DIY Planner - Franklin Covey Plan Plus to paper....need advice - Comments

Idea's Behind the Template

johjeff — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:25:59 -0400

Right! Initially, I intended it to be like one goal each for three areas of life, like Physical, Mental, and Spiritual, or maybe Work, Study, and Personal, or something like that. For instance, work on project X, read a chapter a day of a good book, and practice being more tolerant of others. Or, maybe, walk around the block three times during the week, study for a certification, and read 20 pages of spiritual book X.

I then decided to just leave them open ended so I or anyone else that might find them useful could do as they please with them.

Next, the top box of Categories/Actions - this is where you can put all the stuff you need to do throughout the week, kind of like the GTD mind dump for the week. You can use a line for Category, then put Actions on the lines under it, or use it as an Inbox. Just make sure to process it by the end of each week so nothing gets lost.

The middle is where I put tasks from the top list that need to be done on a certain day, but not a particular time. So if I have "wash car" on the top list, I will put that task on Saturday when I should have time to do it.

Finally the bottom is pretty obvious - things that have a certain time assigned to them.

Let me know if you come up with any additional uses for it. Thanks for checking it out.

Jeffrey C. Johnson

much better!

supenguin — Mon, 9 Apr 2007 22:25:11 -0400

Thanks! That link works. I like this - the "FOCUS" I assume allows you to list your top 3 things to focus on for the week?

-Kenny

Still at eSnips, But Try This Link Instead

johjeff — Mon, 9 Apr 2007 21:55:25 -0400

My Planner Page

I don't think you need an account to get to it from this link. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Jeffrey C. Johnson

My mistake I will put it somewhere else

johjeff — Mon, 9 Apr 2007 21:39:28 -0400

I just tried from a different computer and you are right it didn't work. I thought if I told eSnip to make it public, you could get to it without an account.

Thank you.

Jeffrey C. Johnson

Not a farce but a different view

reepicheep — Mon, 9 Apr 2007 10:03:50 -0400

I have to admit to being somewhat on your wife's side. And I suspect my own wife would react like your's if I were to ask her to support my proposal to use goal planning.

Over the years I've read Covey's "7 Habits", and Barbara Sher's "Wishcraft", Bolles "What Color Is Your Parachute" (and all his other books), Buzan's "Mind Map Book" (and many of his others), and probably half-a-dozen other improvement books yet still I don't find myself convinced of formal goal planning. In the long term all these systems have proved to be "nine day wonders". Typically they require me to expend more effort on the system than the real tasks themselves necessitate. I found I could not (aka did not want to) sustain the intensity Covey/Allen/Buzan/et al demand. Therein is the reason my own wife wouldn't believe any declaration I made on switching to goal planning. I drop so many of these good intentions after a while. Most of the things I'm proud of having achieved arose because of happenstance not because I planned them. Serendipity is much more my thing.

Maybe you should talk to your wife about her reluctance to support you. She will have vital things to say that you can incorporte into your system. Perhaps she doesn't want a clone of Franklin/Covey/Allen/whoever but wants to keep the man she married.

Thanks for the links

Anonymous — Mon, 9 Apr 2007 00:52:26 -0400

Thanks for the links, Glenda.

I think I'll send them a fax, as you say, to try before you buy.

Bas

esnips?

supenguin — Sun, 8 Apr 2007 23:15:08 -0400

Is there some place you can put this file where people can get to it without an esnips account? That would be great.

-Kenny

Find what you are looking for yet? This might help.

johjeff — Sun, 8 Apr 2007 21:09:22 -0400

This might be just what you are looking for:

LINK

I cobbled it together from a number of different ideas. I has LOTs of room for tasks, weekly as well as daily, and a fairly compact hourly schedule. Plus it is two-page/week, so it doesn't take up too much room in your planner. It is designed for Jr. Size 5.5x8.5. I use it in a 3 ring binder.

Good luck.

Jeffrey C. Johnson

[edited 08Apr07 by sara: linkified]

Harvard planner instructions

Anonymous — Sun, 8 Apr 2007 17:32:44 -0400

They've revamped their web site in the last couple of years, so you can't read the complete instructions online. But see the link below:

http://www.executive.org/images/Samples/1E/UserGuide700.jpg

You can get a good idea and maybe if you call the number on the banner there, they might fax or e-mail you the complete instructions so you can get an idea before you buy.

There are illustrations of the Elite planner pages here:

http://www.executive.org/planners/1ESpecs.asp

I bought their planner once and it was nicely printed and put together, and I liked the concept, but I felt there would be too much of a learning curve to learn to use their instructions, and if I didn't use their techniques I would be wasting some of what I'd paid for. So that was one more planner that went on the shelf that year.

HTH,
Glenda

Suggestions Harvard Planner

Anonymous — Sun, 8 Apr 2007 15:15:48 -0400

kclight,

you mentioned that the suggestions that come with the Harvard Planners, including their coding, is very useful. I looked around their web site and I can't find any particular reference to them.

