It’s time to talk about diaries (planners)

Do you still use a paper diary?

Yes? No?

I use both electronic – Outlook at work and my iPhone Calendar for personal – and a paper diary.

Before each work day, I write a list of my meetings and the top 3 things I want to get done (sometimes the whole day is meetings).

Work is not the point of this blog post though.

For my personal use, I still use a paper diary, but a weekly one.

This year I used a daily one until the end of July and then I switched back to weekly from August, and it has been the best thing because my mind thinks in weeks.

Many of us are visual people and we need to see something in front of us to be most effective.

Here’s a post I wrote a few years ago that help you discover what you need in a diary/ planner.

If you have consistently bought a diary and tried to use it and have stopped after a month or so, it may be that you don’t have a consistent habit.

Is your diary visible daily? Do you have a weekly and daily routine to look at it? (set a reminder in your phone) You could try now to just write a daily and weekly list of things to do/ meetings/ appointments, etc. and if you build the habit, then buy one for the new year. If you don’t create the habit though, you’re going to again waste lots of money.

I should technically be using the rest of my diary I started in Aug (and it works perfectly for me – I even like the monthly goals and review section) but I am 98% sure I’m going to start afresh with a new diary, just as I want my life to be fresh in the new year.

What are your thoughts about diaries for next year?

Something fun from my unofficial goals list – give 50 gifts

When I did my birthday review last year, I noticed that I was feeling lonely and disconnected. When I feel like this, something that always works is to look outward and be generous.

I pondered and thought about what I could do to stop me focussing on myself, and I thought of something super fun.

I would give 50 gifts over the next year, from 6 August 2023 to 2024.

Depending on your mileage, that may seem like a lot or a little. I know that certain times of the year it is easy but I also was aware that since we don’t exchange Christmas gifts with friends, this might be a challenging but fun task.

And you know what, it was.

Here are my notes:

  1. 50 means I have to be focussed and intentional on giving at least 4 gifts a month, and then some.
  2. I didn’t count gifts to my immediate family as that was happening anyway. The purpose of the project was to get me out of my head and into new territory.
  3. Gifts include actual gifts, but also taking someone to lunch or supper for their birthday.
  4. Gifts didn’t include the R250s that are collected for someone’s baby shower or wedding at work.
  5. I noticed that many people in my work life had milestone birthdays this year and I decided to get a really nice gift for those people.

I have had many questions from people in real life.

Did you reach your project goal?

Yes, I actually ended up on 55 gifts. Indeed, some months I only gave a few gifts (1 in May, 2 in July) but February was a bumper month ofΒ  8 gifts and March was also good with 5 gifts.

How did people react?

Most of the gifts were for birthdays so the reactions were surprise and happiness. Others were genuinely dumbfounded at the thought that they were getting a random gift from me. These were the most fun.

Interestingly, a lot of people don’t say thank you properly these days which is always very interesting to me. Maybe gifts is not their love language and they were just confused? I didn’t let non-reactions put me off though. After all, I’m an upholder πŸ˜‰

Wasn’t it expensive?

Yes, some of it was. I only realised that I should create a line item in my budget for gifts in April this year. They do sort of even out after a while. Food is expensive so the lunches/ suppers do get expensive but then you can also buy a few small “just thinking of you gifts” that don’t cost very much too.

Did others reciprocate?

A few did, but that wasn’t the point of the project, and I certainly didn’t expect it.

Will you do it again?

I’m not sure. I will for sure keep giving to the relationships I want to tend, and definitely continue taking people out for lunch and supper.Β  The actual giving of gifts does take intentionality and forethought though and I’m not sure if I have the energy over this next year of my life.

Tell me about a fun project you’ve had.

5 places I don’t want to be a minimalist (aka multiples make your life easier)

While many of us want to live simpler lives in terms of the possessions we own, sometimes it just makes sense (and keeps you more sane) if you have multiples of an item in your home.

