Home Making Journal

I have one but have not used it in awhile.  I decided to pull it back out and update it.  The task of updating one and finding a way to make one that I will actually use and that will keep me organized seems monumental.  I thought that if this is how it feels to me then a lot of other women must feel the same way.  So I've decided to share my journey in finding the system that works for me.  I have tried flylady and though it has some great ideas it was to regimented and seemed out of touch with my life.  I have also tried to organized home and those did not work for me either as they were not detailed enough.  I know some ladies who subscribe to one or the other and am happy they work for them.  So today I begin my journey.
I have been giving some thought to the sections I would like in my Journal.  Here are lists of the ones I have come up with and a brief description:

 Schedules & Routines

A master family calendar - school schedules, work schedules, activity schedules; daily routines – morning, afternoon, evening; weekly, monthly, seasonal, annual tasks and housekeeping chores. Basically anything based on time goes here. It is the core of the Panel and will be an active section, in that it will be used and referenced daily.

Goals, Plans & Projects

Long term goals (anything requiring more than a single entry on a task list) and projects large and small will be laid out here. I tend to have a hard time setting specific goals.  I am much better at bigger more general things like I want to go visit Italy but never lining out the steps that will need to happen for me to get there, hopefully this will help with that section.

Family & Inventories

This is kind of a catch-all for general information about other people in your life as well as various databases of property or knowledge. If you were in a bookstore and wanted to know if you’d already purchased #4 of a series, you would check here. A complete home inventory is a good idea for insurance purposes. Keeping track of children’s and spouse’s sizes aid in shopping for clothes, as will an inventory of their existing wardrobe. Also helpful is a list of books or movies that you want to see but haven’t gotten around to. Aren’t we all too likely to forget what it was that so-and-so recommended when we’re actually standing in the video store? An index to household storage is often handy as well. Family medical notes and records would also belong here unless they were extensive for some reason.  Now tis one sounds good but also is one that intimidates me the most.  It sounds like a lot of work but if I can slowly build it up over time and not do it all at once then I should be able master this.

Finances

From your checkbook balance to an investment portfolio to last year’s tax return, everyone has financial records to organize. Monetary goals can also be outlined here, with a savings or debt reduction plan to achieve them. Receipts, warranties, owner manuals should all be kept together and in an accessible manner.

Food Preparation

A portion of my journal will deal with food – recipes, menu plans, pantry and grocery guides, a price book, coupon storage, and anything else to do with food and its storage and preparation in our homes.

Hobbies

Scrapbooks, needlepoint, gardening, music, writing, the list is endless. If there’s something in your life you do for fun, chances are there is something about it you need to plan, organize, or store. I’d probably also put decorating ideas here, but they could also go in Projects or if you’re embarking on a full-scale renovation they could even have their own section.  This would be fun though I don't have a lot of time for hobbies but I do hope to take up sewing and knitting this year.

School, Work, Organizations

This is where we will diverge probably more than in any other section. Some work for an outside company, some work from home, some don’t work (yeah, like this isn’t work! Lol), some go to school, some teach school, some homeschool, some have kids in school, some are members of volunteer or recreational organizations or sit on a board of directors somewhere. If there’s anything you belong to, outside responsibilities you juggle, this is the place to ground it.

Spiritual

Anything I consider spiritual or renewing can be covered here, whether formal prayer logs or musings on nature or anything in between. 

Life unexpected 

It contains sensitive information such as passwords, account numbers, utility and credit information, bank and other account information – more than would be found in the day to day finances. I like to think of it as a place to write down all the things that I normally keep in my head – things *I* don’t have to look up to function daily, but if my husband had to, say, transfer money between accounts he’d have to find. Due to all info in this one I will probably not be keeping it with the rest of the information.