The Perfect Weekend DIY; A Practical Person's Command Center

The Perfect Weekend DIY

A Clerk's Guide to Stress Free Organization

For those of you who don’t know I love pintrest. Pintrest is an online social media website (no affiliate links don’t worry!). It is a series of pictures which you can choose to ‘pin’ to a specific board that you create. Each of these pictures will lead you to a related website, like a how to instructable or a shopping website where you can but super cute outfits.

For busy people, pintrest is the perfect outlet. There’s no time commitment – and you always leave it with something semi-useful.

Lately I’ve been super into the DIY section of pintrest. Although I usually struggle to find time to make the adorable hand knitted crafts that I love to look at – one DIY had continually caught my interest.

The instructable is aimed towards parents of children – particularly those with multiple children. However, as a young college student I can definitely see the value in this DIY, so I altered it a little so that it can be used for any person wishing to get a better handle on what exactly is going on in their life.

The DIY I’m following today – is the ‘command center for the home. ’ Mine was a lot simpler than the ideas you’ll find on pintrest. I was going for something functional and easy to create that I could hang on the back of the door. (But this may update as they year goes on!)

To begin with figure out how exactly you want to use your command center. Some things that this little spaces are often utilized for include;

-        Organizing important documents like notices, letters, bills etc.

-        Tracking the day and events of the month

-        Leaving notices to alert others about what’s happening

-        Tracking important goal progress

I chose to use this space for

Ø Reminding myself about things I had to get done that day

Ø Tracking my study progression

Ø Tracking my goals for the week

Ø Organizing important documents

Ø Keeping the assignments I had to finish in one single folder

Ø Maintaining the events of the week

The materials I used were              

                                          

-        Command strips (like double sided tape, but they don’t rip paint when you pull them off

-        Washi tape (decorative and doesn’t destroy paint

-         Weekly planner

-        Daily list

-        A couple of paper envelopes

-        Paper decorations

-        3 plastic folders

-        Motivational cards (little printed ones)

-        Miscellaneous pens (just to draw stuff with)

In the folders I put

1.    Important notices

2.    Printables that I could grab when running to class

3.    Assignments that were due within the next two weeks

Instructions

Just the calendars that I used

1.    Begin by making the arrangement that you’d like on the floor before you place anything on the door. This is because it’s much harder to move things around once the adhesive is attached to the object

2.    Once your arrangement is made begin placing on the biggest features first. It is easier to arrange the smaller details once you have put in the main features.

Calendar

1.    Check the height of the calendar and ensure it is eye height and that you can comfortably write on all of the squares.

2.    Once at the appropriate height, attach two adhesive strips and press down firmly.

3.    To organize the calendar write in all the activities you have the cannot be missed ensure you have the time written next to every event

4.    Write down all the events that you would like to attend, keep the times near the activity

You should always write in the compulsory events first and then fill out noncompulsory events because this ensures that you maintain a realistic schedule that won’t lead you to burn out.

Tip; If you have a busy schedule you made be better off using grid paper and coloring in a square to block out the times that you will be away. This makes it much easier to see your free time when you’re in a hurry and can avoid double booking!

Folders

1.    To arrange a folder ensure that it is at a position that your arm can reach. The recommended heights are;

·       Shoulder height

·       Rib height

·       Hip height

Any lower or higher than this may mean that the folder is ill placed for daily use. We want to make sure that this is a ‘functional’ space, so try to make sure it’s at a height that is within easy reach.

2.    Then attach two strong command strips to the back of the folder and press down firmly.

Is that one folder too many?

3.    Place the items that you choose within your folder, making sure to remember what goes where.

Some people recommend adding labels, but it if this space will only be used by yourself it is not necessary.

Daily organizer

1.    I chose to organize my daily list by writing out the tasks that have to be done in red

2.    Then writing out the tasks that I would like to be done in black

3.    Social plans are usually written in green

4.    Due dates are written in red

Motivational quotes and other materials

And the final result!

You may choose to use quotes in your space to make it a more inviting place to look at. This is a great idea, I’d recommend choosing quotes that you personal relate too. Be mindful not to use too many as over cluttering the space can decrease its functionality.

Paper envelopes

If you’re like me you don’t just want a functional space – you want something that looks good. Sticking motivational quotes and paper decorations can help your display look good – but using different sized folders can help give it that extra little bit of ‘aesthetic.’

I used plain white envelopes to hold a few light stickers and some quick-grab note paper but feel free to pick up some patterned ones from the craft store.

I decided to keep to my gold theme and use gold washi tape (only visible in the last photo because I changed my mind a few times!)

Using the same coloured tape can be a great way to mix in vibrant colours without letting things get too hectic!

Good luck making your command spaces! Post a picture of your space on Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr using the hashtag #theunderagelawyer or comment below. 

