Winters are long in the Midwest. And even though the daylight hours grow discernibly in February, it’s still the month when cabin fever shows up. This uninvited visitor plagues work-at-home moms, cooped up with kids determined to litter the house with toys and projects.

One way to banish cabin fever is to keep the house clean. Accomplishing that feat while maintaining control of kids bursting with excess energy is a challenge for even the most organized mom. But you can gain control over your home and keep cabin fever at bay by establishing some daily house cleaning routines. In the process, you’ll teach your kids skills they need to be successful as adults. So let’s get to work.

Control Your Clutter

To make your home look clean even when it isn’t, you need to control clutter. Of course, with children creating messes as you get rid of them, you’ll think you’re fighting a losing battle. But if you implement these quick tricks, eventually you will win the clutter war.
* Sort mail daily. Throw junk mail in the garbage without opening it. File catalogs you want to keep, bills and other important mail. Note in your planner when to pay bills and respond to other correspondence.
* If you have school age children, check backpacks every day. To learn more about controlling school papers, read the September 2007 It’s About Time column
* Purge newspapers weekly and magazines monthly.
* Pick up toys every day, even if you just toss them in plastic tubs and hide them behind the couch.
* Set up ongoing projects in an out-of-the-way place like the basement or the spare room.

Create a Schedule

Most people clean in one of two ways: in one fell swoop or in small, daily spurts. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The first is exhausting, but if you stick with it to the end, the whole house looks great. The second is more manageable, and therefore more likely to get done, but every room in house never looks magazine cover ready at the same time.

Over the years, I moved from being the first kind of cleaner to the second. It easier and left the weekends free for family activities. My system evolved into the following five cleaning duties completed after work: kitchen, bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, and rotating chores. Rotating chores included things that didn’t need weekly attention such as closet cleaning, sorting toys with kids and cleaning the porch.

You can tweak the system to meet your needs. If you want a little more structure and encouragement as you change your cleaning habits, visit the Fly Lady at www.flylady.com. She has schedules, daily emails and cleaning products that will help you develop daily housework habits. You’ll take baby steps each week and have fun in the process. One word of warning: if you sign up to be part of the Fly Lady’s email group and don’t want your inbox flooded, select the digest format.

Include the Kids

Your kids can clean house. In fact, your kids need to clean house. It is one of the best ways to teach them necessary life skills. As an elementary teacher I discovered there are two kinds of students in the world. The first kind keep their lockers and desks clean, finish their homework and can find it when asked to hand it in. The second kind can’t find any homework, complete or incomplete, because of their messy desks and overflowing lockers. In discussions with kids and their parents, I found that most students in the first group had cleaning chores at home, while those in the second group didn’t.

Teaching your kids to clean is a win-win situation for your family. You get help around the house; the kids learn life skills. And the key to teaching them is to start early. Of course you can’t expect your two-year-old to scrub the bathtub or your three-year-old to vacuum the house. But there are appropriate cleaning tasks for every age group: toddlers, preschoolers, elementary-aged children and middle schoolers.

These two websites have excellent articles about age-appropriate tasks for kids, as well as other information about allowances, chore charts and other topics.

* familyeducation.com – Type "chores for children" in the search box, and you’ll find many useful ideas.

* raisingchildren.net.au – For a bit of Australian parenting flavor, type "chores for children" in the search box of this website.

Make It Fun

House cleaning is not my favorite activity. And my grown kids, who were part of the family cleaning crew during childhood, agree. But when they were young, we stumbled onto a method that made cleaning fun. We listened to book tapes or fun radio shows while we worked. Believe it or not, the memory of everybody working together at home and listening to a good story is one they cherish.

By following these three steps, you and your family will have more than a clean home. You’ll have more than a home devoid of cabin fever. You’ll have good memories and more responsible kids, too. So dig out the mop bucket and feather duster. It’s about time to clean the house.

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.

When most people hear the word "January," they think of cold and snow, abandoned New Year’s resolutions, short days and long nights. But when I hear "January," once the shivering stops, I think of down time. Between holiday recovery time and uncertain weather, many activities take a break during January. That gives you a chance to prepare for the new year. The best way to do that is to gather the tools you need and make them part of your routine. And the most important tool to have in place is your daily planner.

