Keep Your Family Organized with a Calendar

If your family's schedule seems to be a never-ending string of dentist appointments, dance recitals, P.T.A. meetings and soccer matches, getting your calendar organized might seem like an impossible goal. Keeping a busy family's schedule organized can be quite challenging. However, you might be surprised how easy it can actually be to organize even the most hectic family schedule by using a good calendar system. Here are some tips that will help you use a calendar to get your entire family "on the same page."

Choosing a Calendar

When choosing a calendar, it's best to think about how your family will actually use it. In most cases, a large calendar displayed in a prominent location works best. It's not really necessary to choose a complicated or fancy calendar. In fact, you'll probably discover that a simple grid calendar with plenty of writing space will be the best choice. Depending on your needs, you might like a calendar that has separate spaces for individual appointments. On the other hand, you might also discover that a basic grid calendar design will better suit your family's needs. There really isn't one calendar design that will work best for every individual and every family. In fact, you may find that you'll need to try out a few different calendars before finding one that perfectly suits your family's needs.

Location, Location, Location

Once you've chosen a calendar that you feel will fit your family's scheduling needs, the next step is to choose the perfect location. A high-visibility location is usually the best choice when it comes to family calendars. For example, you might find that a kitchen wall will work well. Many families find that the refrigerator door can be a great location for a magnetic calendar. Or, perhaps hanging your calendar close to your home's back door would work best.

Whichever location you choose, it should be a spot that makes it easy for everyone to view and update the calendar on a daily basis. After all, "out of sight, out of mind" is an adage that definitely applies to calendars. In order to make updates easy, be sure to hang a pencil close to the calendar. By using a pencil instead of a pen, it will be easier to make corrections and schedule changes when necessary. You might also find that using a different color of pencil for each family member will make it easier to keep everyone's schedule straight.

Using a Family Calendar

Once you've decided upon a family calendar strategy, using it is the next critical step. After all, a calendar won't help everyone stay up-to-date and organized if nobody actually uses it. Make it a family practice to note every appointment and event on the calendar, no matter how insignificant they might seem. In order to reap the most benefits from your family calendar, consistency is key. After a while, keeping the calendar up-to-date will simply become a habit for your family. Before you know it, your family will be better organized and your life will be a bit simpler.