Half an Hour to Sanity

We have discovered a way to feel more in control of our lives, to know what to expect from each other, and to accomplish a great deal more—and it takes only half an hour each week. The secret? Our weekly planning book.

The planner contains 8 1/2- by 11-inch charts with columns headed “Things for Tom to Do,” “Things for Andrea to Do,” “Things to Do for Children,” “Do This Week” (a general category), and “Long-Term Objectives.” In one corner is a seven-day, hourly calendar we colorcode to indicate our schedules.

Each Sunday we fill out the chart, listing all our commitments for that week. If there is something one of us wants the other to do, we discuss it in this session.

Once the chart is filled out, we post it in a prominent place. This way there are no surprises to cause conflicts, and if an emergency comes up, we’re in control.

On the following Sunday, we quickly go over the preceding week’s chart to check off what we accomplished, carry over anything we didn’t finish, and write in additional tasks we completed. We then put that chart in a journal to help us keep track of our progress.—Tom and Andrea Brett, McKinney, Texas

Illustrated by Rob Magiera