New Year, New Beginning

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“Maybe you have to let go of who you were,to become who you will be” 

 

This is a quote from the TV show Sex in the City, said by the character Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sara Jessica Parker. 

I was in the process of binge watching Sex in the City, when I heard Carrie say this, and I thought OH MY God, she’s right, AND I love this show even more… if that is possible. LOL

 

The last two years of my life, I have been in constant change, it has been a little stressful, a little exhausting and a tad bit unpredictable, but worth every second. I have finally started to let go of who I was, and am finally figuring out who I am suppose to be. I  have the big picture of what I want. I have focus and a direction of where I want my life to go.

 

Will it be perfect? No, I expect some bumps in the road, a few sharp curves. But isn’t that just life? No matter how many bumps or curves life throws at me I know, I have a direction to keep going. And a contingency plan just in case. LOL

You’re probably wondering “why are you telling me all of this?” Well partially because this blog is part of my plan. In 2020 I plan on making this blog my dear diary of sorts. To talk about where I am going and where I have been, to document my life, the good,the bad and the ugly (oohh and the boring). LOL  

 

January has been the month to set plans into motion, to review and make sure I have all the steps, and everything makes sense. This blog is a big part of that planning process. The downside is, now I’m so excited I almost wish 2020 was over so I could see the progress I’ve made. LOL

So enough of the wishy-washy stuff lets get to the heart of all this chatter, the goals. Figuring out the goals for this blog is the hardest for me. I really don’t like setting goals. So this has been a challenge, but I muddled my way through it.   

My goal is to start posting twice a week. On Wednesdays and Saturdays. Each day articles will eventually have a theme of sorts, but right now, they will be a hodge-podge of information while i work out some details.

My second goal is to plan on adding reviews on stuff, I am still working out the finer details on what and how I will review, but it will be items I have personally used.

The third goal, I will be working on is photos and videos to go up on the site. My plan is to also post most of the photos and videos on my website instagram page.(instagram ID PathKrooked) 

The Fourth and last goal. I will be adding a newsletter, it will be a pop up if you want to sign up, and receive an email that is linked to my new blog post. I am planning on only sending one a week, This schedule will be subject to change without notice. 

Well, that’s it, my plan in a nutshell. The four goals I have for this blog. 

So how about you,  Do you like setting goals? Did you set any BIG goals for this year?  Let me know in the comments. I can’t wait to hear from you. 

 

Huggs <3

 

    “So it Begins”

 

 

Planning Chaos

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Digital planning vs. Paper planning.  Functional planning vs. Pretty planning.   Choices, choices, choices. So many choices, how do you choose? 

 

My first introduction to planners began when I attend a 3 day, Franklin Covey seminar.  One of the takeaways, from the seminar, was a free Franklin Covey planner, complete with thier daily inserts.  I loved that planner. I look back at that time in my life, I felt organized, I knew what my day was going to be like and I knew what needed to be done that day. I felt planner peace.  Now that I don’t have that same schedule and I am planning my day, and what I am working on. I sit back and think, did I ever really know how to efficiently use my planner? My planner was primarily for my schedule, meetings, projects, and meeting notes(You get the idea). But my personal life, what was left after work, I didn’t feel the need to plan daily, 

After I retired, I needed to learn how to plan out my personal life. And now that I have to plan my day so I am productive. I am at a complete loss, and I find that the Franklin Covey binder and inserts just don’t fit my life anymore.  I am in planner chaos, and it’s making my life a little difficult. 

This last year, I have brought back my Franklin Covey planner. When that didn’t work I tried a filofax, travelers planner, bullet journal in a notebook, and finally a Happy planner.  Unfortunately the Happy Planner did not make me happy, nor did any of the others. I felt lost and VERY disorganized. I longed for the days when I was working, and someone else told me when I had to work, when I was allowed to take lunch and breaks.  And I knew exactly what needed to be done that day to finish my job before I went home. Ok I’m not being completely truthful, I miss the simplicity of planning those days, I felt productive at the end of the day because everything was checked off before I left the office.  But really, I don’t miss the working and schedule part. (laugh out loud)

Planning has been a struggle for me this last year, trying to figure out the best way to plan my day to have that peace of mind knowing I was productive and my focus list (I renamed the to do list for inspiration)is becoming shorter by the day.  But looking at all these planners, I realized nothing is really done, and I didn’t feel that planner peace I felt before.

So what is a person to do in a situation like this? RESEARCH !! I broke out the articles and videos on how to plan a productive day, the best way to write up, and break down goals, and what planner they are using. I have scoured the internet looking for, someone to tell me what to do, and what to use.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I retired so I wouldn’t have to do what someone, else told me to do. This was my new life and I need to plan it the way I want to, not the way some random article or video told me to do it. The person writing the article doesn’t know my life, doesn’t know what I want to accomplish in my life, so why do it their way.

The last two months I have been working on a new system.  This system gives me piece of mind. I tucked all of my paper planners in my closet and broke out my laptop.  I realized the one way i have not tried planning, is using a digital style planner. I know it is nothing like using paper planner inserts, where everything is already set up and you have a road map on how to plan your day.  But I wanted freedom to design pages that worked specifically for me. What I chose to use is nothing fancy, but it covers my needs and its easy to use and organize. 

When looking for digital planners I wanted something easy. A place where  I could design my own pages, and could access the planner from any devise I use. So I decided to  use Evernote. I have been using Evernote for storage for about 9 years, so its a system I am use to.  Evernote offers me the chance to organize my planner in a way that make sense to me, and the templates makes it easier to design pages once and store them for Monthly use.  

 

Does it have its disadvantages? Of course it does. (I can’t use pretty planner stickers) But I am learning, it also has some pros.  I know it won’t be perfect right away, there will have to be some adjustments, but i believe I am on my way to having that peace again.  I am still working on planning the productive day, but I am getting closer. I actually have days where I sit back and look at my digital planner and the way i have organized it, and think WOW I was productive today, and THAT is a great feeling. 

 

Do you plan your days?  Any tips on planning a productive day? Tell me how you do your planning and what type of planner you use.

 

Until the next article 

          Have a wonderful Day!! 

Christine

Hello world!

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camping with my girls

HI!!

My name is Christine and welcome to my website!

I can’t wait to share my new journey with you, I spent 27 years working for the same company and recently decided to retire early, to start a new chapter in my life. I have rediscovered some old hobbies and passions from long ago and can’t wait to share them with you in this blog.

I am a single mother, my son is grown and on his own, I also have two senior dogs who are my partners in crime. We love to go on road trips, and explore new places, but we also enjoy being at home curled up on the couch watching tv. Life has taken me in many directions and I’m excited to see where I go next, and hope you join me on this trip.