There is Nothing Quite Like the Luxury of a Personal Planner

See also:  [Calendars] [Family Councils] [Lists] [Time Management]

    Personal planners come in all sizes and shapes.  But no matter their dimensions, they are invaluable to any homemaker who wants to keep it all together.  Whether you choose to buy your planner or make up your own, may I just suggest several constants which your personal planner should have to be completely and wholly useful to you.

    Your planner should have a place to calendar the daily activities, responsibilities, and chores for which you are personally responsible.  It should also have a convenient place to note upcoming activities for the next week, the next month, the rest of the year, and into the next five years.

    The planner should have a place to write up your menu for the week.  It might even be sophisticated enough to have a Master Menu prepared for your reference.  This will make working through our menus faster and easier.  In conjunction with a menu, the planner should also have a copies of your personalized grocery list.  That way, you can conveniently note items which need purchasing.

    The planner should have a place to note different errands which need completion.  That way, when you are out and about (always carry your planner with you), you can quickly and easily review if any of your errands are in the same direction as you are traveling.

    The planner should have a section behind which you can keep your project "to do" sheets.  Many of us have ongoing, complicated projects which are often overwhelming.  Having a separate project "to do" sheet for each project gets things under control.  List what needs to be done and cross off the items as you work your way through the project.

    The planner should also have a place to write down ideas which come to you.  Those ideas seem to fly through your head without stopping and only get caught if they are written down.  So have a place for your thoughts.  You may not be able to do anything about them soon, but eventually they can bless your life.

    The planner might also have sections for long-term goals.  As a homemaker, there are many things you would like to be doing that just aren't possible at this season of your life.  Writing down what you would like to do "when you grow up" keeps those goals safe until some future day.  You don't need to relinquish them altogether, just  write them down.  It will free your mind and heart to focus on today's needs and let tomorrow's dream sleep.

    Find more helpful ideas in the "House of Order" Handbook, Chapter 8, "Time Management".  

    Return to Time Management...