You know how we all have a bunch of new calendar’s kicking around our homes? Well, now is the time to transfer birthday’s and anniversary’s from your old calendar to your new one. I am sure many of you have already done it, but I wanted to remind you just in case! It is so handy to have a list somewhere that you add to when your siblings have kids, get married or do anything else that you want to remember - try to reserve for happy things only ;). I like to include the year so you always have some idea how old every one is.

Take the time to make your list as complete as possible so that it is always an accurate reference at your fingertips. There are revolving calendars available, but I don’t really like them. I find that I never look at them (I have one and just took it down to update my new calendar) and the month it was on was October! Personally, I like setting my list up in Excel (or you could use your computer’s calendar program) and updating as things come up (programs like Google Calendar have a free calendar you can use online). Have fun playing detective and getting all the info you need!

Each new year, I search for a new portable calendar to carry with me. I previously had gone electronic (but I missed the pen on paper feel. Even though I think it is more efficient). In the past I’ve had a huge planner (I had multiple places that I needed to be - and was perfect for then),  a small calendar that fit in my purse (totally useless and never used),  now flash forward to my new wonderful find!! I am so excited about this one!

It is a Franklin-Covey product, and they are known world-wide for their classes on time management and accompanying planners. I have used them for years, but haven’t needed the super fat planner for a while. I finally found the perfect planner that is pretty, functional, large enough to actually fit useful information in, but still small enough that it fits in my purse (the page size is 4 1/8″ x 5 1/2″). It has a 2 page per week layout as well as a 2 page for a month at a glance. I am super thrilled with it! It is fun to open my purse and have a darling little calendar in there for all my scheduling on the go.

*While I was just looking this product up for the links, I noticed that for this week only, there is a 15% off the total purchase when you buy any binder and planner pages. The promo code is 18243 and expires 01/07/08. Lucky you! If you are busier, check out the larger planners as well. It is a great system - one that I have used for more than 15 years and have loved.Franklin Planner>

Welcome back to The Savvy Organizer for 2008! In our first show of the year, Maja shares her hints for setting New Year’s Resolutions, and shows you step-by-step how to be successful in achieving them! It’s going to be a GREAT year!

Step #1 - Write down your Goals (Consider and write down - How is your life going to change? How are you going to apply this? Be detailed. How is it going to feel once you accomplish your goal? How will you preserver when you want to cave or quit? What is your back up plan to keep you going?)

Step #2 - When are you going to work on your Resolutions? (Schedule time to accomplish your goals and work on them, set up babysitting, transportation, or whatever you need ahead of time)

Step #3 - Decide…Does it need to be a family effort? (Talk to your family about their Resolutions too, ensure your own success by gaining the support of those around you.)

Step #4 - Look at your Goals daily and evaluate how you’re doing, how you can improve or make it work for you. Tackle it with renewed vigor the next day.

Step #5 - Don’t Give Up! - “the point of New Year’s Resolutions is long term change…it’s about becoming a better person.” - Maja. (do your best, don’t beat yourself up, don’t give up!)

In our comment section this week we invite you to share with Maja what your resolutions are, and how you will accomplish them. We love to hear from you! Good luck everyone with your goals for 2008.

If you’re feeling holiday overwhelm, or you’re having trouble doing the Christmas balancing act…this show is for you!
It’s crunch time, and also time to do the “slash and burn” dance and figure out exactly what is most important, while pushing aside things that will cause you too much stress, or that you just don’t have time for.This episode will help you to schedule in the events and memories with family and friends ahead of time. We’re going to be booking activities now, to ease your hectic schedule next week. Maja also talks about the pursuit of “perfection” vs. “happiness”. Do you have BIG Expectations and holiday stress? Maja encourages you to be happy and to “let go of what you have to” to actually enjoy the special moments. Pat yourselves on the back for all you have accomplished so far, take a deep breath and enjoy the Holiday. Merry Christmas!

**Congratulations to our first Giveaway winner “Katie”. You have won a copy of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. Thanks so much everyone for participating, we have many more giveaways to come in the New Year.