I remember Design Mom writing about this in relation to her daughters and hairbrushes years ago which made me think about where I own multiples:

  1. pairs of scissors – I have two pairs of scissors in my study, two in the kitchen and Dion and I each have a pair of bathroom scissors too. So useful for cutting open bags of toilet roll, my Quadrofer, any plastic packaging around the boxes some of my creams come in.
  2. wastepaper baskets – I have one in every single room and bathroom of my house and I have two in the study – normal items and paper recycling
  3. Panado – this is personal to me but let it inspire me. My body hates the heat and it’s hot in South Africa 9 months of the year, so I sometimes have to have a panado to stave off a headache. I keep Panado in my car (after I had to go to the store on the way from work to gym one evening), in my handbag, bedside table, medicine cabinet and also downstairs in the kitchen with our other vitamins.
  4. Phone chargers – I keep these everywhere: in my work laptop bag, in my car, at my bedside table and one downstairs in the kitchen. The very best thing is that I’m the only iphone user in my house so they never go missing.
  5. Tiny silicone spatulas (life changing) – I love all things miniature so I first bought a set of 5 miniature utensils because they were cute. Then once I started using them I couldn’t stop. They are awesome for getting last bits of things from jars like mayonnaise, peanut butter, pesto, yoghurt, etc. I now own about 6! Try it – you won’t regret it.

What do you have multiples of that make your life easier?

PS I am getting to be that woman who now puts teaspoons on her monthly shopping list because I can’t stand my things disappearing into the teens’ bedrooms anymore. I joked yesterday to Dion (and maybe it was genius joking) that I’m buying everyone a different set of teaspoons for Christmas. Hmmm. πŸ˜‰

My habits and routines for exercise, healthy eating and photos – some work and some don’t

Sometimes it’s fun to consider other areas of life to see how those work or don’t work. I’ll share both to show you the difference.

Exercise

  1. I like to exercise three times a week and feel most like myself when I keep to this rhythm.
  2. Whenever Spanish happens, I’m there because I’m paying for it and don’t like to waste money. I almost never miss a class unless I’m out of Johannesburg. Most years I’d get the highest attendance award.
  3. The one part of gym exercise that has been a solid habit for the last 21 years is Saturday morning Zumba. I set my clothes out on a Friday night, roll out of bed on a Saturday morning, dress and go. No thinking allowed.
  4. What doesn’t work? When the gyms move the schedule around during the week, it completely throws me off. I’m currently able to attend Tuesday night Zumba at the gym of my choice during the week because my current gym is undergoing renovations. When that ends and I’m restricted to just my usual again, the mid-week exercise will be spotty, at best.

Healthy eating

  1. When I pack my lunch bag for work, I am excellent. I eat everything in the bag most days so my eating is nutritious and healthy.
  2. When I work from home, I just eat whatever. I still try and eat enough fruits and vegetables but honestly, most times, I grab and eat what is most convenient.
  3. I guess the answer is to pack myself a bag for WFH days too but that feels like too much work.


Photos

I have an excellent photo system. If only I could be disciplined to follow it through right to the end most months.

These days the teens don’t want to have photos taken of themselves so I take fewer photos than I ever used to. I guess this is normal but it still makes me sad (especially when I compare myself to some of my friends).

  1. I do a “daily delete”, something Becky Higgins made famous. Mine doesn’t always end up being daily, but I get to it at least 4 times a week. This way you end up with a clean camera roll of photos you really want to keep.
  2. I also “favourite” any photos I want to post to Instagram or the blog so that it’s quick and easy to find later. Some of these also get saved to my albums.
  3. Once a month, in an ideal world this would be the first weekend following the month end, but is usually around the middle of the month, I remove all the photos from my phone and back them up. I leave some favourites (usually the people photos) on my phone.

Tell me about some fun hacks you have for exercise, healthy eating and photos.

PS I intended to write about money habits here too, but I think that can be a post all on its own.

Five Senses portrait of radiation therapy

On Wednesday when I was laying on the radiation table/ bed, I thought that I should write a Five Senses portrait so that I remember this month when it’s all over.