I know, I know. You’re thinking, "Why is she talking about this again? We went over this in August." You’re right. We did. But at that time I promised we would revisit the daily planner this month and maybe add a few bells and whistles. And being a woman of my word, except for that silly vow I made about never eating chocolate again, a second look at how to use the daily planner is in order.

If you missed the first column and want to start at the beginning, or if your memory is like mine and you have no idea of what you ate for breakfast this morning, much less the contents of an article you read last August, take heart. A quick trip to the August column will get you up to speed.

Evaluate Present Use

This January commit the new year to God and ask Him to help you redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16) He’s provided. One way to do that is to use your planner well. If you haven’t purchased one yet, the link above tells what you need to get started. Once you determine what you need, you can shop websites like www.dayrunner.com or www.franklincovey.com or visit your local office supply store.

If you already use your planner regularly, now’s the time to evaluate how effective that use is. Ask yourself these questions:

* How can I improve my daily planning time?
* Do I ask God to guide the way I use my time?
* Do I take my planner wherever I go?
* When does it save time?
* When does it waste time?
* What can I change to utilize it more effectively for household chores and family responsibilities?
* What can I change to utilize it more effectively within my business?
* What do I need to add?

Make Necessary Adjustments

Based on the answers to the questions above and ones you think of yourself, you will see where to adjust your present practice. For example, if you aren’t planning daily, make that a priority each morning and include prayer time in it. Or, if you forget your planner when you leave the house, try clipping your car keys to it. You won’t forget it again!

Keep all present practices and features that save time. But if some waste more time than they save, figure out why. If you just need more practice until they become second nature, keep practicing. If moving components to a different part of the planner or tabbing them differently would help, try that. But if something is a true time waster, abandon it.

Add Needed Features

As your family and business grows, so will your planner. When I first attended writers’ conference, I exchanged business cards and stuck them in the front of my planner. A quick shuffle through the cards was enough to jog my memory so I could find the person I needed to locate. Once I attended a few more conferences and hit the ripe old age of fifty, that method tanked. Cards began falling out of my planner. I couldn’t recall the face or conversation that accompanied the name on the card. But at the DayRunner website, I found a plastic holder that displays all the cards at once. And I now write a note on the back of each card to help me remember the person who gave it to me.

In the same way, you will add features when previously workable practices become frustrating. When that happens, think about what you need to make them work again. Ask others if they had the same problem and how they solved it. Search online to see what’s available and when you find it, add it to your planner.

Create a Habit

If you started using a planner once and then gave up, don’t despair. Be patient and persevere. Remember, it takes six weeks to turn a new practice into a habit.

You just need to think of easy ways to keep the new habit in front of you at all times. So if you forgot to use your planner today, put it where you will have to touch it tomorrow. Depending on your morning routine, that place could be: on your breakfast chair, in a sack hanging from the doorknob, on top of your purse or Bible, beside the alarm clock, in your shoes…you get the idea. This method works so well you can use it to help other people in your house remember their stuff, too.

Time is a gift from God, and He’s given you a new year of minutes and hours and days and weeks and months. The four steps above can help you redeem that time in a way that honors your family, your business and the Giver of all good gifts.

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.

For years the question, "What’s for supper?" filled me with dread because I rarely knew the answer. I was married eight years before I stumbled upon the practice of menu planning. Once discovered, it made my life a whole lot easier. I spent less time cooking, reduced food waste, saved money and my family ate better. These ten tips can make your life easier, too, so give them a try.

Tip One: Be a Fabulous Cook Once a Day

Reserve your best cooking for your main family meal. Put all other meals on autopilot by creating a weekly menu of simple meals like those shown on this table.

