Don't Wake The Kids

Happy New Year!

I am no organizational expert.

Trust me.

But I want to be organized. I read about it. I try new things. I try to implement systems, only to be derailed a couple days later.

There is one system I use that has remained the same through the years though. I use a calendar/planner. My ritual every January 1st is to transfer all the important dates from my old calendar to a new one.

In the past, I’ve used a family calendar on the refrigerator and my Google Calendar that is synched to my iPhone. This year, I’ve upgraded to three tools.

First I use the Google Calendar. That has most of the birthdays I like to remember. I have them set on recurring, so I don’t have to remember from year to year. Plus it goes to my iPhone, and I can set reminders.

Next I have a beautiful Vera Bradley planner my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday. This is my newest tool. I like that I can carry it in my purse, and I can use it to create to-do lists and write detailed notes.

My refrigerator calendar is the Sandra Boynton Mom’s Family Wall Calendar to use this year. I love her books, and several of my friends use her planner, so I thought I’d give it a try. I find it very useful to glance at a calendar near the door every morning. It has saved me on several occasions when I saw that we were snack leader on our way out the door.

So how do I go about synchronizing all my calendars? I’m not going to lie; it’s a pretty manual process. First I open my Google Calendar and my old refrigerator calendar. I also open my new refrigerator calendar and planner.

I go month by month, putting new birthdays in my Google Calendar and then transferring the important dates to my new refrigerator calendar and planner.

I have to admit I didn’t complete the whole year. I got the highlights in my planner, and I got January finished on the refrigerator calendar. I’ll have to finish another day, but it’s a good first step. Besides, synchronizing calendars is an ongoing process. You have to set aside time almost everyday to keep up.

Have you thought about how many dates a mom has to remember in addition to the important family dates and holidays? There are school closures, lessons, practices, work deadlines, and appointments. It’s vital to have a good calendar system to stay on top of things.

If you’re not using a calendar system, I hope this inspires to you to get started with one in 2012.

Let me know what calendar system you like to use. Do you use one calendar, or are you like me and have multiple calendars to use?