I am a mother of four ... and THREE of those four are in school. I am also a writer. I currently am operating with BCM Writing Services, although it has slowed for the holiday season. I also still do graphics with BCM Graphics. These are both things that I enjoy for the most part. HOWEVER, I am REALLY finally getting to get back to my blog (THIS ONE) and my writing.
Therefore, this was my agenda yesterday:
- Figure out what activities Peanut had after school
- Get birthday cake made
- Get sleeper sofa
- Clean
- Get blog post up
- Get website built
- Work on novel
- Clean Avery's home
The blog post didn't happen, the sleeper sofa fell through so it doesn't count, and I didn't get Avery's home cleaned. That was the first thing on the agenda today because a snail needs a clean home. Have I mentioned here that we have a pet again? Poor snail. He is well loved at least.
Many people are now asking how in tarnation I stay organized. Honestly, it's two words ... Google Calendars. If it is NOT on the calendar, it will NOT happen. This includes my blog posts! Did you know you can make an editorial calendar on Google? So simple and FREE. What a great price!
On my Google Calendar, I have 14 calendars ... all different colors.
- Me
- Hubby
- Stepson
- Peanut
- Bullfrog
- Monkey
- Turtle
- Family
- Kids
- Parents
- Church
- Mary Kay
- Special Events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc)
- EDITORIAL CALENDAR!
Yup, I actually schedule a time when I will post and then put what my post will be about. If I am doing a sponsored post, I will include links and specific information that is needed in the description. Here is a screen shot of my editorial calendar (which I am re-arranging since I started the 30-Day Challenge) to give you an idea of what it looks like.
Now, why do I like Google Calendar? Well ... I have an Android phone and so does my husband (and kids for that matter). This method syncs across to EVERYONE. I also get notifications when an event is coming up, so I remember that I have a blog post to write at 4:30pm ... at 3:30pm! However, as an editorial calendar, there is an added bonus with Google Calendars. You can invite people to specific events ... which makes it EASY to coordinate for guest posts!
So ... to answer your question of how do I stay sane with a tween who is in 5 afterschool activities, track, & orchestra, a boychild looking at the gifted program, and 2 toddlers? I don't. I rely on my phone and Google to help me out. :D
I tend to use lists, whether writing or type. I write it or type it first, and then copy it to another place. My proposals for clients also work as a to-do type list as it contains all the action items needed for the project too.
ReplyDeleteI do know a lot of people who use calendars. I did that when I as younger, but frankly, doing them online would fuel my addiction that I'd probably be better off buying one of those calendar books to write in.
I love paper and pen as well. I just haven't been able to get the calendar I really want, and being a parent on the go, I need something that I can have readily updated. BUT ... I TOTALLY love paper and pen!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear there are a few people like me, Nile and HB, who like to write lists.
ReplyDeleteI do have a computer program called Sticky Notes that lets me keep a few lists (in different colors) right on my desktop. But I don't list my items on a calendar by specific days.
I guess each of us has to find what works best for our own personality and current lifestyle.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
I'm a paper and pen gal myself. I use my Appointment Book to write down everything! Guess I'm used to it having an off line business for decades. I did try to use a calendar on my computer, but I kept on forgetting to use it lol.
ReplyDeleteI do like pen in hand for some reason. But as long as we are writing things down, we can manage so much better.
-Donna
I'm definitely a paper and pen person :). I love my lists and my paper calendar!
ReplyDelete