2015-House & Holidays Plan Week 1: Planning and Paperwork Week

[ejagno]

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/house-holidays-plan/01-planning-week

I am so excited to get started preparing my home for the most wonderful holiday of the year. Like many others I will be customizing the plan to what works best for me and my family and this is something that Cynthia strongly advises everyone to do. There is no "one plan fits all" because we are all unique and we all have special circumstances in our lives.

Okay, I'm off to clean my desk. Please chime in and let us know how you are doing. It's wonderful to have the support and encouragement of our beautiful MMH family.

 

[MrsSoup]

Once again i'm going to attempt this plan and make it my own. The first week is perfect for me since I still have not gotten the office organized and unpacked yet. I already have a filing system, it's just the cleaning and organizing I need to do. We had two three shelf cabinets in our old house in the office but here we have nothing since it's just a room and part of it is the kid's video game space. I need to come up with some creative storage solutions for binders, paper, etc.

 

[Eaglesax]

I'm going over my lists, updating as necessary. Hope to organize my latest purchases and put planned purchases on my shopping list. Oh, and get my Christmas card list ready!

 

[kringle]

Hey, guys. I'm joining you. I'm so excited to get started! We just moved a few weeks ago and I still haven't set up an office/planning area that works for me so the HHP is just what I need to get going with that. I have my notebook out, lists started and lots of ideas I need to get written down. Like you said, Ellen, I need to make this plan my own and I love that it's written flexibly enough to easily do that. I'm excited!

Chris :rudolph:

 

[luludou]

I'm ready to start! paperwork ... always work to do there! I have to empty some files and clean up. I also want to do my timeline for NY's eve supper

 

[tanya]

Hi Everyone,

I am in! I can't believe how much junk has accumulated around my office/ planning area since last year! I remember going through everything and was feeling very proud last year at this time that it was so well organised and ordered. Fast forward to this year- yes on the outside it looks great!

Open the drawers and storage areas and it is a mess. I have been just tossing things inside. I have pens etc that no longer work etc...I have some things to print off- but the stock of printer ink (that I bought this time last year) has just run out. I will be working on this and updating my Christmas Planner.

 

[Cindylouwho]

Oh I'm so excited! It is starting! I worked hard yesterday on decluttering Books so that my Japanese Declutter method would line up with Houseworks (after Books comes Paper on the Japanese one - which I gabbed about on another thread). And I printed off my FlyLady schedule for the year too so that will line up also.

This will be an interesting week for me as her Japanese threshold for Paper is: ZERO.

:-O Uhm, that's a pretty low threshold.

She gives an exception of birth certificates and legal docs. You get a single file for those. So we'll see how it goes. I have my scanner ready -- with LOTS to scan right next to it, around it, and below it. I have my parents estate to deal with so I'll never make it to a single folder.

For those with iPhones, found out yesterday that Evernote just released a cool app called Scannable -- pretty slick. Free. There's a commercial for it on YouTube. Think I'll try that for tracking my receipts. (I'm processing a LOT of receipts right now while trying to figure out which grocery store has the best prices).

AND... the kids will be back at SCHOOL so I can get stuff done (wish they'd take the puppy with them). Although truly I'd trade school if we could have more summer vacation, I love having them around.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I'm ready for this. I'm looking forward to cheering everyone on.

Goals this week:

• Household:
  Declutter papers
  
• Holiday:
  • Figure out a daily time to work on this for the next few months
  • Finish Notebook
  • Work on Family Values
  • Make Budget
  • Make Master List

 

[Cindylouwho]

I better post my weekly goals so I can focus:

Declutter my desk - wrap up any outstanding paper to-dos from summer. Switch gears.
Declutter my files.
Review online Christmas Notebook - adjust format if needed
Update Christmas list in Excel and move to an app (big change this year)
Review Christmas budget with DH and check our savings so far
Download/ update/sync phone apps - specifically calendars and Christmas gift apps
Make hard decisions on computers, the cloud and photo software - it is time
Family Values talk - find our common goals for how we want to spend our holidays.

 

[ejagno]

Way to go friends! I am so thrilled at the excitement and enthusiasm shown here. Attitude makes all the difference in the world, regardless of the plan.

Weeeeeeeeelllllll, I don't think Cynthia meant "build an entire office" during the planning and paperwork week but that is exactly what DH and I have been doing. The desk is going to be painted and the top stained this afternoon. The credenza was painted yesterday. I have all of DH's collectables on the wall shelves with a few of his current workbooks. I changed the plugs to those with the two USB ports included for charging his tablet and cell phone. I also added a large cork board between the credenza and wall shelves. I can't wait to get the desk finished so the computer and paperwork can be moved, sorted and organized.

Cindy Lou, I love my lists also and even better when I can check each one off. I'm with you. I don't think 1 folder is sufficient, especially since we are self employed. If you don't mind me asking, how did you incorporate Flylady with HHP and how did you figure out the entire year? I haven't mastered that part yet.


Holiday Mom, it sounds like you've already completed the decluttering and we do just great handling your holiday preps.

Tanya, don't feel alone honey. Sometimes life takes over and we simply do the best we can until we have a chance to breathe and reevaluate.

Lucie, we haven't done a big New Years Eve in forever. I hope your get together is amazing.

Chris, welcome to MMH and especially to HHP. Please don't get yourself overwhelmed. A new move is huge all by itself. At the end of the week just stop and move on to the next area. There will be times when an area is finished early and you can always come back to the areas that need a little more attention.

Eaglesax, one of my most trying tasks is the Christmas List. I don't know why but it is. Keep up the great work.

Jess, you and Tanya are both unpacking while attempting this plan. Please don't get overwhelmed. Can you use pretty wooden boxes or crates to assemble makeshift shelving and filing spaces?

