As with most families, we are constantly trying to figure out how to best integrate parent & kid schedules to make it easiest on everyone. Todd came to me with an idea a while back about planning out every hour of the day--including meals, chores or weekly tasks we wanted to accomplish. That way, we could take a look at where everyone would (or should) be for the day, I would know when I could get a break or get a work out in, etc.
We actually planned out most of the past few weeks to some degree, but when things got hectic or we got lazy and forgot, we felt it! It feels good to know the plan, especially for kids! It seems daunting when you think about it at first, but once you get a feel for things and even establish some regular items in your daily routine, it really isn’t bad. So here is how we are continuing to try to Schedule the Week:
We actually planned out most of the past few weeks to some degree, but when things got hectic or we got lazy and forgot, we felt it! It feels good to know the plan, especially for kids! It seems daunting when you think about it at first, but once you get a feel for things and even establish some regular items in your daily routine, it really isn’t bad. So here is how we are continuing to try to Schedule the Week:
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GET A PLANNER
I found a cheap one on Amazon to make sure that I would really commit to using this strategy before investing in a more expensive and fancy planner that I’m used to! (I’m a huge fan of Erin Condren Teacher Planners and Life Planners!) But this one does the job at a fraction of the cost and just gives me incentive to invest in a nicer one next year!
GET MULTICOLORED PENS
I’ve always been a color-coding type when it comes to planning and organizing. I pick one color for each of us (me = pink, Todd = orange, kids = blue) and other colors for meal plans or whole-family events. My favorite ones to use in planners are the PaperMate Flair pens--they come in so many colors and don't usually bleed through paper!
I found a cheap one on Amazon to make sure that I would really commit to using this strategy before investing in a more expensive and fancy planner that I’m used to! (I’m a huge fan of Erin Condren Teacher Planners and Life Planners!) But this one does the job at a fraction of the cost and just gives me incentive to invest in a nicer one next year!
GET MULTICOLORED PENS
I’ve always been a color-coding type when it comes to planning and organizing. I pick one color for each of us (me = pink, Todd = orange, kids = blue) and other colors for meal plans or whole-family events. My favorite ones to use in planners are the PaperMate Flair pens--they come in so many colors and don't usually bleed through paper!
PLAN THE WHOLE WEEK
Todd and I try to make time each Sunday night to look at the entire week. We do end up adjusting things here and there as new plans arise or different work tasks for him, but for the most part we are able to outline the week all at once and have a good feel for what is ahead! I put each item at the time it begins and drag and arrow down to the time it will be over to give myself a visual to block off that time.
MEAL PLAN -- AVOID DECISION FATIGUE
This one is tough, especially when I never know what I want to eat even until the very moment we are eating, but at least for the kids, we have been planning out the daily meals. We stick to the same items for breakfast and lunch for the most part, but for dinners, it is one less thing to decide or figure out at the end of the day! This has also been helpful in our weekly grocery shopping by figuring out what we will need ahead of time instead of a bunch of random trips (which we have been avoiding doing during the pandemic especially!)
WEEKLY TASKS
Plan in a few tasks that you want to accomplish around the house. Our chores get done pretty sporadically these days--essentially whenever I have a moment, feel the urge to clean or have our babysitter here helping with the boys. But writing down a few tasks that Todd and I can accomplish between the two of us has helped. I of course also write down when I plan to work out, write a blog or Instagram post, or have any work to do with Young Living.
DO YOUR BEST--DON'T STRESS!
As with anything, this is something to get used to and get in the habit of. We did really well with it the first week, not so well the next week, and so on. Now with school back in session and e-learning to manage, I wanted to really get back into the habit of trying this out. I’m never going to get down on myself if something doesn’t get accomplished or if we get lazy and slack off on planning a week here and there, but I am going to try to make this a habit and something that makes life easier!
Todd and I try to make time each Sunday night to look at the entire week. We do end up adjusting things here and there as new plans arise or different work tasks for him, but for the most part we are able to outline the week all at once and have a good feel for what is ahead! I put each item at the time it begins and drag and arrow down to the time it will be over to give myself a visual to block off that time.
MEAL PLAN -- AVOID DECISION FATIGUE
This one is tough, especially when I never know what I want to eat even until the very moment we are eating, but at least for the kids, we have been planning out the daily meals. We stick to the same items for breakfast and lunch for the most part, but for dinners, it is one less thing to decide or figure out at the end of the day! This has also been helpful in our weekly grocery shopping by figuring out what we will need ahead of time instead of a bunch of random trips (which we have been avoiding doing during the pandemic especially!)
WEEKLY TASKS
Plan in a few tasks that you want to accomplish around the house. Our chores get done pretty sporadically these days--essentially whenever I have a moment, feel the urge to clean or have our babysitter here helping with the boys. But writing down a few tasks that Todd and I can accomplish between the two of us has helped. I of course also write down when I plan to work out, write a blog or Instagram post, or have any work to do with Young Living.
DO YOUR BEST--DON'T STRESS!
As with anything, this is something to get used to and get in the habit of. We did really well with it the first week, not so well the next week, and so on. Now with school back in session and e-learning to manage, I wanted to really get back into the habit of trying this out. I’m never going to get down on myself if something doesn’t get accomplished or if we get lazy and slack off on planning a week here and there, but I am going to try to make this a habit and something that makes life easier!
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