Love Your Neighbor(hood)

Published on by Kim

This month our town had its annual Burger Week, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. A number of restaurants get together each year and offer custom versions of a hamburger, special just for the week, to compete for fan favorite honors. (And for those of us who like crossing things off lists, there is even a Passport to collect stamps for a prize drawing.) The combination of hamburgers, exploring new flavors, and eating out — hand-in-hand with the opportunity to support local businesses — is a win-win in our book. Oh, and have I ever mentioned that we are strong fans of beef? I know, right? What a week!

This particular opportunity was certainly served up with a bow for this household, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy life in ways unique to you, while at the same time blessing your community with the same activity. The economy takes all of us working together. The community needs all of its members in many different roles, living and blessing each other. When you harvest all that squash or all those tomatoes, someone has to eat it. When you go to the local craft fair or farmers market, someone worked hard for that homemade jam or handmade sign. These examples are all beautiful blends, the give-and-take of neighbors loving neighbors. We can’t individually do it all, but all together we can.

It is beautiful and healthy to lift our gaze from all the daily tasks to occasionally consider how our actions can benefit ourselves and others. Love your neighbors as you love yourself.

Refresh: My Planner

Published on by Kim

In my role as time management coach, people occasionally ask what my planner looks like. Since we’ve been looking at various planner options lately, today we’ll look at mine once again. Please keep in mind that what works for me may not be the best tool for you. So take a peek and use what you can.

My planner is paper. This was a change a few years ago when my days became more mobile. A binder, that is small enough to hold easily, can come with me from place to place and be where I need it. In addition to the calendar, it also holds coupons and shopping lists. I’m not a huge fan of paper in general, so having every bit of paper I need in one place is helpful. I buy a new insert each fall for the next year, but everything else stays in the pockets and binder.

  • Note: Because I’m not a paper-keeper, I do throw away each page after I go through that week. The only pages in my binder are the ones I need for planning forward.

The calendar is a week per spread. This is the right balance for my days — enough room to write various appointments and details but still small enough to see the whole week at once. A monthly option isn’t quite enough room, and a page per day leaves too much empty space unfilled.

The days contain appointments and tasks. One side of the sheet is marked hourly, so I can put appointments and commitments at the right times. The other side is for a to-do list, so I can keep track of tasks for each day and the week. Having them side-by-side is important for my success. Both parts work together to map out the day.

The pages are plain. Color-coding can be useful, but I don’t get enough benefit from it. I use whatever pen is handy (one on my desk or the one I keep in the planner loop) to write what is needed. It just needs to be legible until it’s past or crossed off.

It’s simple, but it works.