The theme here on the Front Porch this week is notebooks and nature journals. A Chaos Tamer’s Notebook might not be as enchanting a topic as a notebook filled with drawings of flora and fauna, but it might just help you keep things together enough to afford time for that nature walk you’ve postponed!

I don’t do well with other people’s systems. Perhaps it is inflexibility on my part, or some manner of pride, or perhaps my brain is just too quirky to fit the mold. Whatever the reason, I can’t seem to cram my thoughts or my life into a Day Timer, Planner, or anything with preformatted sheets. For me, less is more!

My friend Melissa is a genius.  When I saw her simple notebook idea, I was thrilled by the simple, no fuss simplicity, the ease of implementation, and the ability of a simple tool to help me organize my world!

Here’s the idea:

• Buy a little notebook. Not too huge, you’ll want it to be portable, and be able to toss it in your purse or tote bag. I didn’t want mine to be fancy or expensive like a "blank book" with a beautiful suede cover. I did happen to find one that had a pretty design on the sturdy cardboard cover, but the purpose here is functionality. Choose a notebook you can use and abuse.
• Next you’ll want to write in your notebook! The primary function of my notebook is as a running "To Do" list.  When a page is filled or most the tasks are crossed off, I just tear it out, throw it away, and start a new page! The first page of my notebook is always changing. Any time I want a fresh start, I copy the remaining items to a new page and voila, all fresh and clean! You might notice my "To Do" list is spelled strangely. That’s because it always seems there are "too" many items on it and they are all past "due". Strange spelling humor isn’t required. Melissa doesn’t even label her "To Do" list, she just lists it.
• Between "To Do" or "Too Due" lists are note pages. Right now my note page contains the address to a piano recital and price comparison notes on purchases I was researching. (All on the same page, I just put my random notes on a page until it has served it’s purpose and the page is full, then tear it out when full or finished.)
• I have a running shopping list on a page as well. (Labeled "Too Bye", as there is always "too" much and the money goes "bye-bye".) Like the "Too Due" list, I keep adding to the page and crossing off until the page is full, or most the items are purchased. When the page has run its course, I transfer any items not yet crossed off to a fresh sheet and tear out the old page. I can tear out the sheet to give it to my husband if he’s doing the errands that week too!
  

That’s it! The brilliance is that instead of having lists and notes everywhere, they are all localized in one handy location, not loose and scattered! I had a similar method back in my career days, and kept a notebook on my desk, took it to meetings, and jotted notes about clients as I spoke with them on the phone. When a page served its purpose, I’d tear it out.  Thank you, Melissa for reminding me of the simple efficiency and versatility of a spiral notebook!


Domestic Chaos Tamer and Homeschool Mom of Five, Dell writes about home, heart and hearth.