Four Things to Plan Ahead for This Year

Now that we're in the full swing of the new year, our attentions are hopefully not be solely on resolutions that we don’t plan on sticking to, and more on where the next 12 months will take us. If you've read here for any amount of time, you know I prefer planning over spontaneity in general, but especially in situations where I want some more control-of timing, expenses, all of the above... planning helps me make the most of my time. Here are four of the things to plan ahead for to help you get started with making this year count.

Plan ahead for potential issues

We can’t predict when things are going to go wrong, but we can plan ahead for the potential problems we know may occur. For example, summer will be here soon enough, and if you have an old air conditioning unit like me, you can bring someone in HVAC in to check it before summer starts because an engineer may be able predict when you may need an air condition repair, or service it right there. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want is for the AC not to work on the hottest day of the year. You can also plan ahead for  to check your heating system in advance of winter, get your appliances serviced if they give any indication they might need it so that you're not without a fridge, freezer, or washing machine. While these things may still break even if they are checked over, if you do what you can to avoid it, at least you tried. 

Plan your vacations and time off

You know what I love doing? Looking at the whole year as a blank canvas. It gets filled with work days, of course. After that, what to do with it? It gets filled with days with your family and friends, weekend plans and such, so the best time to set aside time for vacation is EARLY. This gives you a chance to book things properly (our shore house always starts booking the fall before for the next year, so I am not alone in this thinking) and make some real memories with the ones that matter. Booking vacations in advance gives you the chance to budget and plan for the spending that may occur. Not to mention having something to look forward to. We all need that, right?

Plan for birthdays and festivities

I know that we're still recovering from the festive season but there's no harm in starting to put plans in place for next Christmas and Thanksgiving that will be coming our way faster than we know it. Maybe this will be the year you plan to buy gifts throughout the year instead of leaving it to the last minute. You might still pick up bargains now in terms of decorations for next year. Birthday-wise, you can plan to buy cards in advance, have gifts stored and ready, and just be ahead of the game with it. You might take some stress off of yourself. 

Plan your day to day routine 

I am a huge proponent of planning your day. I do a weekly meal plan so I know what's to eat that day. I'm also a fan of a cleaning schedule to help me stay on track of house upkeep, the most important part of that being the Daily Dos. A great way to plan your day is to write a list each day of the things you want to do - I typically start that the day before and right now I'm keeping running daily lists separated by day on Google Keep. Planning helps me be more productive and efficient - despite planning being largely about to dos, it actually helps the most in ensuring that I have downtime and time to do what I want.  

I hope these tips help you to plan ahead for your year!