9 March 2025 by Leave a Comment

#8 Let’s do this – menu planning

one of my friend, Shelley’s beautiful salads

It’s possibly because we’re at the end of summer (but it’s still hot so not quite autumn yet) but I’m tired of thinking about and planning food. Although I do like reading about food, especially since I just finished Stanley Tucci’s memoir, Taste, today.

I was in Cape Town this week for work and a very lovely and concerned colleague asked me, “what are the children and Dion going to eat?”

I said, “they’re all old enough to figure it out but don’t worry, I left them a few meals in the freezer”.

Reader, they did not eat even one of my meals.

Normally this would annoy me but I’m thrilled because it means I don’t have to think too hard about suppers for this week.

Read the rest of the post here:

Filed Under: Menu Planning, Planning Tagged With:
2 March 2025 by Leave a Comment

#7 Let’s do this – February wrap-up

I briefly considered pushing through and writing this on Friday so that it could actually still be February but decided to give myself grace instead and use my usual time on a Sunday.

February indeed lived up to its short month status – blink and it was over. However, here in Johannesburg, we had a deliciously COLD week, so cold I needed boots and jackets and scarves! All utterly lovely.

I am already, as I sit here in jeans and flip-flops, longing for real winter. But never fear, it is now officially the most beautiful season, autumn! I cannot wait for the leaves to turn and I will be smiling from ear to ear the minute there is that lovely refreshing crispness to our mornings again.

I’m going to be crossing off another goal this week when I complete my first client trip of the year to Cape Town. I try to be efficient and cram everything into 3 days which means I’ll see 6 – 7 clients, 2 direct reports, 4 friends and will fly back home, completely knackered but with my connection cup full.

Read the rest of the post here:

Filed Under: Goals, Personal, Planning Tagged With:
9 February 2025 by Leave a Comment

#4 Let’s do this – peek inside my 2025 diary

Hello from a cloudy but still hot (31C) Johannesburg where the thunder is rumbling and threatening (very welcome) rain

organisingqueen

A post shared by @organisingqueen

When you try to make things work

Last year I received a gorgeous (truly gorgeous) diary as a gift and it was perfect for many months until it wasn’t.

You see, I am and have been a weekly planner for a great many years and this was a daily planner.

I made it work because I don’t like to waste and I truly enjoyed it until life got too crazy and I was not seeing my life in weeks when I really needed to do so.

I then bought a weekly diary for only R70 (South Africans, at Mr Price!) and it was amazing.

That purchase took me back to my roots of monthly and weekly planning, and helped me to restore order in my head once again, especially with all the appointments relating to the cancer.

(an aside, where did I find the time to have surgery, recover and go for daily radiation?!)

Read the rest of the post here:

Filed Under: Planning, Productivity, Stationery
1 February 2025 by Leave a Comment

#3 Let’s do this – 5 quick ways to set up your 2025

Hello everyone and welcome to February!

My friend sent me a message this morning that said “happy 2025” because she decided that her 2025 is only starting today. I love it!

I love the idea of a gentle easing in to the year but alas, that has not been the case. Kids going back to school and having to get up early again (!), work, exercise, all of it. Routines are lovely when you’re in them, but when you’ve had two months off, it’s hard to create those habits again. More on this later.

I remember a few years ago (I just went to check and it was 2018!) Susannah Conway followed up her December reflections photo prompt challenge with a gentle January one and I jumped right in because it felt just… lovely. Here is the hashtag to see all the photos. The one below is a photo of a gift from my friend Suzanne.

Read the rest of the post here

Filed Under: Planning Tagged With:
20 January 2025 by Leave a Comment

#1 Let’s do this – my 25 in 2025 goals list

 

hello from a hot Johannesburg

I guess that’s the end of the lovely stretch of overcast days and rainy weather we enjoyed over the last two weeks.

I always say that the only thing hot and sunny weather is good for is drying clothes! So of course, I did two loads of laundry today. Do you love or loathe doing laundry? (I like the “having done” part of laundry but my favourite part is smelling the clean laundry from the machine and then, at the end, folding it. I don’t like putting it away; this is when I usually decide I have too many _____ and declutter)

I’ve wanted to start a Substack for many, many months. I am subscribed to so many great newsletters on here and I love the “old-school blogging” feel where you can like posts (so the author knows people are actually reading) and also chat back and engage with the author. It’s so fun to talk to people in comments!

Read the rest of the post here.

Filed Under: Four Tendencies, Goals, Intentional living, Planning, Work with Marcia Tagged With: ,
16 December 2024 by 3 Comments

{goals} 2024 reflection – how did the 24 in 2024 goals list go?

