Parenting & Planning
If you’ve been following our social media handle @2amparenting, you may have already caught on to some new content and even a few new faces in the comments. Recently, I decided to merge two of the things I love most in life–parenting + planning! Let’s be honest, I’m a planner girl at heart and could not survive this crazy parenting life without a solid plan sprinkled in pink!
For those of you who are new to the idea of planning (it’s a whole thing) or maybe just need a boost to get started. Here are some FAQs from my own experiences to help get your wheels turning and your stickers sticking!
FAQs:
Why planning?
FOR MY OWN SANITY!
That’s the short and sweet answer.
My mind is constantly balancing appointments, family parties (pre-COVID), school events, and business meetings for myself, my husband, and our two boys. All day long. As a working-while-at-home mom, I need some help keeping all of this straight. My planner is my personal assistant!
What do I include in the plans?
EVERYTHING!
Weekly schedule, to-do lists, finances, grocery lists, gift ideas, school holidays, family member birthdays or special anniversaries, journaling pages, etc. Anything worth thinking about is worth going into my planner.
I’m a pen and paper kind of girl. If there is something that I need to remember, I write it down to help cement it into my brain.
What’s in my planner?
Here’s an inside look at my personal planner.
Recently, I went from a one planner, all encompassing system to a two planner system. My primary planner is for everything personal, home, family and the second planner is for everything related to running and managing our businesses.
My sections in the primary planner are:
Monthly (calendar)
Weekly (inserts for to-do’s and appointments)
Finances
Lists
Personal/family
Home
and Goals
How do I get started?
MAKE. IT. FUN!
But also make sure it’s practical for you and your life’s needs.
There are so many different types of planners out there. From rings, discs, coils, soft or hardbound to the various sizes such as A5, personal, pocket, half letter, letter and mini just to name a few. Take an inventory of what you want to plan or write each day along with your style of writing. For example, if you write on the larger side, a small planner with small inserts such as pocket size may not work well for you.
When deciding on a planner I also think about how I want to carry the planner and what type & size bags I want to carry them in. If you plan to keep your planner at home, on a desk or counter, then a larger planner size may fit your needs. If you’re like me and want to carry it when you leave the house, then you may need a medium sized planner or you may even need two different sizes, one to stay home and one to carry on errands, appointments etc.
Get creative with the supplies, stickers, pens, etc. I like for my planner to represent my personality. Instead of feeling burdened down by our day-to-day responsibilities, I choose to tackle our calendar with joy. One of the ways I experience joy is through my planning supplies. I get excited about the pens, markers, stickers, or tabs I use, so I make sure to pick colors and items that will bring a smile to my face.
Check out these ready made planning pages created for all your planner-girl needs!
Leave a Reply