There are a lot of theories on what belongs in a household notebook, but what it all boils down to is this: if it's not set up the way you think about your home, it won't work. SO - the next step is to list out the major areas of your life. This list will become the table of contents for your household notebook. Here's what mine looks like:

•     Calendars and Schedules
•     Goals and Planning
•     Mail (this isn't actually a section, it's an envelope I've punched and placed in my binder)
•     Food
•     Finances
•     Writing and Work
•     Homeschooling
•     Hobbies and Leisure
•     Routines and Documentation
•     Family Information

These aren't in any particular order, except the order I thought of them in.  Take a few minutes now to brainstorm the major areas of your life - and while you're at it, why not create your very own blog here on Budget Artists and share your thoughts?

This week, I'm focusing on the first section of my household notebook:  Calendars and Schedules.  For me, this is a major pain point, so it's the first thing I want to get under control, before I forget another Cub Scout meeting (conveniently held at my house!).  Here's a list of the information I've put in Calendars and Schedules:

•     A list of birthdays and other yearly events, organized by month.
•     The current month's calendar.
•     A page for each week this month, with events, upcoming deadlines, etc.  Anything happening that week that isn't part of the normal routine.
•     A page for each day this week, with my primary and secondary goals for that day, events, and that day's slice of the weekly routine.
•     Vehicle maintenance schedule.

It seems redundant, but the only page I actually use is the daily page.  The yearly, monthly, and weekly schedules are there so I don’t forget to include something on my daily page. 

The yearly events are just a brainstorm.  I started out with major holidays and birthdays – the events that will cause a major crisis if I somehow forget them.  Then I went through and added other periodic events like our summer camping trip, the local arts festival, the starting date of the farmer’s market, etc.  Finally, I’ve made notes to myself to start thinking about upcoming events.  For example, in August, I’ve noted that I need to start talking to the kids about their Halloween costumes – give them plenty of time to change their minds five times! – and in October I need to start planning homemade Christmas gifts.  The vehicle maintenance schedule goes here too, only because oil changes are one of those things I know I'm likely to forget about.

On the last weekend of the month, I print out a calendar for the upcoming month, and transfer events from my yearly list.  I could have them automatically print out, but I find that the event name always gets cut off.  For me it’s just easier to hand write things, plus it reminds me of what’s coming.  I save past month’s calendars, to remind me of things I may have forgotten to put on the yearly list.  A household notebook is always a work in progress!

On the weekend, I sit down for a half hour or so and transfer events from the monthly calendar onto my weekly schedule.  Unlike the yearly and monthly calendars, I do have a weekly template with things like daily housekeeping tasks and weekly events already listed. 

This is also the time I figure out our homeschooling plans for the week, and decide on my writing goals. 

From those three separate areas – my general weekly schedule, homeschooling plans, and writing goals - I work out my daily schedules for the upcoming week.  I may plan those areas separately, but reality is they all have to be addressed during any given day.  The only way I can effectively balance them is if I break down my weekly goals into daily tasks and put those tasks together on my daily schedule.

My daily schedules go at the very front of my household notebook so they’re easy to find.  At the end of the day, I take them out of my binder and put them in the kids’ drawing paper bin to be reused. 

At this point, I don’t necessarily schedule our days down to the hour.  Instead, I have three distinct times:  morning (defined as any time before lunch), afternoon (the period between lunch and dinner) and evening (after dinner, before bedtime).  I’ll list the tasks that need to be done in the morning, such as dishes, starting laundry, and first grade/kindergarten homeschool.  That way, I don’t stress about it if we don’t start school until 9:30 because the baby is being cranky, or because we just aren’t getting moving any particular morning.  As long as everything gets done before lunch, we’re still on track.

So – this is how I handle scheduling.  What works for your family?  Leave a comment and share your hard-earned wisdom!
 

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