Ways I Organize a Chaotic Schedule

As we approach the busy school season that is ahead of us, I can’t help but be filled with some excitement to get back into a routine. Summer has its perks but the one thing that really lacks for me is that the routine seems to completely go out the window. As hectic as things are about to become for me in just a few short weeks from now, I am truly looking excited to the organized chaos.

My husband and I are a fantastic team. He is equally involved when it comes to shuttling our kids’ places. He coaches basketball, soccer, flag football and is on the board for swim team. Now that I think about it, he is more involved than I am. I can at least drop off and run but as a coach, he has a whole world of responsibility that I never have to worry about.

While he is busy coaching and sharing with me in the task of chauffeuring kids, I do what I can in other areas including keeping our schedule in front of us to avoid hiccups. It’s inevitable that something will happen like one of getting stuck at work or (gasp) forgetting to put something on the calendar. But each week, I try really hard to keep our schedule organized and to keep my husband and I clear on who is doing what and what kid needs to go where.

Here are a few things I do every single week to keep our household organized.

Shared Calendar.

My husband and I have the Google calendar app on our phones and it is our #1 way to stay aligned with scheduling. If it’s not on the calendar it doesn’t exist. My husband knows an easy way to put me in an irritated mood is to spring something on me last minute due to it being forgotten to be put in the calendar. Last minute things will pop up, but if it’s something known about ahead of time, it better make it’s way onto the calendar.

Now that our son is almost 15, he also has his own calendar app and is starting to manage what he has going on. We still have to get him places but it is nice that he is starting to also gain the skill of managing a busy schedule.

While the Google app works for us, some of my friends have the fancy Skylight calendar and say it’s a lifesaver.

Weekly Look Ahead.

This could be something fancy like the Skylight calendar but one thing that has worked for me for literally years now is a simple print out of the week ahead.
Sometime during the weekend, I create a Word document that has our whole week of scheduling on it. This includes appointments and sports and what parent is taking which kid to which activity. It also includes meals. I like to plan out what we are eating each night. If it’s a night my husband is cooking, I will indicate that on the schedule. The Google calendar is critical but so is a printed out copy to have for the week.

Kid Weekly Look Ahead.

I also started making a copy for my kids so they can have a look ahead of what is going on. This has been great so they feel less surprised when I tell them we need to leave for the Orthodontist in 10 minutes. If they know it’s coming, it causes less frustration all around.

Quick meeting about the week ahead.

Each Sunday, we try to spend a few minutes going over the week ahead. This also helps highlight days that might be extra challenging or where one of us might need the other to do even more driving that usual.

Shared shopping list.

My husband goes to Costco almost every week. I make Trader Joe’s runs almost every Saturday morning. We use the Reminder app to keep our lists organized. I do still love a handwritten shopping list so typically on Friday nights, I will write down the items from my reminder app. That might sound weird when I could just look at my phone while shopping but there is something I love about a paper list.

Chores lists.

Most Fridays, I leave a list of chores for the family to accomplish by Sunday afternoon. The amount of items may very dependent on how busy the kids are but, regardless, everyone gets a list. This includes a list for my husband and one for myself.

Speak up when we need help.

If there are weeks one of us feeling overwhelmed or extra busy with work or anything causing extra stress, we have committed to telling the other person. We are not mind readers and sometimes get so bogged down with the normal hustle that we need the other person to tell us when something is off or causing more stress than normal. It is ok and normal to feel overwhelmed but don’t keep that bottled up!

Do you have any tips or tricks for managing a busy schedule? We’d love to hear!