Planning Out The Year
One of the comments I hear the most is, “I don’t know how you do it all.”
I’m going to tell you how! Well…sort of. :p
Truth is, “I don’t do it all.” You see me post much of what I do, but I don’t post what I don’t do. And the things I do do, I am able to do because of the support of so many people (eg: hubby, grandparents, my team, etc) and God’s grace! So, WE (not I) do it all!
But I do plan out for the entire year, so when the year is over, it is not a shock to me what was done and what was not done. That’s because I am very intentional and aware with how I spend my time. Sometimes I can get a bit nuts about this, but I have found after years of running around like a crazy person with no focus and hitting complete overwhelm in the past, this system of planning out the year absolutely works for me.
It is tedious, but after this big planning work is done, it takes out a lot of the guess work from the day to day.
After you completed your year-end reflection or calendar audit, get your blank new planner and get ready to plan the year. I personally love Rifle Paper monthly large flat planners where I can see a month at a glance & Simplified monthly or weekly planners + cute notepaper for my daily/hourly list.
You’ll notice in the photo above I have four planners for 2022 because one was for work, one was for the first half of the year, one was for the second half, and one is my current one I’m about to refresh with my blank 2023 Rifle Paper planner coming in! (Yup, I re-check in and do this all over again mid-year to make sure I’m in alignment or make adjustments as needed).
In fact, I feel like I could break this whole process down into step-by-step and almost teach a course on it, but for now, here’s the bird’s eye view with a few examples.
The Year - First I start with my word for the year. The kind of person I want to be this year and journal about it. This one word sets my overall theme for the year. In 2022 it was “discipline” and in 2023 it will be “family.” Read more about my word of the year, on our Choco le`a email campaign.
The Months - Then I write the major holidays, school breaks, birthdays, annual events, or major things that happen every year + “the feel” for that month. I notice there are different “seasons” or “feels” every month, and keeping that in mind helps me to mentally prepare for each month. For example, “December is a busy sales month” which means “November is my get it done now month” and “January is my re-set and wrap things up month.” And for some reason, everyone has a birthday in March so that’s a busy time for “outing and family get-togethers.” It also shows me where my breaks are in the year based on our seasons as a small business so I can plan for vacations or projects like a mini renovation.
The Weeks - Then I plan out my weeks. The recurring stuff that happenseach month like balancing our budget, preparations for the next month, and mile marker goals for work projects to make sure we are moving along and making progress is broken down into weeks. Also the same weekly stuff is noted like kids’ after-school activities, church, etc.
The Days - Then I plan out my days. The recurring stuff that happens every day like cleaning, homework, dish washing and the things I need to figure out which day within the week will work for meetings, grocery shopping, etc.
The Hours - Finally, it goes down to the hours. The commute time, dinner prep, bath, sleep and if there are any “empty” hours available, then I leave it open to be flexible and if not, I know something has to come off of my plate.
Planning how I split up my hours in the days, days in the weeks, weeks in the months, and months in the year determines if I will make progress and stay aligned with my word for the year.
Yes, I know this can sound absolutely crazy, but for me, this detail planning and structure helps me to focus, keep my boundaries, stick to my values, stay on target, and get a lot done!
Ok so that was the crash course and if you want to learn this kind of stuff more, please let me know! But remember, after you’ve done all of this planning, be sure to plan to be flexible too! ;P (Write in pencil)
erin’s tip
If it’s not given a time slot in your planner, it won’t get done. Be intentional with your year from the big vision and word, down to the details in the hour!
