I am reading a book called Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Deniece Schofield. I saw it on the sidebar of a blog but don’t remember which (sorry). One of the organizational devises she recommends is a central calendar / planning book. I rely on my calendar heavily and don’t attempt to make any commitments without consulting it first. However, I have not used my planner very extensively. She has many good ideas for using your planner but my favorite is the “Running To-Do List”.
Often haunted by tasks that I want to get done at some point but don’t have time for now, this seems like an ideal way to get these jobs off my brain without losing them. I have found that my memory isn’t what it once was. Lately I have felt that mentally I am stretched quite thin as I attempt to juggle the lives and commitments of my husband, my children, and me. The author recommends making a daily to-do list with tasks that I can actually get to that day rather than writing everything I can think of on my daily list. I found the use of a daily to-do list very helpful when I was doing the “Make Your Home a Haven Challenge.” It really only took me a few minutes at breakfast but it kept me focused. The place for everything I can think of is my “running to-do list”, which I can use to form my daily to-do list. With the help of my “running to-do list”, I’ll be able to work little by little on those nagging tasks that never seem to get done.
It is not written for home-schooling mothers but so far I feel there is much that can be gleaned from this helpful book.
Hey,
Your thing with the “to do list” pretty much described my organizational process. Maintain the “everything” list with all the stuff you ever think of, but also create a daily list for the absolutely, positively need to do today stuff. It always amazes me how even that strategy can go up in flames when one unexpected circumstance shows up.
Good luck!