A Plan is What Momma Needs
Life is packed full of surprises and this is why Momma needs a plan. Creating a life you love sounds great, but what are you doing to make it happen? Today I am giving you the real truth about why life may not be going according to plan and how to get back in the drivers seat.
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The truth is I complain a lot about not getting things done, not having enough time, not having enough money. Have you heard yourself say something like that? I feel stressed a lot and things feel out of my control. Momma, are you saying "YESSS!" yet? There is a path to greatness, happiness, and dreams coming true and then there are the sidelines. If you are hoping to find happiness, you my friend (and I) may be sitting on the sidelines.
So last year, my family took a bike trip through the mountains. It was amazing! It felt great to relax and let the winding roads heal our stress. They call this wind therapy. But anyone who has ever tried to drive in the mountains knows how easy it is to get turned around if you take a wrong turn. You need a map...or for us a plan!
It hit me that the same thing happens to me at home. Things get off course, practices get rescheduled, cars break down, and I get all turned around. A plan does so much to decrease stress. It helps you know where you are and where you want to be heading. This is where my planner comes in.
A recent study in UK shows making the bed is a keystone habit and increases positive effects and moods that last all day. It also states writing things down in a planner made a huge improvement in productivity and feelings of accomplishment.
Planning and Time Management
Mommas have a limited amount of time and a thousand things to do. It is crucial to maximize your effectiveness of chores and errands to allow quality time to build healthy relationships.
Set routines and be consistent with them to work smarter and not harder
Make a small daily ToDo List helps focus on goals for the day
Coordinate with others. Planning helps predict scheduling issues and resolve easily
Set reminders. Having reminders the week before a birthday helps plan to pick up a gift.
Planning to Clear Brain Space
By making notes or jotting down details in a planner, it allows your mind to relax and not feel stressed to remember tiny details. Brainstorming is another great way to brain dump all the crazy ideas into one place and then come up with creative solutions.
“An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing.”
I know that once I make notes it does two things. First, writing it down it reinforced the details in my mind and I remember them better and two I feel my body relax and know that it is ok not to try so hard to remember. The information is not safe in my planner which is my second brain. Hands up if you need to free up some brain space!
Lets go of the fear of forgetting details
Easier to prioritize tasks
Aids in decision making (pro & con lists or brainstorming solutions)
Easier to coordinate with others (a family calendar can make running kids a lot easier)
Manage Resources Better
My family always needs to be on the same page when it comes to budgeting and grocery lists. Having a family calendar or system to get info to me for my planner is key to reducing the number of trips to the store or double buying items.
Prior to setting up a good system, I would make a menu plan, shop for groceries, and then see my hubby or older kids come in with stuff that I had just picked up. "oh, I didn't know" was a phrase I heard too much. My husband is notorious for deciding to grill and get all the fixings without telling me a thing...meanwhile I am home cooking dinner that he doesn't want to eat. Ugh.
Track & Budget Spending in a visible way
Create and manage inventory lists
Make stickup lists for sale items
Manage joint car usage and maintenance
Assign chore lists
Planning to Have Fun
Momma, if you are like me you are on the move all of the time. Sometimes, I just want to sit down and be creative. When my kids were little I was introduced to a thing called scrapbooking. It was a new hobby that got moms out of the house for a few hours to scrapbook parties where they could get creative, enjoy time with friends, and be away from the kids.
These days, I enjoy sitting with my planner and decorating it with stickers and pictures of my family so that I can remember why I do it all. I also take the time to journal about our days. It is a diary of our family life and in the past few years I have come to love my planner. I can pick up an old planner and tell the kids what tv shows they were into back then, what they got for their birthdays, just a ton of stories and memories to hold on to. Some weeks its not so fun or cute but I enjoy it and it helps to keep my memories alive.
Another key reason Mommas need to plan is to plan some fun. Set aside some time each month for a family fun day or set aside money for a vacation. Planning is a great way to make plans and track savings to do something you enjoy.
Journaling to relax, document memories, or as a prayer time
Be creative. It's a great place to let your creative go wild without costing a ton.
Plan some fun for the family and track the savings for vacations.
Momma Needs to Set Goals
to research and budget, set up a time table for doing it, and then have fun tracking your progress. Your planner is your best weapon against a lackluster life.
Set up short term and long term goals
Design projects and manage timelines
Create family health goals
Track Holiday gift ideas and budget, orders and tracking, party planning & menus
One of the things most successful people agree on is the need for a clear plan.
“Aim for the sky and your are sure to land among the stars, aim at nothing and you will likely hit it.”
What Kind of Planner Should I Use?
Planning is a personal decision. The options vary from a wall calendar to track family activities and chores, paper planners that come from basic to very elaborate, and digital planners for those who prefer to keep everything on their tablet for convenience. I have them all and love each of them.
A wall calendar works really well as a family command center. You can keep up grocery lists, activities, and chores in a centralized location so that the entire family can see and add to it.
A paper planner can be a simple day planner or agenda all the way to a designer planner like the Happy Planner or Erin Condren planner. Hobby and craft stores have aisles and aisles of planners, accessory papers, pens, stickers, and wash tape to decorate to your hearts content. Planners can start at around $10 and range as high as $65 or more.
Digital planning is the newest kid on the block. Think of all of the things you can use a paper planner to do and it can be done with a digital planner. You will need an iPad or tablet and a stylus or Apple Pencil to get started as well as a hosting app such as GoodNotes or Notion. Once you have these things, then you can find digital planners for sale from Etsy or Shopify or even your favorite YouTubers from around $10-$30. With Digital Planners you do not have to purchase anything else but it tempting to buy digital stickers to jazz things up. The biggest pro is that you can reuse digital stickers over and over again vs paper stickers have a one time use.
Planning is fun but it can also take time if you want to be creative. Check out this article for a full breakdown of these planners. Don't feel pressured to make things Pinterest pretty. A functional planner is all that Mommas really need to stay on top of things!
