When I was teaching, I started using a date book. It helped me tremendously. I was able to keep track of our crazy schedule at home plus everything that was going on at school. After I retired, I put away the date book and only kept track of our schedule on my phone. It worked well for a long time, but this fall I noticed that my to-do lists were getting very long and I wasn't able to keep up with everything that we had going on in our lives. I was completely overwhelmed trying to remember all that we had to do - doctor's appointments, medicine refills, CCW meetings, trips to the Midwest, household chores and more. The Post-it notes just weren't working anymore and my anxiety in trying to keep up was growing out of control.
One day after talking to Doug about how I was feeling, it dawned on me. I needed a date book. I don't know why I hadn't thought about it earlier. If it worked well a decade ago there was no reason that it wouldn't now. I found one on Amazon that was the perfect size and today I started filling out everything that I needed to do in October. I instantly felt better realizing that it wasn't my to-do list that was upsetting me. It was trying to remember it all that was keeping me up at nights. I am positive that the date book will not only help me to stay organized but reduce the stress in my life as well.
