PLANNER CHRONICLES: LESSONS FROM A YEAR OF DIALYSIS

[@Nightsong93]

This year I learned that I value portability and simplicity, While I do enjoy a few stickers here or there, I learned that I was spending more time decorating than actually executing my plans. Since August, I've been in a $10 pocket Day Designer from Target and absolutely love it. Easily fits in a purse, has a sturdy cover, and there is enough space for my top 5 to dos and notes each day. This is the longest I've avoided planner hopping since 2018 and falling down the Happy Planner rabbit hole.

[@kimberlyhuffman3115]

Sounds like the Alistair Method is for you, Cindy. One long list with columns next to to the tasks for each day of the week. Then you can have a running task list, where things don't to be in chronological order, or assigned a specific day until it's done.

[@annec8127]

That's the same method used by Plant Based Bride (PBB), who Cindy is aware of. I do LOVE her Rolling Weekly (though I make it work for a two week period).

[@MG-xp7fr]

Wow, these are some really great reflections! I feel like I'm noticing a hidden non-planner thing you valued this year: therapy. You're talking so much about meeting yourself where you are, keeping yourself accountable while giving yourself grace, and taking care of yourself and others while letting go of feeling like you need to do (and control) everything. You must have done some really fucking hard work to get yourself here. Well done!

[@JavaFirst]

I put my bullet journal aside in November. I will pick it up again. There is just too much going on now and I prefer writing it down and checking it off. When I resume my bujo I will resume writing things down and listing them ont he day that they happened. People if you do not have a will get one and a power of attorney and healthcare power of attorney. My husband had none of these and trust me court is time consuming and hella expensive. If you laugh at the price of planning your estate then you should see the price your kids will have to pay in court to settle the estate. My words for this year are replenish and LIVE LIVE LIVE!!!

[@missfl0werstar]

Having severe ADHD and pregnant/having a newborn, I've been so grateful for your content this year. Love how relatable your experience is and with how much clarity, grace and kindness you approach it. So I'm just stopping by to say thanks and wow, you're glowing girl! 😘

[@___jacklynnn]

This was quite the change up year for me. I went from very creative planning in my A&O bullet journal, to realizing that I hate ultra thick hardback notebooks. Now I'm in a pocket size Stalogy where I just make a list for each day and I love it next year I will be in an Aura Estelle B6 planner and I'm really excited for it. I'm ready for a little more structure, but also being able to keep my entire year in one planner! Hope you are doing well ❤

[@corkspa]

I realized that I value function and simplicity in my planner. I have been in and out of a bujo for years and finally this last month just decided that I didn't care about how it looked or if it was organized right or in the right order or if there were stickers and deco or just pen and highlighter and really that I just needed to use the damn thing. So I have ended up with 3 monthly spreads in December trying to experiment on layouts and there is whiteout galore but I am feeling good going into 2024 with my notebook, pen, and one highlighter (olive mildliner, the best color) and if I pull out some stickers great, if not no loss I'll declutter them next year.

[@mandyskeleton]

YES I would love to see how you set up your Makselife in Notion! I’ve been poking at Notion (with a stick) trying to get it to do what I want for weekly checkins and goal setting and it’s only a little bit there. I’m at the same place as you with Makselife where I love the structure but don’t need the physical planner to lug around.

[@AlizaChana]

You’re awesome, Cindy! As a fellow “spoonie” with multiple, multiple chronic health conditions that I juggle on a daily basis that cause brain fog (a couple of the conditions being neurological), I have settled into making a list of my “must-dos” for the week in the left column of my planner, and making a check list there, in categories. This has helped me out a lot, and I’ll continue this into the new year.

[@AimlessAllee]

You mentioned your Switch. Would love to see a video on which one you have and games you like to play. Looking forward to your 2024 planner lineup too. Thanks for doing Vlogmas.

[@MsCharlotte2001]

My big realization this year was that the chance of anyone else producing a planner that works the same way my definitely-not-neurotypical brain does is somewhere between slim and none. So I just quit looking! Th 19:37 e sense of relief I felt was huge, and although I'm still struggling to figure out a system that I'll actually use, at least now I know that it's really up to me.l As far as task scheduling goes, rather than assigning tasks to a specific day of the week, I prefer to give them quasi-deadlines (especially when some things require others to be done first). So if I have to do x rhen y then z, I might have 'do x by Tuesday, y by Thursday, z by Saturday '. Then if I have a really good week, I might get all three done by Wednesday, or if everything goes to hell I might wind up doing everything on Saturday. Breathing room in my schedule and woekload is absolutely crucial for me. Last but not least - perimenopause can start WAY earlier than a lot of people think, and the brain fog is real!

