From the Kitchen Calendar to the Weekly Planner
When I was growing up, there was a calendar hanging in our kitchen where all the family’s activities were recorded. If you wanted to know who was doing what, or where you needed to be, that was where you looked.
I think of a weekly planner as an extension of that kitchen calendar: somewhere to bring together the appointments, jobs and ideas that make up everyday life, with a little more room to work out how it will all fit.
For a family, that might mean keeping track of children’s activities, sharing out chores or planning meals for the week. A meal plan can become a shopping list, saving that familiar moment of standing in the supermarket trying to remember what you already have at home.
For work, a planner gives those longer lists of things to do a place in the week.
My Friday planning habit
As a small business owner, one of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given is to make time at the end of each week to plan the week ahead. It has become a really useful part of my Friday routine.
I use my A3 planner, which sits under my keyboard so it’s always within easy reach. There’s space for my appointments and meetings, alongside the tasks I want to get done. I also choose a top goal for the week and a bonus goal I’d love to reach if everything goes well.
One of my favourite sections is the space for next week. Whenever something crops up that doesn’t need doing immediately, I jot it down there. By the time Friday comes around, I already have the beginnings of my next plan, without having to remember everything from scratch.
Of course, a week doesn’t always go as expected when you run your own business. But having a plan helps me keep sight of what matters and decide where to put my time.
Find your own way to plan
Your planner needs to suit the way you think and the space you have. You might like a roomy A3 desk planner, a handy A5 pad or a slim DL planner. Or perhaps a simple list is all you need.
At Tall Order, I design planners, notepads and list pads to be useful, motivating and lovely enough to leave on display. Whether yours lives on the kitchen counter or beside your keyboard, I hope it helps you feel a little more ready for the week ahead.
Explore the Tall Order range of planners, notepads and list pads and find your favourite.
