Yesterday, I challenged you to get with the program if you are organize your job search. And today I’m telling you to take some time off. Now is the time to plan your vacations and other special events that you want to attend this year. By the way, do this whether you work for someone else, yourself, or “just” your own family. Oddly, planning for time off or time away can be a big source of family stress, so take these steps now.
- Pull out whatever calendar you use. Whether it is electronic or paper doesn’t matter. It should be something you can reference, and ideally you should be able to see a month at a glance.
- Peg your first block of vacation this year. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a two-week trip or a long weekend at the shore. Pencil it in.
- Decide what other major events you have coming up. Does the spouse have a significant birthday? Are the kids entering school for the first time or leaving for college? Do you want to take a class or conference later this year? Find out when those things will happen, and pencil them in, even if you don’t know the exact date.
- Mark some times to prep for the party, plan the travel arrangements, and even shop for new outfits if needed. These things don’t happen on their own, or by magic travel gnomes, ya know.
- Once you have your list of big events, share with your family, get their input, and ask them to block their calendar as well. Especially if you dream of a shared vacation with extended family or friends, you might need to start planning earlier than normal.
We all experience the passage of time more quickly as we age. One way to combat the out-of-control feeling that many of us experience is to schedule in milestone that allow us to look forward, and then create memories where we look back. This is kind of like focusing our eyes on the horizon to avoid becoming seasick. I hope you are already enjoying your planned events this year.
Please comment below on which events you always plan for, or which events you just realized you need to schedule as you organize vacation time.
This post is part of my 31 days of 30-minute Organizing Projects. Be sure to “subscribe to blog” for daily emails with projects you can complete in just a few minutes to start your New Year off right.
Darla, you are so psychic! I’ve literally read these bolgs on the days I’ve thought about the topic. This year, I’ll celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and want to renew our vows someplace far away. Too busy during the holidays, so now’s the time because it’s in April! Thanks for keeping me in the groove!
I’m either psychic, or have been doing this a long time. Definitely the latter. Congrats on your anniversary. April will be here before you know it.
My sister found a great house for our family’s annual trek to the beach. So I have penciled that week in the calendar. And my in-laws are planning a big vacation for all of us so that week has been highlighted for a few months now. Summer fills up fast so it is very important, at least for us, to block out those trips.
Luckily, vacation planning is one thing I do well and in advance. My husband works a lot, so vacation is family time and precious. Events I plan for always – birthdays, special holidays (Easter, Christmas, etc), special events like our daughter is making her First Communion this year, and the days the kids have off from school.