This is a post from Kathy Helgemo of Mothering from Scratch
My history with using a planner goes back decades.
As a mother, I’ve always had one.
I’ve learned the hard way that if mom doesn’t know what’s going on, no one does. The pressure is enormous and the use of a planner helps us moms keep our cool and dignity when our kids say, “So what’s going on today?”
When mom knows what’s going on, everyone is more likely to follow.
Planners are like external hard drives for our brains. They store things that we don’t need in our short and long term memory spaces. The rest of it can be neatly (ignored, really!) tucked away on planner pages.
Here are some examples of typical things on my own calendar:
What on earth am I making for dinner tonight? I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning, let alone dinner. But my planner knows that I planned on pulling out that frozen casserole because we have soccer tonight! I may have even told myself to thaw it out the night before.
This is not genius. It’s just pen strokes, honestly.
Do I know when school starts next year? No, but my planner does. It even knows when I need to shop during the “no sales tax” season!
Can I recall when I need to start thinking about Christmas cards? Nope, by my planner does.
You see, about 14 years ago, (true story) I was so miffed when a mom who had TWINS at the same time I had my third seemed to get gorgeous Christmas cards out during the first week in December. Oh, the nerve! This complete feeling of inadequacy (so silly, now. Really.) prompted me to forever put on my calendar, around the first week in October a note like this:
Who needs cleats for next soccer season? Um, yeah, I have no idea. But my planner knows who! I wrote down at the end of last season when I had to throw away a pair that had finally lost every battle super-glue and duct tape could fight for them. It ended with this notation:
This is the secret of all of those super-organized moms (that really only exist in your mind, by the way) you see and wonder, “How does she do that?” {By the way, I’ve met them all in my mind, too. They’ve all told me to stop wishing them into existence just to make myself feel awful.}
In a few words….please…
Write it down, Sister! Using a planner effectively is as simple as that. You can’t have too much information in one of these glorious devices.
When we do that, our brains heave a long sigh of relief. It’s out — out of our minds. It’s like sending your brain to The Bahamas every time you write it down.
I have tried both electronic versions of planners (i.e. Google Calendar, iCal, etc) and paper planners. Both have their pluses and minuses. I recently rebelled against the Google Calendar Application because I just wasn’t getting enough out of it. The things I loved about my paper planner weren’t there: the look and feel, the sense of accomplishment as I looked back on past weeks.
It was definitely all about me, not about Google Calendar.
But, here’s another secret:
All planners work — if you use them! It’s a beautiful thing. Sometimes things don’t work in our lives even when we use them. In the case of planners, they always work. They work to constantly tell you what to do IF you…
Write. It. Down!
The bottom line is that your planner is your best friend, personal assistant, and therapist all wrapped up in a neat little package.
Your concerns are always addressed. Your life is more predictable.
And you can tell yourself on December 15th that it really is going to be OK if you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping.
What more could a busy mom want?
What are some of the silly things you have written on your calendar right now?
How has using a planner helped you?
What do you think you need to write down today to free up space in your busy mom brain?