Plans. Calendars. Journals. Schedules. For the homemaker, our world revolves around these tasks. To not have a schedule can mean missed appointments, complete disorganization, and it’s very possible chaos can ensue.
A big part of the foundation of living a Simple Life is to reduce stress. To do this, we need to stay organized. And to stay organized, we need to know what each day may bring.
That means keeping track of our daily activities through calendars, journals, or scheduling sheets. Without these, we have to keep all of the current and upcoming appointments organized in our minds, and by using that system, the likelihood of forgetting something important is strong.
If you are looking to keep things organized, on paper, and have your days, weeks, and months running smoothly, try some of these simple scheduling tips for the homemaker.
Just so you know: This post contains affiliate links; if you click on a link and make a purchase I might make a small commission, but it does not affect the price you pay!
Scheduling Tips for the Homemaker
Before you go too far, you may want to set aside some time for this organizational project. It doesn’t take a tremendous amount of effort, but it will take some time. For me, I use these types of planning sessions as an excuse for taking ‘Afternoon Tea’. Armed with a glass of lemonade, a plate of snacks, and my supplies, I can get more done during that quiet time than any other time of the day!
What Plans to Make
The first step you need to take is to determine what exactly you are planning. In this case, you are planning an efficient use of your time. Make notes of different things you do, or may have coming up, that you need to accomplish.
Some of the things you may write down on this first list are:
- Errands (grocery shopping, dry cleaners, library, etc.)
- Appointments (doctor, stylist, lunch dates, social obligations, etc.)
- Functions (birthday parties, family gatherings, business, holidays, etc.)
- Family Time
- Personal Time
Calendars and Plans
Once you have a complete list of what you need to do or functions you need to attend, it’s time to get out your planner or calendar. Within these, you need to have:
- A Monthly Calendar (the overview)
- A Weekly Calendar (to get a handle on things one week at a time)
- A Daily (this one gets specific)
Our calendars don’t just stop with appointments and functions. There is so much more we do in a day. A strong planner will also include other things, such as cleaning schedules, meal plans, and if you are hosting a function, a list of tasks and a timeline of what will need to be done.
Although the specifics of cleaning schedules, meal plans and other extras that you need to schedule doesn’t have to be worked out in the planning session, you need to at least keep in mind that these things will need to be incorporated into your schedule in order to stay completely organized.
Supplies You Will Need
In order to get started, you need a notebook (to make your lists and notes), a monthly, weekly, and daily calendar, and your list of things you need to accomplish.
As far as the actual planner or calendar goes, you can do this two ways. First, you can purchase one. Keep in mind, not all planners are alike, and they are as personal to each individual as are their undergarments.
When purchasing a calendar or planner, be sure to choose wisely. You also need to consider this an investment, rather than an impulse purchase. This book will become an important part of your day.
These are the planners/calendars I found that at least come close:
Clever Fox Advanced Weekly Planner
The benefits of purchasing a planner are that they are already created for you, are bound books, and many offer extra worksheets such as goal planning, dreams, and other notations – such as water intake.
The downside is that they are limited to one year, although some of them extend to 18 months. They are also difficult, if not impossible, to contour to your specific needs.
A second option is to create your own. The beauty of this option is you can adapt it to your own needs, add pages and information when necessary, and remove pages that are no longer needed. Creating your own allows you to design and print a blank copy of a monthly, weekly, and daily calendar, any worksheets, note pages, and additional information, such as meal plans, whenever needed. All you need is a 3-ring notebook and divider tabs for each month.
Another benefit is you can keep more than one year within the confines of the same notebook. This comes in helpful when you need to look back to check for dates, previous appointments, and what took place at a certain time.
The downside of creating your own is that you will need to design the pages and use your printer ink to make the copies.
Take note here: As far as creating your own page, you can easily do that in a design program such as Canva. But for anyone who has subscribed to my newsletter, I have created a set of calendars and a few extra worksheets that can get you started. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do it now. Once there, you will get access to the Subscribers Resource Page for this freebie and more!
