Friday, March 30, 2012

52 linked: planning.

planning
I'm not a planner. I used to be, but I'm not anymore. I had to plan out my day to day activities when I was in college and when I worked outside the home. My time was limited and if I didn't plan-out my days things would inevitably be forgotten. Even though I felt like I had very little free-time back then, my life felt less chaotic due to the fact that I mapped-out my time and activities. But now that my life does not necessitate me keeping everything straight, I don't plan. And since I don't plan, my life feels a little crazy. I forget things all the time, and I feel frazzled most of the time. So basically what I'm saying is: I need to get back to planning. (Any and all planning advice for the SAHM is welcome!) And since I'm not about planning things out anymore, I did not plan for this post very well. So you get a cute photo of Sammy from a few weeks ago. I'm pretty sure she was planning how she could best mess with Max and his toys. ;) Happy Friday, friends.


52 Linked 2012 A new theme every week.
A few other friends are joining-in on the adventure.
Please stop by and see their interpretations of our word of the week.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

The horror. :) I can't imagine my life without planning. Although I recognize I'm over-the-top about it and am slightly saddened I've passed the need to plan on to our 5 year-old. Sometimes I think I would enjoy and live in the moment a little more if I wasn't so worried about crossing things off my list. So maybe your way isn't so bad after all.

penandview said...

I think I'm a little bit of you and a little bit of Jenn. :) I like open ended days. Yet, I often never cross things off my planning list bc of it. Oh well. :) And a happy weekend to you too!

Simply Sara said...

i plan certain things and then don't plan others things. our menu- must be planned. our daily activities not so much. since 3 of my 4 kids are still at home we don't really plan much. there are weeks though that i over plan (over commit) and that's when i get stressed. i figure there is plenty of time to get crazy with planning once the kids are in school and in a whole slew of activities. for now, i'm happy to just fly by the seat of my pants :)

p.s sammy is sure cute :)

Linda W. said...

Cute, cute photo of your pup!

Anonymous said...

Honestly, planning is a struggle because as a stay at home mom the days feel so big and expansive that their SHOULD be time for everything. But when I really start thinking about everything that we as a group cram into our days planning is necessary. Like I said in my post: planning stresses me out at the same time that it calms me. ;) haha.

For my week at a glance:

At the top of each day are my three MUST Do chores: B, L, D. (Make Bed, Complete one load of laundry, finish all dishes). These are the 3 that I must do to be happy. And I cross them out when they are done. The goal is to have all of that done by noon.

Then I fill in all appointments/sports (things with actual times attached to them).
i.e. Ballet, Scouts, Dentist, etc.

Then I fill in meals. Easy meals or leftovers for busier days. Bigger cooking on "easy" days. I even put trips to the grocery store on my daily to-do list.

Then I fill in my workouts.

Then I add like one extra "to-do" to the list. Like clean laundry room, or hose off patio. If it gets done I throw myself a party and if not who cares. It was only a hope. I don't feel bad about it. ;)

Basically, the longer I do this basic weekly plan the easier it gets. When I meal plan I often flip back and see what I made on previous weeks and just copy it. I find myself adding in more to-do's the longer I use this system.

But to start with: simply a month at a glance calendar (with all appts) and picking your top 3 chores for the day and having a couple meals planned ahead of time for your week would be pretty awesome! That's how I started. :)

Amanda Kelley said...

I LOVE this narrative and LOVE seeing more of Sammy! I've found myself more drawn to photograph our Whitney Dog as the same bribes always work and there is never any whining! Great post Andrea!

Amanda Kelley said...

I LOVE this narrative and LOVE seeing more of Sammy! I've found myself more drawn to photograph our Whitney Dog as the same bribes always work and there is never any whining! Great post Andrea!

Jessica said...

I'm a planner like Jenn... and there's a lot to be said for the spontaneous. I would love to be more loose and free with my life than I am.

Heidi said...

When my kids were younger, I didn't plan a thing. Now that they're older and more involved in school and extracurricular, planning is a must for me. I mostly use my calendar and to do lists. There's just something about a to do list staring me in the face that motivates me throughout the day.

But I love this pic of your dog. Perfect :)

tracy said...

i feel more together when i plan, but with kids it feels like it is harder to find the time to plan!

Heather M. said...

i can totally relate to this post. when i worked in an office, i was super organized and everything planned out but now that i'm at home, i find it so much harder to plan. i think part of my problem is that i'm very goal-oriented so if i make this big list of things i plan to get done and they don't, i'm upset and disappointed and don't find myself living in the moment as much as i should. but on the other hand, when i don't have a plan, i forget things, get overwhelmed, procrastinate, etc. it's like a vicious cycle for me. :( i wish i could find a happy medium. not to mention that we really aren't up to all that much right now - maybe when my kids are older and have more stuff on the go.

love that photo of sammy. so cute!

Just Rhonda said...

I can relate to this post too! I totally was a planner before having kids. And I TRY now. Like those SAHM's who always do laundry on Mondays and the grocery shopping on Fridays or whatever.... can't do it! Tried but I get side tracked baking cookies or going to the park or whatever.

Marvett Smith said...

She looks camera shy in this image. :) I'm a total planner. I just can't live without planning. It's good and definitely bad at the same time. Sometimes I wish I could just loosen up a bit more, but alas it just doesn't happen!

Shawntae said...

Sammy looks so sweet. :)

Marking when the bills are due in a calendar for the month is about the extent of any planning I do at the moment. I would really love to start meal planning to save on time and money, but I still haven't gotten around to trying it out. I need to get on it, because I am sick of going to the store every other day.

Liza B. Gonzalez said...

So, true. I'm not much of a planner anymore. But I did make a plan book for my blogs...and that has made all the difference. Check out this site. it helped me out immensely.

http://amybayliss.com/2011/07/blog-planning-editorial-calendar-printable-day-27-heart-matters/

Bethany Crowell said...

Love this photo of your sweet pup!