It’s a huge topic so, let’s narrow down to…hmm…how do I put this? Let’s start at the beginning. I have always been an organizing type of person. As a small child I received my first box of small crayons, it was a box of 8 regular size crayons. I was 4 or 5 years old. I had to have my crayons in order. So, I ask for each family members favorite color and lined my crayons up by the importance of each member. Green for Dad, yellow for Mom, blue & red, orange & purple, brown & black. And my box of crayons stayed that way for 3 years. Now looking back, I wonder if I wasn’t trying to exert some control of my situation. I was the youngest of 5 girls. They were always talking or arguing. Ages ran by 2’s then 5’s, when I was born there was a 14, 12, 10, and 5 year old in the home.
Fast forward, today I am married to a man with ADHD, 37 years! He does not plan. To plan is to fight his entire mind and the way it works. However, I plan, for both our sanities’. But especially mine. My mind does not work as quickly as his does. Mine is not as creative as his is. If I had no plan, I would never do anything. Whereas, he has no plan and is always working on some project or another. So, I plan just so I can keep up with him!
I have not always been a big planner. When the children were small there was no time to properly plan. Every day started at a run. I relied on routines and a mandatory nap time. It wasn’t until I began homeschooling the youngest that I saw the need for planning. And then again when the older ones joined the U.S. Navy, I saw the need to plan my days if I was going to accomplish anything.
In the past 5 years I have collected a slew of free planners, read a few books on planning your day, week, month, life. And, I have learned how to use Canva! So, I create my own planners. I don’t buy planners. I never stick with one planner all year. Seasons come and go; interruptions are part of life. I may be called away from home and my home planner becomes obsolete. I print my planner month by month. And slowly I am working out what works best for me.
My point in all this rambling is that creating a plan for our daily lives may be the first step in learning to be organized. Any thoughts you’d like to share?