Every time the new year rolls around, I feel renewed. I tell myself this is the year I’ll get my act together. Newsflash! It never happens, but it’s nice to dream, right? I don’t have much going for me, but there is a secret to keeping me looking like I kind of have it together.
My calendar.
I’m not talking about my phone. I’m talking a good ol’ piece of white paper hanging on my fridge. It tells me when the kids have doctor appointments, what is for dinner, holidays and birthdays ahead, bills that need to be paid, and even tells me what day of the week it is (since I forget about 15 times a day).
Because I can’t live without my calendar, I thought I’d share it with you too! There is a blank calendar at the end if you prefer to write everything in yourself too.
DOWNLOAD 2018 CALENDAR HERE
A few tips and tricks to organizing your new calendar:
1. Print off the ENTIRE calendar now.
Put this month up somewhere where you can see it, and put the rest of the pages somewhere you’ll remember.
2. Write on your calendar when you’re going to update your calendar for the next month.
I usually do this the last Monday of the month. My daughter loves to sit and “color” with me while I write down the important dates for the next month.
3. Use your calendar as a meal planner.
In our house, the only important meal is dinner. The rest we figure out daily. I write down each Friday what meals we are going to have that week. When it comes time to make my shopping list, it goes a lot faster. Also, each day I know what I need to take out of the freezer or what time to start dinner.
4. Make the calendar fun.
One of my favorite things to do is look through the National Day Calendar at the beginning of every month and see what holidays there are. I know people rarely celebrate things like French Toast Day, but then when I make French Toast for dinner, at least I have an excuse. And yes, most of the holidays included revolve around food -my kind of holiday!
5. Keep the old pages as a scrapbook.
I love keeping calendars as a type of journal. It’s a lot easier to write little things on the calendar than doing a full on journal entry. Bonus, if I ever decide to journal, I’ve got the dates already!
6. Most of all, remember your calendar is there to help YOU.
Do whatever helps you stay organized. Draw pictures on it, let your kids add things, blow it up and hang it on the wall, whatever works best for you!
How do you stay organized in the new year?
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I love this!! Thanks Jessica!