It is now the part of the year I love – reflection time! I may decide to post twice a week to get through, or I may decide to write the very abbreviated version of the annual reflection here, and properly do it in my workbooks; we’ll see!

 

I don’t think I ever posted the full list of 24 in 2024 goals. I actually have two lists and this I did tell you about.

quarterly goals update after Q1

six months in

And now here we are, with the year practically over.

24 in 2024

The statistics

  • I set 24 goals on the main list, abandoned one item and finished 21 out of the 23 which is 91% done.
  • On list 2, I set 23 goals and finished 16, which is 70%.
  • Not mentioned but done with 100% compliance to medical professionals – breast cancer, surgery and treatments – so I think I did great this year on the things that mattered.
  • My relationships are worse in some areas but I have to keep reminding myself that it takes two people to keep things alive. Not everything in the world is my responsibility.

What worked?

  • Having once-off items sprinkled into the list amidst project-based goals
  • Having an open mindset so that upholder tightening didn’t set in
  • Getting big things done early
  • Building review time into every month’s rhythms
  • Abandoning some things that were just not going to happen

my favourite jacaranda tree in Jhb

How do I feel?

  • After the breast cancer diagnosis, I considered abandoning everything but I found I needed a few things to work on and look forward to, like reading, exercise and writing. This turned out to be a great plan because many times, it felt like I was deep in the weeds and it helped me to have other things to focus on.
  • I will again make a 25 in 2025 list but there are a few things that are on there every year that I need to now admit are never going to happen, like weekends away with friends. I have a way higher likelihood of just doing my own thing. I think I have finally admitted that to myself.
  • I will, however, continue to set goals on the things that bring me joy, like creating, connecting and moving my body.

How did your 24 in 2024 list go?

Have you thought about what your 2025 list will look like?

Filed Under: Goals, Mindset, Personal, Planning Tagged With: , ,
9 December 2024 by 1 Comment

{planning} 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?

Filed Under: Planning, Productivity, Stationery Tagged With: , ,
18 November 2024 by Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Planning, Productivity Tagged With: , ,
20 February 2023 by 2 Comments

I still use a paper diary. Here’s the 2023 one.

I’ve written many, many times before about how it’s important to know what works for you in terms of planning.

My perfect diary is a weekly format, preferably some space for other notes too and enough space horizontally.

I’ve used the same type of diary as I’m using this year before – in 2018 and 2020. I like that I can zip up a pen or thin bullet journal inside and nothing falls out.

Let me show you more:

This is the monthly goals and planning page – goals, to-dos, birthdays and other important dates.
This is the monthly overview – I LOVE this page because there’s space for plenty of tracking – I track work from office days, exercise days as well as actual events.
This is the weekly view. I use the top section for events and the bottom for any specific daily to-dos. I write my weekly goals in the bottom left section (Priorities) and my weekend to-dos in the notes for the week section.

Here’s the key: I take some time every Sunday afternoon/ evening to update my diary for the week ahead so that this tool is truly useful and not just lovely to look at.

Do you use a paper or digital planner/ diary? When do you update it?

Filed Under: Planning, Stationery Tagged With: , , , , ,
27 October 2021 by Leave a Comment

How to use the one-minute rule at work

We’ve spoken before about the one-minute rule. We also talked about ways to use this rule at home.

What about at work?

Here’s how you can use the one-minute rule…

with your emails

  • if you’ve opened and read the email, and don’t need to refer back to it, delete it 🙂
  • if you need to delegate, forward it so that other people can work on it while you go through the rest of your inbox
  • decide there and then on your next action step and quickly type into the beginning of the subject line READ/ MEETING/ TALK TO ___ so that when you’re ready to work, you know exactly what to do next

in meetings

I like to write my meeting notes on the top 70 – 80% of the page and leave the bottom section for actions, OR sometimes there’s so much being said, I just write notes and later as we summarise, I allocate actions and I write the initials of the person in the margin. Now for the rule…

  • do your quick actions in one-minute bites immediately after a meeting
  • many actions are multi-step actions but you can always do the very first step even if that first step is just to allocate a block of time to work through the actions (“actions from XYZ meeting”)

with daily or weekly planning

  • if you’re a daily planner, start the next day’s to-do list page and keep it ready
  • as things pop up, add them to your list so you don’t have to keep it in your head or on random sticky notes in your notebook
  • the same principle works for weekly planning but since I don’t know if I need two more pages to close off the week or eight, I use a long post-it note for next week’s actions. When I’m then ready to make my actual weekly list, I have all my priorities in one place.

How do you already use the one-minute rule at work? Can you think of where you could use it?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: Planning, Productivity, Time management Tagged With: , ,
Next Page »
WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com