Thursday, January 1, 2009

Resolutions To (possibly) Keep

I'm one of those people who makes New Year's resolutions every single year, all which are abandoned by about the 3rd or 4th of January. Sometimes I wonder if the whole point of resolutions is to set a simple, yet impossible goal to stick to, and then throw it out the window and tell everyone you know, that you'll try again next year. Isn't that what everyone does?

But this year (just as I say every year) I'm really going to stick to my resolution. This year, I'm going to get organized.

You see, I'm the most disorganized person on the planet. Really, I am. More disorganized than you, I swear. Not just in my home... yes my desks are piled high, all surface spaces are filled with odds and ends of stuff that need a place to be put away. Even desk drawers and kitchen cabinets are a mess of things that have just been stuffed in. But worse than that, my life is just a disorganized mess and its driving me insane.

Everyday, I say to myself, "Okay, Marisa, what do you have to do today?" And maybe I write it down on a scrap of paper - which, more often than not, I lose amongst the stuff on my counter or fridge before the morning is even over - or maybe I just decide that my to-do list is so important that I can't possibly forget everything that needs to get accomplished so I don't bother writing it down at all- and always forget everything, of course.

Basically, my day consists of accomplishing nothing more than thinking about the things that I need to do and then getting frustrated because I'm such a mess. And this is a daily thing, going on for nearly 28 years. Apparently, it takes 21 days (or 28, I can't remember - should have written it down) to create a habit. I'm not sure if 28 years of being disorganized will be cured in only 21 (28?) days, but I'm going to be optimistic about it all.

By golly, I'm going to get organized and you can't stop me!

So, I went to the store and looked at all the planners and found NOTHING that suited my life or list-making abilities. Not to mention, the tiniest of planners was about 40 dollars and filled with hundreds of pages of stuff I'd never use or need in a million years.

What did I do? Well, I made my own - as you can probably tell from the above picture. I sat down and thought about how I wanted my day structured and then thought about what other kinds of things I usually note down in the day. I've done Weight Watchers to lose my baby weight, so I added a section for food recording, so that I can keep track of my snacking without needing a different sheet of paper. And I also figured a section where I could record something to be grateful for each day might be a nice thing to include. Then I bought a super cute binder from Target to stick all my planner pages in and voila! I'm destined to be organized now.

Or at least until January 4th.

Are you going to stick to your resolutions this year? Ah, wouldn't that be nice? Well, I hope you do, so good luck to all of you!

xoxo,

18 comments:

Momma J said...

I am thoroughly impressed!

Anonymous said...

LOL, you couldn't possibly be less organized than I am. I'm currently working on my own method to try to get organized - have google email me each day about the things I'm supposed to do. Hopefully it will help me remember at least the stuff I need to do on a regular basis....

Pieceful Bits said...

That looks pretty organized! Hope it works for you. I have resolved this year not to have any resolutions, but I am always wanting to change something about me. I guess that's our nature.

Happy New Year
Julie

Melanie @ Whimsical Creations said...

Fabulous idea! Great organizing tool. Hope it works.

Unknown said...

That is a wonderful idea!! I should have thought of that myself *smiles*

I have an 11 year old who always forgets to do things that he is supposed to do. I printed out a check list and laminated it. Now he has to have all of his items checked off before bed & we erase it together when I am saying good night.

I did that for him because I am completely disorganized in my life too. I don't want him to be that way *smiles*

Now, I need to take some of your advice and make myself a pretty journal!!!

J said...

What a fabulous idea! You sound just like me! You know, office supply stores will spiral bind anything you throw at them. I might have to make myself some sheets that fit my life/schedule and go that route so it's easier to tote around and flop open.

Joshua's Heart said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Denise said...

You sound as disorganized as me :) Your description sounds like my house most days :) Good luck with your resolution! Hope it lasts longer than January 4th :)

Denise
DeeJayPhotography.blogspot.com

lyptis said...

Funny and entertaining post!

u cant be that disorganized!;) come on, ure writing a blog and having a shop on etsy!:)

anyways, its always good to have plans, i wish u luck with urs!

Blackfeatherfarm said...

Happy organizing !

Rosebud Collection said...

Happy New Year..I have to get visiting my dear blog friends..I have been very sloppy..Trying to start the year off right..

AshleyL. said...

I love that sheet! What a perfect way to become more organized! I just spent the day organizing my itsy bitsy room.

A lot of stuff for Christmas + my little room = a great need for organization! :)

Your blog is lovely!

Anonymous said...

oh good luck!! i'm so glad that you are more unorganized than i am. it makes me feel so much better to know that i'm NOT the worse out there!! yay!!!

My Inspired Reality said...

Wow, what a great idea about the personalized planner. I like the the "gratitude" area very much.

Have a wonderful 2009. Somehow I think this year you are going to get organized, by golly:):)

Anne said...

OMG you're killin' me! I feel like a total slug after reading through your planning pages. Don't get me wrong, I love it so much - especially the bits about doing the special activities with the girls. Those two are inordinately lucky to have a mama who places such value on spending time with them. Though it does make me cringe when I think about my own, "ahhh, park the girl in front of the TV for an hour so I can read blog posts" approach some afternoons.

I should also add that I think I could give you a run for your disorganized money. When I buy planners, I make sure they don't have dates printed on them. I like the kinds with the squares where you write in dates. That way, I can fill in the dates only a month at a time. When I quit keeping up with my planner, I'm not wasting all the unused pages. I can use the rest of them the next time that I think I'll get my life together. Seriously, I do this. I have one planner that's going on 10 years old. Best $7.99 I ever spent.

moxylyn said...

I've done the same thing! I revise it every now and then but they really help me get stuff done. Also when I give every chore it's own hour I accomplish a lot.

Junque Rethunque said...

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

I think in terms of disorganization, we were separated at birth. I'm making a list of all the projects and organizational things that I want to complete, and I'm working every weekend this year to get them knocked off. Not THIS weekend, but the REST, for shizzle!!

Truly Bella said...

This statement you made, pretty much sums me up!: "Basically, my day consists of accomplishing nothing more than thinking about the things that I need to do and then getting frustrated because I'm such a mess."

It's soooo frustrating ):

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