Can you believe it’s only two months until June? It’s going to be a busy month for those of you taking part in the 30 Day Challenge – 10 minutes spent organising an area of your home for 30 days. You’re going to be on such a high at the end of June!

The beginning of the month is also the perfect time to give this Monthly Fridge Calendar a try – something that has become completely invaluable in my household. I am such a visual person – I like to be able to see at a glance what is happening throughout the month – and having this printable monthly calendar on my fridge is the perfect way to keep the whole family organised.

It’s quite straightforward:

1. I print a copy of that month’s calendar and quickly fill in any birthdays at the top of each relevant date (I use an old diary plus Facebook Events to make sure I haven’t missed anyone important).
2. I simultaneously make a list of any birthdays that require gifts, so that I know to start keeping a lookout at the shops.
3. I then pencil in any medical appointments, children’s play dates, parties, social gatherings and school events so that the whole family is constantly in the loop. It is then so easy to see if we are free to make plans when invited, if we’re overcommitting to too many events, or if we have a gap to head to Stephen’s parents for the weekend.

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A Simpler Daily Plan Green and GoldI am such a list girl – something I learned from my mother when I was in Primary School. I was overly stressed because of Grade 7 school exams and a hectic ballet festival lineup, and ended up not being able to sleep or concentrate on what I was studying. My mom sat with me late one evening and wrote down every single “To Do” item that was  buzzing around in my head, no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential it was. She then divided that list up into various days, helped me create a reasonable exam study timetable, and sent me off to my bedroom to get started.

To this day, I keep forcing myself to write lists – I have even been known to write down an already-completed task, just so that I can happily cross it off! The fact remains, that when I write lists – I am more productive. It is that simple.

Over the years, I have toyed with various list methods – phone/ iPad apps, in my diary, on desk pads, yellow Post-It notes stuck around my screen and on my steering wheel – and all of them have worked in some way or another. But what I found to be helpful THIS year, is a daily printable To Do list that I can throw away after 24 hours. I print them up in bulk so that I always have a fresh, clean, blank page of possibilities to fill in each morning. In fact, I like them so much that I put a ring on it created a FREE printable PDF for you to use. And yes, it has gold sparkly bits on it…

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