Some people don’t need help staying on task and organized. I am not one of them. I managed to get through High School, College and Grad school using the scrap of paper/ink on hand method. But, when I collected a husband in the Navy, a freelance business and a toddler, it was very clear that that my previous organizational method needed to be upgraded.
If you haven’t read the post about my Mom’s Plan of the Day, be sure and check that out. It is the cornerstone of my “Mom Notebook”, which always sits open on my desk to keep me on track. In the notebook section after Mom’s POM is my Mom’s Plan of the Week (POW). I fill this out every Sunday evening (okay sometimes it doesn’t get done until Monday, but at least I’m not writing it on my hand anymore.)
While my Plan of the Day sheet lets me organize what needs to be done that day, the Plan of the Week sheet gives me a broader view of what needs to get done and what is planned. I use it to fill out my POD sheets for the rest of the week. I also use a POM (Plan of the Month), which is basically a calendar, more on that in another post.
Like my Plan of the Day, what will make this work for you is if you customize it for your needs. I needed a separate column for Work and Home tasks for the week, a rough week schedule and a place for notes. You might need a box to keep track of when you’ve worked out, or a section for weekly kids activities you want to try out. I have included a sample POW to show you how I use it, a blank worksheet for you to try out, and an Adobe Illustrator file for you to use to customize your sheet as well as two spreadsheet versions that can be customize as well.
Mom’s POW Adobe Illustrator file
For tips on customization see my Mom’s POD post.
I organize these worksheets in a hot pink three ring binder that I keep open on my desk all day. The notebook is always open to my POD so that I can make notes and check things off as I go through the day. The PODs for the previous days are right behind the current sheet incase I need to refer back to them. Then, behind a simple divider is my POW sheets so I can refer to them quickly when I need to. Behind that I have sections for my POMs and my Baby Grows sheets as well as some other tools I have like a time sheet. More on these other tools coming soon!
To be notified when these new tools are posted, subscribe to my feed or follow me on twitter.
Best of luck! And be sure and let me know how it goes.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG – Just what I’ve been needing! You ROCK!!!
For some reason when I go to print it is printing almost everything upside down.
Did I miss the POM and Grow Baby postings?? I can’t seem to find them anywhere…
No, You didn’t miss them. Check back next week! I should have them up then. Thanks! I’ll just go put that on my POW