I do most of my weekly planning on Sundays these days. I would LOVE to have a nice slow Friday afternoon to get everything figured out, but Friday is a full patient day for me and I do not have the energy to plan when I get home.
Saturday is usually a lot of sports-related shuttling, so Sunday tends to be when I “fill out the board” and also do my own weekly planning: tasks, workouts, meals, kid stuff, etc.
It’s not that pretty, but serves its purpose. (I need to give The Board its annual scrubbing).
I may switch to digital, but I don’t know – this has worked pretty well, honestly! I text a pic of the board to everyone with a phone on Sunday. Sometimes there are midweek additions which get texted as well, but there aren’t TOO many last minute add-ons.
Whenever we start a week WITHOUT The Board, everyone (husband, kids, nanny, me) feels uneasy.
(Which is kind of good – it makes me feel appreciated. And honestly, this is one way in which my labor is truly visible!)
Also, I’m not entirely sure I would process things as well if it were just showing a digital version of info that was already entered. NOT at all knocking it if you are loving your Skylight or Hearth! I totally can see how they would be better if, say, everyone in the household was very GCal-based or you have teens adding on throughout the week. That just isn’t us yet.
ANYWAY with everything going on last week there was no real board to speak of, but it will be completed very soon.
Adding to the Fun Record
I wanted to try to attend at least 12 Long Form Performances in 2026. As noted below, “must be device free + must be awake”. Those are the only real requirements. (And be like, one thing. Binge-watching 3 episodes of TV doesn’t count).
ANYWAY we went to Project Hail Mary last night and it was awesome. Definitely a fun one to catch in the theaters. I didn’t really know the plot so it was fun to be surprised (and it was also fun to have A next to me, who had read the book and was watching to see my reaction to certain reveals).
I guess I am slightly behind schedule of 1/month but we have a slew of concerts coming up (2 in May) so I will be adding to the list. (Hmm, I didn’t include the a capella concert that I was part of, but maybe that counted too!)
Other mundane things I probably would not have written about without daily posts:
- I booked more points travel – we are now BOOKED for every flight to and from Hawaii (4 in total: MIA to Maui, Maui to Kauai, Kauai to Seattle, and Seattle to FLL). I used a combo of points (AA Points + Atmos Rewards) + $ for these, but overall feel like we did REALLY well (came out to ~$800/person total for all of that travel). NOW ready to start on excursions/activities + restaurants — it’s time!
- I took G to a bday party and had fun catching up with the parents, esp one mom I’ve known since the kids were under 2. I also got a bunch of red ant bites but I will survive. (They STUNG, but hopefully they won’t be as itchy as mosquito bites are for me. I guess I will find out.)
- Our house is kind of a disaster but I did clean out the files/papers on my desk. I have been slowly working with the home organizer (Konmari-trained!) too and it’s been great. FINALLY I am making progress on this longstanding goal — the bathrooms are now done and it’s so satisfying.
OKAY off to do the board and then headed to Miami Beach to hang with Josh’s dad for dinner.
7 Comments
So glad you loved the movie! I love having our blackboard for the week overview without using a screen (even though I heavily rely on digital solutions elsewhere).
My weekly plan got rubbed off yesterday and I haven’t put up the next one – it feels naked without it and the kids felt a bit lost seeing it there this morning! It reminded me of how much kids love seeing structure in a central household placement.
Have you ever reviewed the (beautiful) Analog system by Ugmonk?
Hi Sarah, Thanks for sharing your travel point success. I was wondering if you’d at some point share the breakdown on how you accumulated the points. I know you’ve interviewed a guest that talked all about using cards for points but I suggest more details… something like you did with your “lets plan a week together ” kind of detailed step/step approach. This weekly breakdown has been my holy grail, along with your book, and I have been so efficient planning my week since it was aired. i actually relisten every week and it’s slowly becoming my muscle memory. Pls do a similar one for monthly planning and if possible for points planning as well. Thanks for all that you do for your family, work and BLP community while also taking care of your health. You are amazing!
Quick tip from a teacher for anyone who uses a board like this … if you erase each week with a magic eraser, you can keep the board so. much. cleaner. and it’s all just easier. https://www.mrclean.com/en-us/shop-products/magic-erasers/magic-eraser-sponge-whole-home-classic
This is gold!! Thank you so much, will try!
I’m extra excited to see Project Hail Mary now. I really liked the book, but suspect I’ll enjoy the movie even more (a rarity for me).
I love having things written down. My husband does everything 100% digital with his schedule, but I lean heavily on paper. My planner, our whiteboard, and all sorts of lists.
I adored Project Hail Mary, and am delighted that you enjoyed it! I had never really gotten the hype about Ryan Gosling, but I get it now! He is darling.
Your board is magnificent. I am trying to use our many whiteboards for their intended purpose, but wow is it difficult to start a new habit AND get my husband and kid to join in!
my favorite Ryan Gosling roles are in Crazy Stupid Love and La La Land! Not sure if you’ve seen either but those are where I started appreciating him!!