Make A Plan Monday: Scheduling

How do you organize your schedule, your family's schedule?  How do you remember everything that needs to get done?  Below are some suggestions to help in scheduling individually and as a family.

1.  Have a family planning meeting as regularly as needed--like once a week.  During this meeting discuss what each individuals activities, deadlines, assignments, parties, and so forth are for the week.  This allows everyone to see when things are and can then determine how to help one another in getting things done and/or choosing what things need to wait until another time, it also allows everyone to see what is needed--if something needs to be bought or set aside for a project or an activity.  It helps to do this before menu planning so you can plan meals based on what time-constraints before/after the meal may be.

2.  Daily review the calendar/schedule to refresh your memory about what plans were made for that day, also any changes that need to be made can be made--did something come up that will lengthen or shorten meal preparation, family time or other time?

3.  Don't over-schedule yourself or your family.  If you are finding there are many conflicting schedules, not enough family time, constantly having to revise your schedule, etc.  than it may be time to sit back and only do the essential things, letting extra (fun, entertainment) activities wait for another time.

4.  Determine as a family what is important in your usage of time and what will help you meet your goals.  How much/little family time are you wanting/willing to have/give up?  How often do you want to eat together, play together, etc?  What activities are most important to your family to get done on a daily, weekly basis?

By scheduling effectively as a family, including planning the family needs & wants, time can be saved, money can be saved, there will likely be less frustrations and confusions, and a feeling of control over life by planning and accomplishing steps to reaching our goals.  With planning we use time in the best possible way, we aren't making unnecessary or multiple trips to the store or around town, we aren't having to eat out because of poor planning, or eat microwave freezer dinners either (unless we want to and plan to right?).