Dear Friends:
One of the biggest tools that you can have in your journey to PEACE
is a calendar. It doesn't matter what kind, it can be a wall calendar, a planner, whatever as long as you have one.
One of the first things that we tell you to do when starting our
system is to establish routines and a basic weekly plan, this is why
we had all of you go through the control journal exercises in the
past few weeks. A calendar is the next step towards FLYing. A
calendar should be a tool that keeps you and your family informed as
to what is going on in your lives. If you are using a personal
planner I still recommend that you have a family calendar that is
located in a central location of your home so that all family members
can see what is going on. This is what will save you from forgotten
games, events, appointments and...disappointments!!! Your family
counts on you to keep them going, using a calendar will help not only
you but all of your family as well.
Once you have established routines and a basic weekly plan, you know
that you are to sit down once a week to plan the next week, we call
this desk day. This is the day that you look at your calendar to see
what is happening the following week for your family.
The kicker is that if you don't have a calendar, than you have to
rely on your memory to tell you what is going on for next week, well
I think we all know how well that works! LOL!
So how do you use a calendar?
Family Events: Take the time to sit down and fill in birthdays and general
information that is consistent for your family; this will save you
from ever forgetting a birthday or anniversary again! This is
where you look at your calendar on desk day to see if there any cards
or packages that you need to buy and or mail.
Schedules: When you receive a schedule of events from anything that a family
member participates in FILL IT IN ON YOUR CALENDAR IMMEDIATELY!!
Examples are : school calendars, sports schedules, boy scouts, dance
classes, church schedules, etc. When you get them write them down!
Don't leave those schedules in a hotspot or the car! If you
absolutely can't write them down that minute than take a paper clip
and clip it to your calendar or put it in the pocket of your calendar
to pull out and enter the information on the calendar when desk day
comes around. This will allow you to know what events you can and
cannot attend because you will be able to see if you have a schedule
issue.
Invitations: When you receive an invitation in the mail DON'T throw
it in a hotspot or a pile of mail. First ask yourself if you want to
go to the event, if you do than go to your calendar and see if the
date is a good one for you or the person that has been invited. If
you have looked at your calendar and know that you can attend, you
write it down immediately! If the invitation requires an RSVP than
take care of that right away. (By the way if you don't want to go to
the event or it is something that doesn't work into your schedule
then RSVP if required or throw the invitation away!)
Appointments: When you schedule an appointment for Doctors,
dentists, barbers, whatever, look at your calendar FIRST! Then after
you have scheduled them WRITE the appointment down so that you will
not schedule yourself into a conflict. When you are using a basic
weekly you will have a day that is more convenient for running
around. Try to set up most of your appointments on your errand day,
you can make this decision.
Some calendars and planners come with stickers that save time and
space by having them with pictures and/or words that you can help use
to schedule things. If you have those USE them. They are little
tools to assist you in your planning. If you have a sticker that
says Dentist: than use it than you only have to write in the name of
the person that is going to the dentist and the time, the sticker
will tell you that it is a dentist appointment. Visual aids that
will help you!!!! Colored pens, stickers, hi-lighters. Be creative!
Ask any Born Organized person that you know, they use calendars,
planners and even the electronic date keepers. If you want to really
FLY, using a calendar is a must! As I said before, it can be
whatever calendar you choose: The wall calendar, a pocket planner,
a desktop calendar, it does not matter as long as you use it!!!!
We want you to FLY! We promise that using a calendar will help you
to FLY! Be consistent and dedicated about this and it will work for
all of you!
Happy Planning!
Kelly
