Hi read,
Can I let you in on a secret? I am NOT a natural planner. My instinct is to procrastinate and deal with things last minute.
Over the years, and ESPECIALLY since having kids, I've come to realize that when I don't plan, it always causes avoidable stress. My theory is - life is hard enough. I don't need to take on stress that could have easily been avoided. Here are a couple of examples of stress induced by lack of planning. (And lest you think these are old examples, NO. These all happened within the last two months.)
I forgot to order the main protein I needed for dinner on Thursday, so I had to go to the grocery store a second time. UGH!
I forgot to talk to my family about a long-scheduled work dinner, meaning a last-minute scramble for a babysitter.
I didn't look at the next day's meeting schedule where I had many conflicting meetings, leading to last-minute calendar shuffling which I hate to do.
Every time something like this happens, I feel so annoyed with myself for failing to plan ahead! Fortunately, you can learn from my mistakes. Here my five planning rules to eliminate avoidable stress.
1) Pick a day to plan the week's meals and complete grocery shopping
I do my weekly meal plan on Monday morning. Then, I create and submit the grocery order, which I pick up from the store on Monday evening. You might find that a different time works better for your schedule, but the key is to be consistent. Here are the things I do to (hopefully) have just one grocery store trip a week:
- Plan meals before shopping
- Specify substitution type/method so I get what I need
- Compile a list of normal pantry items needed during the prior week so I can easily refer to it during grocery shopping.
2) Look Ahead
Each Monday, look ahead to the next week for any scheduling needs. Each afternoon, look ahead to the next day for scheduling needs.
Make a habit of looking ahead on your calendar so you can handle things before they become an issue, like scheduling a babysitter or rearranging meetings or coordinating logistics with your family.
3) Color Block your Calendar
Hybrid work adds an extra logistical layer to planning. I have worked from home and worked in the office before, but this hybrid thing is new!
To help me track things, I've started color coding my calendar. Here's an example of what I do:
- High priority meetings = turquoise
- In-office events = yellow
- Personal events = purple
- Optional meetings = gray
This helps me quickly see at a glance what I have going on and what can't co-exist. For example, it's hard to for me to have a personal doctor appointment and an in-office meeting on the same day.
4) Schedule medical appointments strategically
I finally realized that I should not schedule my medical appointments during the summer if I can help it. Camp start and end times vary, and are often shorter than school hours. Because of that variability in my calendar, it's hard to schedule my own appointments. So as much as I can, I schedule those once or twice a year doctor visits between August and May.
5) Block Time for Key Tasks
If you're anything like me, you have a running list of small tasks. Right now I have maybe 10 items that need to be done. Most of these don't need to be done at a particular time, and sometimes they keep sliding down the list. To make sure I finish these little tasks in a timely manner, I time block 30 minutes two or three times a week to knock out these tasks. Having dedicated time on your calendar means that you a) don't have to worry the rest of the week because you know you have time allocated and b) these small to-dos don't get lost in the shuffle.
I really hope these planning ideas help you reduce your everyday stress.
Let me know what your biggest source of avoidable stress is. I'm always adding to my list of techniques and would love to tackle your challenge.
Best,
Beth @ Parent Lightly
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