The Steps to Scheduling
Once you have your planner and calendars in place, the first notations you need to make are any important dates that are coming up. Here are a few you may want to consider:
- Primary – birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, doctor’s appointments, Business functions
- Secondary – School Functions, Education, Clubs, family time
- Last (but not necessarily least) – Vacations, extra-curricular excursions
Let’s take a moment to look at how to use each individual calendar. The month calendar is simple designed to let you know the date. In other words, if you have a doctor’s appointment on June 17, in that square just add ‘Dr. Smith’.
On June 17th on your weekly calendar, you would add it to the appropriate time slot – ‘Dr. Smith – 10 am’. The same thing applies to your daily calendar, only on this one you can make additional notes, addresses, phone numbers and any other important information for that appointment.
One other benefit of your Daily calendar page is that you can also see everything else you have planned for the day and arrange the appointments to make your day easier. For instance, if you know that particular day is going to be hectic, you may want to consider a slow cooker meal for dinner.
Organizing the Functions
If you have some type of function you are hosting, it helps to have a plan in place. With a Make Your Own Planner, you can easily add these lists in the appropriate section.
You may even decide to create its own section and make notes on your weekly or daily planning sheet to ‘See Functions Section’ as a reminder to check the planning worksheets. If there is something on those worksheets you need to do that week or day, then transfer the information into the appropriate slot.
(If you noticed the invitation to get a Free copy of the Scheduling Worksheets above, yet haven’t subscribed yet, you may want to check it out again. This free package also includes 2 worksheets to help you plan your function!)
Adding the Extras
Now that you have all the important dates in place, it’s time to think about your daily activities. We always have things to do like cleaning, laundry, making meals, and more.
These types of activities don’t need to be added to the monthly calendar but do need to be added to the Daily sheet, and possibly the weekly schedule, if it isn’t a normal, daily activity. For example, if you plan to bring a meal to a sick neighbor or have volunteered to make cookies or cupcakes for a Bake Sale, you need to have that reminder in place a few days ahead of time.
Work around the more important appointments and times to fit your daily activities into your schedule. And be sure to add in a little bit of time for yourself!
The Value of Quiet Time
If you have read many of my posts, you know I hold quiet and personal time in high regard. It is this time we rejuvenate ourselves and help us to become focused and centered. This quiet time can be as simple as an Afternoon Tea, curling up with a good book, having a devotional, or working on a passion we have, such as crafting.
Try to schedule at least 30 minutes a day as quiet time. However, some days are busier than others. If this is the case, try to find at least 30 minutes to one hour two to three times a week. This may end up being the most important appointment you can make.
If scheduling that quiet time begins to get more and more difficult, it may be time to take a hard look at your appointments. How many of those do not fit within the parameters you have set for your Simple Life?
Search for anything that is not absolutely necessary (doctor’s appointments, etc.). Look at each one and determine if it is something you truly want to do. If not, find a way to remove it from your schedule.
Just don’t be unreasonable when you do. If you committed to something a month ago, don’t cancel at the last minute. Finding replacements can be difficult and can cost others time and money. But when you are able to clear that time slot, just replace it with ‘Quiet Time’, or give yourself extra time to complete a larger project.
The Other Extras
One of the benefits we talked about in creating your own planner is the ability to add other worksheets and information easily. Some of those additions can be:
- Meal Plans
- Function Worksheets
- Grocery Lists
- Goals
- Lists (family time and gift ideas; dreams, plans and goals; notes; etc.)
Get It Scheduled!
Now that you have your planner and calendars in place, you can sit back and relax. You now know what your plans are, where you have to be on any given day, and when you will need to arrive.
Take a few moments each evening to go over your plans for the coming week and the next day. This will help you to fix your plans in your mind and be better focused when the new day arrives. Plus, you can sleep better at night knowing that you are in full control of your time!
Click the Banner below to find more help on getting organized!
If Your Found this Post Helpful…
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