November Calendar (Freebie!)

I've been struggling with my calendar over the last few months. I know what I want, but it turns out that no one sells it. I am not a graphic designer, but I have been playing with making my own and experimenting with it on a month by month basis. Over the last couple days I have created a new calendar for November, one I think I am going to like using! Since I've already made it, I figure I might as well share it here and see if it is useful for anyone else, too!



If you download the calendar and use it, please leave me a comment to let me know what you think! Thanks!!

This is designed to be cut in half and punched to fit a 5.5 x 8.5 planner. I personally use the Arc system by Staples and LOVE it. It should fit in any binder that size, though, as long as you have the appropriate hole punch for it. I hope you enjoy it!!

I know more than the internet does!

Today I have discovered that I know more than the internet does, and it has me stoked! You see, I went to Staples yesterday and saw a Martha Stewart Discbound calendar insert. I was looking for a calendar insert, and I use a discbound system, so imagine my delight when I found one by MARTHA!! Alas, though, there was no information on the shelf about it and I couldn't figure out where it came from to see what else they had. So I asked a helpful gentleman, who seemed just as stumped as I was. He scanned the calendar with his handy-dandy scanner and discovered little information, save that is was $14 and the only one they had in stock. I decided to try my luck on staples.com and left the store without it.

So imagine my utter surprise when a search on staples.com yielded no results. Neither did the next 3 hours (hyperfocus much?) of searching and scouring the great wide web, all things Martha Stewart, Avery, or Staples. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

As I relayed this to my husband later that night, he mentioned that I should search using the product number. He is a software engineer, and has much more experience with such things, so I determined I would stop by and find the relevant information and search the next day.

Today I went to Staples again. My curiosity got the better of me, and I actually purchased a discbound book and the calendar insert. A search at home, using the upc code, the product number, the "find more products like these at..." url, and every other number I could find produced no result. Again.

So for today, I know more than the internet. AND I have one of these beauties in my possession. It's kind of awesome. =D

The Nest Effect

I have found a renewed interest in a blog called The Nest Effect. Right now I have a BAZILLION tabs open  from all the ideas I found on Pinterest that I want to look at. Among them was The Nest Effect, where I came across this post:

http://www.thenesteffect.com/2011/10/october-project-conquer-paper-clutter.html

She talks about conquering her paper clutter. As this is one of my BIGGEST areas of clutter, and the one I am currently trying to tackle, I was immediately interested. Then I started reading and decided that I might perhaps love her. Sadly, I don't have the time right this moment to implement everything she talks about, but I do want to start working through her ideas and conquering this clutter that takes my life by storm.

Why am I so attached to paper, anyway? That's a subject for another post - and perhaps some long therapy sessions - but a good question.

For now I will just say that I want to go read everything ever written on The Nest Effect and leave it at that. Now... where did I put that "stop time so I can spend as much of it as I want on the internet without getting behind on other things" gadget?...