Everbook: Modular Planner

Organization has never really been my strong point. I've always kept a calendar of some sort, and I usually do a weekly to-do list in my pocket notebook. That being said, it seems like things always get lost in the cracks of life. I always say, "If I don't write it down, it won't happen." There's more truth to that than I like to admit, because people tell me things, and they disappear into the black hole of my cranium.

Into this void comes the Everbook. Everbook is a modular planner designed by Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller and Pastor Jonathan Fisk, and it is based on the principles set forth by David Allen in his book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. I actually purchased this book back in 2016, I believe at the recommendation of Pastor William Weedon, but the fatalistic perfectionist in me decided that I couldn't organize my life in such a regimented fashion. The planner suggested by Pastors Wolfmueller and Fisk (henceforth known in this post as "W&F"), however, intrigued me. So I decided to give it a whirl. As you will be able to see (especially when you compare my Everbook to ones you see on the website), adaptability is the main feature of the Everbook.

The planner that W&F assembled is sized 5.5" x 8.5". I tried that, but it just wasn't working for me. It was too compact for me. So I decided I would go with a letter-sized planner, 8.5" by 11". So far this is working for me. I serve two congregations about 25 miles apart. Last week I had to pick hymns for the second quarter of 2019, assemble bulletins and sermons for our midweek Lent service and two funerals as well as writing my sermon for Sunday worship. Usually so much would feel overwhelming. But I put everything on a to-do list, turned my to-do list into a calendar for the week, and got to work. While I still stressed over it--I jokingly say that worry is my spiritual gift!--everything on the weekly to do list was completed on time.

Anyway, if you want to see the original design of the Everbook, look at the website. There's lots of good stuff. But here's how Everbook works for me.

I'd bought a planner a few years back with a leather cover. Up until I adopted Everbook, I used it just as a calendar, though I would store things in it for transport. As you can see in this picture, this particular padfolio has a zipper closure, and the ability to keep your papers together and safe is an important aspect of the Everbook. This is a 9" by 12" padfolio and planner, and I bought it a few years back because I really liked the calendar it contained. Well, that, and I really (REALLY) like the look and durability of leather.

When you open the planner, you see a number of aspects. This particular planner comes with a pocket on the left side, and it has a zipper pocket built in for holding pencils. This is important for me, because I color-code my calendar: red for one congregation, blue for the other congregation, green for my Circuit Visitor activities and any district activities, and a regular lead pencil for personal items. These are mechanical colored pencils imported from Japan through Amazon, because I don't carry a sharpener around with me, but I like a nice sharp point on my pencils at all times. Anyway, there are also pockets for business cards, which I try to keep with me at all times because I try to remember to write the date on the back of them and leave them with my shut-ins so they and their family members remember when I was there.

When you look at the right side of the opened padfolio, you see file folder modules. I have cut them down to exactly 8.5" by 11" so full-sized sheets fit into them but the folders fit nicely into the padfolio. The original Everbook design uses 5.5" x 8.5" sheets folded in half for each module, but I have obsessive compulsive tendencies, and paper folders are too flimsy for me. Manilla folders give me more stability. I have a number of modules, each of them labeled for their use. I always keep "This Week" on top, because that is where all my imminent action items are kept. Under that is the "Blanks" folder in which I keep blank pieces of paper and templates for my weekly calendar, my worship planning pages, and baptism and funeral information forms. I use forms I've either adapted or unabashedly borrowed as is from W&F, Pastor Rick Cody, and Pastor Sean Daenzer. Because I like to use my Lamy Safari and Lamy Al-Star fountain pens, I use a 24lb. paper instead of plain copy paper, and I put lines on my blank sheets because I can't write straight otherwise, and it bugs me!

My "Calendars" folder contains my completed hymn picks sheets for the quarter, my junior catechesis assignment sheet for the school year, and a calendar with blanks for every day of next year. As you will see later, I keep a full 24-month calendar in the back of my planner, as I just can't seem to let that go. The "Workstation" module contains action items that will be dealt with beyond this week. For example, I had a filled-in baptism information sheet in that folder last week, but since the baptism is this coming Sunday, I have moved it from the Workstation module to the This Week module. The "Inbox" module is where I put items that have been handed to me. If someone writes down information and hands it to me before or after worship, it goes in the Inbox folder. Whatever goes into the Inbox folder will later be moved into either the This Week module or the Workstation folder.

The "Projects" module contains long-term items, things like my notes on the second edition of Lutheran Purgatory, any progress or ideas for the eventual publishing of my hymn texts in a book, or even notes on whatever hymn text I'm currently contemplating. And finally, the "Journal" module contains completed tasks and calendars. These will eventually be moved into storage outside of the Everbook, once I'm pretty sure I won't need to review them or use them for a report for one of my congregations or the district/circuit. Behind that, I keep my full-sized monthly calendar.

I am grateful to W&F for bringing this highly adaptable planner into existence. It's all common sense, which means it was far above my ability to assemble on my own! *wink* I highly recommend Everbook to you, particularly if you struggle to keep your life organized as I do. Peruse the website and see how others have adapted Everbook to their needs. I believe this could be a worthwhile project for you.