First lets explain what the Notebook is all about. This is a second brain for most of us! It houses all those to do that we need to do and remember.
Step One - Get yourself a notebook. This notebook can be spiral bound or loose leaf in a binder. I would suggest a smallish one that can fit into your purse or pocket. It can be pretty or plain or just about anything as long as it is portable.
Step two - Set up your categories - but start a few pages into the notebook. I use the one page per day system & set up each page as To Do, To Call, To Check, To Go, To Pay, Notes (you get the idea) - Then at the BACK of the notebook I put a label - reference. More on that later.
Step three - You wanted to know why I said start a few pages in - on page one write at the top of this page Quotes! This will be your place to write all of the quotes that inspire you which you come across each day!
Step four - Grab all those lose pieces of paper and start filling in the areas with current to do’s - go wild - make notes for a couple of days.
And Finally - this step is probably the most important! Carry it with you everywhere you go! That's why you need to make sure it is portable.
**A reference is anything you need to remember but really does not have an action step with it! Numbers, websites, a possible book to read, a movie to see, a website that you want to check out
**The more you get out of your head and into the notebook the more brain power you free to use on other things. The key is to make sure to visit it each night so you can reflect on what the next day holds for you.
Showing posts with label Household Notebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Household Notebook. Show all posts
Forms
Some of these forms I downloaded from some where - others I have created myself.
As stated in previous posts - these are the forms I use to make my life a little easier, you can use/not use what ever you need/want to. And there are tons of wonderful articles on creating Household Notebooks out in Internet Land. Go see what you can find.
My own family notebook is set up using a combination of clear plastic page protectors filled with printed pages / Index Tab Dividers (A-Z for the phone book & Jan-Dec for monthly) / And of course my pages. Some of the suggested dividers may actually turn into new notebooks depending on your personal habits.
ER - Should be 1st page of Household notebook.
Calendars / Monthly Updates
Phone List - calling all phone numbers. Now I actually use 2 different forms - one is a standard phone number / address form. The other is more involved. I use the second one for friends and family members.
Household Mgmt
Schedules
Family Members
School - Families with school-aged children will want to add a school divider to hold:
Legal
Crafts
Money & Finances
Christmas
Gift Planner
Pets
Foster Agreement
Party Planner
Drop Off / Pick Up
Menus & Meals
Health & Fitness
Travel & Activities
Odds & Ends - I have these forms and use them, but I wouldn't think everyone would need these
Updated 3-12-2009
As stated in previous posts - these are the forms I use to make my life a little easier, you can use/not use what ever you need/want to. And there are tons of wonderful articles on creating Household Notebooks out in Internet Land. Go see what you can find.
My own family notebook is set up using a combination of clear plastic page protectors filled with printed pages / Index Tab Dividers (A-Z for the phone book & Jan-Dec for monthly) / And of course my pages. Some of the suggested dividers may actually turn into new notebooks depending on your personal habits.
ER - Should be 1st page of Household notebook.
- ER Contact - Clearly lists information to be given out / needed in the event of an actual emergency.
- First Aid Chart - Print off one that you feel comfortable referring to - don't get too bogged down with tons and tons of info - this is just a quick reference. (One of my favorites)
- CPR Guidelines - Once again - just print off a quick reference sheet.
- If you have children - you may want to include an ER contact list for the babysitter - with quick at a glance info on each child.
Calendars / Monthly Updates
- Calendars - there are a whole lot of really good ready to print calendars out on the internet. Just find one you like.
- Gift Reference Chart
- Monthly Master Occasions
Phone List - calling all phone numbers. Now I actually use 2 different forms - one is a standard phone number / address form. The other is more involved. I use the second one for friends and family members.
Household Mgmt
- Cleaning Supplies - personally I have set up cleaning stations in every room. It makes it easier to clean.
- Cleaning Lists - Use these to let other family members know what you feel needs to be done in each room of the house or you can use Cleaning Cards
- Housework Scheduler or Cleaning List- I used these forms to figure out exactly how often I needed to do certain things.
- Chore List to be used to set up the chores for one week - bottom part is to list daily chores.
- seasonal chore checklists
- Spring Cleaning ala Martha Stewart
- children's chore checklists
- home inventory
- home decorating ideas
- car maintenance schedule
- stain removal guide
- recycling locations
- Decluttering Tips
Schedules
- Morning Routine
- Weekly - Day Planner
- Weekly Schedule - I use this one in my personal notebook
Family Members
- ER Medical Info Sheet to be used to keep track of all current medical info on every member of the family
- Health Check List
- Kids
- Daily Goals Use to show kids visually that they are making progress
- Daily Goals Use to show kids visually that they are making progress
School - Families with school-aged children will want to add a school divider to hold:
- school schedules and holiday list
- lunch menus
- carpool schedule
- school information page
- school reading lists
- homeschool records
- summer programs information
Legal
Crafts
Money & Finances
Christmas
Gift Planner
Pets
Foster Agreement
Party Planner
Drop Off / Pick Up
Menus & Meals
Health & Fitness
Travel & Activities
Odds & Ends - I have these forms and use them, but I wouldn't think everyone would need these
- Photo Permission Form
- Yearly Grid - I use it to keep track of my BP.