Can you tell us where we can read about this. I think that all of us here are always looking for improvements, and would welcome useful suggestions.

Thanks,

Bas

Franklin Covey Printing Issues

Kevinyc — Sat, 7 Apr 2007 20:51:15 -0400

Before giving up, be very persistent with the Franklin Covey Tech people. they have a free service that operates via chat. Not all the techs are good, but most of them are,and will work with you to solve your printing problem. Most of them won't try and blame your printer or whatever. They might even try and replicate your setup if necessary. But you have to be persistent, as not all of their techs are of the same quality.

Goals

Kevinyc — Sat, 7 Apr 2007 20:37:30 -0400

Most people have has goals. Does your wife not support your goals or the fact that you write them down and work towards them?
Do you include your wife in your goal setting process? Does she feel threatened by your goals? Are your goals unrealistic for the time frame you set for them? More information needed.

something else to remember....

jonglass — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:56:34 -0400

opposites attract. ;-)

I really hesitate to offer advice, and it is with much trepidation I say the following...

Seriously. I'm more on your wife's side on this matter--but I'm also a "top-down" type thinker. I think that, for me, concentrating on goals is a waste of time, but my wife, o the other hand, is a very details-oriented person, and has a firm grasp on these things, but needs to concentrate on making goals, and remembering to work towards them--essential when home-schooling three children.

For me, I have to work out the details, not giving much concern for how they will meet my goals--because the goal is already in place for me. I suspect that in your marriage, you and your wife are the opposite of our situation. It took me a while to realize this area of difference in our lives. (And that's just one of many!) Sometimes, I've found that I'm the only one between the two of us, who recognizes this difference, and how it creates friction, so I've taken it upon myself to go the extra mile. I don't always bother trying to explain or help her understand. I just work "to her". I've also learned through time, that she has done the same for me in my areas of "blindness", so I guess it goes both ways! ;-) BTW, married since '88, and (with apologies to 'Mater and Larry the Cable Guy) --happier than a tornado in a trailer park! ;-) (guess what movie _I've_ been watching too much recently!)

Lots of work, but worth it all!

-Jon

Lisa's advice is better

supenguin — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:30:58 -0400

I like Lisa's advice better, even if she's an engineer. I'm not the one to talk - I'm a computer programmer. We're not exactly known for our people skills either...

If you try to convince your wife that she is right and you are wrong, it is just going to make things worse. Better just to tell her that this is important to you, why it is important and ask her to support you even if she doesn't totally agree with goal setting...

Happily married over six years...

-Kenny

Marriage advice

LisaPT — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:47:18 -0400

I'm an engineer and not known for my people skills, so I shouldn't say anything. But I like to try to fix things (yes, even when they aren't broken). My advice is to not try to convince you wife on the importance of goals. Instead, tell her it is important to you and would like her support even if she doesn't agree. Let her know that you are not trying to push her into your way of doing things, just that you want acceptance for what matters to you. And make sure you are supportive of the things she likes even though you don't. Anyway, I've been married and happy for almost 11 years and learning to accept each others believes is a struggle, but ultimately worthwhile.

Franklin Covey Plan Plus to paper....need advice

MsB — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:36:56 -0500

Well I've been using Franklin Covey Plan Plus for XP for years. Prior to my going electronic I used Franklin Coveys paper version and before that Day Timer. The latest version of Franklyn Covey Plan Plus for XP has so many problems when printing I just can't use it anymore:::sigh:::. We also recently converted from a PC to a Mac and until my tech guy tells me Parallels is ready for us to use going back and forth between operating systems is a pain. I use to leave the Franklyn Covey window open all day and print notes and ToDo lists for my husband etc.

What I really need is;
-8 1/2 x 11 planner pages, so that I could also use computer print outs etc.
- 2 page per week vertical design, with each day having an equal amount of space
-and extra space to write notes

To be honest I need more space for tasks than appts. and a 8th vertical column for weekly tasks would be great. I did find a almost perfect design at Day-Timers "12421" Professional Day-Timer for Real Estate Agents. But it is only 5 1/2 x 8 1/2. I would have used this version different than suggested by using the large appt space for daily tasks and the smaller task area for appts.

If I can't find something to meet my needs I may order a planner Pad Organizer.

https://plannerpads.com/index.asp

Are there any plans to make D*I*Y into a 8 1/2 by 11 size or is there a way to print it larger? :( I am not computer savvy.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ciao for Now

D*I*Y Planner - Franklin Covey Plan Plus to paper....need advice - Comments

Idea's Behind the Template

much better!

Still at eSnips, But Try This Link Instead

My mistake I will put it somewhere else

Not a farce but a different view

Thanks for the links

esnips?

Find what you are looking for yet? This might help.

Harvard planner instructions

Suggestions Harvard Planner

Franklin Covey Printing Issues

Goals

something else to remember....

Lisa's advice is better

Marriage advice

Franklin Covey Plan Plus to paper....need advice

DIY Planner - Franklin Covey Plan Plus to paper....need advice - Comments