Living with a Schedule v. Winging It

{The photos have nothing to do with the post.  I just thought I'd share some random ones.  This is sudangrass starting to pop up earlier this spring.}

Ever since I was in high school I've had a planner of some sort that I have used every single year.  For my college years I remember that I always used a basic planner with a two-page weekly spread and a nice monthly calendar. These planners were spiral-bound, cost about $10 or less at Staples or Office Max, and were *essential* to my existence!

I've tried many, many ways of scheduling and organizing my days over the years. When my babies were babies, it was more about keeping a planner so that I would know when I had appointments to keep, and a running to-do list, but the days themselves were quite loose.

During our busy academic seasons of the past few years, the planner has been essential for me to keep my head on straight while managing all of my children's activities, my own domestic tasks, my husband's schedule, etc. 

When my husband had cancer, I didn't use a planner for six months.  I had a planner, but I'm sure it was only used for doctor's appointments. I recall being ambivalent about lists.  I sort of floated through our days, taking care of whatever was in front of me, and not worrying about anything else.  It was all I could do, and it was enough.

I currently use a Filofax, with a very specific printable planning kit I bought via Etsy, and I LOVE it!  

However, during quarantine, our external structure disintegrated because all of our activities were cancelled (or moved online, in a few cases).  I quickly realized that without the rhythms of my normal activities, my day could quickly descend into chaos, and I could quickly descend into irritation!  Each day has different needs, and I do not like for all my days to be exactly the same, so I can't have the same schedule every day.  But I need some kind of structure.

{A great breakfast: bowl of berries, avocado toast with garlic and tomatoes, and coffee!}

So I came up with a solution--one that sounded crazy to me at first, but has worked beautifully: at night, I type up and print out a schedule for the next day!

From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, the time is planned.  Of course I naturally veer off at different points every day.  But this loose, flexible, needs-based approach has helped me tremendously.  I don't plan more than one day ahead (which is hard for me, but essential, because every day IS different in my life, and new needs pop up frequently).  My children are older, so they are predictable, and that helps.  I keep a running list of what needs to be done, and each night I check the list and see if I can squeeze any of those things into the next day.  I also include time to play with my children! 

(I realize that some people are so fun that they do not need to schedule fun.  

I have realized--and this is painful to admit--that I am not that fun.  So I am intentional about carving out time for fun!)

I use a two-column table in Microsoft Word. In the left column I put the block of time and in the right column I put the tasks or activities I want to do during that segment of time.  

{Evidence of my hosta fanaticism. I love hostas. They're actually in bloom right now!}

For some reason, this past Sunday night I didn't make a schedule for Monday.  And Tuesday we were going to be away from the house all day with necessary dental appointments and errands.  And since I didn't make a Monday or Tuesday schedule, and because last night was a late one due to all of us doing something as a family that ran waaaay late, I figured I'd let Wednesday be a "wing it" day, too.

Well.  As of about 11:00 this morning I realized that I had made a big mistake.  I was still in my pajamas.  The kitchen hadn't been cleaned from breakfast.  Finn was in his pajamas, asking me Important Theological Questions.  And I was trying to answer them and stay focused while in my pajamas with my back turned to my very dirty kitchen.  

Now, I'll gladly rearrange the entire morning's schedule if my child wants to talk to me about theology or the Bible or any other Major Issue in life, but I'd really rather that happen while I'm at least dressed and not trying to ignore a messy kitchen!  So here's the moral of that story: I'm not someone who can Wing It (my husband is), though I admire people who can. I just can't. It ends up devolving into me wandering around the house in my pajamas, forgetting laundry in the washer, and trying to figure out what to do next, so I need my plan on paper. 

{My violin.  I hope to add this to my daily schedule again very soon.}

When I printed the plan tonight, I felt so much better.  

Lord willing, I'll be in real clothes at 11:00 tomorrow, with a clean kitchen, and a list of chores already done! Whew!