Wednesday, March 21, 2007

I Wanna Be Like Mary

Last weekend I attended several seminars offered here at the Seminary for wives and other women who are interested in attending. It was a wonderful learning experience for me, and the seminar I needed the most proved to be the best opportunity for growth in my life. The seminar was on organization and it was taught by Mary Mohler, Al Mohler's wife (for those of you who are not in the loop, he is the president of Southern Seminary and runs a daily radio program called "The Albert Mohler Radio Program").

Mrs. Mohler is one of my new heroes. Of course you admire the president's wife, especially w
hen she is tall, thin, and wears gorgeous tailored shirts with cuff-links in the shape of Southern's crest. She also has a warm heart to encourage the seminary wives, and the aptitude to motivate them! Her seminar was impeccably planned out as she presented along with Jodi Ware (Bruce Ware's wife). The main thing Mrs, Mohler stressed was keeping a planner. Initially, I was leaning away from that idea -- it seemed like just another task to do -- but as she and Mrs. Ware kept pointing out the merits of the planners, I was more and more intrigued. I figured I couldn't judge the method to be effective or not if I had not even tried it!

So I did what most of you would have done: I zipped out to Target and picked out the hottest planner I could find -- provided of course it contained all the necessary sections that Mrs. Mohler and Mrs. Ware addressed. Here it is pictured . . . don't you love it? I just know how I am; I am more likely to use a planner that I think is attractive, because I'll want to hold it and use it. If I had a boring man-ish planner, I'd be more likely to let it alone. I'm trying to go all out with the planner and see what works for me. One thing that Mrs. Ware pointed out that really clicked with me, is that when you have random thoughts fly into yo
ur head concerning tasks you need to complete, just jot them down on the notes page of the planner, so that you can refer to it later, and pencil them in to a convenient time. She emphasized that it is a great stress reliever because then you don't have to try to keep remembering everything. How smart! I realized how many things I am mentally juggling, when I could just be writing them down!

Here I am with my beloved planner, endeavoring to be an organized woman like Mary Mohler! How about you? I am interested to hear if any of you keep your life organized with the help of a planner. If so, do you have any tips for me? (By the way -- if you click on the picture to enlarge it, you not only get an amazingly up-close view of my nostril, you can actually read what I have written in my weekly pages thus far! Ha ha!)


16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gret, I love your new planner. It's so cute I think you should get a new purse to match. Then If you have a purse you'll need a cute shirt to go with the purse. (This is how I shop. Start with a 5 item end up spending 75) I have tried the planner thing in fact there is a cute pink striped one at the office, one in the mudroom closet and I think one in my bedroom. I usually get a great start but end up with to much to fit in my purse so I go with one of those cheap $3 checkbook size daily calender. Good Luck with the organizing. take a picture of the new purse when you get it.

Anonymous said...

I've been using a weekly planner since my auditor days. I have a basic boring planner, though I chose the burgundy cover to make it more feminine. I write down appointments, plans, the next day's menu, and random thoughts in my planner (such as what to blog about next). I keep my planner by the phone in the kitchen/dining area for easy access.

I also keep a separate teacher's planner for homeschooling the kids. This planner is set up by subject and date and includes both kids' work. I couldn't live without my planners.

I also have an electronic post-it note on my computer where I make my to-do list. Whenever something gets done, I simply delete it and move on to the next item. It works better than having 100 post-it notes all over the house, though I still use those on occasion. :)

sara said...

I love your planner! I know you will have fun with it. I always have to write everything down- I should get a planner, but right now I use my wall calendar and a steno book!

Anonymous said...

julie - if you give a Moose a Muffin...

I love my planner...it's a cheap thing...but it's thin and it has a cool elastic band around it so I can keep my papers from flying away...

I LOVE getting a new planner, because I love to write down everyone's address...isn't that weird...I should keep it all on a computer...but I like to write it down.

I have a DVD from Julie Morganstein about organization that I got rom ebay for $4...if you'd like to borrow it...also very helpful...sorry I haven't written i a while Love yah,
G

Sizzledowski said...

I keep all my events on a calendar. I keep a big one by my computer (where I spend most of my time) and I keep a small one in my purse.

