I have the original book. Its blue and published in 1977. My Mom gave it to me when my 2nd son was born in 1999. I have used some version of Peggy & Pam's system since. Now that we are empty nesters I've adjusted it to our more simple life. But it sure saved me as a young Mom. Everyone would always ask me how I was so organized. My answer... 3x5's. "You have to read the book to get that." Now I use planner/control journal and more of a Flylady system/Marla. Try it . Stick with it. You wont regret it.❤
Thank you for remembering Pam Young and Peggy Jones along with this system. They realized that doing this on cards eliminated the need to write a to do list every day. As you said, it also allows others to pitch in on cleaning the home. These sisters wrote several books. My favorites are their original one, From Pigpen to Paradise, Catching Up on the Kitchen for planning menus and cleaning the kitchen, and finally, The Happiness File for setting life goals. If you are new to this system, you'll need a box for your cards. I took the shipping box the store had because it would hold the cards until I could get an actual box. The system isn't really mobile, but it can be noted in a planner or on your phone to reference when you're away from home. Again, thank you for remembering these 2 women who "Saved lives with 3 x 5's".
Timing your tasks is a game changer, especially for the things you either procrastinate on or that you dislike doing. I intensely dislike vacuuming the stairs. Not so much when I know it's only going to take me five minutes and 48 seconds. I put off changing the litter tray. I might as well do it now, it's only going to take seven minutes and 30 seconds. See? That wasn't so bad, now was it? Try it. It might help.
I am old enough to have followed pam and Peggy - gotten their tapes - followed their news letter - she's on track etc. . it really made a difference in my life! I still have my card file.
Oh my gosh, Pam and Peggy also had a great book called “The Sidetracked Sisters Happiness File.” I bought it in the 80s right after I graduated from college and I still have it because it has great sentimental value to me. It was the first (of many!) times I bought a book and supplies and thought “This! This is life changing!” You can’t beat that excitement! If you know, you know….
My copy of my favorite book of theirs is so old and the spine so brittle that I actually pulled the pages out carefully, hole punched them (& the covers) and placed it all into a 5x8 three ring notebook. That's how much I treasure their books.
My mom used this method in the 80’s. I loved it and tried many times to incorporate it into my home management. I now have a version of it that I’ve digitized and I add that week’s cleaning items into my digital planner. I loved the book “12 week year” and have had some success with quarterly planning and not waiting a full year to review. Im glad to see Pam and Peggy are still influencing women 30 years later and I’m not the only one doing my kitchen curtain washing twice a year.
I was a part of the SHE community a million moons ago. It's so lovely to see Pam and Peggy credited with this system. It absolutely changed my life. If you were in the SHE community, please comment. I've always wanted to reconnect with you lovely ladies. I still have some of the old recipes from the board that I use today!
I too was a SHE. It helped me manage with children, a husband who travelled (he was a pilot), a career as a nurse, Sunday School teacher,etc. Great program!
I followed Pam and Peggy and loved them and their system. When FlyLady Marla adapted their system (with their approval) I followed her. When FlyLady Mentor Kat adapted it further, I began following her. I still follow her and Marla, and I still remember Pam and Peggy with love!
I didn't know Pam died. Sad. Loved thier books. Thier stories were funny with great info. They got me started on index cards. Have you tried looking at the zettlekasten system? It's a diffrent use for index cards.Mostly for writers and content creators. Paper planners didn't work for me so I am going to try this for a planner. I have lots of index cards. lol
Oh goodness, reading over my comment- I did not mean Pam passing was incredible - that is very sad. It was in reference to @firewalkerbarb having had met her. I have not heard of zettlekasten- This sounds interesting, thank you for passing it along!
I can see this being a helpful tool for retirees/seniors and their adult children or caregivers so everyone knows what is happening when/getting shifted to another date. It is less overwhelming to just grab a few cards than to see what will/has happened on a monthly or weekly spread. I love the flexibility. I set mine up with file folders just because I already own a ton of them and I don't travel much. I also like the large format. I did have to make my desk area friendly for this, though.
I use to follow Pam and Peggy and their program. I had the vhs tapes. They were so funny. They said “we change lives with 3 by 5’s. Miss them. Good video.
