Bulletin-Board Blueprint

My bulletin board is by no means ordinary. It is a blueprint for the practical side of my life. Covered with colored cards, held in orderly rows by bright tacks, it has drawn the attention of many a passerby, who reads its contents in surprise.

For many years I formulated goals, made plans, and listed ideas that accumulated in stacks by the telephone, in the clutter at the head of the bed, in lost notebooks, or in my head. Soon these various interests and responsibilities were enormous and seemed to pursue me. I ran to accomplish important things before I forgot or lost my multiple notes.

Then inspiration struck. It is a basic fact that before you build anything you must plan it out completely. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost?”(Luke 14:28). The result was a bulletin board that freed me from the snare of good intentions, that got me organized without chaining me. It now keeps me aware of daily, weekly, and long-range chores and goals, including a few dreams not yet on the drawing board.

I used colored cards of varied sizes, inscribed with major headings, and tacked to the board. Under each heading is a small sheet listing specifics. Some of the entries merely serve as reminders. But commitments and goals are reinforced when they are written down, so on some of them I have inserted deadlines. As I complete a goal, I cross out that item or replace the sheet.

My bulletin board is subject to constant change, allowing for my strengths, weaknesses, and current interests. A sampling of entries might include:

Reading: A list of about ten books I am reading or hope to read soon.

Sewing: Particular items needing attention—curtains, pajamas, a baby quilt.

Daily schedule: Reminders of certain chores—Tuesday, polish the bathroom; Thursday, mend. I change it, bend it, and it doesn’t restrict me, but it does give me something to work from.

Long-range goals: Classes I’d like to take, skills to develop, dream house plans, etc.

Weekly weight: My husband and I weigh each Friday and log our weight on the board.

Weekly goals: This one really untangles the week for me. It includes guests coming, visits to make, projects to finish, errands.

Special thoughts: Gems from talks or articles, letters to write, etc.

Current marriage goals and commitments: Items from our projects together, such as daily reading, vocabulary building, or a commitment not to eat after dinner. It is security for me to see these things in print.

My bulletin board is for the practical side of my life; more personal goals are not for public viewing. But my life must become a life of order, and my bulletin board is disciplining me in that direction.—Susan Arrington Hill, St. Cloud, Minnesota