Modify Your Mate

Dec 12, 2012

It was great fun to recently bump into Jocelyn G. in Boston. Jocelyn was one of our original Together Teacher workshop attendees some years ago, and she continues to be a thoughtful, dedicated, and Together teacher—now over a decade into her career.

Jocelyn is a big-time paper lover.  She’s even owned the same planner since high school. As she says, “It is a 15-year committed relationship!”Jocelyn keeps her Comprehensive Calendar right in the planner.

Jocelyn got creative and taped some of her fave Together Teacher tools right into the planner. Talk about thinking outside the box and making your planner work for YOU!

However, as we frequently note, commercial planners only get you so far.  Eventually they limit you with their mean coil-bound ways (unless you are using one of those nifty Arc thingees from Staples. Those are pretty cool!). More often than not, you run out of room to take Meeting Notes, you have to carry around “dated” materials, and there is no place for Thought Catchers.

Jocelyn realized this, and decided to modify her mate by shifting to a Sexy-Flexy: a larger binder that will meet her needs as a mostly paper-based teacher. Jocelyn found this firm binder at Target, and she inserted her Together Teacher materials—and everything else she needs to keep her busy life in order.

She may also find a way to include parts of her old planner that she loves by simply tearing out the Comprehensive Calendar she already populated through the end of the academic year, and hole punching it.

Tab by tab, she has room for each of her tools.

Another great benefit of a larger vehicle for carrying everything is that you can add neat pockets and dividers.

I asked Jocelyn how she remembers to carry this around, and her reply was awesome:

“Once I have prepped for the day, I leave the Sexy-Flexy at the edge of the desk. There are no other piles on my desk, and my phone is right near there. When I leave the room, I take my phone and the Sexy Flexy. Both go home with me at night, and I review them at least three times per day.”

Remember, it is all about customizing your Together Teacher system to make it meet your preferences, fit with your habits, and get put to consistent use. Make it work for you! Stay tuned for another post on Jocelyn’s continued transformation.

Together Teacher Sharing Question: How have you modified a favorite organizational tool to truly meet your needs?