Planning For the Upcoming Week

Life can become stressful at times. We are often on the go between working 8 + hours a day, appointments, family activities etc. life can become hectic. Due to all the activities that have us on the go its important to take a bit every weekend to plan out the upcoming week.

Start with a Plan

Schedule a time on the weekend to plan out the upcoming week, sit down with your significant other, children or whoever else is in your household and quickly nail down a plan. This plan should include: meals, upcoming schedules, and chores. Make sure everyone has their schedule on them as well as a note taking device so as to not miss any important information they may forget later.

Scheduling

Keeping your family up to date on upcoming schedules is important. Finding out which days your family members have an appointment, who’s going to take the children to their activities & who’s going to pick up and drop off the kids to school. During scheduling we can ensure that there are no overlapping appointments that may need changing. This is critical if you are a family who shares a vehicle, so someone isn’t relying on the vehicle while someone else has the vehicle out. 

Grocery shopping

Although the weekend is not the ideal time to shop for groceries due to high volume of traffic, it is important to get the groceries out of the way for the upcoming week. This step will take away the extra running around after work when your already hungry and tired.

Meal Planning

Before you go grocery shopping plan out your meals. This step will save you: money, time and frustration. It also sets up your grocery shop for success as you aren’t wandering the grocery store trying to figure out what to buy. Impulse purchases causes you to buy things you won’t eat and will rot away in the cupboards or refrigerator. It also helps to keep a list on your fridge to write down items as they are running out.  It is frustrating when you go to make a salad and realize there is no dressing left and must run to the store mid week to purchase an item that should have been part of the grocery shop. Also, with rising gas costs, these small trips are beginning to cost us more and more.

Meal Prep

Prepping and setting up your meals for the upcoming week is huge for a few reasons. It keeps us healthier, saves time, and creates consistency in our daily routine. Having lunches pre prepared will save headaches and frustration in the morning. Pre preparing suppers is phenomenally helpful to save time after work. Crock pot meals are ideal although may get boring if you utilize them too often.  

Chores

Write a list of chores that must be completed through out the week and assign each of them to a household member. As stated above, scheduling is very important and do not forget chores in the schedules.

Overall, planning the upcoming week will keep the week flowing smoothly and efficiently. Start scheduling it into your weekend and prioritize sticking to it for at least a month and see how much more smoothly your life flows.

Melanie McConnell is a Professional Organizer and the owner of Mello Spaces. She helps busy professionals and parents get the organized home of their dreams. Check out her website www.mellospaces.com and follow her on Instagram: @mellospaces

Florena Davies is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Organize by Flo. She uses her experience as a wife and mother of 2 to create real life organizational systems and changes for work and home that allow our 2 worlds to co-exist and 'Flo" together. Check out her website at https://www.organizebyflo.com/ and on instagram @organizebyflo.