Breakfast

Lunch
Sun
Orange juice, cold cereal, toast Sunday dinner, then popcorn at supper
Mon
Grape juice, instant oatmeal Soup, PBJs, baby carrots
Tues
Orange slices, toaster waffles Grilled cheese, chips, canned fruit
Wed
Orange juice, cold cereal, toast Leftovers
Thurs
Grapes and muffins Hot dogs, veggies and chips
Fri
Grape juice, PB toast or English muffins Mac & cheese, fresh veggies with dip
Sat
Apple slices, Pop Tarts Lunch meat sandwiches, fresh fruit

*This menu assumes milk is served with meals

Tip Two: Plan Menus Weekly

Think of main dishes for the main meal of each day. Write them on your monthly wall calendar or in your planner. Check church, school and work calendars as you go so you don’t plan something for the night of the PTA pancake supper. Do your planning on the day you get your favorite grocery store ads. Make your grocery list as you go, letting good deals on produce and other items guide your side dish choices.

Tip Three: Utilize the Crock Pot and Grill

Plan at least two crock pot meals per week during the winter months and two grilled meals in the summer. Crock pot and grilling recipes are everywhere. Inexpensive cookbooks are available in the check out lanes at grocery stores. Google "crockpot" or "grilling" and see what you get. You can also check at the library or in women’s magazines and newpapers.

Tip Four: Use Leftovers

When planning menus, include at least one meal per week that yields leftovers to be used for the main dish of another meal. Grill a turkey and boil off the carcass for soup. Use leftover meat in hash or a casserole. Put a beef or pork roast in the crock pot and use the leftovers for hot sandwiches, stew or stir fry. Or reheat leftovers for an easy lunch.

Tip Five: Shop Once a Week

Menu planning will help you develop a once-a-week shopping mindset. As you plan meals, make your grocery list. Post it on your refrigerator. As you run out of items during the week, add them to the list. Always take your list with you to the store.

Tip Six: Stockpile Basic Ingredients

Once your breakfast and lunch menus are in place, stockpile kid foods such as canned soup, Spaghettios and macaroni and cheese when they’re on sale. Do the same with ingredients you use regularly such as flour, sugar, spaghetti sauce, pasta, spices, oil, canned tuna and salad dressings. Check the stockpile as you plan menus and add needed ingredients to your grocery list.

Tip Seven: Make Your Freezer Your Best Friend

If you have a deep freeze, take advantage of it. Buy sale-price meat and large quantities of staples to freeze. Date and label everything. Store food in freezer bags or disposable aluminum pans if you run out of casserole dishes.

Tip Eight: Fix More Than One

You can maximize your time by making double, triple or quadruple batches of anything you prepare – casseroles, baked good, snack mix, cheese balls. Serve one batch immediately and put the rest, labeled and dated, in the freezer. By doing this consistently, you will have meals on hand for busy days.

Tip Nine: Develop a Plan for Picky Eaters

Inform the picky eaters at your house that a one choice optional menu plan is available. It should be nutritious but not very glamorous. At our house it was peanut butter sandwiches. As soon as the picksters are old enough, they should fix the optional meal by themselves. This method feeds picksters without catering to them, and they often begin trying new foods.

Tip Ten: Create a Recipe Arsenal

Menu planning is easier if you have a large number of recipes you like. Look for recipes that are uncomplicated, nutritious, freeze well and use inexpensive ingredients. One book that meets all these criteria is Once a Month Cooking by Mimi Wilson & Mary Beth Lagerborg (published by Focus on the Family). Other sources of good recipes include: good cooks, church cookbooks, newspapers and magazines, the library, the Internet and food packaging. Set a goal of trying a new recipe once or twice a month. If your family gives it a thumbs up, add it to your arsenal.

Once I implemented menu planning, I didn’t hate the "What’s for supper?" question because I always had an answer. You will too, with a little practice. So as winter sets in, try these ten tips. And send an email to tell me how you’re progressing. If you do, I’ll send you some of my favorite recipes. So go on, it’s time to get cooking!

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.

This fall we’ve enjoyed some record setting warm temperatures in the Midwest, my part of the country. The mild weather reminds me of a similar fall years ago when my daughter Anne was a first grader. Between the pleasant weather and extra duties at work, I forgot to sort through the kids’ winter paraphernalia. An unexpected night time snowfall in November resulted in a mad search through our coat closet the next morning. Anne’s coat, mittens and hat still fit, but her old boots were way too small. So off to school she went, bootless through the wet snow. She came home very upset. "Mom," she sobbed. "Everybody without boots had to stand by the wall. And the playground supervisor scolded us and…" Her story went on and on, and I felt guilty as I comforted her. Why? Because a little forethought on my part would have prevented the whole situation.

