Today we are talking schedules. Let me tell you, my schedule it so full it is overflowing. Sometimes I am even surprised that I get everyone where they need to be week after week. Between work, hockey, school, childcare, family commitments, parties, exercise schedules, blogging and vacations, I really needed a way to manage my schedule and make sure everyone got where they needed to go.
Unlike many of my blended blog friends, instead of using a paper planner, I use Google Calendar to manage my life.
I don't leave home without my phone, so I never leave home without my trusty calendar. I update it on the go, at my appointments, at the rink, at work, where ever I may be. If one day Google accidentally deleted my google account I would be effed. Like royally effed.
Here are a few reasons why I chose to run my life online instead of in a traditional paper agenda.
Email Reminders. The single biggest pro for me is the email reminders that the calendar sends me. I set every event up with an auto email reminder for 15 before. I put all sorts of things in my calendar, laundry day, to do lists, grocery lists, reminders, phone dates, birthdays, absolutely everything. Often I also set a reminder for the day before. Yes, you can have multiple reminders. For example, finding out I have a dentist appointment 15 minutes before I have to be there isn't going to help me. I also need to know the day before so I can plan my day appropriately. Once the email is sent, I leave it 'unread' until I do it. A to do list in your email if you will.
It is free. Signing up for and using an electronic costs absolutely nothing. You don't have to buy one or add a reminder in your paper agenda to replace your old one!
Co-Scheduling. I find having kids can really complicate things as you also have to consider your husband's plans as well as your own. If I want to go for dinner with friends I have to make sure that James is home or I have to find, and pay, for childcare, which I prefer not to do unless I really want to go. Using electronic
Different views. I love that you can look at the day, week, or month but a simple click of the mouse or a click of a button. On Sunday nights James and I sit down and look at the week and see any conflicts we may have. Although I run the 'master' family schedule, he often forgets to tell me his commitments, so we need to sit and identify any child care gaps. Each morning I glance through that day to see what is on the agenda just in case there is something our weekly discussion missed.
I can read it. I am the first to admit that I have terrible handwriting. I have no doubt that if I were to maintain a paper agenda that would often be trying to decipher what my writing says. Sad but true.
Connecting to sports calendars. With the kids in multiple sports I can easily subscribe to the team calendar. As the games are updated on the team website they automatically download into my google calendar. This is one of the biggest pros for me. The hockey schedule is different every single week and manually adding the practices and games could lead to human error of writing down the wrong time or entering it on the wrong day. I have comfort in knowing that our hockey schedule downloads directly from the source.
Now that you have heard from me, head over to Sarah's blog to see what she uses to manage her life with 2 young kids.
We will be discussing the following ways to stay on top of things over the next few weeks. While I won't claim to have tips on all of these items, the ladies at the Blended Blog will have some great tips to share.
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