Here’s the background.

breast cancer awareness month

Sight

  • The tree-lined jacaranda street as I drive to the oncology radiation unit.
  • The friendly smile of the security guards.
  • Sweat on the workers as they do their work in the heat outside.
  • The smiling photo wall of all employees in the radiation unit.
  • The big tree with all the buttons of those who have completed their treatment cycles and the big brass bell which I cannot wait to ring!
  • The colour of that day’s scrubs. I commented once and there is indeed a colour of the day. However, all students doing their practicals wear grey.
  • The sight of the basket (I’m number 16) with the sheet for the bed, the box with the reflective markers and my treatment card.
  • The always friendly faces of the radiation therapists.
  • The red lines of the infrared tracking cameras on the ceiling as the machine moves into position.
  • The screen above the bed and the yellow bar of my breaths that have to move onto the blue bar so that my heart is in the correct place for the treatment to my breast. (Deep Inspiration Breath-Hold)

Smell

  • The smell of cement as I walk to and from my car to the building.
  • My stale smell as I am not allowed to wear deodorant in the left armpit. I welcome cooler days and there have been about 5 so far (I am halfway through at the time of writing).

HearingΒ 

  • Building sounds outside the unit
  • Crunch of my car’s wheels as I drive into the parking lot
  • The stamp of the rubber stamp as the receptionist validates my parking ticket.
  • “We’re ready for you, Mrs Francois”
  • “Take a few breaths. Now take some deep breaths in and out. When you’re ready, take a deep breath and HOLD. Perfect!”
  • The sound of the treatment bed shifting into position.
  • The sound of the treatment beams
  • The gantry moving the
  • “Alright, we’re all done for today. You can relax your arms now.”
  • “How many sessions left?” (this is because I started out saying, “one down, twenty to go”)

Taste

  • The delicious taste of ice-cold water from the dispenser after most of my treatments (I don’t drink anything before in case I need the loo while on the bed).
  • Some days I also bite into a sweet and tart Granny Smith apple as I walk out and to my car.

I used to have a shift dress in this exact colour a million years ago that paired with a jacket; I loved that outfit!

Touch

  • The feel of the cornstarch I dab in my armpits. I dab some fresh cornstarch just before treatment so I don’t smell.
  • The cotton of the pale-blue gown against my skin that I’m required to wear.
  • The feel of the radiotherapists’ hands taping the block with reflective markers to my chest, and moving both my torso and my arms into position. Andile is the therapist with the cold hands πŸ˜‰
  • The welcome cool temperature of the treatment room; it’s hot outside because it’s summer in Johannesburg.
  • The feel of my cap on my head as I walk back out into the hot Johannesburg sun.
  • The feel of the parking ticket and either coins if I have it, or a note, to pay for my parking.
  • The welcome cold of my car’s aircon blasting as I drive home.

 

I hope this was interesting. I might come back and edit the post if I remember other sensations.

Do you have any questions?

PS here’s another Five Senses portrait of Saturday morning Zumba.

There are just under two months left of 2024; is there a point in still going after your goals?

I’ve heard this sentence a lot lately: “I’m so ready for 2024 to be over. I don’t even care about goals or …….” and yes, I get you. I am also ready to move on with my life.

In the work world I hear the opposite. I call it the end-of-year-crazy and my one coaching client said the same thing to me a few weeks ago (so in our focus group of two across South Africa and Australia, we already know it’s not only us). Everyone wants to squeeze a year’s worth of work into two months. Madness.

I have a few thoughts though:

  1. Two months are quick but they are not nothing. Whether you do or don’t do something, those two months are going to pass. Might as well make them count. If you wanted to read more, look through your list and choose a few books you really want to read, and read them. (I already have a folder on my Kindle with some Christmas books).
  2. When you consider what you might still want to get done this year, don’t be a time optimist. Look at the calendar and factor in Christmas, school holidays and downtime at work for about two weeks. I just counted and even though there are six weeks, I guarantee that they will not be the six most productive weeks in the year – people are tired and might have their own things they want to finish off before they go on their annual leave.
  3. Factor in the time available for the activity. E.g. with kids off school early in December, you will have more time for family things but not necessarily more time for work stuff.

The Big Planning Questions

Which one or two-step projects were important to you in January and are still important now?

Examples are getting your driver’s licence renewed (this was me!), getting your mammogram or gynae visit done (and I dearly hope your results are clear) and maybe opening that high-interest savings account (also me).

Which goals/ aims do you need to release?