You can avoid a similar scenario at your house by using the four steps below to help you organize the hodgepodge of winter cast-offs cluttering your closet. Then you’ll be ready for the cold days that will soon arrive.

Step One: Sort and Size
First, pull last winter’s things out of the closet and have your kids try them on. Pass clothes on if they fit your next smallest child or store them if a much smaller child can wear them in a few years. Save items you can’t use for a garage sale or donate them to another family or to a thrift store. Immediately put things to be stored in a labeled box. Bag items to be donated and drop them off the next time you run errands. Price garage sale merchandise and place it in boxes labeled for that purpose. Whatever you do, don’t put things you won’t use in the closet. Get rid of them instead.

And while you’re at it, use the same system to sort through spring jackets, raincoats and umbrellas. Pack what you will use again in a labeled, clear plastic tub, but wash soiled items first. Put the tub in storage. Get rid of everything else.
Now, run the usable winter coats, hats, mittens and scarves through the air fluff cycle of your dryer. While the dryer removes the wrinkles, you can create a shopping list, including kids’ clothing size and color preferences. Put the list in your planner so it is handy when you find a good buy.

Step Two: Swap and Buy
Because you’re starting early, you can avoid paying top prices for your kids’ winter gear. Think about friends and family who have children older and larger than your kids. See if they have coats or boots to pass on or sell at a reduced price. Or maybe you can swap coats and boots back and forth from year to year.
If that doesn’t work, check ebay, consignment shops, garage sale ads and thrift stores for quality used outerwear. If you still come up empty-handed, watch the department store sales flyers. Most run a pre-season coat sale with deep coupon discounts. If you’re a catalog or Internet shopper, check websites to do some comparison pricing.

And don’t forget your local discount store. They’re a great place pick up extra pairs of inexpensive stretch gloves and headbands. Keep them on hand for emergencies and to replace the mittens and caps that inevitably get lost each winter. Layering a couple pairs together keeps kids’ fingers warm without making your temper flare. They make cheap stocking stuffers at Christmas, too.

Step Three: Hang and Dry
Once the family is outfitted for winter, train everyone to take care of their gear when they get home – unless you enjoy navigating your way through heaps of coat and piles of boots during several months of cold weather. These tips can help you avoid that fiasco. You’ll spend a couple weeks training kids (and adults) to use the storage system, but the effort is worth it.

- Hang adult coats in the closet.
- Install pegs at kid level near the door they use to enter the house. They should hang their coats up as soon as they take them off.
- Put a bathmat, boot tray or folded vinyl tablecloth on the floor near the same door, perhaps below the pegs. Kids should place wet boots there.
- Hang a shoe organizer over the coat closet door. Use it to store hats, gloves and mittens. Label the pockets with the names of everyone in the family, reserving the lowest pockets for the smallest children.
- Varnish a long narrow piece of wood. Glue clothespins to it and hang it on the wall above a radiator or other heater. Kids can pin their wet mittens there to dry.

Step Four: Sort and Store
This last step, which will make next year’s winter preparations much easier, will be completed next spring. Make a note – "Store winter stuff" – on an April day in your planner calendar so you don’t forget when spring arrives. When the designated day comes, haul the tub full of spring outerwear to the coat closet and complete step one in reverse.

Once you have the spring jackets arranged and the winter things stowed away, do one last thing. Write a note – "Store spring stuff" – on a November day in your planner calendar. Now, no matter what next fall is like, you’ll set a weather record. Your kids will tramp through the snow, dry and warm, two years in a row. Kind of makes you eager for snow, doesn’t it?

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.

An early September trip to a craft store, where I saw Christmas items prominently displayed, forced me to check the calendar. "Yes," I told myself, " it is time to start Christmas shopping."

It’s hard to whip up holiday spirit when the weather’s warm and the calendar says you have almost 100 days to go. But every October, two reasons spark my holiday spirit. First, shopping early means there’s more time to celebrate the coming of Christ in December. Second, it saves money. If those reasons make the sugar plums do a happy dance in your head, you’re ready to shop.

