Ask Anything: “How do you balance it all?” Part 1: Monthly Calendaring

You asked: “How do you balance being a wife and mother, housework, photo sessions and editing sessions, and still have the ‘me’ time that everyone craves and NEEDS? You seem to do it so seamlessly giving attention to everything, but knowing how crazy life can be, I know it doesn’t just come naturally. What system do you use to handle it all in stride?”

I have been trying to figure out how to answer this question I got over on Instragram with full authenticity for months now. I want to answer in a helpful way without pretending to be someone I am not (as I am not a train wreck 100% of the time, nor do I have it all together 100% of the time).

So, I have good news and bad news.

Bad news first: There isn’t one system to solve this. I’d be rich if I could figure out the one-size-fits-all system to fix this!!

Good news: I can tell you some of the mental and physical tools I use to help me “handle it all in stride.” You have to promise to remember that sometimes my stride is a nice easy gait, other times I’m running for deal life, and sometimes I’m stumbling all over the place. These systems do not keep me going at an easy breezy steady stride, but they do help me to keep moving forward.

Why have it in 4 places?

1. My phone is usually with me. I can pull it up wherever I am at and see what’s coming up, schedule new appointments without double booking, and plan a little better.
2. My Planner: the planner I use is a combination of a goal planner and calendar planner. Every month I line out my priorities, the baby steps to my goals, and then see what I have on the calendar each month. This helps me see what I need to focus on and what I can feasibly do each month. That way if I have an extra busy month of appointments, I can plan my goals better!
3. 2 Wall Calendars. 1 Wall Calendar sits by my desk, the other sits in the dining room (which is also where do do school and I often do my morning reading/routine). This means that I can easily see what is going on from the two main places where I do any scheduling, emails, or planning. They are easily accessible to the family and for when we need a quick look at what is going on.