I had weekends away on my list which I released long, long ago, but this is the type of thing that is probably not going to happen if it is not planned, scheduled and paid for already. Multi-step home projects may fall into this category too.

What is still on your SHORT list that you can give one last boost to before the end of the year?

I had a lot of friendship things – some can still happen but some will be deleted, definitely for this year, maybe for ever πŸ˜‰

 

How to clean your iphone charger cable

As I wrote the title, I thought, “gosh, it feels like those Instagram ads for the cleanup apps”. Don’t worry; this is proper cleaning πŸ™‚

Maybe it’s just me but my white cables and cords get grubby very quickly. Not really surprising as they’re on desks both at home and at the office, and since I have to dust and clean those desks… often… it stands to reason that the cords also need cleaning.

I use this product but I imagine that any bathroom cleaner will work well.

Spray some product on a cleaning cloth – this one is nothing fancy.

Holding one end with your one hand, take the cable between the cloth in the other hand and drag it through the cloth a couple of times.

Like magic, your cables are white as snow again.

This is a less than 15-minute task and so darn satisfying when it’s done.

Which other 15-minute tasks are very satisfying for you? For me, that would be cleaning the bathroom mirror!

7 things we all have too many of

Sometimes we all need just a little push of motivation. That’s the point of this post; I personally need a little push when it’s so hot because all I want to do is lay on the couch and read.

 Use your gift wrap stash | www.organisingqueen.com

  1. Gift bags and gift wrap

I had two enormous bags filled with gift bags and I have decluttered it down to one. In that one small bag there are Christmas, birthday and a few general bags. I also gave some “little kid” gift bags to one of Kendra’s friend’s moms as they have two little ones so are probably going to make good use of them.

The way to think about this: how many gifts do I realistically give? how many do I then need?

2. Recyclable bags

It’s almost a joke amongst South Africans that every woman has at least ten Woolworths bags in her boot and keeps buying more. I am not in this target group but I do have 3 recyclable bags in my car (plus the Baggu bag that is always in my handbag) which I always take into the shops. Where I do fail is that I take one because I only need eggs or onions or whatever, and I end up with enough groceries for two big bags. I then use my bags, and the rest of the groceries lay loose in my trolley for packing into the remainder of my bags when I get to my car.

The way to think about this: take more bags into the store than you think you need, and definitely make a quality decision to not buy any more until they are all used up. Also, you can use the pretty ones as gift bags for large items (I used a pretty one as a gift bag for a blanket recently).

IMG_7523

3. Cables and chargers

We all have cables and chargers for things that we don’t own, not sure what they’re for or have too many of (I have six rechargeable light strips and each one came in its own box with a charging cable – I keep one upstairs and one downstairs, and the rest are in “storage”).

Do you have phones, tablets or laptops that don’t work? Take them to a computer place and ask them to dispose of them safely. Otherwise, label each charger and cable with washi or masking tape, so that you know what goes together. I have several cameras and each one has a colour – green, purple and pink. That means all its bits and bobs get that colour’s cable tie so I know at a glance which things to store with each camera (I store the smaller ones in pencil bags with all its cables – in the olden days, there was a cable to charge the camera and another to get photos from the camera to the laptop).

4. Promotional items

Notepads, pens, lanyards, etc. from seminars and conferences will multiply if you let them. I have a very good plan – we do use the notepads for notes to one another in the kitchen area (please iron on the inside out – for cleaning lady – or these rolls are for supper – for my teens), I take the pens to work where I hand them out and similarly for the lanyards.

The way to think about this: don’t even take them from the conference venue. I used to be good at this and I seem to have slipped, especially on the matter of lanyards. If you don’t take them, you don’t have to make a decision about them later.

Konmari |www.OrganisingQueen.com

5. Water bottles

I honestly don’t know how but the water bottles multiply in my home. I recently went through them and noticed that we’d bought some but they were still tagged and unused, so I moved them to the gifting area for teen gifts.

As for water bottles with company names on them that you don’t need, I did a really good declutter last year around the same time (summer in Jhb), filled them all with ice-cold water and carried one or two with me every day for a week and… while driving to the office, handed them to beggars at the traffic lights. I thought this was a great idea because cold water is always useful and they could use the bottles to ask for water at nearby houses.