Establish a Budget

Before you start, make a budget. With your spouse, decide how much money you can spend without going into debt. Gift giving doesn’t honor the Savior’s birth if your spending creates debt.

Once you know your spending limits, get a couple blank note pages from the back of your planner and make two lists. On one, record every person who needs a gift: family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, club and school gift exchanges. On the second, list other holiday purchases: the Christmas tree, decorations, lights, stocking stuffers, cards, postage and gift wrap. Then use your budget to assign dollar limits for all gifts and purchases.

If the limits depress you, don’t lose heart. Expensive gifts aren’t essential to a Christ-focused Christmas. And your kids don’t need to receive everything on their wish lists as much as they need the example of parents who spend within their means.

Be Creative
But if staying within your budget seems impossible, don’t give up. Use creative gift ideas, like the ones below. They can stretch your dollars and establish traditions your family, friends and co-workers will look forward to and enjoy for years.

- Implement a gift exchange with extended family members. Have cousins draw names so they exchange gifts with just one other cousin. Do the same with aunts and uncles. Set dollar limits and stick to them.

- If that’s still too pricey, do a five dollar white elephant gift exchange instead. Make crazy rules to decide the order for distributing and opening gifts. Make more rules for "stealing" and "restealing" items. Our extended family does this and everyone, from kids to grandparents, scour thrift stores all year looking for unforgettable bargains.

- Draw names amongst co-workers and club members instead of buying each person a gift. Again, stick to a spending limit.

- Use your hobbies to create inexpensive gifts. Knitters and crochets, quilters, scrapbookers, woodworkers, bakers – the possibilities are endless.

- Give the gift of time. Offer to baby sit a friend’s kids. Spend a day cleaning, doing yard work or sorting through old pictures with parents or grandparents.

Give Memories

School or graduation pictures, prints of special events and your child’s artwork are gifts family members will appreciate. Years ago my mother-in-law gave me boxes of slides she’d taken while raising three boys on an Alaskan homestead. Each November, I make a few slides made into prints to send to his brothers. The pictures bring back wonderful memories of their childhoods. Use pictures to preserve family history for your loved ones, too.

Prepare to Shop
Now, put the two lists you made earlier in your planner. Clearly write spending limits beside each name, along with clothing and shoe sizes and wish list items that match your budget. Put two envelopes in the back of your planner. Stash receipts in one so you can locate them quickly if case of returns or exchanges. Put discount coupons you will use in the second.

Start Shopping
Finally, you are ready to shop. Watch sales flyers and garage sale ads, check Internet shopping sites and eBay for the best deals. Purchase items on your list when the prices match your budget. Never leave home without your planner. Set a target date, perhaps December 1, to be done shopping. Once your purchases are completed, quit looking at the sales flyers and don’t go where you could impulse shop. Schedule a final shopping trip during the after Christmas sales so you can stock up on gift wrap, cards and other staples needed for next year.

As gifts accumulate, you need a safe storage spot. That’s not easy to find since kids have noses trained to sniff out even the most cleverly hidden toys. Ask a nearby friend or relative if you can store your gifts in a box or large plastic tote in their basement. Then offer to store theirs in return. This tactic will also keep you from forgetting where your gifts are located. Two heads are better than one!

Set an Example
If you finish shopping early, you’ll have time to establish meaningful holiday traditions with your kids. You could celebrate Advent together, building anticipation for the arrival of Baby Jesus. Or you could read Christmas stories, research the origin of Santa Claus, go caroling together, visit elderly neighbors. Spending time with your children gives them a gift money can’t buy: your example of true Christmas spirit, a heart grateful for God’s love expressed in His Son, a heart compelled to share His love with others.

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.

School’s been in session for a while now, just long enough for the stacks of precious school papers, lunch menus, field trip permission slips, picture order packets, lunch money reminders, monthly PTA calendars and book orders to reach nearly unmanageable proportions. If you don’t organize the mess soon, there won’t be room in your house for a tree by Christmas.

