent project that will now have to wait till next year - but I've been finding lots of uses for them anyway. I love how old-fashioned they look - they work well with the paper I chose.)
Setting up the binders was actually very quick and easy. I chose paper to match each season and cut them to fit inside the cover of a clear view-front binder. Then, inside each binder I placed a yellow index page, a print-out of my Themes and Plans for those months, looseleaf paper for project planning and the calendar pages. (I'll mark the individual projects with press-on tabs.)
Lastly, I placed alphabet tags on the spine of each binder signifying the months held inside:
Six Seasons to Plan:
Winter ~ January & February
Early Spring ~ March & April
Late Spring ~ May & June
Summer ~ July & August
Autumn ~ September & October
Holiday ~ November & December
I made room for all of the binders on my workspace shelves - see them tucked in there on the 4th shelf down?
They fit in rather well, and they're at an arm's length from where I sit when I work. (And by "work" I mean - teach, pay bills, plan meals, blog, plan, surf online ... etc.)
Well, I'm running out of time today but in a future post I'll list the projects that I have filed in each binder. Thanks for joining me here today. I hope your week is off to a good start! :)
I am happy to award you the One Lovely Blog Award. You will find the graphic at this post.
http://gracefulgirlhood.blogspot.com/2009/01/jeanne-from-peaceful-day-was-so-sweet.html
Now it's your turn to pass it on to seven lovely friends!
Hugs,
Kim
Posted by: Kim | January 08, 2009 at 03:11 PM
I think this is a very useful and orderly system. May I ask two questions to help my struggling planning skills. How far ahead do you plan for an event/activity and when do you peruse these folders to take stock of each forthcoming event/activity?
Many thanks.
Adele Anirudhan
Posted by: Adele Anirudhan | January 08, 2009 at 09:35 AM
I really love this idea and its accessibility. I'm currently planning and filing so many things by season because you gave me the wonderful idea to do it this way. I can't tell you what a help that has been for me and my family! I don't know if you already posted this but where did you find the cute little binders? I love the idea of having them verses what I'm currently using.
Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to see/read more details.
Posted by: Jenny_Wren | January 07, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Just a quick note or addendum to my previous comment. A good friend pointed out that it is called Tabula Rasa, not Rosa, although I much preferred the sound of Rosa. I've been writing it wrong for three years now! It's as if I read Rasa but saw Rosa and it just stuck. Anyway, the name probably isn't as important as the ritual itself.
Hugs,
Kim
Posted by: Kim | January 07, 2009 at 01:27 PM
Oh yippee!! I love when you post your organizational tips. I'm organizationally challenged, so I'm hoping this post will inspire me. I'll have to come back later to read it since I'm short on time right now. Have a nice over the hump day!
Stacy :-)
Posted by: Stacy | January 07, 2009 at 11:32 AM
So pretty, Dawn.
Posted by: Patty | January 07, 2009 at 09:44 AM
I too am wondering about your file folders and where they fit in now. Please tell us.
Posted by: Heidi | January 07, 2009 at 07:50 AM
The binders are beautiful. You've inspired me to make my binder a little prettier. Do seasonal binders mean the end of the file folders??
Jennifer
Posted by: Jennifer | January 06, 2009 at 09:31 PM
I thought of you when I wrote this post tonight. You have inspired me in so many ways, the seasonal planners, although I only have four, my monthly journals. Thanks again for being such an inspiration! Here's the link to the post, I thought Tabula Rosa sounded like something you might want to incorporate into your own yearly planning.
http://gracefulgirlhood.blogspot.com/2009/01/tabula-rosa.html
Posted by: Kim | January 06, 2009 at 07:23 PM
WOW! Thank you for this idea, and walking us through. And for showing us where you store them. I am always looking for storage ideas. Anxiously awaiting the details...
Posted by: mamalion | January 06, 2009 at 05:56 PM
Brillant! Can't wait for the details!
Posted by: Shonda | January 06, 2009 at 05:21 PM
this is such a good idea! When I have a few days to organize my supplies and tackle it, I may resource this from you...
Posted by: misty | January 06, 2009 at 05:03 PM
Thanks for sharing this, it gives me lots of new ideas for my own system!
Posted by: Kathryn | January 06, 2009 at 04:45 PM
I am envious of your organizational skills. I always learn more from you though. Thanks for the inspiration and keep warm. I couldn't handle 31 degrees...brrrr!
Posted by: Jeanette | January 06, 2009 at 03:28 PM