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Document A Legacy

April 9, 2014

Document a LegacyI have talked about journaling in the past and I think it is an excellent thing to do for many reasons.  It gets your ideas and opinions out in the open for you to mess with and it also gives a chance for your family to have a recorded history from you well into the future.

But, have you ever thought about really documenting your life to leave a legacy?  Not just putting down a few words about your day but really have a full “scrapbook” of what went on in your life from day to day.  While this can be time consuming while you are starting it I think this would be a great gift to your future self and family as well as being just as therapeutic as journaling alone.

You can get apps and software to help you do this.  I personally use Evernote but there are several other out there such as Google Keep that you can use.

All you need to do is create a notebook within the program such as “A Day In My Life.”  You can create one note for each day with the date as the title.  Post pictures taken throughout the day (or as you take them), thoughts, maps of where you have been, and audio recordings of your surroundings.  All of this can be stored, searchable, and exported allowing you to have a detailed document of your day.  What a great way to share decades down the road what was going on in your life at that time.

By documenting your life you can see where you were and where you are now.  The road that was traveled.  What worked and didn’t work.

Doing this project should be in addition to your journaling with pen and paper.  I believe there still isn’t an adequate replacement for the connection you get while writing your own words.  But, what a great thing to have for later in life.

If you want a bit more information and to join the 30 Day Challenge check out http://www.DocumentALegacy.com

Filed Under: Life Coaching, Motivational, Organization, People, Relationships Tagged With: , , , ,

Carry and Capture

October 30, 2013
Moleskine Notebook

Photo Courtesy of Alexandre Dulaunoy

Carry a notebook always.

I hope that was plain enough. Why you ask? In order to capture your thoughts and memories in a moment. How many times have you been sitting somewhere and an incredibly awesome idea hits you? You promise yourself that you are going to remember it. Two days later you have this nagging feeling like there was something important that you should have remembered and you just can’t figure out what it is.

I have either small blank cards, my pocket notebook, or my phone with me.  Even at night there are a few notebooks and a pen sitting on the table beside me.  There is always something around me that allows me to capture what I am thinking when an idea strikes.  Many of the blogs that I write come from these moments.  I’ll be driving down the road and a title will hit me.  As soon as I stop I hit the record button on my Evernote app and do a voice recording.  It syncs and when I sit down to do my writing I can listen to the recording easily.

If I am writing in my notebook I do a regular checks of it to see what I need to take care of.  I use a hard covered Moleskine pocket notebook.  They are very durable and don’t bend easily.

Regardless of the method you use make sure you have something on you where you can capture your thoughts at the moment.  When inspiration strikes you will be ready.  Maybe it is that million dollar idea or that book you want to write that all comes in that moment when you are not expecting it.  Always expect it.

Filed Under: Life Coaching, Organization Tagged With: , , , , ,

Make the Call

February 6, 2013
Last Call

Photo Courtesy of eefeewahfah

You have to decide. Right now you must make the decision to decide. Decide what exactly? Well, what decision have you been putting off?

Everyone has to make choices and decisions. The important point is actually making them. We have all put a decision off and then proceed to make excuses as to why we can’t make a choice right now. The longer you put off a decision the harder it becomes to make — you must make the call.

Dan Miller suggests giving yourself a timeline. Give yourself a few days on the important decisions, consult those you need to get input from, and you make the call. You put a date on the decision and when the day comes you make it – no excuses.

Or you can try the Dave Ramsey way. Think about the worst possible outcome that your decision can have. Can you live with it? If so, then go. Many times the worst case scenario is not as bad as we imagined it once we actually think about it.

We all have hard decisions to make from time to time. The important thing is to make them.

Filed Under: Life Coaching, Organization Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Book Review: 100 Days of a New Year by Jennifer Tankersley

January 7, 2013

100 Days of a New YearJennifer has once again provided an excellent resource to those who want to stay on track and stay motivated for the first 100 days of the year.  In her most recent edition, Jennifer takes you day by day from January 1-April 23.

This edition is setup like the other two that I have written reviews about.  It comes with 75 downloadable planning pages to help you stay on track.  You are provided with an activity each day to help navigate and organize your life (except for Saturday – that’s catch up day!).

The book is in PDF format which allows you to read on your computer, tablet, or print it out and put into a three ring binder as recommended.

What I enjoy most in each release are the different activities.  Many times they are things that you have thought of but put off or activities which give you that “I haven’t thought of that” a-ha moment.  A new version comes out each year and I do like going through and seeing what is new.

You can purchase this ebook directly from ListPlanIt for five dollars.

*Note: I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.*
Filed Under: Goal Setting, Life Coaching, Organization Tagged With: , , , , ,

99 Days Until Christmas

September 17, 2011

Disney ChristmasIt is 99 days until Christmas! I know, I know but I want to tell you a secret. Come closer to your screen and listen closely. Ready? It is possible to go through the holiday season without time or financial stress.

Really, it is possible. There are only two things you really need to do it and that is a calendar and a budget.

Calendar

I recommend you look online for a printable monthly calendar.  Print out September, October, November, and December.  Pick an afternoon within the next week (or right now) and right out all of the things that will come up over the next 3 1/2 months:  birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, church events, appointments, etc.  Once completed lay them all out in front of you.  You have just relieved a hefty part of that stress if you will keep this handy and look at it daily.

Remember to add new things as they come along such as your kid’s school functions and parties so you know when everything is.  This helps get these dates out of your mind and put somewhere that you will look.  It reduces a lot of stress and that dreaded feeling that you are forgetting something.

Calendar Part 2

Now that you have the events on your calendar you know you need to attend or do something for now you need to set dates to complete the tasks involved with them.  It is really easy:

  1. Go through and look at each event.  On a separate sheet write down what events you will need to complete a task for.  Example:  Samantha’s Birthday.
  2. Beside the event write down what tasks needs to be completed.  Example: Samantha’s Birthday – Purchase Gift
  3. Return to your calendar and choose a date that is your deadline for purchasing the gift.  I would suggest at least three weeks out in order to retain the low level of stress that I hope your calendar has allowed you to have.

This simple task should not take you more than an hour to complete for most people.  It gives you a goal – yes, you just set goals for one of the busiest times of the year.  This will allow you to have your grocery shopping for Thanksgiving and Christmas done a week or two in advance, your shopping completed before the holiday gets here, and most importantly allows you to spend time with your family near the holiday instead of running around.

Budget

The dreaded word has peaked it’s head out!  However, a budget can be an extremely easy tool to put together and again should not take more than an hour get finished.

All you need to do is figure out how much you are willing to spend for each event.  Take that amount and divide it by the number of paydays you have until your deadline to have the tasks completed and now you know how much to save from each check.  If you do not already do this the first year may be a little hit or miss but starting December 26 you need to prepare for next year and take a little out of every check.  This saves you from having to come up with all the money at the last minute or worse yet paying for the holidays with credit cards so they follow you into next year.

Need more help?

100 Days to ChristmasOne of my favorite places to find pages to help keep me organized is List PlanIt.  The woman who runs the site is Jennifer Tankersley and she wrote an ebook called 100 Days to Christmas which outlines action items to do each day for 100 days leading to December 25th.

It is only $4.99 and I highly recommend picking this up.  If you have trouble staying on task or would like an easy to follow guide to make your holiday season even less stressful then take a look.

Purchase the book here.

Bonus part of the book is Jennifer includes the planning pages (including the calendar pages mentioned above) from List PlanIt so you have everything you need to have one of the best holiday seasons you have ever had.

Filed Under: Organization, Time Management Tagged With: , , , ,