We’ve all heard the adage, “Fail to plan, plan to fail”. I was reminded last weekend just how important planning is if I want peace in my life. While I would love to blame everyone else when chaos ensues, it’s very often because…

1. I just haven’t allocated enough time for our pre-departure preparation needs. This is what my husband refers to as, “screw-up time”
2. I haven’t really planned out how everything is going to be executed

Rushing triggers very bad behavior in me, mainly sarcasm. “Is this the first time you’ve had lacrosse practice on a Monday?” But I also find myself raising my voice, which I don’t like to do. I have, on many occasions, just left children behind if they’re not ready in time (and are of an appropriate age to be left home alone, of COURSE.) But, in order to implement that natural consequence, everyone needs to know the plan ahead of time in order to be set up for success.

So many wonderful things happen in my day if I take the time to plan. I get to the gym, I know what I’m going to eat, what I’m going to wear, what I’m going to do and when I’m going to do it. But sometimes, Mama feels too flippin’ tired to lay out the clothes for the next day or make sure we know how everyone is getting to their activities. However, there has never been a time when I have regretted taking those few moments to collect myself before the next day.

A friend of mine has a great saying that’s helped me out a lot. I was able to change a few words around to adapt it to planning:

Not planning is easy, but it makes life hard.
Planning is hard, but it makes life easy.

Whether I’ve got the busiest day in the world or it’s just another Friday, I can be saved from a lot of unneeded, self-inflicted, ‘Calgon take-me-away’ chaos. I just have to take care of myself by coming up with the “P-L-A-N, plan, plan, plan!” ahead of time.