Scheduling in the New Year…
My six-year-old niece knows the importance of scheduling—who’s going to get her from school, when the practices, games, parties are, and when she gets overnights at her grandparents. In fact, she’s so on top of scheduling that she creates her own monthly schedule for her American Girl dolls as to when they can spend the day and sleepover with Granddad (apparently my dad is the most trusted of all the grandparents with the "kids," which is a bit of a surprise to my mom!). She also makes up daily lists of what they can eat and when they can nap and so on.
And with the new year, I’m once more inspired to try out the latest variations of my own schedule. I have the wall calendar, the dry erase three-month calendar, the Wunderlist, the electronic calendar and more. Each has its benefits and detractions. The Wunderlist and electronic calendar can give me nudges, but the visual aspect of seeing my next three months planned out on the wall calendar can’t be denied.
Still, I’ve also begun creating a one sheet paper (still so versatile and useful!) of all the projects I’m expected to do for the month with the goals for each day, to make sure things get done. It’s the most portable, goes from laptop to desktop and apartment to library to family, and gets the most battered, but so far it’s working out best of the various things I’ve tried.
Inevitably things will fall by the wayside, but that’s the beauty of a schedule. It can be erased, adjusted, tweaked and even tossed when it doesn’t work. There’s always a new app, a new pad, a new list to be made.
And you know? As long as there are enough things to fill up that calendar/schedule/app, I’ll make it work!
Do you have any favorite apps or methods of juggling your work/writing with your regular life?
Enjoy the new year!