By Renee Birchfield

As a blogger, I have more than one calendar that I have to keep up with, as I am sure many of you do. There was a time in my life where I didn’t believe in writing things down or planning ahead. That was not the best idea I ended up missing assignment dates, confusing work hours and generally forgetting things. Then I decided that it was time to make some sort of calendar plan, over the years I have found a way that is working for me. I manage my blog schedule, substituting schedule and our family schedule that can be a lot to deal with if I am not writing everything down.

I have come to love calendars. I enjoy playing with a couple different ones so I can figure out which is working for me at the time. I like the ease of having a calendar at my fingertips on my phone, but I forget to put all my details into it or to check it enough to stay on top of it.  Writing things down helps me to remember them better so a paper calendar is a way to go.

This Sugar Paper planner from 2014 was my favorite so far and this year I ended up going with a monthly calendar that has notes section in the back and each week I just make a list.  It has been working so far, but I do hope to get a similar new one for 2016.  

At the start of the year, I sit down and go through each month page of my calendar and write down important dates, my color code, and my monthly themes. Each area of my blog life has a different color pen and I have one for doctor appointments and other personal activities. I have just started working with an editorial calendar and making monthly themes so it is still new to me.

At the start of each month I look at my theme, important dates, and any holidays, I then go and make a topic or title for each post that I plan to write. I also go through and write in all my prescheduled work days, so I at least have an idea of how much time I have to write.

Now the fun part: getting ready for the week.

Each Sunday night I sit down and look at my month page, which is full of color-coded marks, pencil markups, and by the end of the month food stains. When I sit down I look at the things I have scheduled to do for the week. I decide if they can all be accomplished or if I have changed my mind on the recipe I want to share for the week. Once I am sure of what I plan to write and get done I turn to my week view.

In my week view, I write down any appointments or meeting times down on the day. I then go through and make a short checklist of things I need to get done for the posts. I break them down by importance and make a to-do list for each day. While I’m working on this, I go ahead and make the menu for the week as well.  

Once I am done I am ready for the week ahead.

How do you prepare your calendar for the week ahead? What calendar is everyone using or hope to get for next year?

Renee shares her favorite things in life at Married and Hungry. Hoping that her newlywed situations and thoughts will help another new wife out there, and to let them know they are not alone. Being a self-proclaimed food nerd, with a degree in Food and Culinary Science, she shares her recipes and experiments.  Her and her husband call Central Arkansas home for now. You can find her at home making the kitchen a mess, trying to cross stitch, or playing with their two dogs. Keep up with her over on Twitter, and Married and Hungry’s Facebook page.