I was on paper-sending end of things as a teacher before becoming a paper-receiving parent. During those early years I learned a number of techniques, many from wise and experienced moms and teachers, that helped me handle the onslaught of papers my son brought home from kindergarten. Those techniques can help you, too. Use the list below as a guide while you sort through the papers threatening to engulf your home. In the process, you’ll create an organizational system that will work until your cute little kindergartners graduates from high school. And if you do things right, you’ll be teaching your kids management skills that will help them be more successful in school and eventually on the job.

The Right Stuff

Investing in the right stuff helps you and your child stay more organized so buy, find or create the following:

* A backpack. You need one per child.
* A designated place. Assign a place for each backpack to live when not in use – a shelf in the entryway, a hook in the coat closet, a bin by the back door, whatever. Train kids to put their backpacks in that place once schoolwork is done.
* A bulletin board. Arrange a large bulletin board high on the wall for your use, then hang smaller boards below it, one for each child if possible. If you don’t have that much room, use string or ribbon to section off a second large bulletin board and label one section per child.
* An accordion file or small plastic tub. Again, you need one per child, labeled with name and grade.
* Your personal planner and the family calendar. Yep, these are the ones mentioned during the last two months. I told you they’d come in handy!

The Right Routine

The right stuff works best if you and your kids develop a regular routine to use it. The routine outlined below provides a good starting place.

1. Have kids unload backpacks as soon as possible after arriving home. Maybe they can do it while you fix a snack. Don’t let kids turn on the TV, computer or Nintendo until this job and their homework is done. Have them make one pile of homework and a second pile of things you need to see.
2. Sort through your pile. Look over any school calendars and write important dates in your planner and on the family calendar. Tack each child’s school calendars and lunch menus on their bulletin boards. Tack information you need for the future on your board. Complete forms that need to be returned. Put any forms containing money or checks in labeled envelopes. Have kids put anything they need to return to school in their backpacks.
3. Sit with each child and go through the school papers. Tell children that they can keep as many papers as will fit in their accordion file or small plastic tub. Young children want to keep everything. As the year goes on and the file gets full and new memories replace old ones, they’ll be more willing to pitch old papers. Make sure kids keep original stories in their own handwriting, little notes they’ve written, unique art projects, speeches they’ve given, and any hilarious or touching completed assignments. On the back of those items, jot a reminder note and the date. Take pictures of your child holding artwork too big or messy to be filed. Put the artwork on the refrigerator until it is replaced by a new masterpiece. Then throw the old masterpiece away, preferably when your child isn’t looking.

A Few Other Useful Ideas

Not all school clutter is paper generated. Some clutter is time-related and some is money-related. Use these ideas free up time and money so you have more of both when you need them.

* Train kids to set out the next day’s school clothes as part of the bedtime routine. Also have them check and see if their backpacks are in their designated spots.
* Have someone set the table for breakfast before going to bed.
* Limit the number of after school activities your child is involved in. Insist upon one church activity, like AWANA or youth group. Then let kids choose one physical activity per season, such as soccer or dance. Use your discretion about joining clubs and starting music lessons. Be sure these activities don’t break your budget. And don’t over-schedule your children. Leave plenty of time for them to play, create and explore.
* Set limits on the book orders kids bring home. The rule at our house was that each child could order three books, and only books, from each order. I chose one book, the child chose one book, and we chose a third book together. This system kept our kids from ordering expensive non-book items and brought plenty of good reading into our home. And I learned a lot about my children’s changing interests and unchanging passions as we examined each flyer and discussed what they wanted to order.

Go for It

Now that you know how to attack the school paper pile and take control of it before it takes over your home, it’s time to get started. Once your system is in place, instead of dreading the sound of a backpacks zipping open, you’ll look forward to seeing what kids brings home from school each day. And one day your adult children will thank you, not only for those files that provide a peek into their childhood, but also for the organizational skills they learned from you each day after school.

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.

If you didn’t have time to read it, the title of my July CWAHM column, Where to Start Scooping Snow in a Blizzard, may seem seemed a bit strange to you. But if you did read it and you began to use a to-do list and family calendar consistently, give yourself a pat on the back. If it helped you de-drift your house, even a little, you may be ready for an upgrade. It’s about time for you to dabble with a daily planner.

