We hope that you have a safe and enjoyable holiday with your family and friends. If your All Hallow’s Eve activities include things for young spooks, teen ghouls, and adults, take a moment to plan things out. Each age group has different bedtimes, different activities that are appropriate, and a different number of adults needed …
Continue reading “Happy Halloween from the FranklinPlanner Team”
As of today, there are 66 days until Christmas, and 73 until the end of the year. With Halloween on the way and more holidays coming, it’s time to take charge of your holiday plans. The more people involved in an activity, the more scheduling conflicts you’ll need to overcome. Talk with your family and …
As the season changes and winter approaches, there are likely several tasks that you need to do. You might need to finish the home maintenance and landscaping jobs you didn’t get to this summer, while the weather is still warm enough. You might need to harvest your garden and prepare the soil for next year. …
You might know that you can store your future planning pages in a Storage Case to keep their bulk out of your planner. But did you know that Storage Cases can be useful long into the future? Say that you’ve kept financial records on your Daily Tracker in your planner, and stored your five years’ …
You’ve likely developed a routine for your planning sessions. Take a moment to think about your process. Over time, your responsibilities and needs may have changed from planning power lunches to get ahead in your career to feeding your grandkids PB&J when they come over for a visit. If your current planning system doesn’t feel …
Imagine that you’ve been planning a fun lunch with your for weeks. But now, something has come up, and she has to postpone until next month. Thankfully, you don’t need an ugly scribble to cover up this disappointment. You can turn this change in plans into a decoration. Simply cover it up with a short …
Is there something that you would like to improve about yourself? Whether it’s arriving on time to meetings, flossing your teeth every day, or focusing on people rather than your phone, using a planner can help the change stick. Identify a few simple daily tasks to help you accomplish your goal. When you have your …
As you go through the third day of your three-day weekend, remember that, sometimes, less is more. You’ll find more joy in your time when you’re present and focused on what’s going on, rather than getting distracted by preparations for the next activity. If you find that your vacation time is more packed than your …
If you use your planner to carry your life with you, chances are that you have some small items in there. It could be a stack of paper clips to attach receipts and other documents to specific daily pages, or a pile of loose change, or decorations for your planner pages. If you’re tired of …
Have your kids ever surprised you with a school event you weren’t expecting? Get ahead of the game this year. Access your school’s academic calendar, whether online or through your kids’ orientation packets, and mark important days in your planner, such as the beginning and ending dates for the semester, holidays, and sporting events. Then …
If your kids have trouble finding a quiet place to do their homework, then it’s time to create one. The ideal location is somewhere out of earshot of noisy televisions and off the main traffic areas of your home. Organize a desk with pencils, paper, and other supplies, and have “Things Mom Needs to Sign” …
Finding a great backpack involves a lot of balance—literally, to avoid your small children looking like plodding Galapagos tortoises, and figuratively, to get the best features with the right style. Select a comfortable, stylish, and functional bag with room for all needed supplies, and your child will head back to school with a new found …
For the kids who live at home, it’s almost time for registration. For new college freshmen, it’s almost time to move out on their own. Wherever your kids fall along this spectrum, it’s helpful to take a notes page in your planner and write out everything that needs to happen before they go back to …
Wouldn’t it be nice if summer came with a lunch menu? Elementary school students are used to selecting a school lunch or a sandwich from home, while your teenagers choose the cafeteria or a fast food restaurant for each day. How about you? Go through the past week in your planner and note what you …
The easiest routine is the one that your circumstances dictate for you. But when the school bus isn’t coming, what will get your kids out of bed? Discuss a good morning routine with your family, decide how to spend your time, and set it down in your planner to help keep things on schedule. With …
Do your kids know the number to call in case of an emergency? And if Grandma isn’t home, which number do they call next? Prepare an emergency contact list with a package of Address/Phone Tabs, keep it in an easily accessible place in your home, and teach your kids where it’s located and how to …
Continue reading “Create an Emergency Contact List for Your Kids”
No two people are the same, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution for planning. Before the start of the school year, discuss different planning styles with your child, and then help select a planner. If your child has many extracurricular activities, then a daily planner would provide space to schedule everything, while a child who …
Continue reading “Help Your Child Pick Out Their Own Planner”
If you’ve ever resolved to eat healthier, only to have your produce turn to compost in the crisper bin of your refrigerator, then you can benefit from a meal plan. Plan out a week of meals at a time, and look at your schedule to ensure that you have time to prepare the meal you …
Do you look back at your week and see nothing but your daily routine? Life is made of the small, unscripted moments that happen between the mechanics of living. Resolve to capture at least one small highlight from each day, whether it’s a simple hug from a friend or spotting a motorcyclist wearing a kilt …
If you’re organized, you can probably find a pen when you need one. But finding the right pen for your planning sessions takes more careful consideration. You’ll want to find a pen that writes well and fits comfortably in your hand. It also saves wear and tear on your planner if it fits in the …