I still have my original cards. Now retired and widowed, I have MUCH fewer things to do, but I have, when overwhelmed with things, pulled out the cards box and got re-centered.
I hadn’t ever heard of this system, or Pam and Peggy, before this video came up on my “For You” page. What great information and, as an index card lover, I’m excited to try a DIY version of it for Q1 2024 and see how it goes. Thank you 😊
I am 65 and had The sidetracked home executives book when my kids were little. I loved that book but now I don’t need something so comprehensive. I do have a monthly list that is in a protective sleeve that I refer back to. For example, for January I have shred old files(7 years back), make new schedule of payments spreadsheet, birthday cards for February birthdays, etc. As far as deep cleaning goes, if I see something that is looking pretty dirty I get it done in the next couple of weeks. I’ve always been naturally organized, I have no clutter, and I’m retired so I have much more freedom.
I would love to see you do a video on how to use the Chatgpt for planning and also more information on the morning pages. Love all you do! Thanks for sharing with all of us.
I love the revamped version! I remember reading the book and making pink, blue, cards. I love the way you updated it with more goal vision and graphics. I have my lists printed in a binder, but I’ve never liked dry erase markers and page proctors for crossing off.
I use a system like this but it’s using the Reminders app on my iPhone so I set it once and it’s there set up forever and don’t have to start over every year. And don’t have to print paper. Multiple “folders” with do-dos that auto populate my Today smart list so I can have everything separate and organized into categories but also shows up on an easy to see daily list.
This sounds fantastic! Have you thought of putting together a tutorial of how to set this up to help those of us who are less tech savvy but who are also dependent on alarms on our phones to remind us to do things? It seems like the perfect solution for my particular issues 😊
I am so happy about this video - I loved the book and set this up years ago. I haven’t done this in years but now wanting to grow on RU-vid and in my tech skills, this seems perfectly aligned.
Hi Jenn, I just wanted to say that I can’t thank you enough for your planning videos. I’ve watched your videos for three weeks now, every time I’m driving and in the evenings before I sleep. It feels like listening to a mantra. It makes me feel relaxed and at the same time, I want to reach my goal more than any time before. You know, I think you are maybe an angel who was being sent so that I realise that discipline is nothing bad and that it’s not that difficult as I thought. The cards help me better than any planner ever before. I love your system. Do you also have affirmation cards?
I am so glad you were recommended to me! I used to own an online store for homeschoolers called Homeschool with Index Cards. I have never heard of Pam and Peggy (nor their books/materials), so I feel like I would have been soul sisters with them!! I used to set up my system years ago and printed directly on 3x5 cards. (Then I found index card binders 😍.) Looking forward to more of your videos!!!
Great idea. I'm going to give this a try. I'll mostly be focusing on things I know I should do but I keep putting off. If I make sure to pick one per day, for instance, I'll get more things done if I plan in the activity that I pull from the stack
I used this system decades ago! It was a great system for me at that time. I colored coded by the color of the cards rather than using a highlighter. It’s nice to see that someone is still using the system out there. I also love the 12 Week Year and see a few other things that you have on your cards that I have in my toolkit (ex: artist’s date, SAVERS, etc.). Keep up the great work. I would love to see you grow your channel.
This is exactly what I would do if I were procrastinating doing everything in my life. I did it with bullet journaling. And I most certainly would not ever be on task with this. 😂😫
I bet i could customize this for my own life & goals. I was actually thinking about doing a set just for my crochet projects since I have a bunch! You said we could use blank index cards, right?
I'm so excited you were suggested to me.... I live in Washington state and LOVE sailboats! Can't wait to learn more about your journey and check out your Etsy ❤
Is the FlyLady system based off this? I saw your RU-vid video on my feed when it came out, but I’m just getting to it to watch it and I’m very intrigued with your system. I’m going to watch this in the morning with my coffee when I can fully take it all in. I’m only about 8 minutes in, so I’m sure many of my questions will be answered in the morning. Is this the only video you have on this way of planning? I’m sure I’ll need more!! Thank you for posting this.
I feel honored to be your coffee entertainment ☕ I have other videos that touch on the same subject. From what I understand, FlyLady was developed based on Sidetracked Home Executives, but I could be wrong.
