Finally making a planner decision

So lately I’ve been debating about whether or not I wanted to switch out my planner. I have been using the Clever Fox planner for a few months. While I like this planner, I do miss my ring planner.

I finally decided that I would love to finish up the rest of the year in my ring bound planner. I’m proud of myself for giving the Clever Fox 🦊 planner a try for as long as I have. I really did stick with it for a while.

I really miss being able to reset my planner when I felt like I was in a rut or bored with the layout.

I’m back in my half letter, disc bound planner. I have customized this planner with Cloth & Paper and Notiq inserts. I love my half letter planner. It make’s me happy.

I have always used a planner every since junior high school. It’s a habit that I am glad I adopted earlier in life. It has helped me to accomplish my goals and keep my life in order.

If you feel like you’re having trouble getting things done try a planner or planning system. You can even use a plain notebook to make your daily schedule, routines, and to do’s. I even track my health in my planner. Mental, physical and emotional health.

You don’t have to just make plans in a planner. Tracking your health, finances, family, pets, hobbies etc. is also great to write down in your planner.

My planner contains my whole life including my journal and my bible study. I also track and write about the books I have read.

I hope that this post helps someone who needs a little help getting things done or getting organized. If you would like more information on planning or planners leave it in the comments. I would also love to know what you all are using and how you like it.

Advertisement

Let’s water the flowers

Sometimes people just need to hear a kind word. The world is full of hate and unrest. It’s hard to find kindness or even courtesy. Let’s give people more of what we want.

I have always wanted to be loved and well liked. How can the universe give me something that I’m not willing to give others? My grandma used to say “ If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I’m taking that to heart this year.

I make it my intention every day to say something nice to anyone I meet. Even if it’s just a warm hello or good morning. I say it with a smile and a little enthusiasm. People love to be greeted.

I’ve also made it an intention to encourage people I see struggling. Everyone needs encouragement. Not everyone has a strong support system at home. Your kind words may be the only and last kind words that they ever hear.

Life is so short. We must help each other on this journey. We must band together and climb up this mountain called life. Please find it in your heart to be kind and encourage someone today. It will make you feel just as good as them. It’s a great cure for the blues.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou

5 Self care techniques that can help your anxiety

 

   Some anxiety can be really debilitating. I know because I am living with anxiety. Some days, just getting out of bed is a struggle. I also have clinical depression and both of these conditions together really make daily life a struggle. With two kids and a household to manage, I don’t have time to wallow in my mental setbacks. I have learned a few coping techniques and I want to share them with you so that maybe you can use these techniques to push through as well.

1.) Breathe.

  Studies have shown that the simple act of deep breathing helps to relieve anxiety. Fresh oxygen to the brain helps to give your thinking processes good fuel. Sometimes that’s all it takes. So just breathe deep and slow. Everything is going to work out for your good.

2.) Bathing and showering

  I remember when I was younger and my grandmother would say “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Well, that’s almost true. The simple act of bathing is symbolic of “washing off the day”. It gives you a metaphorical clean slate. Just like every day is a new beginning, So goes a good shower or bath. So wash the day off and start over.

3.) Clean your personal space

  This is another “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” thing. Removing the trash, junk, and clutter around you lends itself to a feeling of having it all together. The act of removing clutter from your personal space also removes clutter from your mind. You also reap the benefits of having a clean and organized space.

4.) Journal

  There are many ways that journals helps your anxiety and mental health. Journaling is a way of weeding through your thoughts and emotions. Having them on paper gives you time to really examine what and how your anxiety is triggered, therefore helping you to cope better in those situations. Not to mention it is a great therapy tool.

5.) schedules and routines

  Having a set schedule and routine is also a great way to combat anxiety. I have routines for everything and every moment of my day is planned out including my leisure time. I know this sounds like a lot but it works for me. Having a schedule keeps me focused and having a routine keeps me on task. I know what I am supposed to be doing and when I am supposed to be doing it. I just re-center myself when I get lost. I also take advantage of decorative planning. This helps me to use my creativity as a coping mechanism.

