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?...

I LOVE Office Supplies!

I love office supplies... and I have a feeling I'm not alone in this! For those who love office supplies as much as I do and especially appreciate the ability to color code their lives and work spaces, I have to share an online supplier I just came across...

http://www.ultoffice.com/

It is, perhaps, pricier than box store options, but if you are in the market for customizeable solutions, it's worth a look.

I'm currently trying to find a space saving solution for my writing utensils. I haven't decided if I want to keep sets together or break up the sets and organize them by color. I think it will take a bit of trial and error to decide what the best solution will be. Fortunately for me I remembered that I stocked up on some back-to-school supplies that might serve as my first trial. I intended them for something else, but that hasn't panned out, so I might as well use them as pen storage to see if that's the route I want to go!

I do love my colored office supplies!!

The Meaning of Color

RED is an energetic color. It symbolizes danger and passion. I am using RED for things that need to be done ASAP and files that need to be grabbed in an emergency. Fire is RED, blood is RED, and both of these lead to situations where I don't want to have to search to find the information that is needed. RED is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.

YELLOW is a happy color. It symbolizes warmth and joy. I am using YELLOW for things that pertain to wellness. A dingy YELLOW can symbolize sickness, which is when medical information is needed. YELLOW also symbolizes intellect and joy, both associated with my spiritual journey. YELLOW is also energetic, but more a bountiful energy than the fight or flight energy of RED  This is the energy that pertains to my health and exercise. All of these areas pertain to my wellness, and my wellness makes a huge impact on my happiness. YELLOW produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy.

ORANGE combines the energy of RED with the happiness of YELLOW  I am using ORANGE for things that are associated with my household. These are things that require short bursts of energy but result in a happy environment. These are things like home maintenance, home decorating, landscaping, and perhaps gardening. On my calendar, ORANGE represents household related errands, cleaning, and home projects. ORANGE increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity.

BLUE is a calming color. It represents depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, and faith. I am using BLUE for my everyday activities. These are things that, when done regularly, provide confidence and stability. Like the sea, BLUE items have the strength and stability of depth despite what the tumultuous surface storms may bring. BLUE is like the sky, and these daily habits will allow me to fly, focusing on the important instead of the mundane. BLUE is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.

GREEN combines the happiness and sustained energy of YELLOW with the stability of BLUE.  GREEN is the color of nature and symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and money. I am using GREEN for things relating to wealth. GREEN suggests stability and endurance and is often representative of areas of freedom. Where there is wealth there is freedom and opportunity, as well as security. Wealth has the ability to grow and multiply.

PURPLE combines the energy of RED with the stability of BLUE  Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. I am using PURPLE for things of interest. These are volunteer positions, creative endeavors, and fun activities. PURPLE is a very rare color in nature and, as in nature, it should make up very little of our overall life. PURPLE is very dignified as an accent color, but can be overpowering in large doses.

*Some information taken from http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

I'm like a kid in a candy shop!

Organizing makes me giddy. I'm like a kid in a candy shop! I love the process of organizing... creating order from chaos. I love the look of organizing... all those colorful options! I love the result of organizing... peace and harmony!

There is something to be said for the use of color in life. Color that is vivid and rich, quiet and subdued, bold or subtle. Color speaks so loudly to me that I am not sure I can imagine trying to organize my life without it. Don't get me wrong... I like the crisp, clean lines of white. I sort of envy anyone for whom a monochromatic life scheme works. But I am not one of those people. So I color code my life. I choose to organize in living color. And I love it!

Here is my basic life color scheme...

RED = IMPORTANT
TEAL = EVERYDAY
YELLOW = WELLNESS
GREEN = WEALTH
ORANGE = HOUSEHOLD
PURPLE = INTERESTS
PINK = MARY KAY

I'm in the process of revising my old color scheme, which I've used for about 4 years. It just needed to be updated a little and I love the new basic color scheme! It just seems a little more versatile. The old color scheme went something like this...

Green = MK Income Opportunities
Pink = MK support time and training
Purple = MK Team
Yellow = Family
Light Blue = Community
Orange = Household support
Dark Blue = Spiritual
Red = Personal

I like the new color scheme because it can grow with me. And it won't just be used for my schedule, but for my files and more.

So there you have it. The jumping off point for how I'm going to organize my life in living color. One system at a time... =D