It’s that time of year. Many of us often find we have more to do than time will allow. Planning ahead a bit, does make this very busy time of year much more fun, allowing us more time to enjoy all the festivities with a lot less stress.
I thought instead of a wine post or a recipe or two I’d offer my thoughts and suggestions to help you make a plan to give you more free time, have some fun, and still get stuff done.
Planning Ahead
Some of this you may already know, however, please indulge me.
Make a list: That sounds so simple doesn’t it? The key is when we prepare that list. Here are my rules of thumb.
- At the beginning of a new calendar year, I mark my calendar with dates with an alarm that will alert me to when to start thinking about or start working on such as any make-ahead recipes.
- I add a list of needs in the notes for each of these calendar dates. Think of it as a built-in grocery and supply list. Note: I’ll often repeat the dates with the various alerts for following years. I’ll add and change some items as the year progresses.
- Examples:
- September is my liqueur-making month. An alert is created on September 1st to remind me to get busy.
- October is canning month such as Applesauce, Cranberry Sauce, Apple Butter and so on. An alert is created on October 1st to remind me to start canning.
- Various times of the year I’ll create calendar alerts to remind myself about a need for gifts – what, when and where to buy or make these gifts.
- I set a date well ahead of time about when and what I may need to decorate for a holiday or event. It offers a great reminder to start my planning early.
- And so on, you get the idea.
- Examples:
Family Favorite Recipe File: I’ve created a file of all our favorite holiday recipes for quick access (A hard copy file and a document file on my computer). The recipes may be for any holiday or event within a calendar year.
- In that file, I keep all the family favorites that I know I’ll be making.
- Throughout the year, I may add a new recipe or two for fun and to keep things fresh.
Gift Ideas From The Kitchen File: This kind of speaks for itself.
- I’ll compile a good long list of recipes and ideas I think others would enjoy. This is a file that is constantly changing and updated.
- I’ll also make a list of easy ways to decorate and/or packaging any of these items or a group of items.
Company’s Coming Planning: I use a planning worksheet. Yes, I know I’m a bit anal.
- I use a planning sheet to help prepare the days my guests will be visiting. Note: I’ll keep any past planning records to help with some future ideas. Doing this saves me a great deal of time by not having to recreate something I’ve already done.
- An easy access file of a collection of make-ahead recipes is also very handy to have readily available.
- Recipe Examples:
- Make Ahead Freezer Biscuits
- Prepare bacon and freeze for future use
- Homemade Granola and Muesli
- Homemade Yogurt
- Fruit Jams
- Recipe Examples:
That is kind of it. I do try to keep things simple; including what I would prepare and what plan I create for any occasion. Planning ahead with some calendar alerts helps a great deal. After all, it’s about enjoying what we do and the time we have to share with whomever we choose.
Time to enjoy the holidays…
If you enjoyed my “Planning Ahead,” check out my Gift Ideas From The Kitchen, Homemade Candies, and Celebrations Wines. Enjoy.
P.S. Take a moment to check out some of the tools I use for “Planning Ahead” below. 🙂