As a working mom & wife, my schedule can get a bit hectic at times. Keeping up with every aspect of life can be overwhelming and cause a lot of stress. Using calendars and planners alleviate some of that stress by helping me plan and prioritize important tasks and events. As life has become busier for me, I’ve realized the need for, not just one but, multiple types of calendars and planners. There are so many things I plan for and keep track of, and having them all in one place was becoming chaotic for me. Continue reading to learn more about how I use multiple types of planners and calendars to stay organized.
Dry Erase Weekday Calendar – Dinner Menu
Cooking is not one of my favorite things to do, but it’s a money saver and usually healthier than any take-out options. After a long day, the last thing I want to do is try to figure out what I’m going to do about dinner. So, before we order groceries for the week, I plan out our dinner for the week and write it on my dry-erase calendar. The calendar is posted on the refrigerator so my husband can see it since I usually plan for him to cook at least one meal during the week as well. A dry erase calendar works best for this since it’s small and easy to update every week.
You can purchase one similar to what I use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mUmDEs
Monthly Wall Calendar – Family Events & Appointments
I also use a large wall calendar in my kitchen area for the whole family to see. This works well for keeping track of birthdays, appointments, school and daycare events, and any social or extra curricular events. This works well to facilitate communication between me and my husband about what’s going on for the week or month so that we are on the same page and can plan accordingly. Placing it in a spot where the whole family can see it encourages everyone to add important information as needed. If you want to add an extra level of organization, you can also color code using different color ink to categorize your calendar events.
You can purchase a wall calendar similar to what I use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mOw9ck
Personal Planner – Content & Wellness
A small personal planner is ideal for planning social media and blog post content. Having a plan is the best way to stay consistent. I also keep track of personal fitness goals in my personal planner. Scheduling when I am going to workout and tracking my monthly wellness goals is how I hold myself accountable. Basically, all things personal to me that do not affect the schedule of anyone else in my home goes in this planner. There are so many options when it comes to choosing a personal planner. The one that works best for you ultimately depends on how you will use it.
I like planners like this one on Amazon because it’s small and has a monthly calendar followed by a breakdown of each week/day of the month: https://amzn.to/38NGRL2
Digital Calendar – Work & Bills
Most of us are familiar with these. Everything work related – meetings, deadlines, luncheons – is tracked on my Outlook calendar. I’m already at my computer during work hours and everyone uses meeting invites for everything anyway, so it just makes the most sense to keep those items accessible from my computer or phone. I also track bill due dates and pay day’s on their own Outlook calendar to assist with monthly budgeting. I do, however add some things from my monthly wall calendar to this one just to make sure there aren’t any scheduling conflicts between work/professional events and home life. Duplicating information on different calendars can get tricky so proceed with caution. And of course there are other options outside of Outlook such as Google Calendar and Microsoft Teams.
Using multiple planners and calendars is not for everyone. Over the years I’ve learned what works best for me and I encourage you to do the same. Life can get overwhelming, but I’ve found that the more I can plan ahead and stay organized, the better I am at being able to handle those things that I can control. Having a plan is key to staying consistent, prioritizing and accomplishing goals!