My life is not perfect by any means but having this five techniques in place already in my life has helped me to battle anxiety and depression greatly. I hope that they can help you too. Feel free to come back and visit my blog for more tips and links to great help and advice. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss a post. Remember to live every day like there is no tomorrow.

Getting out of the Holiday blues

For years I hated the holidays. I’ve always seen the holidays time as full of hurt, and a lot of headache. I have a huge family and I love my family very much. But over the years I’ve tended to separate myself from some of my family because of their negativity and attitudes.

This year I decided to go at the holidays alone and to my surprise I didn’t contract holiday Blues this year. I’ve been spending way more time with my kids. Who’s hilarious, by the way. My kids help to keep me grounded. Sometimes I think if I didn’t have my kids I wouldn’t be as much fun.

So this Thanksgiving, my family and I had Thanksgiving here at home. I cooked all the traditional Thanksgiving food that I love to cook for my family each year. We ate, we talked, we drank, and repeated until we all passed out for the night. I must say it was the most fun that I’ve had with my little family here, my husband, my two kids and his brother who currently lives with us.

There was no drama, no fussing, no stress. And this is how I would like every holiday to go but unfortunately I know it won’t be so, or can it be?

I’ve been working on the rest of the Holiday season and how I would like for it to go. Remember, plans will always change. Leave room for the unexpected. I have delegated certain tasks so that I’m not overwhelmed. Done is always better than perfect.

I’ve opted out of heavy decor this year. I have two little monsters that I will keep busy by letting them make the decorations (that I have strategically located online) and put up the tree. Michael’s craft store has been a real time saver for all of the decor and crafts for kids.

Finally, my menu is simple. Minimum leftovers predicted. I’ll have plenty of time to mingle and celebrate. I’ve also gotten plenty of disposable dishes and pans. Minimum cleaning predicted also. This planning didn’t take long and wasn’t complicated. Mostly clever and common sense. I don’t know why I didn’t think of all this before.

I realized that most of my stress and anxiety associated with the holidays is caused by my constant pursuit of perfection. I’ve been chasing a ghost. Perfection does not exist. I don’t have to impress my family. They could care less about the decorations or our outfits for that matter. They’re just happy to celebrate with us and that is just what the holidays are about. Family.

I wish each and every one of you a happy, safe and blessed holiday season. I hope to see you all in 2019.

Happy holidays!

Do I finally have planner of peace?

So recently I took a trip to Michael’s craft store. I was looking for a classic size happy planner and what I found was that the happy planner section was sparse. There wasn’t much to choose from and the little bit with that was there was really picked through. So, what I decided to do was go ahead and get the student planner box kit which was classic size. The box kit came with a few accessories and some paper. So, after getting the student box kit, I started to look around the section. I’ve really wanted a hard cover for a long time and they just happen to have one black classic size hardcover there. So, I went ahead and grabbed it along with the classic size hardcover. I got 2 more packs of accessories that came with a folder and some happy planner papers and I got a few more sticker books which happened to be 50% off. 

So, after getting home and looking at all my planner goodies, I was wondering to myself did I really want what I had because I was looking for something specific, but I didn’t know that what I really needed was in my hands. So, after opening everything and looking at everything all spread out on my desk, I just went to town hooking up my new Classic size Happy planner.

There are few reasons why I was so excited about it. The classic size student planner has a vertical layout, but it has 7 different sections that are color coded. This week’s color is blue, but the opposite of the sections is you white. That excited me because I’ve never seen it like that. There were no lines on the weekly pages to give me a certain domain of where I could start and stop planning and that’s what I love. I just want my days separated I don’t want the individual day separated. So, that’s what drew me to the student planner as well as the very clean fresh layout that it had. 

Right off the back I fell in love with this hard cover.

It’s a plain black hard cover and it’s a cover that I had been looking for, for a while. I just wanted something sleek and I didn’t want a chubby happy planner this time. That is what overwhelmed me with every other happy planner I had. I had been trying to live up to the expectation of social media with a thick, chubby happy planner that was too overwhelming for me. That’s what made me put down the happy planner so much.

