Metaplanning Things + A Gift to Myself

I use the word “metaplanning” in two ways, which is probably confusing.

The first is to describe thinking about your planning systems. IE, planning your planning tools and techniques! If I’m thinking about my stack or trying some new productivity technique, I consider that metaplanning. The entirety of Best Laid Plans (the book) is basically metaplanning (and I do use this term in the book)!

The second is that there are often items that go on a list that aren’t actually DOING things, they are instead just planning future things. Example: yesterday I worked on planning for a team dinner after C’s first robotics competition (side note: excited to see what THAT’S about – whole new world, haha). I will often have a metaplanning category on my annual, seasonal, and monthly goals lists.

I thought I made the word up, but a brief search reveals that I did not, and truly it sounds like the first definition is more mainstream. But I like how the second one describes items on one’s list that are just really further exercises in planning.

SO WHAT’S MY POINT?

Quintile 5 (celebration + reflection season!) is coming up, and includes a ton of metaplanning, of both types! It’s SUCH a fun time (for me anyway) to think about systems and tools. But this post is actually about the other kind because I feel like it 2027 is coming up fast and with that comes . . . well, stuff to plan. So, here is a brain dump of those things . . .

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HALLOWEEN. My costume is ready (though I haven’t actually tried it on. Will get to that? It looks flexible). Same with Josh and G. A’s (super simple one) has been ordered. C has nothing, but is aware he needs to figure it out. I am not sure how many kids we’ll actually have at home that night — both A/C might be at other friends’ houses. G will probably go around our neighborhood with Josh and then sit out front with me to hand out candy. Sounds peaceful. I do need to buy candy . . .

THANKSGIVING. We’re staying local! It’s a BIG family holiday for Josh’s side, and this will be the first Thanksgiving without Bebe, so there will be plenty of feelings, but I am still looking forward to the family time. The kids are off all week (all the South FL schools seem to do this) but I am working (patients) on Tuesday. AAAND I’m contemplating adding patients to Wednesday to hoard a vacation day (I can use it to offset Thursday or Friday). If I do that, I will lose my creative day, so I’ll need to think carefully and maybe loosely plan out the month first. It’s tempting though, especially as schools are closed and a lot of people would probably love those appointments!

(And honestly this spring looks so gnarly from a travel / PL perspective that I might really appreciate having another day in the bank!)

HOLIDAYS. And presents (gahh, this part is always stressful for me!). I think I’ll try to repeat prior feats of buying EVERYTHING by the end of Black Friday weekend, but Hanukkah is so early this year that this is almost a necessity anyway. And (of course) the very last day is also G’s bday.

I feel like 2/3 of my kids are past the “toy” stage which is wonderful but a) 1/3 is most decidedly NOT and b) the “non-toys” tweens and teens want can add up fast! That said, it makes shopping easier. I’d rather buy 1-2 big things (and then fill in gaps with little life necessities – bring on the socks or pack of pens!).

I’ll be working Christmas week, so there’s not TOO much to plan there, other than ways to make it nice + streamlined because I will not have our nanny. ($#*#&$*$ in writing this, I am already realizing there may be an issue with gymnastics practices, since they often move mid-day over the two holiday break weeks. Perhaps a good opportunity to trial Uber Teen.)

New Years’ week we’re going to Universal Studios for a few days and it’s already booked/figured out, so not much metaplanning to do here. We’ll also just hang and chill and lean into the decluttering energy. I hope.

CAMP!!!! WHAT. But seriously. We’re actually super constrained this year because of our Hawaii dates — most longer camps won’t work, which is aligned with the kids’ preferences not to go to longer camps. But I’m hoping to find some kind of fun 2 week experience for C (maybe something robotics or tech focused?) and G (not necessarily overnight for her, but I think she’d be open to a cool local specialty camp). Has anyone sent kids to one of these camps? Or other recs welcome!

A’s summer is a big black box right now as she’ll be figuring out what to do next year (possibly swapping gymnastics for dance company) and so leaving things open for her as opportunities unfold makes the most sense.

SPRING LOOKS POSSIBLY TO BE A BIT BONKERS. I feel like I also said this about last spring . . . and it was, though I don’t have any regrets about the trips I took. But we’re so far out that it’s only likely to get more filled up. What is it about March — May that just attracts . . . everything?

I have a work retreat/recording extravaganza with Laura (yay), we have a wedding (in CA), I’m hoping to go to Hopkins in late April, I have a work conference in mid May, and you know, it will be MAY. We’re also possibly sort of considering a cruise around Memorial Day? And Josh wants us to possibly come to another vascular conference in April? And my 25th college reunion (bringing whole fam) is early June.

That is . . . a lot. We did make the executive decision to not go anywhere as a family for spring break (we’re traveling for “ski week” instead) so maybe that will help some.

I think that’s mostly it for metaplanning! That felt kind of good to go through, I have to say.

THE GIFT TO MYSELF? It’s sort of related to the above, since a lot of that was travel.

I BOUGHT A CHARGER TO KEEP IN MY SUITCASE!!!!

I always hate transferring my phone and watch chargers from my bedside table to my suitcase and earlier this week I finally realized I could STOP DOING THIS if I just bought myself a charger to store in my suitcase.

And then I actually did it.

After reading a bunch of amazon reviews about cheap ones breaking and thinking about how annoying that would be in a hotel situation I ordered this Anker one from Best Buy and I am so bizarrely excited.

File this under “feeling like a grownup”. Hooray!