- yard sale checklist
- Estimates This is one of those forms that came up out of need - my mom wanted to get her carpets cleaned and I made the calls for her.
Updated 3-12-2009
How many sections do I need?
Dividers organize information and make it easy to find what you need ... fast!
I have listed some divider sections for you and will (hopefully, cross your fingers) get my versions of documents up some where for you to use.
I have listed some divider sections for you and will (hopefully, cross your fingers) get my versions of documents up some where for you to use.
- Schedule - To start your Household Notebook, begin with the basics: planning and time management. Claim your time with a Schedule! What belongs here? Calendars, schedules and to-do lists direct the course of family life. In-depth planning tools, like mission statements or goal planning worksheets, do the hard work of translating goals to reality. Use a three-hole punch to add work schedules, school calendars and events lists for church and civic activities.
- Phone - Calling all phone numbers! The Phone Directory is the most useful, most-consulted section of any Household Notebook. The Phone Directory is a single place to put class rosters, take-out phone numbers, club directories, emergency phone numbers and phone messages. No more scraps of paper, missing numbers or scribbled phone books! Organize it in a way that make sense to you. I personally have EVERY person / place / thing filed under the name that I call it and the actual name. In the event you just can't remember who Uncle Jellyfish is.
- Family - Family is where the heart is--and deserves its own divider. This section tracks information needs of family members and family life:
- personal information page for each family member
- clothing sizes tracker
- master occasions list (birthdays, anniversaries)
- gift suggestion list
- birthday party ideas
- recommended Web sites
- list of DVD/videos to rent
- list of books to read
- library information
- personal information page for each family member
- School - Families with school-aged children will want to add a school divider to hold
- school schedules and holiday list
- lunch menus (BENTO IDEAS)
- carpool schedule
- school information page
- school reading lists
- homeschool records
- summer programs information.
- school schedules and holiday list
- Home Management Divider - Bring it all back home! The Home Management divider holds information central to house and home. Cleaning, entertaining, decorating and household storage information find a home here. Consider these ideas for the Home Management divider:
- household cleaning schedule
- seasonal chore checklists
- children's chore checklists
- home inventory
- home decorating ideas (I actually have a style book that has this in it)
- party planners (I've got another book)
- car maintenance schedule
- stain removal guide
- recycling locations
- home storage inventory
- yard sale checklist
- household cleaning schedule
- Meals and Menus - In the kitchen, the Household Notebook helps plan meals, create menus, and track inventory in pantry and freezer. Use this section to hold grocery shopping lists and price book forms for maximum savings at the super market.
- Money and Finance - Tracking dollars and cents makes sense, so add a Money and Finance divider to your Household Notebook. Keep track of household finances with budget pages, inventory sheets and household informaiton.
- budget/spending record
- bills to pay
- credit card list
- online service/online account information
- home inventory
- insurance information
- safety deposit box inventory
- utilities/services directory
- magazine subscriptions
- warranty information
- vehicle records
- Health and Fitness
- budget/spending record
- Health and Fitness - Have a medical emergency? Grab the Household Notebook on the way to the Emergency Room. Visit to the pediatrician? Use this section to record illnesses, medication and medical history.
- diet trackers
- blood pressure record
- first aid kit checklist
- medical information sheet for each family member
- emergency directory
- medical authorization form
- prescription drug record
- insurance information
- pet health records
- Travel and Activities
- diet trackers
- Travel and Activities - covers the extra-curricular activities that make life worthwhile. Hobby, church, club, sports, volunteer, vacation and travel ideas are included here.Your Household Notebook may have several dividers for this purpose. Are you part of a musical chorale? Give it a divider. Do the children play serious soccer? Divide it up! What belongs in these sections? Any and every piece of paper pertaining to that activity.
- Phone Tree lists.
- Sports information sheets.
- picnic planner
- travel packing checklist
- before-we-leave checklist
- camping checklist
- vacation idea list
- house-sitter information sheet
- PTA newsletters and rosters
- Phone Tree lists.
Making A Household Notebook
To create your family's Household Notebook, start with a three-ring binder, some clear page protectors, paper and tabbed dividers.
Using tabbed dividers from the office supply store, set up dividers according to your family's needs. Remember, each family grows their own family organizer; expect divider categories to change along with your family. I've listed some suggestion, but your family is unique, so your dividers will reflect that. Be sure to place a few page protectors behind each divider section.