As I opened my happy planner, I’m started off with a folder which is what I like I like a folder and by the way the cover that came on the happy planner it is removed I’m just only using the plain black hard cover for my happy planner. I’ve laid it out in a way that is convenient for me. So, I started off with a folder and of course there is 2018-2019 full calendar on 2 pages in the front, which is fine for me. Then, there’s a course contacts page and there was a classes page. I took out the page where you write down your classes because I’m not in school I don’t have any classes, so I didn’t have any need for that page.  

What I did do, on the opposite side of the 2019 calendar, was I printed the calendar for my son school. So, I could have his calendar right in the front of my planner.  I have it printed out on Happy planner paper. I’ve got so many accessory packs. I had so much paper that I was like “I have to utilize this paper” so, I printed out his schedule on a paper and I put it on the back of 2019 with the paper clip.

 Also, I have my daily personal care routine which, since looking at it on A5 paper, it’s a little bit sparse so I might go in and edit it a little and add a few things. The next page in my planner is my daily cleaning master task list. The planner starts in August, but it is September and I’m glad I got this planner because I can start it off right now in September. It goes from August to July of the following year, but this is perfect for me right now.

 I have 4 months in this planner. I didn’t want this to be a chubby planner. Chubby planners are overwhelming. So, I just made it nice and slim, down to the meat of what I need.

 I have my monthly section where I have a few things planned out on the month. I also have found a way to use my mini planner accessories in this classic size. I do use my mini papers and my mini accessories in here I have a mini dashboard that separates my month and it’s perfect because it’s not bulky. 

After my month tab I have my week which I have already planned out and I can already tell you they are too many darn stickers on here. But I have my week planned out.

 I have a half sheet of notes and of a little small square of sticky notes that came with this set and it’s convenient for me. I have things planned out and written out in my planner and I think it’s cute.

 Next week I won’t be using so many stickers.  I like how it looks, cute. This planner inspired me from the way that is laid out with the colorful sections. This week’s color is purple, so on each section, there are 7 sections for 7 classes, its layout is this pretty lavender and then white and lavender.

The sidebar is my favorite because the side bar has the month at a glance at the top of left hand corner and the week is dated so I didn’t have to date it, thank God. It has a don’t forget list and it has an upcoming test list which I use a sticker to put over that for my own convenience. It also had a little Box at the bottom of the side board that says I’m feeling and this week I’m feeling excited because this planner has me excited and it came with a bookmark that says let your dreams lead the way. 

I’ve already put in a notes half page for each week of this month because I will start using the notes to do my meal planning but as of this week I just had a note paper, so I could take notes. I have four months in this planner, September, October, November and December. That keeps my planner slim. Behind the last month, which is December, I have a pocket folder with a few sticker sheets. Next, I have another mini tab divider separating the folder from of the section where I have all my notes paper. This will be my journaling section. I love to have space to write so, having a small journaling section in my classic happy planner makes me happy.

Seeing life through someone else’s eyes

You never know how your actions affect other people until you hear exactly what you are going through from someone else’s perspective. It’s like shining a light into your own dark life.

I had a conversation with a close friend of mine and he told me a story about his ex-girlfriend. He was in love with her and she hurt him, badly. This story is common among people who have been in a relationship. The difference was that my friend was honest enough to tell me his true feelings. Feelings that he had expressed to no one before. I was touched and honored. For someone to share their innermost feelings means that they are very comfortable with trusting you and telling you this information.

The way he explained his feelings opened my eyes as to how my own husband feels about certain things in our relationship. My husband is the strong silent type. He doesn’t verbalize as much as I do. Now I feel like I have a better perspective on things from a man’s point of view. I will take the time to have a deep conversation with my husband to find out if this applies but for the most part, I’m sure he’ll be happy to know that I consider his feelings.

You never know how your actions affect someone else until you hear it from someone on the outside looking in. There is a lot we can learn from each other just by listening. Not just with our eyes but with our heart.

This conversation definitely opened my eyes.

Have I found planner peace?

So here I am, two years into my official planning journey and I end up with multiple planners. I was the girl calling other girls crazy for having multiple planners. I didn’t see the point in planning in multiple planners. I had no idea why certain information needed its own planner. Now I am one of those crazy people and surprisingly I feel more sane now than I have ever felt in my life. I am finally at the point where I feel like I don’t have to buy another binder or another accessory. I am really fine with what I have.

