Monday, March 24, 2014

I'M HAVING ONE OF THOSE DAYS... (and an organizational solution!)

...STRESSED, that is.


This is how my desk looks right now!  Yes, that is a very low calorie, low fat, high protein, good for you lunch.  Sorry, must be my imagination...  I tend to eat comfort food when I am stressed and the only "bad" thing I could find in the kitchen was the very dregs of a bag of chips and french onion dip.  Ahhh...stress relief.

Since Dear Hubby and I had to go out yesterday I did not get my laundry done.  So that chore has carried over to today...and I have a TON of phone calls that need to be made in addition to keeping the laundry flowing.  Note to self...get the laundry done on Sunday...NO MATTER WHAT!

Juggling all of the information for MY phone calls, Dear Hubby's phone calls, Mom's phone calls and Dad's phone calls was driving me crazy this morning.  You see, I'm the family secretary!  Whatever information needs to be gleaned, appointments made, questions asked, etc., etc. for ANY member of my family...I do most of the calling.  My mom and dad are really getting a little up in years to handle everything themselves and call me first with any medical issue, Dear Hubby has absolutely NO time in work to make personal calls, J can't make or receive any calls at work, and I have my own slew of issues to handle...personal and household. 

While looking for my "notes" (scribbles actually) regarding a previous phone call I decided there HAD to be a better way to keep track of what had been said and done and what the "status" was on each issue!  Necessity is the mother of invention!


I found an old notebook from when J was still in school and  began a running list of the calls I had to make.  I left a space after the word "Call" so I could add the "-ed" after I had made the phone call and then documented what was said or done.  Note:  The little red "flag" is a call on the next page that has not yet been made. 


I then searched through my "freebies" and found a highlighter with attached "flag" dispenser.  Perfect!  I can highlight the subject of the call for easy future reference and I can flag any calls that still need to be handled!

I think this book is really going to help my CRS (Can't Remember S***) syndrome and will cut down on the number of scrap paper scribbles or miniscule notations in my tiny Filofax blocks.  Ahhh...it's amazing how calming organization can be!  Now to make that last phone call...


8 comments:

  1. Love this idea!! This is something I could use to keep track of when things were bought (socks, shoes etc) and get a better idea of when we might need to replace them.

    God bless.

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    1. Thanks, Jackie! I am loving this book already. When you are making lots of "household" calls and setting up estimates on work to be done, you are dealing with a lot of people regarding the same issue. Trying to remember who said what is HARD (especially when you have CRS, lol). I got a phone call last evening, wrote the man's reply in my book under the appropriate note and was able to discuss the status of each "job" with Dear Hubby when he got home WITHOUT having to scrounge through tiny scratch papers to do it! I can see this turning into almost a daily diary. It would be good to have all of this information in my Filofax, but since I wanted a smaller Filofax to fit into my purse I had to give up "writing room" on each page. This will work well in conjunction with my Filofax!

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  2. I LOVE being organized like this! I loved being a secretary and later processing mortgage loans as being organized was a HUGE MUST in both jobs! I have my calender and all that at my desk here, but just don't have much room to do much! I keep notebooks for everything and tablets and oh I LOVE LOVE LOVE that highlighter with the flag tabs!! Where'd you get it! I WANT ONE!!!! Too cool!!! My problem? I get bored with how I am currently "taking notes" and bored with the same old notebook/tablet and want a new one! I cant transfer everything, so I have multiple of the same topic! I have to figure out how to stop getting bored with notebooks and tablets! Good grief, now that I see it in writing...what a stupid problem to have!!!
    Cheri
    www.fabricandmemories.blogpsot.com

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    1. The highlighter is from Post-It, so I would think it would be available in most office supply stores. Oh, organization has ALWAYS been my thing. I can remember when I was little going to the corner store and buying what were actually "teachers log books" and using it to keep track of all kinds of things.

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  3. Now you've done it. I want chips and french onion dip! I lived on that from about 18 to 25. =) Your solution to your notes problem is a great one! Sometimes old tech is best. =)

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    1. Oops...sorry, lol. Actually I had Dear Hubby pick up a small bag of chips on the way home and I killed the french onion dip. No more temptation! I find myself going back to "old school" more and more. I just finally gave up on having a computerized calendar and have bought myself a Filofax to carry in my purse. No more forgetting to sink my computer to my PDA and no more lost data with crashes!

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  4. This is a really good idea. I only have 3 to keep up with but it can get overwhelming sometimes!

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    1. Continuing to use it I am loving it even more! My notebook has a two section folder in the front. I have put relevant paperwork in that pocket and have noted "printout" on the phone call for things such as handyman quotes and reservation confirmations. I'm sure my book will evolve over time, but I feel like I am heading in the right direction!

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