Are you ready to hear all about Sarah Hart Unger's new book, "Best Laid Plans"? I learned new things from reading it and in this podcast I hope you too learn new ways to make yourself more efficient. Then grab your copy of her book. There are few people who love to plan as much as me and Sarah is one of them. Sarah shared all about planning with school aged children, how she's overcoming distractions and how to still dream.

Closed Systems Input

She had me by page 14! She was talking about all the input from closed systems that we are all overwhelmed with between an organization's app, Whatsapp, school apps, etc. It'd be nice if they all talked to each other…or would it be? I was so excited Grayson's school was able to populate my google calendar till I realized it was all events for the school. I guess I liked it better with manual entry but then we discussed there has to be a cadence to checking all the closed systems and knowing where to put it in your trusted system so you will see it when you need to. We also talked about the cognitive load and admin time it takes to collect all of the information that needs to be on the calendar. And for the love, people, plan your planning time; don't just try to work it into the nooks and cranny of your day.

Long Range Planning

Sarah offered such a powerful way to think of long range planning. Start with thinking of how old your children will be, you will be, and how you want life to look by that time. It's effective to zoom out to a bird's eye view to get a different perspective of time passing. I really loved that way of planning for the future and planning the next 5 years. She suggested thinking of milestones or big birthdays and how do you want to celebrate them? She envisioned a celebration which included travel for her 20th anniversary and now they are headed to HI next year to do just that. What you think about you bring about. Sarah did hers for travel but you could do it for your career, a PhD, your family, living location, type of house, or anything else.

Time Blocking

We learned something interesting here, I retroactively fill in how I spent my time if there's a blank space as a reminder to myself and my family that I did act as the wife, mother, and grandmother while I pursue my career and passions. And Sarah retroactively fills in her media use to hold herself accountable even podcasts she may have listened to. She got a gold star for having documented listening to the Organize 365® Podcast.

Time Sucks

Sarah shared that she doesn't have social media because she cannot trust herself on it. Some people can't have a little bit of chocolate and she cannot have a little bit of social media. Although we both laughed how we somehow got sucked into Reddit! I shared how I will be filling my old PhD time slot with the gym. Sarah said yes, to replace a time suck with something that you want to start to do or something more productive like audio books. We all have to fill our cups and you could be filling your cup instead of wasting time.

Planner Privilege

So imagine (these are general observations) the wife says "Let's plan next weekend." Husband replies he doesn't want to and "It always works out!" Sarah and I laughed because for the most part everything fun you have ever done was planned. It always "works out" for the other spouse because it was planned by the opposite spouse. We talked pros and cons of the white board and digital solutions. Then we talked about how you get your family involved with the system you've chosen and how to communicate the schedule. It was all so good! Listen then grab her book, "Best Laid Plans"

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Best Laid Plans by Sarah Hart Unger

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

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I feel it and I know you do too. That decluttering and planning energy is starting to bubble up but who has time to deal with that? No one. We're all stuck in this purgatory of sorts where Thanksgiving is done but there's a lul until the December holiday that you celebrate. So I'm sharing best practices to harness that energy, use it for good, but all delay doing anything about it, for just a little bit.

Decluttering

You are waiting for all your purchases to arrive. You know what people are getting or even yourself and you want to purge the old. But wait! If you purge toys now, what will they play with until Christmas (this will be my example because that's the holiday I celebrate)? I recommend starting a slash pocket for decluttering alone. This way in the future you will remember what you brain told you to declutter. You have too much going on right now and there will be time for decluttering in the last week of the year. However around the 22nd or 23rd you may wanna get a little head start. It would be fun to reward your kids for their efforts too. If you are in the Productive Home Solution, you can find certificates for the kids and it's just a fun spin on the tasks. They want to make room for the things they asked for too.

Planning

You already are experiencing that dreaming energy of what could be for 2026. Your brain is begging for a new planner and expressing dreams for 2026. In episode 681, I shared the 4 ways I will plan from now to the end of the year, and that first step is dreaming. So go ahead, make a slash pocket just for goals, then write down what comes to mind on index cards, place in your Sunday Basket for safe keeping till you have the time and energy. The time will be Planning Day because they match up to when planning energy is high for most people.