Okay, back to the "new" office. Keep up the beautiful attitudes friends!

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Oh, my... the office area is in worse shape than I remembered. :-/ I sorted through papers in one area. My keep file is now a "To Be Filed" file. That is a whole other job there. I'll do that tomorrow. I still have to do another area. Maybe Wednesday?

I went through my household management notebook and found a number of old papers (like 2002/2003) that were no longer needed. I freshened up the Christmas notebook too.

After seeing this mess, I wonder if I should do the household aspect of this plan twice a year.

 

[Cindylouwho]

Cindy Lou, I love my lists also and even better when I can check each one off. I'm with you. I don't think 1 folder is sufficient, especially since we are self employed. If you don't mind me asking, how did you incorporate Flylady with HHP and how did you figure out the entire year? I haven't mastered that part yet.

Well actually, when I first started this years ago, I added both HGP and Houseworks onto my calendar and did them BOTH. Crazy! I determined which one was gong to work by getting to the point when I cried "Uncle!" on the other one. Houseworks House & Holiday was the one I could best juggle.

I've had the same FlyLady plan for years (adapted off of hers to work with the layout of my home - cuz all homes are different). I have it in Excel set though this time next year. If you PM me your email address I'll send it to you. It won't copy and paste onto the threads here. On that document, I added in columns for both HGP & H&H just to see how they lined up - but when I print it I only print FlyLady so it is easier to read at a glance.

After I print that FlyLady schedule I scribble in the margin the accompanying Home & Holiday focus for that week, then tape the paper to the inside of my kitchen cabinet where the dishes are kept - so I see it regularly.

 

[ejagno]

CindyLou, thank you so much. PM has been sent.

WARNING***WARNING***RANT:

I am fixing to pull me hair out here. I got DH's desk finished and his computer set back up. The Geri-rigged Ethernet won't reach.

About 8 months ago we had trouble with him connecting to our router wirelessly so my son "cable fiber optics specialist" with the cable company I use came after weeks of begging and ran an Ethernet cable to DH's computer. Yep, he ran it from
* my office where the router is located
*on the floor down my hallway
*across my entire breakfast room floor
*down the steps to my sunken living room
*under the area rug to the far side of the room to DH's computer.

In total I have 65' of Ethernet wire on the floor throughout my house. It has been a nightmare to sweep, mop and vacuum with this darn wire everywhere. I've been begging him to come fix this the way it should be, in the attic and walls. This is the same son that constantly needs a babysitter, a designated driver or to borrow something yet when I need something I get the worst possible help ever. I had to blow up on him today. I'm tired of waiting for this to be done correctly. When he needs my help I jump immediately. He's supposed to come after work to fix this mess. If he doesn't, I swear I will post photograph's of this quality work all over Facebook. I want him to be as embarrassed as I am every single time someone walks into my home with these wires everywhere.

 

[Cindylouwho]

Ejagno ~ LoL!! He must be the same guy that wired my Dad's house!! That's a very good description of it! There his signal was constantly dropping and we had replaced the darn router twice. For what it is worth: After pouring out all our sorrows to Best Buy they convinced us we needed the Netgear Nighthawk 1900. We bought it and our problems went away. (So far.)

We also had 2 computers. We left the router in the original location and just logged into it wirelessly from the office (which was on the other end of the house).

Meanwhile, I just emailed you my FlyLady schedule.

 

[ejagno]

Thank you so much CindyLou. I can't wait to check my email now.

Well my son came and the 65' of wire is no longer running throughout the entire house. However, now my router is hanging in mid air from a wire that comes out of the middle of the wall across MY desk to the cabinet underneath where the router is suspended in mid air. I was upset to tears. Why can't kids give their best to the ones who gives them everything? On the bright side...................it's better than throughout the house although NOT ACCEPTABLE in my book. I sure hope he doesn't need my services any time soon because I just got really busy. I'm still considering Facebook. LOL

How's everyone else doing on your first week of HHP? Please chime in. I can't be the only one with office issues. Misery does love company! Hehehehehe

 

[luludou]

Oh Ellen! Hoping your son fixes the whole thing soon, but I do agree it ain't as bad as the wire throughout the house!

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Oh, Ellen... I can just picture it. It's good that you let your son know how you felt.

I did get through the "to be filed" file and hoped to get started on another area but that was not meant to be today. Tomorrow I want to hit the other area of paperwork and hopefully get it filed too.

 

[Cindylouwho]

Oh, my... the office area is in worse shape than I remembered. :-/

Yes. This.

Okaaaayyyy... Deep breaths. More coffee. More vitamins. Fought my way through the stacks of DD and DS's homework papers yesterday (more to go) from about the last 5-6 years. (Their "saved" ones). They had all come out of their closets when they were decluttering and were all put next to my desk.

Then there are all the stacks of photo disks ... and our disk drive is still broken so I can't burn them to the computer. Problem.

Glad the first two weeks of this plan are paper and planning related....

*scratches head with all 10 fingers*

It looks a lot better than it did yesterday though. Let's just keep moving, as Dory would say!

Ejagno -- Oh no!!!

 

[luludou]

Not doing well at all with the paperwork week, too hot to do anything! will have to play catch up and will be gone all weekend so it won't be this weekend either

 

[ejagno]

LuLu, don't stress over this week. We have many weeks that are lightweight or may not even apply to you so those weeks will be available for you to go ahead and get your paperwork done. That's what I love so much about this plan.

Holiday Mom, great job on the filing.

I went through 4 document boxes and a large tote in DH's office. It was reduced down to a few file folders and the rest is filling an outside garbage can. Whew, there is a lot of room in there now.

Trying to motivate myself to work on my office now.