I also have a confession to make, I didn’t spend over $20 for each of the planners that you see in the picture. I got the two Happy Planners from Michael’s and I got the Webster’s Pages from Jo Ann’s. I used reward coupons and got each of my planners for pennies on the dollar. I also got stickers and accessories for 60% off at Michael’s. So far my planner journey hasn’t broke the bank and I’m proud of that. That makes my husband happy too.

So now it’s time for me to tell you what I use each planner for.

This little guy is my purse-onal planner. It is my planner on the go. I have sections for tracking and journaling. This is my personal planner dedicated just to me and what takes most importance in my life. It includes my routines, medication lists, mood tracker, workout log and Dr. appointment log. I keep a few sheets of grid paper to track what I have to do with my 2 kids. Each child has a small section in this planner. That’s it. I’m only using this planner for me. This is my personal domain.

Webster’s Pages A5 Color Crush

This gorgeous beauty is my social media planner. I have multiple social media accounts and I want to keep better track of what I’m doing and where. I recently purchased a domain for my blog and I suddenly needed somewhere special to track my blog and my YouTube channel. I was torn because I wanted this one to be my purse-onal planner, but it was too much to carry in my bag. I have a section for each of my social media profiles including my Instagram dedicated to planning. @creatively_dee288 You can find more pictures and layouts there of all of my planners and accessories.

 

Everyday Essentials Classic size Happy Planner

This big guy is my home and family planner it has the gold expansion rings and it is packed with everyone’s schedules, appointments, paydays etc. I also have the Happy Planner Home Planner extension in here. I use this planner for meal planning and household management. I love how customization the Happy Planner is. I can print and punch a million and one inserts or just go to Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and purchase more. This is the planner that also gets the most abuse. It is out on my desk all the time and sometimes my son uses it as a coloring book lol. I also spend a lot of time in this planner because everything else revolves around this planner.

I feel at peace with my planner system as it is right now. Each planner has a purpose. It took me a 30 minutes to set them all up to fit my life and fulfill their purpose. I often felt unhappy with my planning systems in the past because I felt like I wasn’t getting anything accomplished. Now that I have had my current system in place for 2 weeks, I feel like I have gotten more done in these two weeks then in all of 2017 combined. It’s amazing how just a small thing can really change your life. I never would have thought that I would be a planner girl let alone a 3 planner girl. I’m impressed with myself, my system and my productivity because of it.

Let me know how your productivity has changed recently and what planner system you use. Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog for more lifestyle and productivity tips, tricks and most of all results.

All About Foundation

Okay, so let’s start with foundation. Foundation is a very personal and sometimes emotional thing when it comes to makeup. Some will not part from a foundation that they have been using for years. I, on the other hand, will try new things and sometimes change according to what my skin is going through at that time.

Even though I have combination/dry skin I do like a matte to semi-matte finish. I rarely go for a luminous foundation unless it is winter and my skin needs it. I like to look made up. Even though all the trends are a no makeup look. I am a true diva and I go for the gold, beat for the Gods face when I am wearing makeup. I cannot seem to pull off that no makeup look. It always goes too far for me and then I go full glam. I am not ashamed to say that.

In my quest for the perfect foundation, which is on going, I have come across a few that have impressed me. Some high end and drugstore. The thing with me is not price. I will pay for quality over quantity any day as long as my hard earned money is spent well. I have no preference of high or low end products. I use what works for me and what I love.

Most of the brands and products I will speak about have been tried and tested over and over again in various ways. I give each product a rigorous testing to make sure that it does what it claims and that it doesn’t fail. My aim is to get it to fail. If in fact a product does fail or misses the mark, I will immediately let you know what my thoughts are on that product and the manner in which it failed.

So let’s get started.

