The Struggle Is Real
Have you ever heard any of these phrases?
“I didn’t know we had plans!”
“You never told me about that!”
“What is your work schedule?”
“When did I make that appointment?”.
I’ve not only heard them, I’ve said them. If you have a spouse or a family these words are all too common. It is tough to keep track of all the commitments a family has. So how do you keep track of your family’s schedule without losing your sanity?
This is something I struggled with for a long time. Even before my husband and I had kids, I always had our family appointments locked away in my phone or planner. I was consistently failing to share the household schedule with my husband. He would get frustrated with me for leaving him out of the loop and I would get frustrated with him for not knowing what was going on. It was a vicious cycle to say the least. If anyone ever writes a handbook for newlyweds there needs to be a chapter on communicating about schedules!
I knew that we needed to change, but I had to figure out the best way to keep track of our schedule and share it with him. We have tried several systems over the years, but this is the one I find works best.
Create a Visual Schedule
I love technology, but I am still the type of person that likes to see things written out. I had a feeling my husband might pay more attention to a calendar he could see at any time. Not long after I came to the realization that our calendar communications stunk, a co-worker showed me his amazing family calendar. I really liked that there was a space to pencil in events for different members of the family each day. What I didn’t like was that it was rather large and you had to hand write every event in. If you have ever seen my handwriting you would know that did not appeal to me. That night I went home and created my own family calendar to hang up on the refrigerator that I could type events into.
My goals for the calendar were:
- Share the family calendar with my husband
- Put the calendar on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper so it fits on the fridge.
- Put at least 2 weeks on the calendar.
- Make the format easy to follow.
- Track events and commitments for every family member.
- Leave space for upcoming events.
The Super Simple Family Calendar
What I love about this calendar is that each week is a different color so I can easily see when a new weeks starts. I was able to fit six slots on the calendar so that each family member gets a slot as well as the dogs. I also have a column where I can quickly plan out our dinners each night. If you have more family members you can adjust the columns as necessary. I can also easily pencil in any appointments that pop up.
Sample Schedule
Towards the end of the 3rd week, I sit down at my computer, update the calendar for the upcoming 3 weeks and print it out. That may sound tedious, but it is really simple and easy. It refreshes my memory and really prepares me for what is coming up in our schedule. The best part is that my husband looks at the calendar every day! The frustrations that we both felt about our schedule are gone!
Grab your copy of this calendar below!
Blank Super Simple Family Calendar
2017 Super Simple Family Calendar
Want to know how to fill in a PDF if you don’t have Adobe? Check out this awesome tutorial by Laura at I Heart Planners.
I would love your feedback! I’ll be posting the 2018 calendars soon!
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