I’m a seasonal planner, which means that I plan the upcoming season. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m planning based on the weather or the astronomical cycles. I am planning the seasons of my life and the year. This can include things like holidays, but also “back to school” and “summer vacation”.

I’ve struggled with a “planning” method that works for me, in part because I don’t usually plan detailed daily tasks or even weeks. Monthly planning would be closer, but even that isn’t quite right. The calendar month guidelines become frustrating when my kids’ school starts on August 29. Most of August is summer vacation time. The beginning of school will mostly take place in September. Planning seasonally allows me to flow from one season to the next.

Most of all, I want to prepare for the upcoming season and plan the next “things”. I also find myself wanting to remember what we did last year during this season. What did my kids wear on the first day of school?

Things I use for Planning

  • Calendar - My digital calendar is the thing that I go back to and use most in planning. I use Apple Calendar.
  • Note Taking App - When I want to make lists of things, I reach for a notes app. For the last few weeks, when the seasonal urge to plan the next part of life arrives, I’ve been using OneNote. Since I’ve been using Obsidian for my notes lately, I’m trying that out now.
  • Raindrop.io - I’ve started using Raindrop.io for bookmarking websites and articles, and even using it pinterest style to save things I like while browsing for a shopping quest. I love how it can display as a grid or moodboard, so I can save all the reading chairs I like together. I think Raindrop.io will be used a lot this season as I browse for things like kids backpacks, and later Halloween costumes and holiday gift ideas.

GoodNotes - I don’t actually use this often, but Iike the idea of it. I sometimes feel like I want to decorate my plans for the next season. GoodNotes is amazing if you need to take notes on a PDF. I know that lots of people enjoy using it for planning who like to handwrite and doodle things, but I actually dislike handwriting anything. I’m a fast typer and a slow hand writer.

Naturally, instead of planning back to school things right away, I began installing themes and plugins for Obsidian, to make my planning better.