The family calendar is a key component of staying organized.
As I mentioned yesterday in my article on time management for parents – this tool is grossly underutilized. Often, people will make elaborate lists of things to do – but those never actually get scheduled. This causes frustration because the ever growing list soon balloons out of control.
Creating a system that will work begins with ONE good calendar. I emphasize the word ONE because many homes tend to have several of these lying around. Writing an event on the one in the kitchen and then jotting something down on the one in the office can result in many scheduling conflicts.
Years ago I hung a huge dry erase calendar in the kitchen – it was centrally located and was the single point of reference for me when it came to scheduling activities and making appointments – it was our one family calendar. But the problem was that it was not portable. This was fine when the children were little but as they have gotten older – I find myself driving around town all the time and I need a copy of that calendar with me.
So, the ideal solution is some kind of digital planner or paper planner that can fit into a purse or bag. Luckily, Microsoft Outlook or Entourage, or Apple’s iCal make easy work of creating a family calendar. Many of my regular readers know that I am a big Apple fan (and I am not talking about the fruit). I use iCal on my computer and sync it via MobileMe on my iPhone. This way I am always in sync and I always have my planner with me. In addition I can share my calendar with my family members – so they can keep up to date with our family’s ever changing schedule.
There are free options as well by using services like Google calendar or Yahoo!’s version.
The point here being that it does not matter what form your family calendar takes – electronic, paper, etc. What is essential is that you use this one and only datebook exclusively for all appointments and obligations. When everything is written in one place – there is no searching for elusive scrap of paper where you wrote down that tiny important detail. This method eliminates stress and increases organization and productivity.
For busy families calendar sharing is a must – here are some tips to keep the household in sync.
photo by Glenn Batuyong