[@suzisaintjames]

Here's what I learned this year... I use a home printed, half sheet, ring planner and love it. The beginning of the year I was using a day at a glance then switched to two days at a glance. (If I need more space I add a quarter page... The advantage of rings.) I use my planner to not only plan things, but to record what I do each day. It's nice to know I made sourdough last Tuesday (in the bread machine). But having all the done"s checked off helps me keep track of the good days and the better days. But since I started wearing a very small cross body bag all day, with a pen and 3 planner pages in it... yesterday, today and tomorrow (another advantage of using a ring notebook)... So when I walk into a room and don't know why, I've got my page attached to my body. You could use a notepad or stickies, instead. I also spend much less time looking for my phone, because it's in the bag, and not laid down somewhere. There's also whiteout, a highlighter, and a hankie as I want to keep it as light as possible. Which it is, I sometimes forget it's there. Having my planner pages with me as I move from room to room gives me more opportunity to make notes of what I've done and what I need to do. Even if I don't have next Tuesday's page with me, I write it on today's page and migrate it next time I sit down at my desk with my notebook. I tried a tote, but I change locations a lot and would leave it behind so many times. The bag moves with me without having to think about it. And it has the minimum that I need to keep it light enough to wear all day without getting heavy by the end of the day. Sending lots of love 💖 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵. Take care of yourself and each other 😷.

[@megancampbell3914]

As a busy retired person, I do a similar thing to carry my phone and schedule with me. A small crossbody bag with a 3X5 index card and pen, or my phone on a tether and the card/pen in a pocket. I am all over my neighborhood and house, and stuff enters my brain all the time. Crossbody bag can fit in purse or backpack if needed; they hold other levels of gear.

[@suzisaintjames]

@@megancampbell3914 , I never thought I'd wear a crossbody bag, but this one had a long strap and I just threw it over my head and a habit was born. And yes, mine is so small that it would fit easily inside another bag. Sending you lots of love 💖 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵. Take care of yourself and each other 😷.

[@jenniferglover6417]

First off...I find it AMAZING all that do are getting done! So kudos to you, quite sincerely! 2nd, I have recently listened to a few audiobooks, and read some books written by ppl from Standfords D School. A HUGE common theme I keep hearing and am starting to believe....LESS is more! Trying to juggle everything, over schedule, over commit is actually less productive in terms of the quality of work. This is a hard one to hear, because some of us want to do it ALL! Even just our society as a whole. I also have multiple health issues that leave me with chronic pain, extreme exhaustion....which I realize whole heartedly doesn't hold a candle to what you are going though. I feel like we all need the message to not have such high expectations...just because we did it yesterday, that doesn't mean we can do it today! And rest IS productive! Thanks for keeping things very real...we all need it!

[@planwithkellye2926]

I have to use paper and pen for the same reason… cements it in my scattered brain. Great call outs on accessibility for digital planning tools.

[@craftingrubydreams]

While I love both the MäksēLife and HB90 systems, I went down to just the yearly goals planner for HB90 and the companion notebooks for ML last year, and it really is what's most effective for me, even when my life goes off the rails like most of this year did.

[@Sarahbear2000]

Love this and can’t wait to see what you’ve picked as a result!

[@akashaseekers]

My dad did that for a while and it is indeed hard!! ❤

[@apronacres7292]

You're doing awesome and are an inspiration to everyone! Rest as much as you can!

[@mbwebster1838]

I have learned that my planning style depends heavily on what work I’m doing. When I’m working in an office/classroom/single-location setting with a set time schedule, I like work and personal life planning separate. Because my work and my personal life are physically separate. When I’m freelancing and working from home, I like all areas of my life together in one spot, because that’s how my space and schedule are functioning too. Took me til age 43 to figure that out 😂🙌

[@Katiedora122]

I think what I've come to value this year is balance within my planning system. It took me a couple of years to make it happen, but this year I was finally diagnosed with ADHD and started a treatment plan that is actually helping. Before this year, I would go through phases of only using one thing even if it wasn't working for me because I was used to it, and then have a period of buying and trying every knick knack, journal, tool, and app that looked shiny. And I was never satisfied with any of it! But this year with a new job I have (still working from home), I got a much better perspective of what was actually working. I've got an actual system now that has allowed me to use up my stash while also being able to coordinate with my digital tools. And it turns out that I also really value using all the shit that I've bought over the years!

