When I get busy-- which I do EVERY SINGLE SEMESTER, particularly in November and in April, my planning capacity falls apart. JUST WHEN I NEED IT THE MOST. Like, I go days without checking in with my planner, which is BANANAS because I usually open and close each day with it. WHY AM I THE WAY I AM?
I will say that this is exactly why I need an undated planner-- I feel terrible when I see blank pages, which makes me even less likely to return to the planner-- it's a whole cycle-- I am a very don't-break-the-chain kind of person in just about very area of my life, and this is no different.
And! I gotta say! It is not just that I don't do my opening/closing ritual and miss it in a, like, meditative way. (But it is also that). I am missing important things that I need to do! Gah. The other day, for example, I found myself with a chunk of time to grade exams... AND NO EXAMS. (They were hanging up in the laundry room at home **whomp whomp**).
I wonder if this tendency to ignore my planner and then feel behind and then actually fall behind and then start to avoid dealing with stuff even more and then fall behind more and then avoid my planner more, etc-- I wonder if this cycle follows any other kinds of cycles in my life. Hormonal? Maybe?
Is anyone else like this? How do you make sure you make time to check in with your calendar instead of just relying on Google Cal notifications to get you through like? (This works marginally well).
Apropos of nothing, I am going to close with this pic of Ben and Minnie working hard. She was doing a sight word app on her iPad, and he dresses like that to run.
Hee hee... Garfield.
ReplyDeleteI'm not as busy as you, but I do check my planner every day. Back when I didn't do this I was missing things like dental appointments, so I learned my lesson. I'm wondering if you're just so busy that, ironically, you feel like you don't have time to look at your planner.
Anyway- whatever you're doing must be working, for the most part at least. If things were really falling apart you'd make a change. And- love that photo of Minnie and Ben!
Ugh...I hate that feeling of missing things. I'm also not as busy as you and I still find myself less likely to plan well when things feel busy. Usually though I realize how much is falling through the cracks and can reset with a brain dump and planner review.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a paper planner, but I have a white board on the fridge with the weeks happenings. I see it every morning as I get breakfast together- no avoiding it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe put your planner on top of your bag/clothes/counter so you have to see it first thing in the morning?
I just do it all digitally. I might have a to-do list written by hand here or there, but the big stuff is tracked digitally. And because we have a shared marital calendar, I have to check it to see who needs what car, when the shopping will happen, etc. I guess I just don't give myself an option of NOT looking.
ReplyDeleteBut I did forget some paperwork I needed today for a phone call, so my "system" is clearly not perfect.
I'm the same except I have the urge to then buy a NEW planner to "start over". I have no idea why but it's like every 4-6 weeks I quit using a system and want to start fresh with something new. It's annoying because I also want to quit right when I need the systems!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, Sarah, I just yesterday asked my husband "How do you remember things if you don't remember things?" Because I continue to forget taking my morning medication, which I have been doing for TWENTY YEARS; I have been forgetting my kid's medicine a couple of times a week; I totally forgot about an event my kid had to attend this weekend, until fortunately my reminder alarm went off with enough time for us to shower. But if you don't have reminders, then how do you remember???? I seriously don't know, and it seems like it should be a lot easier than it feels like it is! Anyway, I don't keep a planner because I would 100% forget to look at it, but WHAT ELSE IS THERE?
ReplyDeleteI used to have this problem and now I have an alarm set for EVERYTHING, including taking daily medication. It's also important that I take my meds 12 hours apart so it helps with that as well.
DeleteI know it's a little sad, because paper planners are so fun, but this is why I ultimately have Google Cal as my master calendar. And of course, I also have the app on my phone. So I can ALWAYS see my calendar, no matter where I am, because I also sadly will basically never ever be without my phone. I feel like there's really no way to claim I don't have 3 seconds to open the Google Cal app, you know? (Although I personally do sit down every morning and at least look over my Google Cal on my desktop, with my tea, before I really do anything else for the day- the phone app for me is just a backup/ reference if needed. I add things and do all "calendar maintenance" on the desktop.)
ReplyDeleteI do use Google as my source of truth, but I also really need the little reminders I jot down. Like, google told me it was office hours, but a planner would have been like BRING YOUR BAG OF EXAMS YOU FOOL, you know?
DeleteI feel like my comment below sounds like the opposite, but it's actually the same - ONE source of truth. Digital or paper. You pick! But don't halfheartedly have two (there are ways of having two that are VERY specific but in general most people are better off with ONE).
DeleteWell you can put anything you want on your Google Calendar... there's no reason you can't make a full day "event" (so it shows up at the top for the whole day) that says "bring exams!"). Or I personally use Google Tasks (lives inside Google Cal) and cannot speak highly enough of the Tasks Widget.. it's right there on my home screen of my phone and is where I jot notes to myself of things I need to do that day. (NOT like Notes where you have to open the app to see it... with the Tasks widget it's just right there in my face already when I unlock my phone.)
Deletemy heart rate went up reading this. I guess for me, it helps that I DON'T have an easy way to half plan. it's look at all of it, or literally drown in chaos. (BUT, the way I plan I only see things I know I am going to tackle on the given week and then day, so it is never all that stressful and I don't avoid looking at it!)
ReplyDeleteI mean, I guess it's google if I have to pick ONE because I DO put every single time-sensitive thing in there because I invite the fam to their stuff, etc. BUT there are (for me) notes and other details that don't make it to the google. So, like, I am not missing anything major when I don't use my paper planner (like, I made it to campus), but! Taking a bird's eye view of the day in my planner would have allowed me to be remember my freaking exams.
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