I lived by my planner in college.

I still do.

Gretchen said...

Obviously, by the responses I got, many of you are really organized people! I have not been lately, and I am doing what I can to start a pattern in my life of organization. I just know it will get harder and harder as life progresses (children . . . working in a church . . . homeschooling. . . etc)

Thanks to everyone who thought my planner was cute! And Jules, I chose it because it not only matches my purse, but also my Bible! HEE HEE HEE!! (speaking of Bibles, i went through the bookstore and wrote down ISBNs of good kids' Bibles you might want to carry. But that was before my planner, and now I lost the paper! HA HA! Guess I'll have to do it again!)

GloryandGrace said...

In my personal experience, it's extremely difficult for me to keep more than one planner. The only calendar I have aside from my planner is the Outlook calendar on my computer at work, and that one is stricly for things at work.

One thing that helps me since I do just keep one and it goes pretty much everywhere with me - color-coding. Now, you don't have to go crazy with the colors, and too many is a hassle to keep up with, but for example: I use blue for bills due, and red for important days (birthdays, appointments, etc.) What you did with yours where you have one side of a block for work-related things and the other side for other reminders is good, too! I do that with work and school.

You could also be REALLY girly and go by stickers for birthdays and that sort of thing, but we'll take it one step at a time, heehee :)

GloryandGrace said...

Ah, March 27th! Are you going to the Pendergraph thing?? It's in the newest daily update email - let me know if you're going!

Gretchen said...

Grace -- um, yes. Unless I get called in to work at PBK -- which I won't know until that day. Otherwise, I am planning on it.

Anonymous said...

BFF! I read your blog! yay.
so I have a planner but I don't have one with my grocery list in it. I have no time for that crap! lol. actually I have a tip that's more finances than anything. get the Sunday paper, clip coupons, get a coupon organizer of course, and compare grocery ads to see what is on sale. Then make your list and look for coupons that match up. If you need non-food items and go to places like rite aid or walgreens look in those ads too and then see if you have any sale items match with coupons. I went to walgreens once and bought like 13 dollars worth of stuff and only spent 5.50! it seems like a lot of work but it's not! that's all I got for ya....

Gretchen said...

Thanks for the tip, BFF. :)

See ya LATAH!

Stephanie said...

Hey
Thanks for the encouragement on my blog.
As far as the planners go I NEED ONE and it is funny you write about it because I've been looking for the perfect one to buy before I start - for the same reasons as you - to motivate me! LOL We are true girls sometimes aren't we?
Yours is cute! Clearly I need to look at Target...guess a trip to Champaign needs to be planned (the irony of me saying this when my last post talked about being content with what i have! :) But this is practical, right?

Gretchen said...

Steph, you would have LOVED the seminars I went to that day. It was a little like Apples of Gold all in one day, only lots more people. I took one on submitting to your husband (it was a close 2nd for the most challenging), meal planning, homeschooling, and teaching doctrine to children. WOW!

I am all for the purchase of a great organizer. Mary Mohler's words of wisdom were: "Ladies, the planner will only help you if you actually write in it, and if you READ what you wrote!" HA ha! I guess the planner is not going to supernaturally organize our lives for us (too bad). Feel free to splurge -- I think that is one reason I am so committed to making it work. I am telling you, I'm a new woman! When I think about my new little purchase, I consider its price, and am motivated to use it! That's just me, but I think it might work for you!

M. Kate said...

Gret, my life would fall apart without my blackberry - which is amongst other things - my planner. Thank you God for personal electronic devices!

Donette said...

Gret,
I loved your post on my blog about seeing Deaver and Mahaney in the bookstore. I am so jealous! A good friend of mine is going to the New Attitude conference in Louisville in May where Piper, Mahaney, Mohler and more are all speaking. I am working on possibly joining her (a lot has to fall into place for it to work!) and if we come down, we will for sure try to see you! Wouldn't that be a blast?!?!?!

Gretchen said...

Nett-- I may be at that conference, too! Josh and I just heard about it today, and we are thinking about going. For heaven's sake, if you come to Louisville, we'll HAVE to get together! I can't wait! Check out Josh's blog about Piper and his sermon today -- It was GREAT!