Planning Tomorrow

I hate to get off the couch and prep for tomorrow. I hate it. HATE. I hate it more than mayo. I hate it more than a person rubbing bare feet on the carpet. (Ick!) I hate it more than watching Star Wars, fighting, and that last mile of a 5K run.

But I do NOT hate it more than the disaster that is an unplanned morning.

Seriously.

If I prep food the day before, I eat better (because I have the ingredients for healthy meals defrosted, sometimes chopped or seasoned, and planned out so that I don't just have to grab fast food on the run).

TIP: Make a weekly dinner menu, keep a running list of basics that are emptying in your fridge and pantry, and prep tomorrow WHILE COOKING DINNER. Tonight, that meant I chopped veggies for tonight, tomorrow's lunch, and for the freezer, while my chicken was baking in the oven.

If I prep clothes, I am dressed appropriately for the weather and day's activities, like going for a walk in the park and then working at a coffee shop near the kids' school so I can volunteer at lunchtime.

If I prep my planner, I know when I need to work to stay on target, what to carry out of the house with me, how much free time I will have, and what's for dinner.

My schedule is at the top of the page, the first blue box is a list of things that need to leave the house with me, the middle is in two columns - must dos and carryover/want to dos from other days, and the bottom blue square is for dinner and nightly chores.

TIP: Put little hash marks next to carried over tasks so you know how many times you have copied them. Five hashes? Do it, delegate it, delay it (until a more appropriate time or after something else is done, so only delay if it is truly impossible to do it now), or delete it.

For new readers, the letters before each task are context indications. C = at computer. E = errands. W = at work.

Here's a peek at yesterday's daily page, for those who love planner porn. #KeepingMyFansHappy

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