Power of the Sunday Basket@

The Sunday Basket in general is for capturing ideas when your brain has them so when you have time and energy you can do what your brain wanted you to do. In the Holiday Blitz Planning Day we divided the Sunday Basket into three Sunday Baskets®. We we delaying some ideas into the New Year Basket®, we had holiday ideas, and then one remained our weekly use Sunday Basket®. You always get a workbook that has some planner components and gets you in the planning mindset.

Finally, you get to do the planning that was brewing in early December. On December 29th at noon (CST), you will once again reorganize your Sunday Baskets® for new purposes. Planning Day Prep is first and you will clean out your weekly Sunday Basket® for a fresh start for the new year. This is when you take notes and "guides" about your family holidays and file that slash pocket back into the Household Operations Binder. This day is for filling in the workbook with the "ground work" information that will support you completing the workbook during Planning Day, go through that planning slash pocket you created, relabeling your slash pockets, and labeling your tear pads.

Now you are prepped and ready for Planning Day on December 31st at 10 am (CST). You will spend 4 hours planning the next 4 months. It's time, you have the time and the energy has been bubbling this whole time, go nuts, plan away. Remember that planning slash pocket? Now you get to decide what you take action on that your brain wanted you to remember. You will plug in your goals, play with routines you want to establish to support your goals, as well as plan around your family and work responsibilities. My childhood ritual was to get a new planner in December, May and August. I just loved leaving old objectives in the past, dreaming of what I could be, I could do, and what did I want? And now I get to teach you how to do the same for you and your house.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Planning Day

• The Productive Home Solution

• 681 - 4 Ways I Will Plan From Now to the End of the Year. Holiday Blitz, Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day, Seasonal Sanity Savers and New Year Planning Days.

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Let's revisit some characteristics of December energy because last week you were deep in Thanksgiving energy and you may have missed a few things I suggested planning. Do we all agree the energy has shifted? Even though the calendar still says November, we're all in December!

After the Big Meal

The dishes have been cleaned and the company has gone home. Now what? You have a couple of days before you return to your normal weekly routines. Now is the time to plan so you can be a proactive holiday person instead of reactive. This is the time to prevent stress and over spending. It's never about all the things we need to do. It's the order in which we do them, when we do them, and the energy we have when we do them. I want to start to focus on what needs to be done to set up this audience for success on Saturday and Sunday or these situations when we have unique pockets of time. Here's the plan to set you up for success as we go into December!

Before You Unpack the Holiday Decor

Let's plan decorating your home for December. What does it look like, smell like, and taste like in your home during December? Remember how we asked our family what they'd like for Thanksgiving? Do the same for December. My family told me it was all about lights for them. So a few years ago I just put up what I wanted and lots of lights. I thought for sure they'd remember a certain item so I kept everything. But no. And the next year the same. But the dread I felt knowing I had tubs of decor I didn't want to use put a damper on wanting to decorate. After Christmas that second year of not putting out as much I convinced myself to donate all the extras…even childhood items. I felt an epic amount of guilt. But that next year when I went to get out the decorations all I felt was relief!! I went from trying to fulfill non-existent family expectations to minimally decorating to donating extras and decorating in record time. But now is the time or you'll blink and it'll be the Monday before Christmas!

And now is the time to shop! I shop now because the lists are ever changing. This prevents me from spending in September and December thus going over budget. Lots of time the prices go down or you get better deals like bundles. It's less time that I have to hide what I bought although this year Organize 365® is the delivery address of choice so I (and all employees) don't have to hide anything. And this is the shopping energy season. Everyone else is shopping and I love to shop so naturally I want to be shopping too! This is also the time to stock up on cards and gift cards for global gifts for people like your babysitter, teachers, amazon delivery people, your house keeper, trash collectors, and etc.

Winter Break

This is the time of year I normally plan one big outing and a couple of smaller outings. You'll all be home and the kids will be looking for something to do and you probably don't want to spend a bazillion dollars. You can still sleep in, I am just encouraging you to plan something each day. Usually the most fun times come from someone planning it. You can plan an activity or goal each day. I shared how I planned my extra time in episode 683. I want you to revisit it and think about how you could best provide some self care? When the break is over you will feel like you made memories, accomplished a few goals, and ready for January.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Black Friday Sales Catalog

• Episode 683 - PTO Time Just for ME! Modern Self Care

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!