How to Set Up a Family Calendar and Change Your Life!

If you are thinking, I’m not organized and I’m not sure I’ll ever be. You might be surprised by the difference that creating a family calendar will make.

How Creating A Family Calendar Can Change Your Life!

As a busy working mom, using a central calendar for the entire family is key for me to keep my household running smoothly.

If you are thinking, I’m not organized and I’m not sure I’ll ever be. You might be surprised by the difference that creating a family calendar will make in your household.

To help get you started, I’m sharing 5 strategies for creating your very own family calendar so your life can be transformed from chaos to clarity!

Find A Planner That Works for You.

Some people love the old school pen and paper calendars while others love the digital calendar.

I tried using the calendar on my smartphone without success and went back to paper and pen after just a few weeks.

I have several friends who love digital calendars, family calendar apps, and shared family calendars. They would never dream of going back to a pen and paper version.

You need to figure out which one you prefer so you will commit to using it. If you don’t love your calendar, you won’t use it.

Assign Someone to be the Family Manager.

Keeping up with the family calendar shouldn’t be one person’s sole responsibility. However, it’s important to assign one person to be the “go-to” when an event needs to be added to the calendar.

There is often one person who either likes to be organized or wants to be more organized and can serve as the primary person in charge.

You can even give them a fancy title like…family manager!

Use color!

Whether you are using a digital calendar or a paper calendar, using color is so important. You can assign a color to each member of the family or assign colors to specific events.

For example, you can assign one color to events that every member of the family needs to attend.

You can assign a color to you, your spouse, and each of your children as well. If a color coded calendar works for you…great!

It’s really all about what works for you and your family.

If too much color gets overwhelming for you, stick with just one or two colors that can help you remember your work and home responsibilities.

Put everything on the calendar!

Everything! I mean, everything! I’ve even added the schedule of our weekly evening meals to our calendar with my shopping list. It’s easy to think that you’ll remember to do this or that.

The reality is that our minds are full and we forget. Be sure to include even the simplest task or activity to the calendar.

If not for you, it might help your partner remember as well.

Review the Calendar Every Evening.

This is absolutely my number one strategy for being prepared. A simple review of your calendar in the evening can save you precious minutes in the morning.

Your children’s backpacks will have what they need, your work bag will have what you need for the day, and you will know if you need to allow extra time in the morning for a planned event.

Having a calendar to help remember everything you have going on in your family life is a must and a great tool to help keep everything moving smoothly as you go through each day!

If you are struggling this year to figure out where to start to get you and your family organized, I would suggest starting by developing a family calendar of your own. Not only will this save time, but it will also save your sanity!

No one likes to forget a simple task…so do yourself a favor and make creating a family calendar a priority. Your sanity and time will thank you later!

Getting started with a family calendar can help you effectively use the time that you have available and help you plan for your upcoming week.