Raise your hand if you need help managing your family calendar! 

With running my own businesses, caring for my home, and shuttling three kids to 700 different extracurricular events, I honestly don’t know how we survive some days. And I am willing to bet you’re in the same boat which is why it’s so important that you’re managing your family calendar well. Every single day.

But how can you do that? There’s always SO much going on. 

Well, the answer is likely in your hand right this very moment. 

Your smartphone. 

I’m sure you’re familiar with iCalendar or a different app designed to help keep you organized but I want to share with you how I manage my family’s calendar simply using my built-in calendar and timers. 

MANAGING YOUR FAMILY CALENDAR:

As things get scheduled and begin to fill our weeks, I am always sure to add the event to my iPhone calendar as soon as I hear about it. I don’t kid myself and say I’ll remember to add it later because we all know I won’t. So as soon as it gets scheduled, it gets added to my day. 

Then, each evening, I take a look at the next day’s schedule and make a plan of “attack.” For example: 

On Tuesday, December 13, 2023, let’s say I have:

2:30 PM: Zoom Call

3:00 PM: Drum Lessons (L)

6:00 PM: School Christmas Program (S)

6:00 PM: Indoor Soccer Practice (A)

The letter in parentheses stands for which kid needs to be where and as you can see, their schedules usually overlap so it’s critical that we plan ahead. 

Pro tip: If you have a spouse, family member, friend, or neighbor that helps you shuttle your kids all over God’s green earth, take a second as you’re reviewing your day and remind them what time you need them. 

Then I go in and set a timer for 30 minutes before each event. 

So, at 2:00 PM I’ll set a timer simply labeled, “Zoom Call @ 2:30.” And I’ll do this for every event we have that day. 

HOW TIMERS SAVE THE DAY:

1. Saves you so much time and helps you avoid frantically running around last minute. 
2. Keeps you on a productive schedule where nothing gets overlooked.
3. Ensures you don’t miss anything or show up late (but we 3 kids, we still manage to be late from time to time).
4. Mentally prepares you for the day ahead so there are minimal surprises. 

I can’t tell you how much time and sanity this has saved me over the years. I used to be a frazzled mess, never knowing who needed to be where and I oftentimes missed important events simply because I didn’t have a system in place. 

These few simple steps take me about 5 minutes to complete each night but saves me hours of stress and panic for the day ahead. Successfully managing your family calendar does not take color-coded flow charts and spreadsheets. Just a few minutes of intentional time and your smartphone can make all the difference in your family’s entire week! 

If you give this system a try, will you tag me with your thoughts @mkoehler over on Instagram? I would love to hear what you think. I’m pretty certain it will change the game for your whole family! 

Happy planning!