I would set those aside or place them under "Blanks" until you start rotating the monthly dividers. When January is done you'll place it behind December. That is now January of 2025. When you review your upcoming dates, move your calendar card for January 2025 in front of the January divider.
@@timeandtideplans ok. Perfect. Thank you. I did it wrong, but I kind of thought this might be how I should have done it… trust my instincts!! Thank you!!!
Thank you for explaining how you are doing this. I'm just cutting some used envelopes to make a few cards to try this out. How do you store your previous years' daily memory pages? Do you have a link to the easy French bread?
Absolutely - this is it - www.melskitchencafe.com/french-bread/ I LOVE that you’re testing it out by repurposing used envelopes. My previous year is stored in a ziploc in a cabinet, but I put all “anniversary” memories that stood out in my Google Calendar set as annual events with an explanation in the description of what they are.
Oh my goodness, yes! I do plan my year… on one piece of paper, with a few bullet points for each month… this…yikes 😮 But I’m glad it works for her, some People have to get it ALL out to focus and make it work… Some of us have to plan minimal ahead or it stresses us out…. Each to their own…
You can see what the 4x6 looks like vs. the 3x5 with the free Thanksgiving Activity cards here: 4x6: drive.google.com/file/d/1Uf5FcqLbp7e-Z0kkDOSweC0RbcB6TLZi/view?usp=drive_link 3x5: drive.google.com/file/d/1ygXE4wI_V-dfd1rCLGY8l50_YWFXsqeb/view?usp=drive_link Plus, the Planner Cards. They're free too! 4x6 drive.google.com/file/d/1w12Yi1T0EHL74L1x0FT8IgvhxBuRtWo6/view?usp=drive_link 3x5 drive.google.com/file/d/1jcPpfOujVfHSEO4H_2k8JGWaPWZwfedX/view?usp=drive_link
That's an awesome idea! I have just been happy with how I have it so far. However, I've heard from a couple people that they are using discs with their cards -- and that's super cool. I'll have to try out both ways in the future 🙌
@@bombimpressionsministries The bag is sold as a set on Amazon - it's just a cheap one I found years ago that works: amzn.to/3RhJgUu Discs are commonly used in the planner community - here is an example: ru-vid.comuD87QspT99M?si=ECcluPyBUBNim373
You can just use a ring binder (a6 or a7 size) instead of investing in disc's which tend to tear up paper more quickly. Just cut a slit to the hole in regular paper or index cards and they can be rearranged without even opening & closing the rings.
Why on earth would you want to make multiple copies of the same card? Just reuse the cards for the daily tasks. And you only need to make a card if you’re going to need it, remember how their momma only needed one from the conference they gave.
There was something about doing the set of cards for 6 weeks then another 6 weeks. It seemed to be complicated enough from the original way, and the extra cards just struck me as extra special complexity. I might have missed some part of the video. My kitten is notorious for trying to get at my ankles when I am sitting still long enough to be a target of his. Though I have been using the same cards for years and each time I reset the month, I have a think about each card and whether or not it is worth the space for each card. I weigh the space in the box against the memory it definitely helps me with too. If it is a more routine thing, I make a choice of whether it is firmly attached. If so, then I delete the card by ripping it in half as a visual sense to remember that it goes into the recycling bin, and if not firmly attached, then the card goes into the back of my box where I have a tab for me to keep whatever is needed there. Every few months I reset those things too. If I tore up a card and find it hiccups in my life afterwards, I can make a new one for whatever part is giving me the hiccups. I’m sorry for any hiccups my reply caused you. I could have checked for tone a bit more than I did. My confusion is still present, but on second glance it does seem more blunt than I thought at first thought. Anyway, I noticed another one of your videos about using a backpack and plastic bags to hold things as an organizing tool in it. I love that idea. I have had a collection of things of knitting bags that I’ve been transferring into carryall bags as my hands are changing their ability for knitting. It’s making it easier to carry things around the house and make things more neat for me too. Less clutter is making everyone feel happier too.
🤍 Hanging a 365 Day clear “pocket card” calendar on the wall and organize the index cards on the calendar for a full year of daily tasks. If the cards are not out in the open in bright pretty colors, I will forget about them. I’ll never look in an index card box. It’ll be out of sight out of mind. I live that index cards can be used anywhere. 🤍