The way to think about this: how much water does each person in your house drink? For example, I drink 2L so I need 3 x 500-ml bottles plus my gym bottle which is 750ml. I technically do not need more than these four. (Spoiler – I’m 100% sure I have more than 4) I also keep some at work. I’m still trying to convince Dion that he needs no more than two bottles πŸ˜‰

6. Candles

This is an area I really need to declutter. We went through a phase where we had tons of candles dotted around the house for loadshedding purposes, and then last year we got solar (hallelulah!) and now we never use candles, so I need to set aside just enough for “fancy table” purposes, keep a few tealights for the bathrooms and donate the rest.

The way to think about this: what is the highest number of candles you might ever use all at the same time? Keep that amount and declutter the rest.

 

7. Cleaning products

I am not even really bad at this and still I feel like I have too many. I used to keep a set in each bathroom but I think that is overkill – I’m sure one set upstairs and one downstairs will work just fine.

Secondly, many products can do double duty. For example, if you use a disinfectant toilet cleaner, that same product can be used on your ceramic tiled floors. I also use Zoflora for many purposes: nice-smelling drains, counter cleaner, shower spray, toilet spray, bathroom cleaner. The same goes for laundry –

The way to think about this: what is the least number of products I can use in my kitchen/ bathroom? Which products can do double duty?

Extra challenge: use up everything you own before buying more, and when you do buy, buy just one item.

I hope this has given you some quick ideas of where and how to start. Which one will you kick off first?

PS please notice I didn’t say books but that is an easy-peasy place to start because all of us have books we no longer want to read.

5 areas to practise completion vs consumption

We all already have many things in our lives and yet we keep wanting more, getting more, buying more.

I am talking to myself as much as I’m talking to you today. My areas of challenge are stationery and handbags. Thank goodness I do use my stationery and also Kendra considers my stash a “shop” from which to get gifts for her friends. Also, Yaga has been very useful for me to sell my handbags when I feel a hankering for something else.

Recently Emma Edwards (yes, the Broke Generation) said either on her podcast or in a reel that we’re in a society where you can’t even wear something without people asking, “link?” When did we become so consumption-focussed that we can’t just appreciate what someone is saying without wanting to buy the clothes she is wearing too.

For the record, I don’t mind when the very occasional person asks where I bought a particular thing, if I can remember. That’s not the point of this post.

The point is that all of us should complete the cycle we already started before consuming something else, as far as possible.

Here are 5 places to start:

books

  1. Books

Bookstagram has many cute memes about people buying and buying and buying books and never reading them. These are sometimes funny but to me it all feels like waste. Think about how many books you read a year or a month. If you have shelves and shelves of books, and you keep buying more, you’re not getting through your old books at all.

I just counted – I have 15 fiction and 5 non-fiction on my Kindle shelf, and about 10 books on my physical shelves. That amounts to three months of reading for me. I read from my physical and Kindle shelves every month, in addition to borrowing books from Libby and Everand. Also if the books keep coming too fast, I pause my Everand subscription like I did in June this year for 3 months.

Action: put a pause on buying for a season, or challenge yourself to read two books you own every month.

2. Food

My one aunt used to go to the shops and buy the same list of things every week regardless of whether they actually used up those items. Many of us do the same. I even had to write on our shopping list – NO MORE BREAD – for two weeks because our freezer was full of loaves.

We use up things in the freezer every 5 – 6 weeks and it does two things very well – we finishe all the forgotten food in the freezer and I get creative with what’s left. Some nights the kids will eat something and we’ll eat something else to use up “two portions of this” and “two portions of that”.

Action: stop buying pantry items like rice, pasta or cans and freezer items until you use them all up.

clothes

3. Clothes

I used to be really bad at this before I kept a list. There are things that I think each of us always thinks we need but we don’t. It could be smaller items like socks (for me!) or something like jeans or black t-shirts.

I now keep a note in my phone of actual items I need and when I’m in store and think “I’m sure I need more underwear”, I check my notes app and 99% of the time, that is not on my list. It helps that I’m strict with one in, one out, so I know that if I buy the two black t-shirts and I get home and have enough, I’ll have to get rid of two other t-shirts πŸ˜‰

Action: start a list in your phone “clothes I need to buy” and add to the list as you declutter your wardrobe. Be specific because it helps, like 3 pairs of cushioned sports socks, or 2 pairs of secret socks, so that you’re not confused in the store.

