Part 1 of 3

Monthly OL Calendar

I have been a dedicated Franklin Covey user since the early 1990’s. I always find reviewing my daily planner pages to be a calming habit that sets me up in the right direction at the beginning of the day. As an adult my responsibilities have exploded exponentially but luckily, my planning habits have changed accordingly. I now plan a full season ahead. 

Over a three-part post series I want to share with you a planning method that to help you achieve your personal goals, keep track of tasks, and set realistic expectations about what you can accomplish in 24 hours.

Why Plan a Season Ahead?  You Can…

Start Here:

Download and print my Free designed Monthly Planning Calendar 4 times for the summer months ahead.

How To:

1. Use this monthly calendar along side my weekly planning calendar (coming in post part two.)

2. 3-hole punch the monthly calendar and put into a binder or place it on a clip board.

3. Write in appropriate month and year.

4. Note your monthly reminders, budget goals, and future appointment reminders in the month (and/or day) you would like to accomplish or remember these items. (There is a general space for notes at the bottom of the page.)

Examples:

+Note a Saturday 10 AM trip to the zoo in the day you are planning to go
+Note reminders to schedule appointments, like an oil change, in the general notes at the bottom of the page
+Note time of scheduled appointments in the day they occur
+Write down general budget goals like a car down payment in the month you would like to accomplish this goal

5. Use the weekly notes section to jot down goals to accomplish that week

6. Mix professional and personal events if you like

7. Observe the space limit – if you can’t write it all in that day, you probably can’t do it all that day

8. Only note items that you have control over and are your responsibility

Now you have a look ahead and you can see the trips you are planning to take this summer, what household projects you are planning to tackle, and you will never forget another appointment.

Next up, Planning Ahead part 2 will cover weekly planning topics such as: how to integrate your event preparation into your weekly reminders and how weekly planning can help unify your family.

If you have questions or suggestions for other readers be sure to leave a comment! Happy planning.