Lulu Hensman

Unique DIY study board; perfect for exam time!

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a productive holiday – if you’re studying in Australia that is. Either way I have had a super productive week at home and thought I’d love to share this ‘study-planner board.’

It’s a quirky DIY that aims to help you shape up for whatever big events you have planned. This was totally customised to my colour preferences, so whatever colours or materials I suggest feel free to drop them out and try your own colours/materials.

Things you will need:

-          Calendar with space to write details on

-          ‘Priority List’ Paper

-          A4 or bigger decorative paper

-          Staples or tape

-          Pins and decorations to match

-          Pens

-          Tape

-          Weekly planner/ note paper to make one

1.       The board itself

I have a large cork board from IKEA. It costs $8 AUD at press time, but you can usually purchase them from your local craft or discount store.

 These are better than canvas or paper boards because they hold the pins firmly.

2.       Priority list

Write out your top priorities and then order them according to time, difficulty to complete and desire to do them.

It is important that you don’t overwhelm yourself with work. You will quickly become demotivated if you see a long list of seemingly endless tasks.

I use a ‘Top Three Priorities’ List from Kikki K. This list allows me to pick three big tasks for the day and break them into smaller chunks. My work now is more streamlined, polished and focused because I’m not trying to complete twenty tasks in one day.

It is also important that you remain flexible and work intuitively. This means that you need to acknowledge how you are feeling – some days you may feel stressed or anxious. Then it is important to take care of yourself and not to push hard workloads. Doing so will only force your body to become run down and inefficient.

3.       Weekly Planner

This planner can come in any form, you can draw up a seven-day grid and divide it into three-hourly blocks. I bought a ‘Meal Planner’ from Kikki K, this breaks my day up into four sections. It also allows me to block out time for each of my subjects throughout the week.

It is important to use these overall planners because it helps you to gain a picture of how you intend to spend your time. I like to think of this planning like budgeting. Each task demands attention, but there is only so much to go around. By using planners, you can economically and efficiently spend your time. You can also realise where you can improve your time management.

When you create a weekly planner – as you can see on mine, use different colours.

For me;

Blue are the reminders,

Red are loose tasks that I would like to be working on during that time

Brown are items that I need to complete for heath and well being

Purple means it requires planning

Yellow are unavoidable and essential pre-planned events

When completing your weekly planner always fill in pre-planned events first as you need to work around these.

Also, don’t forget to remember your mental health and well-being. Plan in times to exercise, snack and relax. These are not optional because without these activities you will lose motivation and focus for your work.

4.       Monthly planner

Monthly planners are useful for those who have bigger tasks due in months or weeks. They help you to keep track of days and deadlines.

Those who are studying for exams or similar be aware that it is easy to fool yourself about how long you have left. Using monthly planners can help you to remain realistic and practical when organising

social events and breaks.

Studying, particularly for school, can be gruelling and at times demotivating. My article on ‘endurance studying’ may help you find some ideas to beat this challenging issue.

5.       Notes and key reminders

I like to pin on my board some go-packs. These are similar to snack packs that savvy school-moms make.

In each of your subjects write out the topics you have the most difficulty with and summarise each of these. You could put them in snaplock bags or I have included instruction below to DIY cute paper envelopes.

DIY STUDY GO PACK INSTRUCTIONS

1.       Make your materials, how big they are will depend on your envelope size. I fill mine with flash cards and mind maps folded in half. 

2.       Make a triangle shape with your square piece of paper and crease along the middle

3.       Open out your triangle and then turn the paper to make a diamond and fold the lower corner up to the centre.

4.       Roll your paper up so that you can no longer see the small triangle and instead there is a bigger triangle.

5.       Fold one bottom corner of the big triangle in roughly towards the middle. Repeat on the other side, creating two flaps.

6.       With the top flap, fold it back so that you have a backwards triangle and then push it forwards to create another diamond.

7.       Fold down the top triangle and tuck it into the diamond to complete your envelope

8.       Now slide in your materials and label it.

9.       You are now ready to take your go pack anywhere! Happy studying!

For a video and more information click here

On my vision board, I also included some

• -          Informative vocabulary sheets
• -          Tickets to a Geoffrey Robertson lecture who I aspire to meet and work for
• -          Pictures of friends and family
• -          Mind maps for things I am trying to remember
• -          Quotes that I find inspiring

Your vision board should include things that inspire you. I have in the past pinned up logos of universities that I wish to attend, scores I was proud of – or wanted to improve. Customise it to be something that inspires you and makes you feel confident in the future.

Next blog post will be giving you some tips on what to do before you enter the exam room.

Happy Creating!

The Underage Lawyer.

[[No products mentioned were endorsed products. I am not making any promise of quality or suitability.]]