4. Digital downloads

Everyone puts out really cool things (I do too!) but if you’re not going to use it, don’t download it. Or download only what you need. I’ve spoken many times on Instagram about Audrey at Oh so lovely blog. Audrey puts out about 80 (80!) versions of a monthly calendar every year. While it’s tempting to download many versions, I know what I like for colour and style, and what I need – one for each of my work desks (home and office), one for my wardrobe and one for the kitchen, and so I download just the 4 – 5 (sometimes a spare if a child wants to get organised too) every year. Thanks Audrey.

The trick is to use what you download, and don’t just waste space on your digital devices.

Action: look through your downloads folder, keep what you use and delete the rest. It will free up your mind and your storage.

notebook

5. Anything else you already own but don’t use

You and I both have notebooks, bowls, candles, body lotions, soaps, etc. that we are not using. Why not?

This year I’ve had a beauty/ body/ bath project, Use up 24 in 2024, and I’ve used up 50 things already. It feels great. Just this morning I took out a new hand lotion for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and noticed I no longer have a stash of body and hand creams – yay. That cupboard was full of spare everything at the beginning of 2024 and now there is very little. I can’t wait to get back to how I used to live pre-pandemic with one item in use and sometimes one spare, but not more than that one in storage, except if I managed to get a 3 for 2 on my sulphate-free shampoo πŸ˜‰

Action: use your stuff, whether lovely body oils, lotions, lipsticks, etc. and also light the candles and use your nice bowls. If things don’t suit you, donate them or repurpose accordingly (e.g. shampoo can be used as handwash or in your toilet crock). Either way, challenge yourself to not buy more of something without finishing (or mostly finishing) a category of items.

Which one point immediately jumps out at you to practise completion in?

Tag me on Instagram.

20 15-minute small spaces to declutter and organise

I think with the diagnosis and all the medical appointments I’d forgotten that it is actually spring, a lovely time of year that I look forward to for a little kick-in-the-pants house action.

I’m a big fan of starting small to build momentum (you might resonate with some other reasons) so I put together 15 15-minute decluttering and organising tasks for us all to do. See how you go – do one a day and maybe on the weekends, you can do more an hour’s worth.

I like to set a timer and listen to a podcast or audiobook while tidying; and sometimes I also put on some 80s get up and go music.

Here we go:

  1. bedside table (honestly, I probably do 10 minutes on my bedside table every week)
  2. medicine cabinet (remember to bag up expired medicines and hand them in at your nearest pharmacy; don’t just chuck them down the toilet or in the bin)
  3. jewellery
  4. underwear
  5. socks

  1. winter pyjamas – winter has just ended so it’s a good time to see which items you avoided or that are too stretched/ old to hold onto
  2. handbag
  3. laptop bag
  4. make-up bag
  5. nail polish
  6. wallet
  7. desk and if you have desk drawers, you might need another 15 minutes here
  8. fridge (another area I do a 10-minute stint in every week)
  9. entrance way table or dining room table (the place where things get dumped by the whole family) In my house it has been both these tables, depending on the house
  10. car (and boot)

  1. cutlery drawer
  2. junk drawer
  3. pick one cupboard in your kitchen – plates, bowls, glasses, plastics, etc.
  4. water bottles
  5. foil/ bin bags/ baking paper/ plastic wrap

From the time I’ve allocated (15 minutes), you can see it’s not deep, agonising organising. It’s going with your gut instinct and answering 5 quick questions:

  • What sparks joy?
  • What doesn’t spark joy?
  • What’s old and no longer works well?
  • What have you not used?
  • What’s past its sell-by date (actual or in your life)?

I did my jewellery this weekend – cleaned everything (I use a dip), rinsed and air-dried, and then I rearranged and this is when you find things you forgot you owned, and so I’m wearing different earrings today.

Screenshot this post and save it in your photos. Then simply cross out the items until you’ve worked your way through the list – we still have just over two months left πŸ˜‰



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