Catch-all Notebook
Welcome back to Mom's No Chaos Zone!
In the “bad old days” I was always forgetting things… things I needed to do, things I needed to get at the store, places either me or the kids had to be, people I needed to call, appointments, birthdays (oops!)…. you name it I could forget it!
One of the problems is I was trying to keep everything in my head. I barely wrote anything down and my brain was on overload trying to keep everything straight. When I did write something down it was usually on a scrap of paper or the back of an envelope and you probably know how that ended….. then I had to remember where I wrote the it down, which I usually didn’t – or the scrap/envelope got lost! I tried keeping a planner but then I usually couldn’t remember where in the planner I would write things down…. did I write it on the monthly calendar? weekly planner tab? notes section? behind some other tab? My brain was constantly whirring about – kinda like a hamster – always running in circles and not getting anywhere!
When I ran into the Make Today Matter life system one of the first things I learned is how to set up a Catch-all Notebook and boy has it ever revolutionized the way I keep track of all the “stuff” a busy mom has going on! Next post I’ll give the “Reader’s Digest version” of what a Catch-all Notebook is. If you can’t wait, check out the Make Today Matter Life System and get started right away!
The beauty of the Catch-All notebook is its simplicity and economy. You don’t have to go buy a big leather monstrosity with a dozen tabs and various calendars and forms. All you need is a little spiral bound notebook. 5 X 7″ish works best for me – it fits in my purse nicely and still gives me a decent sized page to work with. It’s small enough to carry around (I like to travel light!) You can get these at just about any store, sometimes for less than a dollar. I usually spend an extra dollar or two to get something pretty with a sturdy cover and one of those little elastic straps that keep it closed. To start out with, get something plain and simple. If you get a really nice notebook you might be less likely to write in it and “mess it up.” Get something you’ll write in! If you do want to splurge on your notebook, Make Today Matter has a *really* nice Catch-all Notebook kit!
There are only two hard and fast rules…
Rule number one is you take the notebook with you *everywhere* you go. Ok, you don’t have to take it in the shower but that’s about it.
Rule number two – this notebook is where you write *everything* down. Have a page or page spread for each day and date the page for reference. Need to be somewhere today? Write it down! Hear about a website you want to check out some time? Write it down. Did someone give you their phone number? Write it down. Make an appointment for next month? Write it down. Everything you need to do, everything you need to remember for that day or any other day, write down immediately in your Catch-all Notebook – nowhere else! Sometimes you’ll transfer information into a phone book or onto the family calander, but everything is FIRST of all written in the notebook. You never have to wonder “where did I write that down at?” because you know write everything in the notebook.
Once you write something down, it frees up your brain to do better things than worry about forgetting. Your stress level will go down because you’re not going crazy trying to remember stuff or searching for information you recorded, and you will do things on time and be on time more often. One thing I noticed right away is my memory actually got better, partly because writing something down reinforces memory and also because my mind wasn’t trying to remember SO much at any given time.
Here are just a few things in my current Catch-all Notebook: shopping lists, a confirmation code for a bill paid over the phone, sermon notes, various phone numbers I had to write down when I was on the phone or running errands, medication dosages from a doctor’s appointment, gift ideas for my daughter’s birthday, a few books I heard are really good and I want to look up some time soon, the name of a song on the radio I loved and want to get on I Tunes, notes for an upcoming event I’m in charge of volunteers for, a winterizing to-do list for my house…
All of this information is important and it’s all right there in my notebook, which is always with me! Give this a try for a month and I can almost guarantee it will change your life!
One little Catch-all Notebook add-on I came up with all by myself (I’m so proud of myself!lol)…
Get a notebook with one of those little elastic bands attached. The band is supposed to be to keep the notebook closed but it has another, even more useful function in my Catch-all Notebooks. I purchase one of those little inexpensive, 3×6″, vinyl covered 2-year calendars. Slip the band behind the back cover of the calandar. You now have a month-at-a-glance calandar for the next two years attached to your Catch-all Notebook.
This is invaluable for making appointments, plans with friends or at meetings, etc… You can also now look at your week’s plans any time you’re unsure what day that appointment/meeting/whatever is on. Since your catch-all notebook is always with you, so is your calandar!!! This is a life saver for me!
This is a real basic rundown of the Catch-All notebook – for a more detailed description and more ways you can use the Catch-all Notebook to keep your life on track, like using it for longer term to-do lists and how it fits in to a total system, check out the Make Today Matter life system!
