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creative happiness

how using a planner has reduced my stress, helped me accomplish more AND create free time

October 8, 2016

 

leah-farquharson-planner

As we all  find our rhythm in the back to the school season and work to juggle so many different things, I couldn’t help but notice yet another pretty planner while shopping the back to school supplies. It may sound a bit crazy and “over planned” that I’m now functioning with five types of planner/calendars, but it really is one of the only things that helps me keep a guard on my free time, family time, and time with my husband/best friend. Otherwise, work can spill into every aspect of my life! It’s also been increasingly important as the schedules for both boys grow with getting older. Between school, extracurricular activities, academic tests, and sports, things can definitely spin out of control.

leah-farquharson-chore-charts

[chore charts on the fridge]

So what calendars do I set for myself and our family? I thought I’d share a bit just in case anyone else finds it helpful. I’ve found that if I try to combine too many things on a single calendar, I can’t keep all of the information for each event or activity together, so I’ve chosen to keep calendars dedicated to specific things. This is how I separate mine:

leah-farquharson-large-calendar

[large wall calendar in our kitchen]

  • One planner for school and work deadlines, weekly roles and goals (see 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) – This is where I write a weekly reminder of what things are important to me in each of the major role areas in my life: personal, wife, mom, teacher, business owner. It helps me keep the bigger picture in mind, as well as remind me how little things add up to accomplish big goals.
  • One planner for work projects, This is the place where I sketch out the “bones” or skeleton in my timeline for big things – like launching a new collection. Once I decide when I’d like to launch, I can work backwards to schedule all of things that need to happen to get there. I also pencil together my social media schedule here – instagram, facebook, and blog posts.
  • One online calendar/Wordpress plugin that I share with my assistant, Amy, for planning promos, social media updates, blog posts, email newsletters, fun stuff with our ambassadors, contests, etc. This is new and took me a while to adjust to, but, wow, is it awesome! It’s the best way to maximize our productivity when we can just chat about things via a Facebook group we share, and then drop them into the calendar.
  • One calendar for meal planning. As a mom, especially to a growing preteen and teen boy, keeping food in the house and on the table each night can become stressful. This summer I did a major overhaul of how I handle things, and it’s made a world of difference for saving us time and stress. It included building a meal plan at least two weeks out (my goal is to get to a month), and to begin buying in bulk. With evening sports and activities, I’ve built a pretty good file of crockpot recipes!
  • One central large calendar in our kitchen for all activities, sports, field trips,  dentist and orthodontist appointments, and checkups. It’s a great way for us to keep a calendar that everyone can reference.
  • One calendar for chore assignments for the guys.

leah-farquharson-planners

[planners + google calendar printouts for meal planning]

I want to end with a note that I don’t live and die by my planner. We’re super flexible as a family and totally roll with the punches – I’ve just found that all of this is necessary  to keep my evenings free for actually having a life AND getting the things done that we need to! For a long time, I used to think that having things scheduled would tie me down, but it has really, really been the opposite. In fact, I’ve actually been able to maximize my potential, accomplish more, keep free time for a life, AND reduce my stress levels. A few afternoons spent planning are totally worth it!!

Posted by leah Leave a Comment
Filed Under: life around here, organization, scheduling Tagged: organizing, planners, planning, scheduling, work life balance

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At Home with Bluebird

I’m Leah Farquharson, owner, designer, and creator of all things Bluebird Chic. Welcome to my blog (and my home)! This is where I share personal posts, projects, and inspiration. Meet me and my family here on my about page.

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