Maybelline
This company has come out with two favorites of mine and they both are the Fit-Me foundations, Original and the Matte and pore-less, The original foundation was in fact the only luminous foundation that I would reach for even though it was released in late summer, which is common for most foundations. The Original Fit-Me required a lot. Priming and powdering and not touching it was important for its longevity. It was beautiful on the skin but without primer and setting powder it didn’t last long. It seemed to never dry or set which also made quite a mess as it transferred on my hands and clothes all day. I am a hugger so it also would embarrassingly transfer onto anyone I gave a great big hug to. This to me was ridiculous, but in essence, considering the price, I got what I paid for.On a higher note, this was a beautiful foundation and it made me glow and with a little experimentation I got it to do what I wanted it to do and not transfer. That is what made this one for me.

The Matte and Pore-less is a shocker. I was hoping for this foundation to come out in a matte formula and then, it did! I was amazed at the shade range but was still weary because I know how bad matte formulas tend to oxidize. I didn’t want to be a giant Um-pa-loo-pa face. I tried it in cocoa and coconut. Both were too dark so I got the next up which in the bottle looked way too light but ended up being my perfect shade. I haven’t been able to put it down since. Great job Maybelline. The powder and the blushes are great in this line too.

Estee’ Lauder
I have been wearing this brand since I started wearing makeup in my teens. I know that this is a well established company and their brand is international but up until recently their foundations weren’t. Double Wear is their “Golden Child”. This line has expanded so much over the last four years. The thing that got it all started, Double Wear foundation, Wow. This is the most long-wearing, bullet-proof, no smudge or budge foundation in the world. No one has even come close and if they have, they are a part of the Estee’ Lauder family of companies underneath their umbrella. Every skin tone is covered from alabaster to rich mahogany. The only flaw is the weight of the foundation on the skin which, since the first claims were made, prompted Estee’ Lauder to reformulate. My favorite from this line is Double Wear Light, That is my everyday foundation. Hands Down.

A newcomer to the Estee’ Lauder family is Perfectionist CPR foundation which is another luminous foundation that I love, It has the CPR serum inside so its like skincare in your foundation which is brilliant. I can cover and treat all at once. It is medium build-able coverage, which I like. It has a soft luminescence which I also like and my skin has visibly improved since I started using it. As with any other luminous foundation, it transfers and doesn’t exactly dry or set. It also takes a little work to make this foundation stay put and do what you want it to do. Unlike Double Wear, which sets fast and doesn’t move, this one will move around if you don’t set it properly.

Revlon
This company has been the leader in long-wear for a while now. The Color stay line is it’s “Golden Child”. The best thing about this line that drew me in was that it came in normal/dry and combination/oily formula which covered everyone across the board. The shade range is awesome and I have no complaints about the coverage, The only thing about this foundation is that your oil would come through at about the 5 hour mark or so. I don’t even have an oily T zone until I met this foundation.

One prize I keep going back to in this line is the HD foundation which I think is awesome. I’ve gone through four already. I can’t say enough. The shade range is a little limited and for some skin tones you have to mix two shades. Other than that, it’s a great alternative to more higher priced HD foundations.

L’Oreal
There is only one favorite for foundation and it is True Match. This foundation never fails and looks so natural. This is as close to a no makeup look as I can get. The matching powders and blush from this line are amazing also. They blend so well and they are soft and creamy to the touch, which I know is a hard to find thing with drugstore makeup.This company deserves their props for this one. Everyone I know uses or has used and loves this foundation. It’s light on the skin, very blend-able and build-able, great coverage, wide shade range, its just awesome. It’s only flaw is that it is not long wearing. You can get six good hours out of this foundation with touch ups. That’s it. Don’t go looking for more. You’ll only be disappointed.

True Match Lumi for me was an epic fail. It made me look greasy and it broke me out terribly. I just couldn’t take it.

MAC
Saving the best for last. MAC is iconic in the beauty industry. Their legacy is television and stage makeup. They have been a makeup artist company and brand for decades. They have graciously agreed, after Estee’ Lauder bought them, to let regular people have access to these professional grade products and excellent service.
Okay, enough brown nosing and BS. MAC is the worst shopping experience ever in life but, I will put up with their rude customer service and horrible manners for the products that I live by. I only have three staples from MAC but they are in my everyday routine,
Pro Long-wear foundation and concealer. Holy grail products. Cannot live without these two. They are my friends and lifesavers. Pro Long-wear foundation came along at the right time for me because Studio Fix Fluid was becoming too much for my skin. Pro Long-wear came in and swept me off my feet. I committed to him quicker than my wonderful husband but, I digress. I was so in love with this foundation that I use up every drop. Six bottles and counting. Four of the concealer.

