How Planning Helps Me Connect with My Family

I have been using a day planner since I was in 4th grade. In school I was taught early on how to put my homework into my day planner to assist me with accountability. As an adult, I continued using a day planner, but more actively, when my boss gave me a Day Timer in order to effectively manage my team and daily tasks after I was promoted into a leadership position. I was hooked at that point. She had told me to research Franklin Covey methods, and that sent me on a long journey, discovering different ways to use my day planner to manage everything from little tasks to important information and goals. My family likes to stay busy, and we are always thinking up fun things to do, and using a planner helps to make sure everyone knows where they are supposed to be and when.

Grocery list in the works!

By the time I got married, I was well versed in all things to do with using a day planner, but I could see that my husband, Travis, was struggling to manage some areas of his life. He had been relying on other people to remind him of important things like doctor’s appointments. I found myself communicating events with my husband, but he would still forget or not be fully in the loop. 

Travis had told me that he wanted a planner like mine. I use the Happy Planner “Big” because the disc-bound option allows me to easily pull the pages out or add a page if needed. Travis and I set out to our local craft store and browsed their inventory. We were quick to realize that Happy Planner is geared towards women. We were disappointed that there were not any masculine options available. Travis liked the layout, but was not as enthusiastic about the colors and themes. The planner he eventually chose was designed by Rong Rong and is filled with cartoons of girls living their best life. I ended up having to laminate a new cover for him. The Happy Planner ended up not being a good option for Travis - the pages were always falling out; he was a little too rough on it, and so it caused him a lot of frustration.

This year, we went to the office supply chain and looked at Day Timer planners and similar brands. Travis chose a more costly option, but hopefully this one will hold up better. He chose a 3-ring binder that zips up, allowing him to have more control over the loose slips of papers and notes he likes to keep with his planner. So far it has been holding up. 

Even my daughter uses a Planner!

Although Travis is now using his day planner, he is not all that enthusiastic about planning itself. He does enjoy meal planning and picking out new recipes for the week. He also likes participating in brainstorming family fun activities like camping or a vacation. He has not been overly interested in planning with me when it comes to weekly planning. I have to schedule time and remind him to be ready to plan. He doesn’t find joy in sitting down and mapping out the day to day home maintenance, care and logistics for our household. He prefers to be directed on what to do each week, so I usually only schedule meeting time to plan with him when it’s something important like a family trip. When I plan what I need to do for the week, I make a list for Travis, too. On Sundays, usually after dinner, I let him know what activities and events are coming up. We discuss what the plans are for the week and I’ll present him with a sticky note with important dates and facts that he then adds to his day planner. He will update me too on any reminders for the week. We are not springing anything new on each other – just keeping the communication going. My method might not work for everyone; I can say that Travis is very agreeable – if I ever need him to run an errand, I can give him a to-do list and trust that it will get done. He just needs guidance and open communication, otherwise he will forget things all together. If you are trying to get your partner more involved, then I strongly suggest making a long list of tasks and goals, and sit down with your spouse to hash out what needs to be done by whom and when. Just pick a couple of things on the list, make a commitment to accomplish them, either separately or together, and then hold each other accountable. 

I have a new accountability partner for my planning! This year Mom and I have been planning more family activities together. We started getting on Zoom calls together to plan and realized that it was fun to work on our regular weekly planning together also. I have found that planning my week with someone else has been beneficial as I am more likely to set actual plans, rather than allowing my week to unfold as it happens. We chat, plan, ask for ideas and sometimes even swap recipes while we are planning. So far, I have filled my planner more, have taken deeper dives into my daily flow, and also feel as if I have accomplished more since we started our planning sessions. 

Cindy and Christen Planner Zooming

We thought it might be fun to share our planning session with you. We are so excited to share our first LIVE broadcast via Zoom this Friday. Cindy will be the hostess as she gives us a tour of her weekly planning routine and processes. Please check us out at 8pm CST; the details are below! If you are not able to join the live broadcast, don’t worry, there will be a recording to view after the event is over. We look forward to seeing you!

Plan with Us Live connection info here:

Time: Apr 29, 2022, 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 828 5000 6280

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