[@brendadela3280]

I have a chronic illness literally in my brain so brain fog is very real. I have learned that My planning system is most important not the planner. I am very cheap so I’ve honed my system to work in the least expensive planners. This year I’m using a Dollar Tree monthly and Daiso weekly. Size is the only thing I have to worry about at any given time. I do sometimes treat myself to the pretty planners. Also electronic planners/systems don’t work for me as well as the physical act of writing. I only use my phone calendar for alarms and reminders to leave. Menopause fog is no joke. I’ve told my family ask me if I’m available to do something and then text me so I remember to put it in my planner. If they don’t, they know there is a chance it won’t happen. I don’t try to remember everything anymore. Learning so much about ourselves is so cathartic. We need to change and adapt as our lives change. Here’s to a 2024 planning success. 🎉

[@waggermama]

Another thought - this reminds a lot of @CarieHarling , who has said if it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist, and how important her system is, that it can move to different planners or whatever, but the system has to be the same.

[@LantraAntero]

About meds: I use an app on my android to track them. It annoys me with notifications until I take them 😄 but I also put notes about them in my planner as I take hormones and I need to know how many days I'm taking them and when to order a new pack.

[@waggermama]

Hearing you on the writing it down or it doesn’t happen front, what with chronic illness and perimenopause, my brain is mush at this point ❤

[@waggermama]

And I’m going to bookmark this and watch it again, just to drive the message home 😊

[@reneeg9507]

Would love a video on how you use Notion for personal goals as mine is a hot mess. I set my planner lineup back in August and September and now I'm feeling the need to change my plans, but I'm going to stick with it for the first half of the year and see what happens.

[@LeahWriter]

I'm gonna love this video. Gotta wait till after work❤

[@paganpines]

I can't remember the actors either! Names in general, if I don't interact with a person on a regular basis, their name just fades away. I'm nearly 52 and in relatively good health and I feel like that has ramped up the last 5-6 years so it could just be age.

[@cassthompson3386]

I don't know if it's just me (in my imagination) or if you've actually done something different, but the image quality of this video is very good. Seems a lot better than usual? Loved this video concept though. ❤

[@KatesThings]

Curious if you think home dialysis was best after a year of it?

[@jennykay780]

The other day I forgot Harrison Ford’s name. Scared the shit out of me.

[@Jessica-xc6vn]

@@katv1195 Less active?? He starred in a major big budget franchise film this year, (latest Indiana Jones film), a major big budget streaming TV show (Shrinking on Apple+) and a Yellowstone prequel TV series (1923, on Paramount+), all at 80 plus years old! That said, I forget actors' names all the time, and I wouldn't worry about it unless it's part of a larger overall trend you are noticing. In that case I woudl talk to your doctor.

[@suzisaintjames]

15:58 I know how mentally you think you can do all these things on non-dialysis days. (Your former healthier self could do all these things. But that's not you anymore.) Go back to your HB90 training. Be realistic in how many time blocks you can actually do without running yourself into the ground. (Part of the reason your dialysis day could be trash, could be because you've run yourself into the ground the day before and you need that day to rest and recover). Be realistic on what YOU have to do and what you can delegate to others. Do you have to drive someone to the train on dialysis days when you can't use the car anyways? Could someone else take the dog to daycare (like on their way to the train)? Yes, that's not much, but it's 6-8 time blocks a week that you can work on projects before dialysis. For me, being stuck in a chair in the morning would be the worst time of day. When I get up after a good night's rest is when I'm raring to go work on a project, not be stuck in a chair. Consider adjusting your dialysis to your least productive time/lowest energy time of day. For me it would be after my morning project when I'm ready for a sit-down or in the evening whilst enjoying the family watching tv. (All rhetorical, a heart is all I need.) Sending lots of love 💖 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵. Take care of yourself and each other 😷.

[@ThaBloodWitch]

Not the song lyrics!

[@jennifercwilliams1]

Just wait till you old enough to have menopause brain fog kick in - 😅

[@suzisaintjames]

I started wearing a very small cross body bag with a pen and 3 planner pages in it... yesterday, today and tomorrow (I use a ring notebook)... So when I walk into a room and don't know why, I've got my page attached to my body. You could use a notepad or stickies, instead. I also spend much less time looking for my phone, because it's in the bag, and not laid down somewhere. There's also whiteout, a highlighter, and a hankie as I want to keep it as light as possible. Which it is, I sometimes forget it's there. Sending lots of love 💖 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵. Take care of yourself and each other 😷.