Next, get printing. At a minimum, your Household Notebook will need calendars, phone and address forms and lined blank pages; form-a-holics may go whole hog and print until the wee hours. Add the forms you need to each divider section.
Pretty cover and spine inserts can be used with a clear-view binder, or glued to the front and spine of your binder. They'll help keep you motivated - and make it easy to find your notebook in a crowded bookcase.
Once the dividers and page protectors are in place and you've added calendars and basic forms, you're ready to begin.
Gather all scattered slips and scraps of paper: pizza menus and business cards, school hand-outs and church bulletins, class schedules and scout camp brochures. Enter information in the Notebook, writing phone numbers on the correct phone directory pages, punching and filing club calendars, slipping magazine articles into page protectors.
Be creative! Add dividers that express your household's priorities and needs. A freezer cooking divider stores recipes, instructions and reheating information for the results of a once-a-month cooking session. Planning home improvement projects? Add a divider, and store snips and swatches in page protectors. Use Master To-Do and Daily To-Do lists in any divider to keep track of ongoing projects and goals, while blank lined pages hold information not covered by a specific form.
Keep your Household Notebook near the family's main telephone and family calendar to guide family activities and decisions. Cupcake request from the Cub Scout den mother? Note it on the calendar, and add the ingredients to the shopping list. Planning a Friday-night date with your spouse? Open the folder to the Babysitter's Information page and review the information with the babysitter before you leave the house.
Using tabbed dividers from the office supply store, set up dividers according to your family's needs. Remember, each family grows their own family organizer; expect divider categories to change along with your family. I've listed some suggestion, but your family is unique, so your dividers will reflect that. Be sure to place a few page protectors behind each divider section.
Next, get printing. At a minimum, your Household Notebook will need calendars, phone and address forms and lined blank pages; form-a-holics may go whole hog and print until the wee hours. Add the forms you need to each divider section.
Pretty cover and spine inserts can be used with a clear-view binder, or glued to the front and spine of your binder. They'll help keep you motivated - and make it easy to find your notebook in a crowded bookcase.
Once the dividers and page protectors are in place and you've added calendars and basic forms, you're ready to begin.
Gather all scattered slips and scraps of paper: pizza menus and business cards, school hand-outs and church bulletins, class schedules and scout camp brochures. Enter information in the Notebook, writing phone numbers on the correct phone directory pages, punching and filing club calendars, slipping magazine articles into page protectors.
Be creative! Add dividers that express your household's priorities and needs. A freezer cooking divider stores recipes, instructions and reheating information for the results of a once-a-month cooking session. Planning home improvement projects? Add a divider, and store snips and swatches in page protectors. Use Master To-Do and Daily To-Do lists in any divider to keep track of ongoing projects and goals, while blank lined pages hold information not covered by a specific form.
Keep your Household Notebook near the family's main telephone and family calendar to guide family activities and decisions. Cupcake request from the Cub Scout den mother? Note it on the calendar, and add the ingredients to the shopping list. Planning a Friday-night date with your spouse? Open the folder to the Babysitter's Information page and review the information with the babysitter before you leave the house.
Household Notebook
Unlike a personal planner, which is designed for use by one person, a household notebook or family organizer serves as "command central" for your entire family. While each family's organizer will be unique because you're family is unique, they almost always start as simple three-ring notebooks with several divider sections.
Most household notebooks will include a telephone and message section, a divider for schedules, clubs or volunteer activities, travel, home management and finance. sections, medical information, and personal records like gift list and clothing size charts. Because they're infinitely expandable, household notebooks become as distinctive as the family that uses them.
A family with school-aged children involved in dance, music and sports will include organizer sections for rehearsal and practice schedules, summer activity ideas and video to-rent lists.
A military family may include a large section on moving or hometown docs.
At-home and homeschooling parents often add personal and family schedules to coordinate life with young children.
A two-career couple with pre-school children may add babysitter and day care dividers and an emergency telephone list to their household notebook.
Empty nesters will rely on packing checklists for vacations, home repair records and gift suggestion lists for far-flung. children.
Most household notebooks will include a telephone and message section, a divider for schedules, clubs or volunteer activities, travel, home management and finance. sections, medical information, and personal records like gift list and clothing size charts. Because they're infinitely expandable, household notebooks become as distinctive as the family that uses them.
A family with school-aged children involved in dance, music and sports will include organizer sections for rehearsal and practice schedules, summer activity ideas and video to-rent lists.
A military family may include a large section on moving or hometown docs.
At-home and homeschooling parents often add personal and family schedules to coordinate life with young children.
A two-career couple with pre-school children may add babysitter and day care dividers and an emergency telephone list to their household notebook.
Empty nesters will rely on packing checklists for vacations, home repair records and gift suggestion lists for far-flung. children.
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