Daily Planning Worksheet – How I Plan My Days

Planning. It is something that I love, but also something that I struggle with. I have always enjoyed planning, but tend to want to switch it up so often, that I never really accomplish what I set out to.

When I was in college, I absolutely loved planning my schedule. I was not the biggest fan of getting up early in the morning, but I was a huge fan of getting all of my glasses done first thing, and then having the rest of my time as free time. I remember some of the ladies in my dorm would ask how I could manage to not have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or only having classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It honestly all came down to planning.

After college, planning went out the window. I had a job, I had to go to the job (obviously), but there wasn’t a whole heck of a lot else I needed to plan. I wasn’t stressed about cleaning a house, or making sure that my groceries and meal plan met my budget plans. Instead, I just flew by the seat of my pants. I had some main anchors throughout my day – mainly going to work and then coming home to hang out with friends.

Now, however, I need to plan. A lot. It seems like every day needs a new plan! Why?

Because Every Day With Kids is Different

When I started getting up early in the morning for my hello mornings group, I knew that I needed something in order to help me plan the day.

So, I made my own Daily Planning sheet. It has worked wonders for me!

I use it as an “at a glance” type of sheet, so I know where I want my day to go. I know what I need to accomplish (although I hardly ever get it all done, does anyone?!). It is nice to be able to go in and see what the meals are, not think about what needs to be done throughout the day, because it is all right in front of me.

Daily Rhythm

The Daily Rhythm is what I want our day to look like. I will put times in, but it isn’t down to the minute by any means. It is more of a general time frame for us. But, it also serves as a place to put any appointments that we may have during the day, and those obviously need a specific time.

I want my days to feel peaceful and not rushed. I want to enjoy the time that I have with my kids each day.

Inspiration

The inspiration box is just what it sounds like. A thought, a scripture, a quote, that I want to focus on for the day. It could be my word of the year repeated constantly, a quote or a mantra that I want to repeat to myself all day. This can stay the same for many days, or change daily. It is totally up to you.

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Meals for the Day & Meal Prep for Tomorrow

I am working a lot harder on meal planning these days. Trying to make healthy, nutritious meals every day that my kids will eat? That is a process. Doing it on a budget seems almost impossible! However, when I am able to get everything planned for the week, it is nice to not have to think about it on a daily basis. I already know from my main meal list for the week what we are going to have, and I just re-write it here for easy access.

To-Do List

The to-do list is just that. I list everything that I want to do that day. I’m not ashamed to admit that I often put tasks I know I will complete, or in the process of completing, on the list. I like to have something to cross off! You may not need all of the lines if you decide not to do that. But, I like the little wins. I try to list my most important tasks first as well. Then I can focus on whatever I need to get done in the day first – eat that frog!

Current Projects

The Current Projects list tends to stay the same over a longer period of time. This is a place for larger projects or goals that I have going on currently. Something like sorting through the kids clothes and deciding what needs to go to consignment or be donated. This is also a place where I would put projects that I need help from my husband. Things like moving all of the boxes of baby stuff from the attic to the downstairs so I can sort through them.

Blog Ideas & Miscellaneous Notes

The last two boxes are pretty straight forward as well. If I think of something that might be interesting to write about, I try to write it down immediately. I am attempting to move to a more digital system for blog ideas, but I find that often I still need a pen and some paper to jot ideas down.

Misc. Notes could really be used for anything – a child decides that he no longer likes green peppers, even though he was eating them like apples last week, or maybe a seasoning wasn’t quite right with a recipe I used. It could be something funny the kids did that I want to record. Really, anything I want to take note of throughout the day.

Using a daily planning sheet can seem like a monumental task, but once you find a routine that works for you, it really takes minutes to put together. You can glance at it easily throughout the day to help move your family in the direction you want to go. With any new planning tool, or planning in general, give yourself grace.

Remember that it takes at least 21 consistent days of effort to create a new habit!

Are you trying to become more organized as the seasons start to change? Do you find yourself changing up your routine when your kids start school again, or a new season begins?