
Planner Update: April 2017

Start by brainstorming/researching the area you want to visit – I live in Western Australia, and there are a number of country towns that can be explored in our south west region. We tend to stick to the main towns (Dunsborough, Margaret River, etc), but I like to do a bit of research on the area I want to visit to make sure it fits the bill for what I want out of the getaway. If we’re in the mood to do wine tours and eat a whole lot of fancy food, I’ll opt for somewhere like Margaret River. If we want to cut off from civilization and spend time in nature, Pemberton is a great way to go.
Check trip adviser for accommodation suggestions – God bless the internet, because I have no idea what people did to book accommodation before the glory of Trip Adviser. Having said that, be sure to read reviews as well as look at ratings, as ratings can go down if there is too much time between reviews. I try to look out for all of the important things – a comfortable bed, privacy, cleanliness etc.
Write a list of places you want to visit and things you want to see and do – A general internet search of ‘things to do in X’ should give you a general idea of the things there are to do in the town you’re visiting, but there are always some gems tucked away in a more in-depth google search. I don’t like having a set in stone plan of things to do on a trip like this, but having a general idea of what you can do and see around the area you’re staying is always a good idea.
Cover all your bases – You may be staying somewhere with no internet connection or TV satellite, especially if you’ve picked somewhere deep in the country away from the hustle and bustle. I always make sure to pack a deck of cards or board game to make sure we have something to do for entertainment if all else fails.
Plan your meals and write a food shopping list – If you’ve opted for a more relaxing getaway, you may need to think about what you’re going to make for lunches and dinners. As someone who needs to know where her next meal is coming from, I highly recommended thinking about the meals you’ll be having while you’re away, and making sure anything you need to make at your accommodation is covered.
Write a packing list – I will never be someone who can just throw everything into a bag and walk out the door. I will, however, always be the person who has a bandaid/tissue/spare pair of socks if you happen to have forgotten something. I guess that’s a good thing? I like to write out a packing list because it takes the thinking out of packing, and means I can get it done in 10 minutes and I always know I have what I need. Having said that, I like to pack as light as I can.
Confirm your reservation – A simple, but necessary step. You don’t want to drive 5 hours to your accommodation only to discover your booking has been lost in cyberspace. I’ve heard some horror stories like this, so I always double check the day before we leave.
Have I missed a step? Let me know in the comments below!
Walk In Wardrobe: I need to do a bit of an overhaul of this space, it’s way too crowded at the moment. I need to clear off the top shelf and the drawers full of bags, sort out what needs to be kept/thrown out/donated, and somehow make the space work for what is left over. I think a big shoe cull might be in my near future too.
Bathroom Cupboard: This is a pretty simple job, and I’m not sure why I keep putting it off. I need to pull out the drawers, sort out our products, wipe down the shelves, and put everything back where it needs to go. This will probably be the first thing I get around to doing.
Bathroom Floor: If I can give anyone building a house a piece of advice, DO NOT OPT FOR WHITE FLOOR TILES IN THE BATHROOM. Mopping is probably my least favourite household chore (vacuuming is up there, but Sebastian does that for me), and the bathroom floor needs a really good mop. White floor tiles combined with a family of dark haired people (and a lot of dust) does not work well together.
Study Cupboard: The cupboard in the study is an absolute mess at the moment. When Sebastian moved over here, we kind of pushed some boxes into the cupboard to be “dealt with later”, which of course never happened. I’m happy with the top shelf in the cupboard, and the way that’s organised, I just need to do a big clean out of everything at the bottom of the cupboard, and also the clothes that are being stored in there at the moment.
Linen Cupboard: I think this is my most hated area of the house (now that I’ve cleaned out the tupperware cupboard). There is way too much going on in here, and very little organisation to speak of. Unfortunately, I’m still storing a lot of household stuff in this cupboard (tiles/paint etc) because there is nowhere else for me to put them at this stage. Despite this, I need to get some organization happening ASAP.
Hutch #1: This is housing a mish-mash of various things that really should belong somewhere else. I need to clear this out, and start sorting everything into it’s right storage place within the household.
Hutch #2: As above. This is a little bit more organized, but still needs some work.
Kitchen Floor: I essentially need to clean ALL the floors in the house, but the kitchen floor in particular is in need of some work.
Boxes (Mum & Dad’s): I have a lot of stuff that I borrowed from my parents when I first move into this house that I haven’t gotten around to returning to them yet. Along with other things that have accumulated along the way (car battery charger, anyone?). I need to sort through this stuff, and return whatever needs returning as soon as possible.
DVDs: I have a lot of DVDs that I don’t really want anymore, not now that we have a big digital storage system set up. I’m gradually making my way through these DVDs and once I know we have a digital copy of them, I’m giving them away. I still have quite a while to go…
Cable Drawer: I feel like cables are similar to bobby pins, in that they seem to multiply if you leave them alone together. We have a drawer FULL of computer cables (which I guess comes with the territory of living with someone who works in IT), and I am dying to tidy it all up.
And that’s about it! I’m probably going to implement some of these projects into my weekly vlogs, so keep an eye out for that. I’m hoping to get started this weekend some time.
So that’s my day planner. I’d love to see what you’re using and how you’re using it, so if you follow up with a post like this, please let me know. I also have a whole other method of tracking my to-do list for the week and for life in general, so if you’re interested in seeing a post about that be sure to let me know!