Filofax

I had such high hopes and then all the unexpected things happened (along with some expected things) and my life went to hell and didn’t really ever recover. OK maybe it recovered a little. Enough for me to finish Melisa’s bottle in time to take it to her on our next trip to that stupid suburb. I’m pretty pleased with that bit of artwork, even if it isn’t art journaling.

I did a tiny bit of doodling and I played with some ephemera in prep for a page that I’ll work on … someday, someday maybe. (Oh look at me channeling Lauren Graham, just as I’m about to talk Filofax… which makes no sense to most of you, but makes perfect sense to me.)

I had a couple of rough moments in the Filofax world because life went to hell and so did my well laid out plans. I recovered. Mostly. Or I’m still recovering. My schedules are all wonky and my reusable stickies for recurring meetings and reports are effed all to hell because times and dates have changed so much. Rather than completely re-do them again, I’m holding off and out til 2015 and feel better about the week’s schedule already.

In other news, my mom bought a Filofax, the youngest child asked for a Filofax for Christmas, and I convinced Idyllicchick that the perfect planner for her was a Midori Traveler or a Fauxdori Traveler (it is and I’m all the jealous that she has one and I do not.)

Besides Filofax screw ups my few lines a day journaling went to hell, too. My mornings were so chaotic that I completely missed the two minutes I usually take to journal with my first cup of coffee. Hell most of November was done while cursing and trying to remember life a week ago — rinse and repeat, three times. Yea, it was like that.

December will be better because I’ve carried over my major to do items + added only holiday related shipping and wrapping stuff. I’m really just holding on til 2015. (Oh, I did finally order my A5 inserts. They’re not here yet but I expect them soon. That will be fun — all bullet journaling, all the time. I think. Mostly. hah.)

Aside from some doodling in my filofax, October was an art journaling bust. October in general was a bust and I didn’t see THAT coming at all. My filofaxes did their job, I just ignored everything I planned and did pretty much nothing that wasn’t work or survival related — that sounds more dire than it should but that’s what the month was made of, really. Bah humbug.

I really have to get Melisa’s bottle done in November. HAVE TO. I also need to get back on budget because, yea. Umm. We need to do that.

And, I need to decide once and for all about my Filo inserts for 2015. My mom sent me an extra set of personal week on two pages (yes, she entered the Filofax world with a pretty Poppy cover story personal) so I guess that decision has been made for me (and that’s probably what I was going to do anyway — it makes the most sense.) The A5 though… bullet journaling is the method, but what type of paper? what type of layout? I really need to figure that out before the inserts I want are out of stock and I end up having to print my own. I do not want to print my own.

OK enough brain dumping, maybe I should get up and actually make a decent to do list for the month? Yea, good idea.

Oh right, it’s October. Which means it’s a new month and time to review last month. Thank goodness last month is over.

I didn’t actually create a to do list until after JMP went home and that list was intended to carry me through October so I’m not too upset about the fact that the only thing I’ve managed to cross off is the mailing of packages to five people. I’ve managed to get started on a few other things on the list but I’m not making a lot of progress because September sucks and it’s awfully early in October.

I did order some storage bins to start weeding through the linens and towels and bedding situation.

I did art journal a wee bit at the end of September. I also tracked down a water bottle for Melisa and I think I even know how I want to make this thing… so we’ll see. Hopefully I’ll have that done by December 2 — which is the next time I plan to be in her stupid suburb.

I worked on JMP’s stocking last weekend and hope to keep making progress there. Maybe. Hopefully.

And we absolutely do have to find our winter clothes. ASAP.

Also, Filofaxing — I’m back at it, though I don’t seem to be doing any daily journaling. I need to get that back into my daily schedule. Soon.

Onward into October.

Pretty much my only goals were JMP related and I managed to do all but one thing on my list. So yay me.

I haven’t touched the water bottle I was supposed to make for Melisa before I see her in September. I’ve barely touched my Filofaxes since JMP arrived. I keep falling behind on the daily journaling and have to catch up by looking at my Instagram to see what we did on each day.

So, everything is going smoothly. Except when it isn’t. Mostly it’s good. Very good.

I can barely remember July, it’s a blur of madness and even looking back over my Filofax and daily journals doesn’t help much.

I know that I pretty much completely ignored my Filofax at the end of the month, because of BlogHer. And, I was smart enough to not add any serious goals for the month — the only things I added to the to do list were those I knew I had to do in order to actually do my job and/or go to BlogHer. So, yay! Success!

I didn’t do a damn bit of art journaling but I did make an awesome clipboard and that was totally, completely, fun.

July was a success. I survived and there were some damn good moments tucked in there with the madness.

I’m hoping to have a ton of art fun making a water bottle for Melisa and playing with JMP, in August.

Hahaha. I hate June.

I didn’t touch my art journal. I lost momentum with the daily doodling journal. I did sort out a design for something I’m hoping to work on next weekend, so that’s a win.

I carried a to do list over from May because I didn’t get much done and… I only got one more thing crossed off. Granted, that one thing was a big money management thing, so I’m very happy about that.

I don’t expect July to be much better because there’s this little conference happening and all of my hours belong to all of the work. So, I’m carrying the list over again and only adding MUST DO THIS BEFORE BlogHer ’14 or DIE stuff because at least I know I’ll get all of that done.

I have to say again that I am loving my Filofaxes. They do help me stay on track, with work — and to a smaller extent with every day life things. If I had more time for every day life, I’d be happier but the Filofax can’t work magic and come up with more hours in the day for me… lol.

I’m looking forward to August… oh, wait. Kids going to college. JMP and Jenn visiting. Oh well, I’ll have a fun to do list for that month so yay!

Holy hell. What happened in May?

Looking back over the month, I can tell you pretty much nothing from any of my lists is scratched off.

Oh sure, I started strong and then we went to Miami and everything went to hell. OK not everything. But pretty much everything.

I didn’t blog every day in May. That’s the first time that’s happened in… longer than I can tell you.

I didn’t pick up my art journal at all. I had a lot of fun playing with the Some Lines a Day journal but then Miami happened and I got out of the routine of doodling in it and BAM, haven’t touched it since then.

JMP’s stocking is stagnating again. I was doing so well… shoot. I really need to pick up the pace there, so maybe they can take it home with them after they visit this summer… hahaha who am I kidding, the kid will be lucky to have it show up in his Christmas box.

Hell. There was a whole week when neither of my Filofaxes were even decorated, much less used properly. And then once I got back into them, I couldn’t actually get anything on the lists FINISHED because the world is crazy, work is crazy, life is crazy and I’d like a May do-over, please.

Except. May being over means we’re one month closer to our move south! 2 years and 2 weeks to go. Let’s just leave May and start June on that happy note.

Well… it was a good month for the small monthly to dos. I carried most of them over from March and added some and I’ve got just a couple of things left from those lists — which also includes a separate, lighter, to do list for my two PTO breaks in April. So that’s a success.

I did manage to complete the #fflovephotoaday challenge, tough during #readathon I took the photo but forgot to post it. Oops. That’s what happens when you tell yourself that you are ONLY reading all day. Heck, I didn’t even play WWF during the #readathon.

When it comes to most of the other things I wanted to focus on… hah. No. Not so much success happening there. No art journaling except for doodling in my Filofaxes. MUST schedule art journaling time in May. And, maybe consider increasing the money going into our savings accounts in hopes of preventing $$$ from flying in a half dozen other directions.

Onward to May, which will be crazy with TW’s mom back home + BlogHer Food.