Several years ago, and I mean SEVERAL years ago, I bought a whiteboard. It’s the kind that is a blank calendar, with a small corkboard area off to the side.
It has sat tucked behind all manner of spaces until I re-found the thing sitting in the dark, dusty and gross and still wrapped in its original cellophane.
If I remember correctly, I meant to use it for tracking things with the kids, appointments, family stuff, yada yada.
Now, there is only one child left at home, long may he stay with us, knock on wood, so the original purpose for the whiteboard has … dissipated.
Fine. I am an author. I have hard deadlines and soft deadlines. Plus, I can still stick my appointments and important bits for myself on the calendar part…and I can pin up notes and whatnot as I need to on the corkboard side.
It took until September for my husband to tell me that using the screws and hardware that came with the whiteboard would not work for where I wanted it — which is a sliding closet door by my office desk. Ok. I ordered heavy-duty Velcro strips. My whiteboard is stuck to the wooden closet door with several strips of Velcro material. And this thing is going nowhere. It is hung very securely.
More than half of September had passed before I got the whiteboard up and working. That first month, I didn’t do all that much with it. Then again, in September I didn’t have much going on.
For some reason, every single doctor on my health monitoring crew wants to see me this month. On top of all the other appointments I have to attend to.
For October, I set up the days of the month. Then, in open days (ones with no dates added) I put in notes of things I want to do that I keep putting off—hello, Quarter Four Goal Setting…I added in family swims we will be attending. These swims alternate days…one week it’s on Saturday; the next week it’s on Sunday. I keep track here, and in every other planner I have…I added in my appointments, and ones for the rest of the family (all two of them). I added my hard due dates, so I have no reason to miss them. I also made random notes on various days so I wouldn’t forget other things.
Honestly, I am debating on taking the calendar whiteboard down and putting up a plain whiteboard, with nothing on it. The corkboard side is great, but I can manage without it if I need to. But, I would have to spend the money to buy a new whiteboard and then buy new Velcro…and if all I am going to do is make lists, why bother?
So, I am sticking with the calendar whiteboard for the foreseeable future.
Having it has actually been a great help, especially on rough weeks, and busy weeks. I mark off the days as they pass as well so I always know what day it is, what is coming up in the following days, and what I need to do for everything.
Why change something that is actually working?
I’d rather spend my money on more notebooks and stationery anyway. lol
Tabitha Low 