Turns out, if you want your planner routine to do all the things for you, you have to USE YOUR PLANNER. SO WEIRD, right?
Engie came to the pool with me so we could talk about a book we both read, and we started also talking about the Pop Sugar reading challenge, and you guys! I check in with that challenge shortly before the start of each new month when I fill out my paper monthly planner, something I started doing on SHU's recommendation to see all of my work days at a glance so I could tell how much deep work time was available to me each month.
But! 10 days into August, and I had not even cracked that guy. SO, I did my monthly lay out last might and noticed important things. Like, for example, Harry's move-in day is when I have a dentist appointment AND a video visit with my doctor. Grrrrrr. That's because Harry's move in day is NOT a weekend day at all-- which is something I could have known from the Google calendar, but is the kind of thing that really only sinks in for me when I plot my month on a grid. GAH. (I put it on the cal for 8/29 even though it was 8/31, and he said 8/31, but I just assumed that was a Saturday and didn't really check which is on me but also would not have happened ON PAPER)
(Also, maybe I should do the Pop Sugar challenge tracking digitally next year-- this year I am going old school with a print out...)
(Also also, I usually plan the upcoming month with my Friday weekly planning on the last Friday of the current month, but I have not really been doing my Friday afternoon planning because I am usually at the pool on Friday afternoons and I cram the weekly spread layout into another time slot-- but apparently the August monthly overview sesh got lost in the shuffle. Blah)
(I have been way better about using a planner this summer than previous summers, and things have been smoother because of it, work included, but I need to reschedule my time next summer knowing that the when and how of my nitty gritty planning schedule need to be adjusted, not just ignored).
Speaking of college move in! We got a brief reprieve on Jack's leave date thanks to his dorm room not being ready yet. He planned to move in a week early on 8/16 to be on campus for the speech team work week, but! He is living in a newly renovated dorm (because he is a kid who is ON TOP of things like housing lotteries unlike other kids I know in my house), and it just will not quite be ready that day. Instead, he is getting temporary housing and going to Peoria with Ben for work week-- then we get to go move him in on official move -in day on 8/23. Yay! More Jack! I am also excited to do the move n the big day because it's always so festive and exciting, and he can move in the same day as his roommate. Harry's freshman roomie had been living in their room for a week already for band camp, and it was weird.
Meanwhile, Harry moves in on a freaking MONDAY, which is annoying to me, but will also be fun and more lowkey because he is a junior in the dorms-- which is a thing at his school. Upperclassmen typically still live on campus, and not a ton of kids stay in Eau Claire for the summer. When I was in school, juniors and seniors lived in old falling down houses around campus and paid rent all summer long. But we were Gen X and used to our parents not knowing where the hell we were from the time we were little kids staying out til dark and hydrating with our neighbors' garden hoses. He does want to live in student apartment housing on campus next year and stay there all summer, which is not something I am prepared to contemplate at this moment-- the pool would be weird without him there is all I am saying.
It was weird when Mark got an apartment and didn't move back home for the summer. That was last year, and now it feels normal, but it was an adjustment for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh, gracious the credit score thing! My son worked all through college, got a degree from highly respected school, years of savings,no loans, and when it came time to get his Big City apartment, my husband and I had to hand over our Financials as my son had no credit history. It made us nervous - we trusted our son, but there were roommates! ( also from graduates from prestigious school, but young adults have been known to go off the rails.) Being frugal is not rewarded.
ReplyDeleteMoving in on the official move in day usually means sports teams are helping- nothing like having huge football players carry the totes!
Good luck with all the coming and going!
Yes, using your planner definitely helps! Before I used my planner faithfully I was constantly being surprised by things like dental appointments. Look at it this way- this was the second best time to find this out (the first being the day these things were scheduled, but at least you still have time to reschedule the appointments now).
ReplyDeleteAnd what is this- ENGIE was at the pool with you??? FUN.
My dad added my brother and me onto his credit card as authorized users when we went to college with the understanding that it was ONLY to be used for certain preapproved expenses like groceries, the pharmacy, etc. It worked out GREAT because we built credit safely but weren't enticed by the credit card companies that were all over campus events trying to get us to sign up for a card in exchange for a free t-shirt or whatever. Not that we couldn't have also done that but we had no reason to since we already had cards. I've always been really grateful to my dad for thinking of that at the time.
ReplyDeleteI think I have to stop thinking of my paper planner as my main planner because it doesn't include my husband's stuff. We both put things on our Google calendars and that is, sadly, my main planner. BUT! I get to do fun things with my paper planner like my gratitude lists and blog planning. That's fun!
ReplyDeleteCOLLEGE MOVE-IN OMG. It's all happening!!! I can't believe Harry is going to be a junior and you're about to have TWO kids in college.
ReplyDeleteMy life isn't very complicated so I don't need to plot out my month, but I do need to be better about putting in appointments and events in my Google calendar so I remember to transfer them over (CORRECTLY!) to my weekly spread.