Here's a simple but important tip to help you in your wedding planning. It's especially useful if you're trying to save money by planning the whole thing yourself.
To start you off you can pick up a free wedding planning checklist from my website. In addition, you will need a day planner, a wall calendar, and my very favorite: the "swap space" notebook.
I really recommend using Google Docs and Google Calendar for online sharing and storage of documents. Offline a pin-up wall calendar will be very helpful.
A great day planner option is Google Docs. Google Calendar is a great calendar option too. There's no physical planner or calendar, and instead everything is online. This way it's easy for you, your betrothed, and your wedding planner if you have one to be on the same page. Everyone sees the same information, and anyone can update the document (assuming you've given them editing permission). The Google Calendar is good for this too. Schedule vendor appointments and other errands, and it appears on everyone else's calendar. And if you have a phone that can access the Google Docs and Calendar, you have your planner and calendar on the go. But also utilize an offline pin up calendar. Something you can look at instantly (without logging on) and visually see the days and dates progress.
Now you're ready for my tip about the swap space notebook. This came from one of my friends who's really into computers.
Computers have what's called memory or RAM. Whenever a computer is working on a task, it loads all the info it needs into memory. Computers cannot multi-task even though it seems like they are as you can have many apps running at one time. The secret is that when a computer has a task that it is not currently working on, it unloads it from memory to what's called "virtual memory" or "swap space" (think of it as a holding place).
People are like computers.
We also do not multi-task even if we think we're doing a lot of things at once. In reality, we focus on one thing at a time, even if it's not for very long. Like computers, we move information we're not directly using into our own holding area, the subconscious memory. We keep the information we're actively using at the forefront of our minds in our conscious memory.
And yet, people are not like computers (thankfully!)
We may be good at moving information into our swap space, but we're not so good at bringing it back to memory. Just think of the times you have a name or word on the tip of your tongue but just can't think of it. How about when you hear a song but just cannot recall the name? Then the name will come to you sometime later, but too late to help you. Humans are imperfect when it comes to recalling information from our swap space.
To avoid moments like this in your wedding planning, you need a Swap Space Notebook.
This is a simple little book that you take with you everywhere. Keep a pen with it too. Any time you think of something you have to remember for your wedding, write it down in the Notebook. Don't worry about organizing it or making it look pretty. The point is to get it down on paper so you can forget about it for the time being. You're moving your swap space from your subconscious mind to the Swap Space Notebook, and paper and pen is the fastest way to do that.
At any time you can flip back to your notebook. It may not be in order, but you have the security knowing it's in there somewhere so you can freely forget about it and not worry about it
Planning a wedding, you will find your brain will function in many the same way. These kinds of things are guaranteed to happen: You will all of the sudden think of the VERY BEST idea for a wedding favor. You will think all of the sudden the VERY BEST first dance song. You will think all of the sudden the MOST FUN reception game to play. You will all of the sudden remember THREE KEY QUESTIONS to ask your reception venue. And so forth. JOT IT DOWN AND DON'T FORGET IT!
I hope that helps you. Stay sane and organized, and good luck with the planning!
To start you off you can pick up a free wedding planning checklist from my website. In addition, you will need a day planner, a wall calendar, and my very favorite: the "swap space" notebook.
I really recommend using Google Docs and Google Calendar for online sharing and storage of documents. Offline a pin-up wall calendar will be very helpful.
A great day planner option is Google Docs. Google Calendar is a great calendar option too. There's no physical planner or calendar, and instead everything is online. This way it's easy for you, your betrothed, and your wedding planner if you have one to be on the same page. Everyone sees the same information, and anyone can update the document (assuming you've given them editing permission). The Google Calendar is good for this too. Schedule vendor appointments and other errands, and it appears on everyone else's calendar. And if you have a phone that can access the Google Docs and Calendar, you have your planner and calendar on the go. But also utilize an offline pin up calendar. Something you can look at instantly (without logging on) and visually see the days and dates progress.
Now you're ready for my tip about the swap space notebook. This came from one of my friends who's really into computers.
Computers have what's called memory or RAM. Whenever a computer is working on a task, it loads all the info it needs into memory. Computers cannot multi-task even though it seems like they are as you can have many apps running at one time. The secret is that when a computer has a task that it is not currently working on, it unloads it from memory to what's called "virtual memory" or "swap space" (think of it as a holding place).
People are like computers.
We also do not multi-task even if we think we're doing a lot of things at once. In reality, we focus on one thing at a time, even if it's not for very long. Like computers, we move information we're not directly using into our own holding area, the subconscious memory. We keep the information we're actively using at the forefront of our minds in our conscious memory.
And yet, people are not like computers (thankfully!)
We may be good at moving information into our swap space, but we're not so good at bringing it back to memory. Just think of the times you have a name or word on the tip of your tongue but just can't think of it. How about when you hear a song but just cannot recall the name? Then the name will come to you sometime later, but too late to help you. Humans are imperfect when it comes to recalling information from our swap space.
To avoid moments like this in your wedding planning, you need a Swap Space Notebook.
This is a simple little book that you take with you everywhere. Keep a pen with it too. Any time you think of something you have to remember for your wedding, write it down in the Notebook. Don't worry about organizing it or making it look pretty. The point is to get it down on paper so you can forget about it for the time being. You're moving your swap space from your subconscious mind to the Swap Space Notebook, and paper and pen is the fastest way to do that.
At any time you can flip back to your notebook. It may not be in order, but you have the security knowing it's in there somewhere so you can freely forget about it and not worry about it
Planning a wedding, you will find your brain will function in many the same way. These kinds of things are guaranteed to happen: You will all of the sudden think of the VERY BEST idea for a wedding favor. You will think all of the sudden the VERY BEST first dance song. You will think all of the sudden the MOST FUN reception game to play. You will all of the sudden remember THREE KEY QUESTIONS to ask your reception venue. And so forth. JOT IT DOWN AND DON'T FORGET IT!
I hope that helps you. Stay sane and organized, and good luck with the planning!
About the Author:
Check out Kennly Yakamoto's Squidoo Lenses: Inexpensive Wedding Dresses and My Awesome Cheap Wedding Ideas for more great wedding planning ideas!
No comments:
Post a Comment