The Start of "A Plan"

I am not certain when I became obsessed with planners. It may have begun through moments of watching my mother manage her days via a handheld, digital planner while I was in high school. I am not certain. But do recall thinking she was so together and cool. In hindsight I see how she is the source of my infatuation with electronics.

With that being said, although I have had several electronic devices in my adult years that were geared towards and suited to support the management of my schedule; I 100% prefer paper and pen/markers...+stickers. I wittingly and proudly proclaim to be a planner addict, with all that this entails.

Every December I tromp over to Michael's (I love JoAnn's but their planner section stinks.) and buy a new planner for the upcoming annual year. I try to choose something that includes a variety of stickers, so I do not have to spend too much on those. I intentionally buy at the close of the year because Michael's always has them for 30%-75% off at this time. Side Note: I buy my teacher/lesson planner during the summer. My all time favorite is Erin Condren.

Once I have my planner, stickers, and pens/markers I set out to plan my year. Out the gate, just let me say that this is nearly a day long process. It entails some contemplative and meditative work. My favorite place to embark on this process is at a Starbuck's cafe. But I've also been known to campout in the middle of my bed on a day that my son is off with our family for holiday break.

I am not going to get into the details about my stickers and pens. Just know they're purposefully selected, used, and colored coded.

I start my planning by adding all annual constants to my planner like: birthdays, anniversaries, events, sorority meetings, end/start of school, etc. Then I add important school (work) dates. I do not map out lessons or units, just dates. Outside of the school, I teach yoga at 3 local studios. So after this I begin adding my independent contract work. Due to the ebb and flow of the industry I usually only insert these dates 1 month at a time.

From here I add in my personal schedule. This is the part most of y'all came here for...but it's still too much for 1 post. So, meet me in my next blog where I share more about this intricate process.

April 2020