Planning for Success: Set Your School and Work Activities – Day 8

January 8, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

To receive a daily e-mail around 11:00 a.m. with the new posts of each day, subscribe to my free daily newsletter. In case you miss a post in this series, I will provide the link to each day as the month progresses. 🙂

Day 1: Select a Planning Tool

Day 2: Add Your Priorities

Day 3: Print and Display Your Menu Planner – with free printable

Day 4: Record Membership Expiration Dates

Day 5: Mark Due Dates for Monthly Bills

Day 6: Insert Credit Report Schedule

Day 7: Schedule Your Annual Home Maintenance

Day 8: Set Your School and Work Activities

As the second semester of school commences, I am getting requests to take on responsibilities. Though I love our school and help as often as my schedule allows, I must keep my priorities in order. Before accepting new responsibilities, I add to my calendar all the known school activities gathered from the school calendar prior to adding optional duties.

Knowing when programs, projects, and meetings are scheduled, I can evaluate new opportunities in light of my time and my priorities. For me, my children’s classes take priority over the other classes. But when my children’s classes have adequate assistance, then I consider helping others.

Items on my calendar include the following:

Activities – field day and open houses
Assemblies – chapel and award ceremony
Competitions – spelling bee and geography bee
Days off for holidays and breaks
Fairs – science and history
Field trips
Hubby’s days off
Hubby’s office parties
Kindergarten graduation 🙂

Of course, your schedule will look different from mine, but adding your work and school activities to your schedules gives you an idea of how many more activities you can add and still maintain your priorities.

In planning for success, set your school and work activities on your calendar. Besides knowing what you need to do for the week, you will know when your plate is full.

By scheduling what you need to do, you can choose what you want to do with the time remaining. Keep using time wisely as you plan for success. Happy scheduling!

Question: Do you find putting everything on your calendar freeing or overwhelming?

Planning for Success: Select a Planning Tool – Day 1

January 1, 2013 by Tracy

Welcome 2013!

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 1: Select a Planning Tool

Whether you choose a paper calendar or electronic scheduler, select a planning tool to use throughout this year. Having tried Google calendar so I could share with Paul, I found the system difficult to keep up. Without having access to it from my phone and problems syncing up, I went back to my paper calendar.

My calendar of choice is a monthly option. Similar to my menu planner, I prefer to see the entire month at a glance. Desiring to keep my desk clutter-free, I choose an 8.5×11” landscape (horizontal) calendar option, print one month per page, and staple all 12 months together into one calendar year.

If you are looking for calendar options, these links contain free printable calendars:

Monthly – both horizontal and vertical options

Weekly – Shayla offers a number of calendars, menu plans, cleaning charts, and blogging schedules

Daily – Tiffany offers a detailed 2-page planner with lots of details

As we begin this journey of planning for success, select a planning tool. From the classic daily, weekly, and monthly options, choose based on the space you need to record your events, activities, appointments, and other information.

With small handwriting, I can squeeze lots in a small space, but someone else may not. If you are struggling, then choose your top two options and print the first 2 weeks of January. As we add the details each day, you can see which plan works best for you.

In using time wisely, let’s prepare to prosper in 2013. Join me tomorrow for Day 2 as we fill our calendars while planning for success. Happy choosing!

Question: Which planning tool do you prefer?

Making Spontaneous Adjustments

October 2, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

My idea of the perfect outing is where the day goes according to my plan. Yes, I plan outings because I like to know where we are going, what we will do, and when we will leave.

The structure defines how long we can stay, and what activities we can do. Making spontaneous adjustments gets me over obstacles, but I prefer to have all the possibilities covered. Quirky? Absolutely! 🙂

Arranging our schedule

This past Saturday, I had the day planned. With the free Smithsonian Museum Live event and soccer games previously scheduled, I decided to pack everything just in case we didn’t have time to come home to change.

After a big breakfast, we headed out in the rain to our chosen Children’s Museum. Upon quickly finding parking and no lines, we proceeded to the admission desk. As I presented our vouchers, our request was met with confusion. The agent informed us that they were not participating.

An Abrupt Halt in our Schedule

Stunned, but not surprised by this museum’s choice, we moved out to the lobby. Having blocked off the morning for our museum trip, we had a choice to make. Deciding to leave, we made a quick stop by Paul’s parents’ house and chose to enjoy a leisurely family lunch.

Adjusting our Schedule

Bringing along two Groupon vouchers where I paid $15 for $30 worth of food, we headed toward the restaurant. After selecting 5 meals, I used the Groupons and paid $1.24 (in cash) to complete our transaction. After a nice lunch, we discovered that my son’s practice shirt was packed, not his uniform shirt. We zipped by our house to let him change and then headed out to the ball fields.

