this is not a knitting post but something else I'm passionate about - meal planning

I am a planner, a goal setter, a doer. And I've always enjoyed an analog calendar system over digital. This is ironic because my day job is in digital marketing. But there's something about getting my thoughts, my schedule and my goals onto pen and paper, that just doesn't work for me electronically.

Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

This summer, I started a new job which requires me to commute to work and takes a lot more coordination on my end to get my mornings organized so I'm not a frantic mess every day. So I started meal planning. In the past, I would use this technique sporadically, but these days it's been a life-line.

My approach is fairly basic. I simply divide my days between lunches (for the kids) and dinners for the entire week. As a family, we talk about what we want to eat the coming week, and I sketch all of these meals on Sundays, make the shopping list, and head to the grocery store while my daughter is at the rink for skating practice.

My simple hand sketched weekly meal plan.

I practice this religiously now. It saves me from answering the never-ending question: "What's for dinner?" It saves me from realizing on my commute home that I don't have enough food for a meal that evening. It saves me from worrying over what to pack the girls for lunch that they will actually eat because they contributed to the plan.

For me, a meal plan was the solution. And yes, it's analog, too.

What do you do to stay on top of hectic schedules? I would love to hear your tips, too!

xo