I’ve shared that keeping things simple is one of the ways I’m staying sane these days. Between work and homeschool, I don’t have the bandwidth for complex projects.

But I figured maybe I should share just how simple I’m keeping it in case you need permission to ditch complicated things.

Case in point: my meal plan for the week. This is it.

It’s not fancy. It’s not written on a pretty printable. All I did was create a note using the Google Keep app.

Notice the meals aren't gourmet.

(Yes, we often eat rice with our meals. But that’s life when you have a kid with a wheat allergy.)

The beauty of having a simple plan is that I don’t have to panic every day at dinner time. And all I have to do to make this plan happen is pick some meals from our list of favorites.

Another benefit to having this list where I can see it during the day is that it I remember that I have a plan.

Perhaps at some point I’ll get more adventurous with meals again. Back in the day before I had kids, I really enjoyed baking and trying new recipes, but I’m in a different season of life and that's not a priority.

The other thing that is helping me hold things together is Google Calendar. Hubs and I have our calendars synced, which lets us see when the other person has class or meetings.

If it doesn’t go on the calendar, chances are it doesn’t get done. I used to be able to keep up with my calendar in my head, but that doesn’t work for me anymore. I don’t want to have all this information swirling around in my head.

I also have the Google Calendar app on my phone so I can make appointments when I’m out and about, like that dentist appointment in 6-months.

But my calendar isn’t just about appointments. On Sunday afternoons, I take a look at the upcoming week so I can decide where to put time blocks for work and other projects.

If a day is already pretty full, I’m better off using the available time for tasks that don’t require deep concentration. Then I put tasks that require more concentration (e.g., writing) on days when I can set aside longer blocks of time.

By planning at the beginning of the week, I have a good handle on what’s coming up and know where I have wiggle room if my best laid plans go off the rails, which sometimes happens… because life. (Like last week when Hubs had a flat time on his way home from work.)

As life and our schedules slowly begin to return to normal, it’s okay to hang onto some of the tools that helped us get through the pandemic.

There’s no shame in simple meal plans. There’s no shame in consulting your calendar and saying no if it’s already full.

I’d love to hear what tools you’re using to help you hold things together as life returns to normal. Just hit reply to this email.

Keep planning,

Shelley

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