A To-Do List on Steriods
A daily planner is used in conjunction with your family calendar. You keep your family calendar, but after you learn to use a planner, it replaces the to-do list stuck on your refrigerator. The planner is a to-do list on steroids. It’s portable, versatile and easy to update every year. And once you get into the habit of using it, you’ll be more productive.

Now please understand that I am a fairly recent personal planner convert. During my teaching years, I used a lesson plan book and the daily memo book, but I never used a planner at home. For twenty-five years I planned like a fiend at work, but at home I made do with a family calendar and a to-do list on the refrigerator.

Once I started a home business, the to-do list and family calendar system frustrated me because they weren’t big enough tools to organize both home and work. I had no way to schedule, prioritize and integrate housekeeping and parenting tasks with home business duties. Therefore, I got very little done. But, when I learned to use a planner, my productivity increased and my frustration decreased.

Start Small and Slow
I started small and slow with my planner, and I advise you to do the same. Visit an office supply store or surf the web to get an idea of different styles and formats before purchasing anything. August and September are great months to browse and compare because that’s when planners and refills for the upcoming year hit the stores. Buy the smallest planner available that still meets your needs. The planner you choose should be stocked with the following:

* A tabbed month-at-a-glance calendar.

* One year weekly pages (two pages per week) or one year daily pages (one page per day) or one year daily pages (two pages per day). Choose the format that best matches your business and home needs.

* A tele-file where you can record information for business contacts, family and friends.

If you purchase a planner this fall, all the pages in a planner purchased should be preprinted for the upcoming year. Of course that means you can’t start using it until January. If you want to begin immediately, you have a couple options. You can buy blank refill monthly calendar and daily pages and fill in dates for the next few months. Or you can go to http://office.microsoft.com and click on "Templates." If you browse the templates for calendars and planners, you can download pages and print what you need for the rest of this year.

A Planner Exercise Routine
Once you have a planner, follow these steps to learn how to use it. Think of the steps below as your planner exercise routine.

1. Commit a few minutes every morning to your planner. Get up a few minutes before the kids do so you can concentrate. If you have a morning quiet time try ending it with planning and then pray over your plans.

2. In pencil, record the appointments, meetings, and special events written on your family calendar on your planner’s monthly calendar and visa versa. It takes less time to double record than it does to flip and scan daily pages to find where things are recorded.

3. Create a to-do list on the daily page. Again, do this in pencil.
* Record anything written on the monthly calendar for today.
* Note upcoming deadlines and write what must be done today to meet it.
* Transfer uncompleted items from yesterday’s page.
* List business, housekeeping and Mom tasks.
* Add something you will do for yourself.
* Prioritize the list in numerical or chronological order.
* Pray and commit the list to God.

4. If you are using the one or two page per day format, your planner will get fat and heavy if you put all the pages in it. Put two months’ worth in your planner. When a new month begins, remove the previous month’s pages and add the next month’s.

Here are two final tips. First, take your planner everywhere with you. That way you won’t forget to record things as they occur and you’ll avoid double-booking appointments and events. Second, record contact information in the tele-file in pencil. You can then update contact information so your tele-file will never be out of date or need to be replaced.

Patience is a Virtue
Remember to be patient as you implement the steps and tips above. It takes time
to develop a new habit, about six weeks according to research, so stick with it. Once your planner makes you feel more organized, it will become indispensible.

If you want more ideas about how to use a planner, look for time management books at the library. Many dedicate an entire chapter to planners and calendars. I recommend Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Deniece Schofield (Betterway Books; Cincinnati, Ohio). Despite the dated book title, her chapter, "Calendars, To-Do Lists and Schedules," gives more ideas about how to organize and use a planner than any other book I’ve read.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing more on your own, spend the next few months slowly implementing the planner basics listed above. Then in January, we’ll revisit planners and learn to add a few more bells and whistles.

Next month, with a new school year starting, the column will tackle all the school stuff your kids will tote home. You and your child will learn to create keeper piles and throw piles. And you’ll develop a manageable storage system for the things you keep. Until then, enjoy the last weeks of summer, and don’t forget. When you go to buy school supplies, sneak a peak at the planners, too!

About the Author:
Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo.com.