I
want to tell you all about this daily planner, how to use it, why you
want it, and how it will change your life. I need to tell you, though,
that the planner's author, Allyson Lewis, has done all of this in video
format. Now maybe you don't have time to watch videos right now, or
maybe you do. So to please each type of reader, I am going to alternate
how I tell you about this product.
First, let me give you the option of watching this 7-minute video by Allyson Lewis that tells about The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner:
What
is the concept? Well, I think back to a farcical song a local church
performed, to the tune of "I Am Pretty..." from the musical West Side Story, with the words changed this way:
"We are busy! Oh so busy! We go out every night of the week!"
I don't remember the rest of the words, but you get the idea. I know everyone feels busy,
especially we home school moms. When The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner
arrived at my door quite honestly I felt like I didn't have time to
learn how the system worked or time to watch the videos. But I knew I
had to, so I got myself stated. As I said, the author has created videos
to help you every step of the way.
In addition to the above video of how The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner works, the author created this series of videos to help the user succeed at her system:
- Introduction
- Prioritize your top 10 personal values in life;
- Discovering your purpose;
- 90 Day Goals;
- Unfinished Tasks;
- Mental Clutter;
- Connections;
- Annual Projects and Tasks;
- Meeting Planner;
- Daily Progress Report Part I;
- Daily Progress Report Part II;
- Daily Progress Report Part III;
- Daily Progress Report Page 2;
- Exercise Progress Report;
- Removing Chaos;
- Conclusion
So I started by determining my top ten values in life and then creating a "Purpose Statement".
Looking next at 90 Day Goals (work goals, personal goals, financial
goals), I fudged and skipped it for now. I don't work outside the home,
so my work goals would all be schooling goals or review goals (many
reviews coming that I don't know I am doing or not), and housecleaning
goals. Many of my personal goals are currently in limbo because of a
health issue I am trying to take care of. So, I guess I could put "take
care of health issue" down as a personal goal for the next 90 days,
because that's what it amounts to. I don't have any finance issues; my
husband and I have already worked out financial goals and how to reach
them. The health issue is the is a major goal for the next three months
(and then some). I guess I wouldn't go into what goals I had set, if I
had set them, so I will move on.
I
found the "Unfinished Tasks" really helpful. I was able to list one
very important unfinished task that has a specific deadline, as well as
upcoming reviews that will need to get written, reminding me of specific
products I currently have that we are to be working on at least 3X each
week. And I also listed some long-term unfinished tasks, such as a
quilt I am working on, that has a "squishy" due date.
The
mental clutter section was very helpful, too, but some of the mental
clutter items I put were also on the "Unfinished Tasks" list because
those tasks were still cluttering my brain.
I
also loved the grocery list page to help me remember what needs to go
on the list. There were so many pages I cannot take time to name them
all.
When
you get to the daily pages, you get to the nitty gritty of getting
things done. The big tool is "5 before 11". I had to tweak this and just
consider it "5 important things to get done today", or I couldn't list
my real "To Do"s, since I do most of mine between 3:00-5:00 p.m. Things I
get done before 11:00 have to get done before I start school at 9:00,
so my list would only contain things like: shower and dress; make bed;
take vitamins; eat breakfast; check email.
I
used the 7-Minute Life Connections to get a few things done, but not
being in business I still had difficulty figuring out how to use it.
And, I rarely have occasion to write a thank you note. Occasionally I
filled something in for Connections or Thank You Cards, but not often.
For
me, the most successful tool was 5 before 11. I tweaked it to be my
own, as I said, by making it, in my mind, "5 important things I will do
today". Once I did that, I was able to allow myself to do things that
were happening after we finished home school. Using this method, over
the five to six week period I tried out the 7-Minute Life Planner, I got
to the Orthodontist three or four times (brackets kept popping off, and
one was our regular visit); I got my son's teeth cleaned; I got work
done on a crown and a filling done; I got to a doctor and a test for my
current physical challenge that I mentioned, and I got other very
important (to me) items done, such as certain books for our school
purchased, etc.
There
were times I felt overwhelmed and didn't use it at all for a weekend,
because I felt like I wasn't using it "right" or up to its full
potential. I realized, though, that the actual issue was that I was
trying to implement too many new changes into my day all at once. I
learned a long time ago that in a situation like this, to prevent that
feeling of being overwhelmed I need to focus on one new change at a
time, and add a new change when I have fully been able to implement the
first change. Using this method I started with the 5 before 11: writing
them down, and getting them done. Some days they weren't done, and I'd
adjust my list the next day to try to be more realistic. Some days I'd
get more done than I expected, and I'd adjust my list for the next day
to stretch me more. It was a month of trial, error, trial, success, etc.
I
am still working to manage as many aspects of the program that apply to
me, but am not there. For someone with a home business, this program
would be real life changing. For me, a home school mom, it was also life
changing. It helped me to see that I did have moments that were wasted
that I could redeem. I learned I am sometimes able to find energy to get
just one more thing done before I go to bed, because it was on my list.
I found a satisfaction in getting a neglected task accomplished and
checked off my list. And that is definitely part of the success --
getting things accomplished, and giving yourself a check mark!
In Summary:
The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner is life-changing and can help you to:
• improve your time management;
• boost your daily productivity; and
• organize your life.
• improve your time management;
• boost your daily productivity; and
• organize your life.
The
7 Minute Life is about taking time to slow down and think about what is
most important to you in life. What are your priorities and values?
This planner gives you that opportunity to re-connect with your
priorities.
If
you are ready for change in your life, if you are willing to take the
time to learn how to use this system and take seven minutes a day to
follow the daily practice of evaluating your day that has ended and
planning out your next day, you, too, can experience life change that
will help you to get more done and accomplish your goals. Are you ready
to give it a try?
Specifics:
The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner
is a spiral-bound book with cardboard-pocket front and back covers
protected by plastic sheet. It measures about 7"x8"x3/4" and has 271
pages full of life-changing materials. The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner is a 90 day planner, and is priced at $24.95.
This is a product for Mom or Dad, or for a very entrepreneurial teen.
My Take:
- Did I like it? Yes!
- Will I consider using it now that the review is over? Yes, I think I will.
- This product can definitely be a life changer. If your thought is that you don't have time to implement a new system, you are probably the person who needs this the most!
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