With all the brands we have to choose from, it’s hard to pick just one favorite. I like having options and being able to cater my makeup to my mood or activity. I like what I like even though I sometimes like everything. I just wanted to share my thoughts and opinions of these products so that maybe I can help you pick a favorite or two. Always remember to do what makes you happy in your makeup and everyday life. Play, have fun and if it doesn’t work for you, its only makeup. Wash it off and try again.

Productivity

 As humans we are naturally wired to tackle the easy stuff first and then the hard stuff. This behavior usually leaves us looking as if we are not productive. We leave unfinished business at the end of the day and say “Well I’ll finish it tomorrow.” which puts us behind on tomorrow’s tasks because we are still working on “yesterday” which should have been finished so we could focus on “today”.

This is why organization and decluttering are so important to me. I don’t like being surrounded by stuff. I would rather be surrounded by “things”. I know by now you are saying that this girl has lost her mind but I promise there is a difference.

Stuff–noun– miscellaneous, Unspecified objects. These are the things that surround us for no reason and often times have no use. We justify keeping “stuff” with reasons such as sentimental value. Which really means ” I don’t want to or I can’t seem to part with this object even though I know that it is useless

Things–noun-any movable possession. The example given in the dictionary is articles of clothes but I’m going a little deeper. Let’s use Knowledge as and example.

Knowledge–noun– the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning.

To me, knowledge is a true possession. No one can take away what you know. You earn knowledge. Either through school or experience. Knowledge is priceless, required, acquired, ever changing and dangerous all at the same time. Knowledge is power and too much of it can lead to madness.

I’m far from madness but, I have just begun to realize my power. Knowing what I know now I can achieve so much more. I can do so much more. I can react and handle things a whole lot better. And every day my knowledge grows. I cultivate it like a rare flower. Watering it daily by making myself learn something new and reading. Yes, reading. You would be astounded by how much information is easily accessible on a multitude of subjects. Anything you want to know about anything is at your fingertips thanks to technology.

With that being said, my organization and planning is all digital. Between my phone my tablet and my computer. I have backups of everything and I’m constantly updating.

Until I started planning and making lists I could not believe the amount of tasks I could get done in a day. It is amazing. I keep myself focused and I am always busy. I keep myself busy and focused on something daily because I am a firm believer in an old saying. “An Idle mind is the devil’s workshop”
I find this to be so true. When you are not focused on something. Demons have a way of creeping into your head and torching your ideas, dreams, goals and visions. And not the type of demons that come from hell and you need a priest to get rid of. I’m talking about the demons that are sometimes overlooked because they seem harmless and are not identified as they truly are. “demons”

1. Laziness– not wanting to do anything
2. Procrastination– Oh I’ll do it later, the lie we tell ourselves and things never get done
3. Writer’s block– The non use of a creative mind (no inspiration)
4. Sleepiness– not from lack there of but oh I just need a nap that ends up stealing 5 hours of your day,
5. Excuses– the justification of one or all of the above

All of these things lead to unproductivity. The only way to combat these is planning and sticking to your plan. You even have to plan your leisure time or it too can turn into a demon of unproductivity.

Planning is how I fight this. I suffered with the demon of depression for so many years. But that is a subject for another time. My point is, my depression was accompanied by the demons above and more and because of my long period of doing nothing, focusing on nothing and eating my way around the world. Because of the knowledge I have acquired through the last ten years I know now what was holding me back. 

I have taken back my life by taking back my productivity. I am focused and ready and it all started with a plan and a planner. I’ve stuck with it and it’s really helped to put a lot of things into perspective. There are a few questions I want you to ask yourself as I close.

1. What am I doing?
2. Is this productive?
3. What will I accomplish?

Take the time to ask yourself these questions. Develop a plan and get started towards your goals. You only live once. Make the most of the time you have and do something great.