Getting organized with a weekly planner

So many people ask me how I manage to do what I do everyday and stay organized. For me I guess its just life, it’s what I signed up for. There is nothing special about my case, I’m just your average mom with littles trying to make every hour of my day count. With managing a household of 3 kids I have to plan out the many volunteer opportunities at the kids school, their extracurricular activities that run from Monday – Saturday, meal planning for the week, house chores, any medical appointments that come up like the dentist, of course plan family time, date nights with my better half, and this does not even cover when I work my nursing shifts or any me time. Other than having an incredibly supportive village, the one thing that helps me remember my lengthy list of to do’s is by writing it down. Now I know that there are many fancy apps and calendars in our phones that we carry with us everywhere which work well for some, but for me there is something about using pen and paper. Writing the list helps me visualize just how many tasks I have, which ones I think are most important, and the best part for me is checking off my list – best feeling ever! 🙂

My calendar year starts in September, mainly because that is when the kids go back to school. This is a time I love looking for new calendars and agendas. I’m the crazy lady who sits at Chapters or Home Sense for hours when the new planners come out comparing the dozens of them over and over trying to find one that perfectly fits my needs. Over the years I have searched for a planner that not only allowed me to plan for everything and everyone else in my life, but also one that had space to identify my personal needs, a space that reminded me of the importance of balance in the midst of the chaos of the week. So after months of planning I finally created a “Live life on purpose” weekly planner that gives a snapshot of the week ahead. My mission with this planner is to help people realize the importance of self care and to live life with intention.

Highlights of the planner:

Sections – Each day is divided into 3 sections to help plan out your morning, afternoon and evening
52 perforated pages so you can either tear the page away when the week is over or keep each week and simply flip the page over using the coil binding
Gold stamping on every page to add a little bit of luxe to your planning

Weekly intention – Help shape and set direction for your week ahead by setting weekly intentions. Setting intentions can help you understand what is most important to you, and writing them down gives you a constant reminder to stay focused on them.
Fitness goal – How will you stay fit this week? Set healthy goals that are attainable. Will you walk up the stairs at work instead of using the elevator? will you plan to eat healthier? Remember health = wealth.
My bucket – What is something you will do just for YOU this week. We all know what it’s like to run on empty so make sure you are doing what you need to keep your tank full.

Water intake – I am completely guilty for not keeping hydrated so I thought that by having this gentle reminder on each day, I would not only be motivated to check off all 8 spaces but also keep track of how much I drank throughout the week
Top priorities and notes – What are the most important tasks you need to tackle this week?