Plan with Me: Setting Time Aside for a Weekly Planning Session
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #DataAndAMovie #CollectiveBias
I don’t know how you do it.”
You have no idea how many times someone has said that to me.
And by do it, they mean work from home, volunteer at the kids’ schools, run from the baseball field to the soccer field, and keep it all straight.
Well, the truth is, appearances can be deceiving. While I like to think that I do it all, I don’t. There are times when something has to give. Maybe I am working on a deadline and the house has to fall apart. Or work gets put on the back burner so I can deep clean the house. But the one thing that I refuse to give up is my weekly planning.
It’s what holds this family together.
Every Sunday, I sit down with my phone and my paper planner and see what is on tap for us that upcoming week. A planning sessions allows me to get a glance of what is happening for the upcoming week. Doing this before the week begins, I know ahead of time all of the “don’t forgets” and “must-dos”. It helps me feel in control because it’s so easy to fall out of line and have your world feel upside down.
When I’m scheduling out my to-do list and activities for the week, I have to be able to check my online scheduling so I don’t miss an important event, Twitter party, etc. That means I need a reliable cell phone service. The new service plan, Walmart Family Mobile PLUS gives me Unlimited Talk, Text, & Data which includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE . And it doesn’t stop there, I get a free movie on VUDU every month ($7 value) which helps me put more Family Movie Nights on the calendar. All for the price of $49.88 per line.
I just picked up the Walmart Family Mobile Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Smartphone with a 4.5″ display for enhanced viewing. I need a phone that can help me track my efforts and accountability, especially when it comes to my clients. That means I need my time tracking apps and Google Docs in my hand. With an internal memory of the Android Lollipop smartphone is 8GB, I have all the space I need.
Now that I have my phone, for the ease of double checking my schedule, and my paper planner, I am ready to plan my objectives for the week.
Setting Time Aside for a Weekly Planning Session
Your weekly planning session doesn’t have to take a lot of time! In about 10-15 minutes, you can successfully map out your family’s week and get ahead instead of falling behind. How?
Pick a date. Set a definite day that you will sit down each week to plan. I do my planning on Sunday because we tend to not so busy. I like to plan in the morning since I include meal planning with my week. That way I can make my grocery list at the same time and head out to the store afterwards.
Get the family involved. You don’t have to be the only one juggling everyone’s schedule. Call a family planning meeting over Sunday breakfast and go over the week ahead. Have them give their input for meals for the week. Having the family involved means everyone knows where they need to be and what they need to do that week.
Get planning!
Start by writing out all appointments, meetings, and sports schedules.
Next, schedule time for your top three priorities for the week. Then, map out a cleaning schedule. By doing a little bit at a time, you can stay on top of your housecleaning. Don’t forget about trash days!
Finally, schedule in some family time, like a family movie night or date night.
Schedule in some me time. While you are busy keeping track of everyone else, make sure you all take care of yourself. Schedule that hair appointment or go get your nails done or simply make time for a long bubble bath. Whatever it is you decide to do for you (for me, it’s a trip the coffee shop), make sure you do it! Remember, it’s in your planner and you have to!
And that’s it! You are ready to take on the week. Ready to start your own weekly planning session? I put together this simple weekly planning session checklist to help you get started!
Download your very own Weekly Planning Checklist!
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Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/28aqc or your local Walmart for current pricing.
Looking for more posts about planning? Make sure you follow my Plan All the Things Pinterest Board! Don’t forget to pin Setting Time Aside for a Weekly Planning Session so you can start planning too!
I’ve always loved planning out my week by making lists, but it’s never been this organized! Thanks for the great ideas and printable to make my planning more effective. In the end, a good data plan is key – to keep up with it all! #client