Yep, I said it, WEEKLY planning. I'm convinced that everyone should have a short weekly planning session. It can literally take just a few minutes as you become better at with practice! We like to have ours on Sunday evening after putting our 1-yr old down for bed.
Anyone at home that needs to be involved in coordinating schedules & provide input, should be involved in the planning session. If it's just you at home, that's great too, take a few minutes to generally plan out the week.
Schedules
We look at work and personal. We keep a Google Calendar for all of our family happenings. I make sure I know which days (if any) my hubs will not need me to pack a lunch for him. We also talk about days that are very full of meetings and where a "snacky" packed lunch (things that are easy and probably don't need reheated, like jerky, cut veggies, a piece of fruit, & some homemade trail mix) might be a better option. We also talk about what we want to do for family activities during the week and a date night so we can arrange a baby sitter.
We look at work and personal. We keep a Google Calendar for all of our family happenings. I make sure I know which days (if any) my hubs will not need me to pack a lunch for him. We also talk about days that are very full of meetings and where a "snacky" packed lunch (things that are easy and probably don't need reheated, like jerky, cut veggies, a piece of fruit, & some homemade trail mix) might be a better option. We also talk about what we want to do for family activities during the week and a date night so we can arrange a baby sitter.
Bucket List
As a part of going over our week's schedules, I like to keep a "bucket list" for each season in the Notes App on my iPhone (yes, I have notes in my phone for just about everything..). We go over the list, to see if there is an item (or more) that we would like to plan during that week, or an upcoming week if it takes some planning and/or reservations. It's such a great way to actually make time for and do the things we want to. I believe there are lots of fun things to do throughout the year, no matter where you live, if you take the time to think about what's available, maybe do a little research, and write them down :)
Meal Planning
I've talked about my not at all flashy, but effective (at least for us) Meal Plan note that I keep in my phone. This is the time where I ask my husband if there's anything he'd specifically like to eat during the week. It's also a natural time to update my grocery list note (that's also on my phone) to make sure we having what we need to follow the meal plan.
I've talked about my not at all flashy, but effective (at least for us) Meal Plan note that I keep in my phone. This is the time where I ask my husband if there's anything he'd specifically like to eat during the week. It's also a natural time to update my grocery list note (that's also on my phone) to make sure we having what we need to follow the meal plan.
Goals
I added this one to our check list of items to go over each week, just earlier this year. We were already keeping a list of goals (also in the Notes App on our phones) that we've been reviewing every week and it's amazing how many more goals you accomplish when checking in on them often. Sometimes circumstances change and so the goals must also throughout the year (like getting pregnant, a new job, etc.). This is a great time to just stop and look at the daily habits going on that are either helping or bringing us further away from our goals.
I added this one to our check list of items to go over each week, just earlier this year. We were already keeping a list of goals (also in the Notes App on our phones) that we've been reviewing every week and it's amazing how many more goals you accomplish when checking in on them often. Sometimes circumstances change and so the goals must also throughout the year (like getting pregnant, a new job, etc.). This is a great time to just stop and look at the daily habits going on that are either helping or bringing us further away from our goals.
Requests
This is a newer item to our weekly planning (past few months or so), that I heard about from a single mother at a conference. As a single mom, she talked about how crucial it is for her to plan every week with her daughter, so they can help each other be aware of what's going on. But in addition to that, she asks her daughter if there are any requests she has for mom. This is a great avenue to get input on what her daughter needs and she can count on that time every week. We've really enjoyed doing this as a family as well.
Go over Financials
This one is actually only about once a month for us but we typically do it as part of our weekly planning, near the end of the month. We go through Mint (www.mint.com) to make sure all of our transactions have been categorized correctly before closing out the month's budgets. We talk about what went well, what didn't, discuss changes/solutions, and any other financial topics that may be coming up.
That's it! It might seem like a lot to go over but it really only takes us a few minutes most weeks now.
This one is actually only about once a month for us but we typically do it as part of our weekly planning, near the end of the month. We go through Mint (www.mint.com) to make sure all of our transactions have been categorized correctly before closing out the month's budgets. We talk about what went well, what didn't, discuss changes/solutions, and any other financial topics that may be coming up.
That's it! It might seem like a lot to go over but it really only takes us a few minutes most weeks now.
Are you already doing weekly planning? If so, what items are on your list each week? If you don't already do it, consider trying it out for the challenge this week!
