Episode 4: How A 99 Cent Notebook Saved My Life

Systems

In today’s episode, you will learn how a 99 cent notebook saved my life – and I swear, I’m not being dramatic! You’ll meet my MAP Book and find out why I swear by it and how you can get your own organizational system rocking and rolling in no time.

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

How a 99¢ Notebook Saved My Life | Sharon Leger Coaching - Personal Growth for Busy Moms

How a 99 Cent Notebook Saved My Life: The MAP Book

After all this hype, I’m sure you’re wondering: what the heck is a MAP Book? And I am so glad you asked. At its core, the MAP Book is a “Make A Plan” book. It is a cheap, composition notebook that you trust with all the things in your life. Once you have converted to your MAP Book, you keep all your notes in there, all your lists and never again have to go searching high and low for that pink sticky note you put somewhere.

I first created the MAP Book in 2017 when I finally decided that I was never going to find the right planner for me. My husband and I have always used a Google calendar to keep track of actual family events, but I had nowhere to consistently plan my week, or my day, forget the month or year ahead. I needed a tool for capturing my personal growth journey and I was stuck.

How a 99 Cent Notebook Saved My Life: The Inspiration

My MAP Book was originally inspired by the Bullet Journal method, which was pretty popular at the time. I wanted to get into the Bullet Journal back in the day, so I went to Staples and spent $50 on gel ink pens and a Moleskine notebook, which I’m pretty sure I still have. Why didn’t it work for me? Do me a quick favor and search “Bullet Journal” on Pinterest. That’s why it didn’t work for me. I didn’t have time to write in calligraphy – I was a busy mom to a baby and a toddler!

And that’s where the MAP Book came in. One day, enough was enough and I grabbed the nearest empty composition notebook I could find in my 5th-grade classroom, a pen and made the system that I needed in the moment. A place to plan my week on Sunday, a place to plan my day every morning and anything else was just a bonus. Slowly, I began to add different aspects to my notebook and it became the tool it is today. I’m hoping today’s episode inspires you to do the same!

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

How I Use My MAP Book

Now that you know what a MAP Book is, let me explain generally how I use it. Keep in mind, I have been doing this for about five years now and a lot of this has evolved overtime. So if you feel overwhelmed, simplify to what you need in this moment and allow yourself to grow into the space.

I have one notebook that I use for 3 months (one per quarter). They are from Target, whatever color I feel like and I’m a college-ruled girl. I buy all 4 at the same time in December each year, spend about $11 in total, and set them up at the same time so they’re all ready to go for the year. I’ll explain this more when we get closer to the end of the year, but for now, just have that background information.

What You Will Find In My MAP Book

When you open my notebook, the first thing you see is the table of contents. This is where I write down anything that I think I’m going to want to find again – notes about a book, notes from a meeting, brainstorming pages that I did, important lists. I create this as I go and honestly, only update it once every few weeks when I’m watching TV.

The next three pages are my monthly pages. I write at the top the name of the next 3 months, then list anything that I know needs to be done in those months – think birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, holidays, etc.

My next section is my future lists. I currently have 3 of these, but it usually changes every notebook. Right now, I have a list of things I want to do in 2022, I just don’t know exactly when; I have a “Someday, Maybe” list of ideas that I think are cool but not sure if I’m actually going to pursue and then I actually have a birthday/Christmas list. Remember how I told you this is a proactive tool? This is why! I write a quick list of all the people that I buy presents for for Christmas and then throughout the year, jot down ideas as they come to me. I’m super thankful for this list every Thanksgiving!

How I Use My Notebook

Every page after this is whatever I need it to be. On Sundays, I do a weekly review which I’ll get into more in a future episode. But basically, I write down my priorities and tasks for the week. Then each day, I write my affirmations, 5 things that I’m thankful for, my Big 3 for the day (tasks that need to get done) and finally, any other lingering to do list items. Everyday, my MAP Book is with me, wherever I am and I use it to check in on my progress and then move forward anything that I didn’t finish to the next day.

Some of these nuances came from a book called The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll. That being said, when I read his book recently, I became overwhelmed with this coding system, etc. So definitely check it out if you nerd out like me over personal organization. Or go ahead and trust that I have pulled out the essentials into my system.

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

How A 99 Cent Notebook Saved My Life: Why It’s Awesome

So why do I use a MAP Book? Why is it so awesome? Well first, I never have to worry about forgetting something. If I think of something while I am reading before bed, I grab my notebook off the table next to my bed and write it down. My brain is never trying to remember anything, so I feel less overwhelmed.

The second reason the MAP Book is awesome is because it helps me to be proactive, rather than reactive. I know in January that I need to get Valentines Day plates for my daughter’s class party and that is on my radar. No last minute Target runs for me!

My third reason for using the notebook is it keeps me focused and confident. I am able to identify what I need to do every day and what is a “want to do” versus a “have to do”. I love writing my daily affirmations and gratitude in there too, because it makes it so that I only ever have one notebook that I can always use for reference.

Finally, I love that this is 100% customizable. I use it for work, family, personal growth, coaching, goal-tracking, all of the things. I’m definitely going to get into more of this in future episodes, but you get the idea!

Setting Up Your Notebook … in 60 minutes or less!

If you are eager now for all the details, I have created a free notebook system set-up guide that will walk you through setting up your first notebook. It is complete with pictures of my actual notebook, action steps and can be broken up into 5 days or in one session.

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

My Top 4 Best Tips for Starting Your MAP Book

Finally, as promised on my YouTube channel, here are my top 4 best tips for starting a MAP Book.

Buy a cheap notebook that isn’t pretty, fancy or intimidating. If you are anything like me, you love all the pretty notebooks, but are afraid to get down and dirty in them. 99 cents is your budget, stick to it!
In the same vein, be sure to find a pen that you will always have with you. I bought a package of 24 pens at Target, and those are my pens. They’re regular, black, ballpoint pens (medium tip because I used to be a school supply-obsessed teacher). That way there is never any excuse to be a perfectionist!
Make a mistake! Seriously, right off the bat, open to a random page and scribble in the corner. The moment you do it, I swear your unconscious mind goes “Oh, OK, we’re doing this!” And somehow, perfectionist tendencies tend to fly out the window.
You have to use it for everything. This is probably the hardest tip. Can you use sticky notes in the car? Sure. But when you get home, stick it in your MAP Book to write in there later. The sooner you trust this system with EVERYTHING, the sooner the system will work for you.
Finally, number the pages. The table of contents will probably be the last thing you grow into, but having page numbers helps so much when you are using your MAP Book to reference a meeting that you know happened in that quarter, or book notes that you read that month. Trust me on this! And the best part? You can mindlessly number the pages while binging “Yellowstone”.

Let’s Make a Plan!

To wrap up, here are a few next steps for you:

Lots of plans today. First, go ahead and get yourself a composition notebook and a pen. Don’t forget to check out t he free notebook system set-up guide too, if you want to set up your notebook in 60 minutes or less.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify so you don’t miss the next episode, all about how I use a quarterly review to be a proactive mom.
Finally, if you are new around here and haven’t already, hop on over to my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram. On my stories this week, I’ll be giving you some unfiltered access to my notebook – eek!

Thank you so much for being here, mama! Get back to doing your thing, rocking your world and remember – keep growing! Little eyes are watching.