More on Seasonal Planning (and The File Crate)

In a comment left after my last post, Jennifer asked: 

"Do seasonal binders mean the end of the file folders??"

It's a very good question, Jennifer, and one I asked myself, because I do try to limit the number of "systems" I use to keep my household on track. But for now, the answer is no, the planners will not replace the file system - but they will, hopefully, complement it. 

The seasonal planners are mainly places for note-taking and strategizing. Throughout the year, events, activities and projects come up that need more than a simple reminder - they need some detailed attention.

So, in the Winter this might be a mid-year review, a new hobby (bread-baking) or an impromptu unit study (wolves). In the Spring this might be Easter or a new garden plan or a First Communion celebration. In the summer this might be a vacation, a summer reading plan or a shell-collecting bag I'd like to make. In the fall this could be a home project, a bake sale or a Halloween party. And of course it goes without saying that the Holidays (November and December) bring major plans between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It's all part of the job description of course. ;) As a full-time mother, this is what I do - I plan these kinds of things out for my family, and it's both a huge blessing and an enormous responsibility! But since I don't do well "last minute" and I don't have a lot of (any) extra time on my hands, I know that if I'm going to pull something off, I really need to plan and prepare ahead of time. I need a place to hash things out - to write my notes and make my lists, and unfortunately, the file crate isn't really the place to do this ...

It would be great if it could be - it would obviously make things simpler just to have the ONE place where ALL plans and information and reminders are kept. I tried to make it work - but keeping planning pages inside the folders was just a mess. Even making up special folders for holidays didn't work (out of sight, out of mind). I realized I really need to keep timely projects front and center - hiding them in the file folders didn't do that. 

So how do I decide where something goes? Well, let me try to briefly illustrate the difference.

If I get a reminder card from the orthodontist (or the vet or the eye doctor) in the mail, I pop it in the appropriate file folder (i.e. the week the appointment is scheduled). If I find a coupon for a special sale or a flyer for an interesting class, I do the same thing. An e-mail reminder for an upcoming field trip would also go in a folder, as would an invitation to a party.

All these things warrant a brief mention on the calendar or maybe an action or two on the to-do list.

But let's take something more complex, say something like Easter. A holiday that means so much to our family, to our children in particular, takes some planning and forethought. There are books to read, crafts to make, special food to make, baskets to prep, Masses to attend and of course, a big family dinner to host. For an event like this, I need lists (how I love lists!), and clippings and space in which to work it all out. An "Early Spring" planner filled with plenty of paper and pockets for storing clippings (etc.) seems a good place to do that. 

Does any of this make any sense, lol? :)

I plan to keep the current season's planner out and about in my workspace so that it is always at my fingertips (in other words, the most timely projects are fresh in my mind). The rest of the binders will sit on that shelf I showed you in my last post - still close by, but out of the way. As I think up a new project or when a new event pops up, I will start a planning page in the appropriate binder and mark the project (event/activity) on the index page. 

I hope this helps clear things up a bit for you all. Thanks to Jennifer for asking the question and getting this ball rolling. :) I will be revisiting this topic again before long, I am sure, so please don't hesitate to leave me more questions if you have them. I certainly don't profess to be a home management expert (by any means!) but I keep trying to make things work a little bit better for my family. To my mind, we can all use a fresh idea now and again - you never know when it might be just the ticket!

Well, I hope you all have a good Wednesday. We are fighting a cold here and an snow-ice storm is moving through the area. Very wintry, indeed. 

See you all again sometime soon!