Anyone who thinks that organized calendar management for a family is easy, clearly doesn’t have any kids! Organizing and scheduling everything into a calendar clearly is tough! We all know that mom, the one who you can’t help but think “how are they doing it?” How do they flow from one activity to the next, and then pull out the perfect snack for their kids so effortlessly? Believe me, she has a system and I’m here to share mine with you.
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Well, I have a little secret for you. Nobody is that perfect all the time. There most definitely have been times where she has felt like you may be feeling now. She left her daughter’s dance bag at home and now has to run back and get it thereby making her late for her next appointment, and so on. You’re probably just catching her in between the chaos, so she’s looking calm, cool, and collected.
We all have slip-ups, and sometimes they can’t be helped! But there are things you can do to make sure those slip-ups happen less often. I’ve talked in previous posts about ways to get organized and ways to keep everything together, but now, here are some tips on how to keep not only ourselves organized, but our entire family as well. With the power of an organized calendar, anything is possible!
Here are my 5 best tips for an organized calendar
- If you’re a hand writer like me, make a sticky note with everyone you need to keep track of and then pick a different color to symbolize each of them. Move this sticky along as you move from month to month on your calendar and use a different color pen to symbolize each person.
- If you’re a digital doer, the calendar app does this for you, so just pick what color represents each person and the phone does the rest.
Using colors
These are the colors and colored pens that I use:
- Mom Pink
- Dad Black
- Daughter 1 Navy Blue
- Daughter 2 Purple
- Son 1 Green
- Son 2 Brown
- Mom & Dad Red
- Family Light Blue
- Birthday’s Orange
- When you fill in your monthly calendar, do every day in time order and color, 2:30, 3:45, 4:20.
- A major thing to remember- your planner
is NOT your To-Do list. Don’t put on there, call the plumber, do paperwork, clean the pantry. That all goes on your To-Do list; sorry guys, they are 2 completely separate things. As far as those things go, if you want to set aside time for doing your home tasks, like calling the plumber or cleaning the pantry then write- “home tasks” 10:30 in your color on the calendar, then you look for those things on your To-Do list. That way you leave time to get those important things done and don’t overbook yourself. What goes on your calendar are things like Errands, Soccer, Art Class.
Add details
When it comes to driving or carpools I like to tack on whose driving- For example Art Class I drive or Art Class Patti drives. If you put things down this way, you will see what activities you are involved in, and your day will be so much clearer to you.
Personally, I like something pretty and girly, with plenty of room to write, so I can see everything clearly. It’s just another thing that makes me feel good about myself… I just can’t help it… I like pretty things. But in the end, it’s all personal preference.
- After you make your choice, the most important thing is to just stick with it. At the beginning of each month (or even at the end of the previous one) simply sit down and fill everything out. It can take a bit of time to fill it out at first, but trust me; the benefits outweigh the time spent. In the end, it’s really time gained. Anything that helps you become and stay more organized always buys you more time and gives you less stress in the long run. I’ll take those two any day of the week!
What do you do to help keep yourself on track? How do you get where you are supposed to be, and with whom you are supposed to be with?
I’d love for you to comment below. Picking up new tips or sharing tips with others is what it’s all about.
