CLOSED! – Congrats to Wendy who said:
My favorite thing that I have well organized is children’s books. The paperback ones that do not stand up on a shelf very well, are so organized and easy to find and flip through if they are kept in a canvas cube or box. I have two red canvas totes that I purchased that are full of this type of book. My child’s bookcase looks so much better.
I usually don’t do product reviews as a WFMW post, but I ADORE my BusyBodyBook. I am a calendar/planner JUNKIE! I got a different planner every year while I was in the workforce (and sometimes more to my husband’s chagrin!). Ever since I became a SAHM/WAHM, I’ve been floundering, trying to find a calendar that works for me. Oh. My. Word. I am in HEAVEN with the BBB!!
The BusyBodyBook is a 2-page-per-week-at-a-glance style planner. The first page has a blank section for doodling and a lined section for lists. The second page has a grid system, with 5 columns for each of 7 days.
You can download a sample page on her website to see if the layout works for you. In my BBB, I have a column for each of these areas of our busy life: Me (which includes my only daughter), weekly cleaning tasks/theme (a la FlyLady), my blog posts/link ups for day, DH’s schedule and then my dinner plan for the week. This keeps me moving and never being at a loss. I have not been so on top of things since Lil’ Bit was born. I ADORE the flexibility of this! I can easily switch to temporary work schedules/projects or anything else, if needed.
The BusyBodyBook is available in a couple of formats. First, you can buy it as a personal or family organizer. It’s available in either a school-year format or a calendar-year format and is approximately 7 x 10 inches spiral-bound. You can also get it in a magnetic undated weekly pad that has 7 columns and is 8-1/2 x 11 inches. Lastly, you can get a hanging wall calendar that has 7 columns and is 14 x 22-1/2 inches when hung and shows TWO weeks at a time.
Are you a part of a women’s group? You can even sell the BBB as a fundraiser for your organization!
Watch Donna Smallin, organizing expert, talk about BBB on Bettertv.com.
Right now, Joan is giving away a free 2009 planner with the purchase of a 2010 planner. Just enter code FREEBBB in the comment box at checkout.
Do you want one? You know you do? You can enter to win one! Since I already HAD a BBB, I am giving the one Joan sent to one of you lovely people.
MANDATORY ENTRY
To enter, leave me a comment on this post telling me your best organizing tip. It can be time or stuff; I just don’t want to see a whole string of “please enter me.” comments. If you don’t do this entry you can’t win and I reserve the right to delete any entry that doesn’t answer this question.
Extra Entries
You can also earn bonus entries by:
- following me on Twitter (leave another comment with your twitter handle)
- follow Joan on Twitter (leave another comment with your twitter handle)
- following me on Facebook Networked Blogs (leave a comment with your FB Name if it’s not the same as you have entered in the comment form)
- subscribing to my RSS feed (leave a comment telling me you are a subscriber)
- Blogging or tweeting about this contest (3 extra entries – leave a comment with link in each)
US mailing addresses only (sorry!). You can earn up to 8 entries and you need to leave a comment for each one. Please make sure that I have a way to contact you — either by email, twitter or by commenting on YOUR blog. Contest ends at 5pm EST on November 18 and I will contact/announce winners by the end of the week.
This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.
My best organizing tip is creating lists. Yes, I’m one of those type-A, compulsive list makers, but I stay on task and work much more profitably if I have a list to follow. Thanks for the giveaway – this looks like a great product!
My favorite organizing tip is one that lots of people already do: making monthly menus. This way you save time by only hitting the grocery twice per month, and save $ by means of using less gasoline in daily travels to pick up forgotten items.
Ditto on the lists although I am definitely a “right brained” sort of person and tend to struggle with organization. One thing that I like is: I keep my books grouped together by genre on the book shelves and I keep each genre next to a genre that is similar, for example, herb books next to field guides next to gardening books next to home improvement books. Well, it makes sense to me anyway and I always know exactly where to look for a book if I need one.
This is sooo neat. I love things to keep my life and schedule in order. It’s really a great habit to get into. Journaling keeps my on track. Thanks for sharing.
I’m a creature of habit and I found that if I stick with a routine it sure helps with the organization. But the best thing I do is clear out my inbox of emails… open it, read it, act on it, file it. keeps me sane!
Wow – that looks so handy! My best tip (I’m laughing inside because if you could see my bedroom you might not want to listen to me!) is to go crazy once a month and sort through my pantry and get it organized, then I give myself grace for the rest of the month as it slowly gets messy again. Nothing like little hands looking for a snack to mess up my perfectly lined up rows! This also helps me with meal planning because I can see the things that I need to use up. I do the same thing with my fridge/freezer.
Thanks for the opportunity!
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I try to stay organized by making weekly menus along with a weekly grocery list. Also, I make sure that when we’re almost out of something, I write it on the list before I forget and we have no diapers or toilet paper!
I follow on twitter as frugalmomto4.
I follow Joan on twitter as frugalmomto4.
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My best organizing tip is to try to set a schedule. If you do the same tasks the same day of the week, then you will remember. I also write tons of lists!
My favorite thing that I have well organized is children’s books. The paperback ones that do not stand up on a shelf very well, are so organized and easy to find and flip through if they are kept in a canvas cube or box. I have two red canvas totes that I purchased that are full of this type of book. My child’s bookcase looks so much better.
wmmahaney@att.net
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I don’t have many tips – I am REALLY in need of help – but I am starting to write EVERYTHING down in a notebook, because I apparently can’t remember anything. By embracing that fact I am actually keeping it together a little better! Thanks for the giveaway!