Episode 25 – Successfully Managing the Family Calendar

Welcome to the Mentor 4 Moms Podcast!

On this episode:

Goal setting is simply writing down ways that you can live on purpose. One of the best tools you have to make your goals happen is your calendar.

For more of my thoughts on goal setting, check out Episode #9 – What no one ever tells you about goal setting – so many good tips there!

Today, let’s talk about our Calendars. Calendars are great tools for goal setting, they help us keep a record of time. We can drill down on a specific day, expand to a week view, or month, or a full year. There’s even the opportunity to look at more than one year at a time.

Let’s talk about some success strategies to make your calendar planning simple yet effective.

Have a separate family calendar
Keep a personal calendar
Not important whether its digital or paper. I prefer paper. My hubby prefers digital

When setting up your calendar here’s a few tips:

Mark the dates you already know – birthdays, anniversary, school schedule, events, holidays, travel for work, deadlines, etc.
Look ahead at any important dates that may need more time. For example, if it’s a big birthday for a relative, you may want to expand the dates marked on your calendar to account for travel. If you have a child who is competing in a tournament, don’t just block the tournament date, but also potential dates they may need for extra practices, travel, etc.
Big one! Block off self-care dates. We’ve talked about self care here before (check out Episode #6 – Living True to Your Core Values – I talk about the top 5 priority areas for every mom. I also share more about self care – what it is, and what it isn’t.

Block dates that are just for you – to be alone, to meet with friends, to rest, to be still, whatever feeds your soul.
Block off time to recoup after big events
Block off time to be intentional, to rest. This doesn’t have to be a whole day, unless that’s what you need.

How we stay connected about what’s on the calendar

Every Sunday we talk about what’s coming up for everyone this week
- Who’s picking up and dropping off
- What someone may need from the store
- Any paperwork that’s needed
- Key information that’s missing
- Other people involved – like other kids to pick up/drop off
- Who may be out of town or may miss family dinner this week
Every night before bed we go over what’s coming up tomorrow and how to prep
- With the kids
- And then with my hubby for any further details
The family calendar is out in the open where everyone can see it
- Important dates that involve the family are on there
- Personal appts, etc are on my personal calendar in my purse
Calendar management requires someone to take the lead
- Remember the 5 core priority areas, each one of those will influence your family calendar. Check out Episode 6 for more details on each of these areas.
- Designate someone in the family to be the point person or lead on each of those
- If you find that you are the point person for all 5 areas, and you don’t want that to be the case, define which area you need to release.
- Using concrete terms like: “I need you to manage the kids sports activities this fall, get their team schedule, practice times, team pic, etc. Can you do that?” vs. “I need you to be more involved or “I need you to help out more” Those may feel true, but the request is vague. Vague requests can leave you both feeling at a loss on how to move forward and how to know how you’re doing.