Time Tip – Planner Coding

I’ve been using a new planner coding system for my children, for when my calendar starts to get very busy. If you look at The Busy Woman’s Daily Planner monthly tabs/pages above, you’ll see a notes column on the right hand side. I write in each child’s activities on the appropriate days of the month, and then I add a circled number to any activity that needs more information than I can fit in the daily square. The same number goes on the margin of the monthly page or if I know I need more room, I’ll put it on a “notes” page, along with the additional information I need.

For example, perhaps Josh has Volleyball on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I will put “Josh 5:30 VB” on the calendar for those days. However, on 2 of the 8 Saturdays, Josh has to go to a different park for a game. So I will put a circled number 1 in the upper left corner by his name on the date of the game and the same number 1 in the notes column, plus the name of the new park and the name and phone number of the carpool partner.

Then for a different detail, I will write a circled number 2, then 3, and so on. We add numbers any time during the month as needed. Some women prefer to write the days of the week into their detailed notes rather than using circled numbers.

If I need to schedule something for one of the other children, I will continue the coding the same way. Some people might use a different color for each child. There are many variations when it comes to planner coding. Think about how you process information. Do you respond better to numbers or days of the week? Would different colors for each person help you or give you heartburn?

Find what works with “YOUR” personality and get rid of the stress of coding in your planner and following your written schedule.

Copyright ©2002 Susie Glennan
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