Though our day did not follow my schedule (How dare it? ;-)), the result of making spontaneous adjustments proved that family fun is where our family is. By knowing what on our schedule can change and keeping coupons, daily deal vouchers, and gift cards nearby, we enjoyed our family time together.

As you plan your next outing, party, or event and those plans come to a halt, enjoy the ride of making spontaneous adjustments. Your outing may fare better with a little creativity while using time wisely. Happy planning with spontaneous adjustments!

Question: How do you roll when your plans change?

My Upcoming 2012-2013 Events

September 18, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

This school year seemed to take off like a rocket. In whizzing past opportunities, I have chosen to limit my event planning this year. Last year, I took on too much. Though the events went really well, I was worn out, tired, and sick after each event.

Though I am still very active at my children’s school with chaperoning on field trips, organizing lunch pickups, and assisting teachers with daily tasks, I am not directing any of the school programs this year. I enjoy directing, but I lighten my load. In using time wisely, these are my upcoming 2012 -2013 events:

Fall Festival

Our school’s primary fundraiser is our Fall Festival in November. In the midst of our building project, all proceeds from the Fall Festival will benefit our growing student body.

These Fall Festival preparations are in the works, and I have been working to nail down commitments. Creating a safe, fun environment with lots of activities and shows is my goal in coordinating KidZone. I’ll keep you updated as our event takes form.

Lunch Coordinator

As our school is growing, I volunteered to help our new school office manager at lunch time. In past years, the students only had the option to purchase pizza on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Each child is responsible to bring their own lunch to school as there is not a school cafeteria. To assist parents with at least one lunch option a day, I researched, visited establishments, negotiated deals, and created an order form for weekly lunches. The new system takes effect next week. Stay tuned for more details on the good, the bad, and the ugly. 😉

Forensics Coach

My new adventure this year is coaching one student in the NFL (National Forensics League). Though I have entered speech contests, directed productions, completed two speech degrees, taught Fundamentals in Speech, and judged numerous speech contests, I have never coached one-on-one.

Besides the newness in coaching, I have no experience with the NFL, so I’m learning their rules, guidelines, and judging regulations. The first meet might be interesting, but we have to start somewhere. 😉

With my upcoming 2012-2013 events, I look forward to learning new concepts, applying my experiences, and enjoying the process while using time wisely. In preparing for these events, I expect to make mistakes, but in the end, I’ll be better for it. Stepping out of my comfort zone!

Question: What are your plans this school year?

2012: First Day of School

September 4, 2012 by Tracy

My toddler watching her siblings.

In my house, planning for the first day of school is more important and time-consuming than planning a birthday party or dinner party.

Beginning in July with all the back-to-school sales, our family shops, gathers, organizes, and plans for our First Day of School.

Last week, I shared our festivities on the First Day of School Eve. Today, I report how that first day commenced.

Morning Send Off

Having prepared the prior night made our morning this productive:

Dressing and grooming took around 10 minutes because clothing was chosen and laid out.
Lunch and snacks packed in prepared bags and notes written during breakfast.
Finished styling the girls’ hair and took pictures.
Arrived at school early to deliver teacher’s gifts and snag those first-day pictures.

All dressed and ready to go.

Back with his friends, my son returned quickly to his routine. On the other hand, my daughter had a slight meltdown in her classroom, but she found a friend and settled down to color. 😉

Whew! A busy morning ran smoothly with a little early planning and preparing for our first day of school.

Afternoon Pickup

Getting the privilege of picking them up at different times, I enjoyed listening to their first day adventures. My daughter eagerly whipped out her folder to show her lessons and request help with her homework. She loves learning and thrives on doing projects like writing, coloring, and crafts.

Though less-talkative than my daughter, my son gave a story or two about the day to appease his Momma. After stops at the grocery stores, we arrived home. Without homework, my son sauntered off to play.

Evening Preparations

With the busy day, we enjoyed a quiet evening at home. After dinner and baths, we desired another smooth-running morning and prepared for our second day of school:

Unloaded, cleaned, and chose lunch and snack options
Chose and laid out clothes

In using time wisely to prepare for the first day of school, we ended our day with success and exhaustion. I was surprised at how tired I was after getting the kids in bed. Though getting back into this routine may take a little time, I will continue preparing the prior night since this routine keeps me calm while using time wisely.

As you continue or start your fall routine, try to plan your morning the prior evening. Getting off to a good start sets the pace for your day. A little preparation can make your morning productive while using time wisely. Happy planning!

Question: If you have school-age children, how did you fare on your family’s first day of school?

« Previous Page