Today, I want to talk about something that might not sound particularly exciting at first, but I promise it can make a big difference in your day-to-day life: planning and organization.
Specifically, I want to share a planning tool that has made a real difference for me as I manage our family life and L’s participant-directed program.
It’s called Plan-a-Palooza, and before we get started, I want to be clear that I’m not affiliated with the program and I don’t receive any compensation if you decide to sign up. I’m sharing it because it has genuinely helped me over the past 3 years, and I know how overwhelming it can feel when you’re trying to keep all the pieces of your life together.
So, let’s talk about why planning matters, what I’ve found helpful, and a few things you might want to consider as you develop your own system.
WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE KEEPING ALL THE PLATES SPINNING
Parenting a young adult with a disability comes with a lot of moving parts. And when you’re navigating a participant-directed program, there can be even more to manage.
Over the years, I tried different systems and strategies to keep everything organized. I wanted to find that perfect solution that would help me stay on top of everything. But I often felt like no matter how hard I tried, something was falling through the cracks.
And when we started our journey with self-direction, I realized that I needed to approach planning differently. This wasn’t just about keeping track of appointments or remembering to pay a bill. I needed to think about the bigger picture. I needed a system that was realistic, flexible, and doable. I wanted to be proactive vs reactive.
HOW I FOUND PLAN-A-PALOOZA
At about the same time we were starting L’s Participant directed program, I was listening to a podcast that featured Megan Sumrell, who owns a company called The Pink Bee.
Her work focuses on time management, organization, and productivity for women, focusing on how we manage all the different responsibilities in our lives. As I listened, I connected with her approach because it wasn’t simply about squeezing more tasks into an already busy schedule. And it wasn’t about just finding a pretty planner and filling in the blanks. It was about figuring out what matters most and creating a plan that reflects those priorities.
And that’s how I discovered Plan-a-Palooza.
Plan-a-Palooza is a 3 day, guided planning workshop designed to help you map out your year and think intentionally about your priorities, commitments, and goals. And what appealed to me was that it encouraged me to step back and look at the bigger picture instead of constantly focusing on whatever needed my attention that day.
Now, I want to make an important distinction here. Planning doesn’t mean that we can predict everything that’s going to happen over the next twelve months. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a parent, it’s that life rarely follows a perfectly organized calendar! The goal isn’t to create a perfect plan that never changes. The goal is to have a roadmap that helps you make decisions when things do change. That shift in perspective has been incredibly helpful for me and it is something that Megan focuses on in all of her planning platforms.
WHY ANNUAL PLANNING MATTERS WHEN YOU’RE NAVIGATING SELF-DIRECTION
So, why does this kind of planning matter so much when you’re managing a participant-directed program?
For me, it comes down to three things.
First, it helps me see the big picture.
When we’re caught up in the daily details, it’s easy to lose sight of our longer-term priorities. Annual planning gives me a chance to step back and ask: Are the things we’re doing actually supporting the life we want to build, as both a whole family and individually for L.
You don’t need to have every answer today. But thinking about these questions can help you move from simply planning services to planning for a meaningful life.
Second, planning helps me anticipate responsibilities instead of constantly reacting to them.
When you’re managing a participant-directed program, there are a lot of details that need attention. If everything lives in your head, it can feel as though you’re constantly trying to remember what you might be forgetting, and for me, that is exhausting!
Having a plan helps me identify important dates, think ahead about busy periods, and break larger responsibilities into smaller steps.
Instead of waiting until something becomes urgent, I can start preparing for it in advance. Like I said earlier, I intentionally want to be more proactive vs always being reactive. And don’t worry, there are many times when something unexpected comes up, and I do have to be reactive to the situation, but with annual and weekly planning, I have a better sense of what else is on my plate and what might need to shift.
Third, planning helps me make room for myself.
This one is important. When you’re a parent and you’re coordinating services and supports for your young adult, it’s very easy for your own goals to slide to the bottom of the list. And if my entire calendar is built around everyone else’s needs, I’m eventually going to feel the effects of that.
One of the things I appreciate about this planning process is that it encourages me to look at my life as a whole, not just the responsibilities associated with L’s program.
Let’s take a moment to look at what my planning routine looks like
Each October I sign up for Megan’s event, Plan a Palooza. Then, I set aside time in October and November to work through the annual planning process and start mapping out the upcoming year so that I have an outline of a plan by January 1st. This is so helpful because I feel like I can start the year off on the right foot with a plan already in place. I put all of the “big things” that I don’t want to forget, like what month we should have the annual ISP, when are progress notes due, when is the guardian care form due…….items like that which would be so easy to slip through the cracks or come up really quickly, then we are scrambling to get things done.
The other thing that the annual planning has you do is quarterly planning, which has you break down the year into 4 quarters. This is particularly helpful because I can look at the year in “chunks”. In June, I do a midyear review. That timing is particularly useful because it falls just before the start of the new DDS budget year in July. That June review also gives me an opportunity to step back and ask: Where are we now? What’s changed? Are our plans still realistic? And do we need to make adjustments based on our budget or other responsibilities?
Megan also offers a companion program called The TOP Program, which focuses more on monthly and weekly planning. That’s a different level of detail, and something I’ll talk about another time.
THREE TAKEAWAYS YOU CAN START USING TODAY
Now, even if Plan-a-Palooza isn’t right for you, I want to leave you with three practical ideas you can start using with whatever planning system you already have.
Takeaway number one: Start with your priorities, not your to-do list.
Before you start filling in your calendar, take a step back and ask yourself: What matters most to me and my family over the next year? Once you have a clearer picture of what matters, you can start figuring out how to make room for those things.
Takeaway number two: Put important responsibilities on the calendar before they become urgent.
Think about the deadlines, meetings, and recurring responsibilities you know are coming. Then identify a few steps you can take ahead of time. Even a simple calendar or spreadsheet can help you get those responsibilities out of your head and into a system you can refer back to.
Takeaway number three: Schedule time to review and adjust your plan.
This might be the most important one. A plan that you create in January and never look at again isn’t going to be particularly helpful! Set aside a little time each month to check in with yourself.
And remember, the goal isn’t to stick to your original plan at all costs. It’s to make sure your plan continues to reflect your priorities and your real life. You can start small. You don’t need a fancy system or a full day of planning to make a difference.
IS PLAN-A-PALOOZA RIGHT FOR YOU?
So, would I recommend Plan-a-Palooza? For me, it’s been a valuable tool, and I’m sharing it because I genuinely believe in the difference that intentional planning has made in my life.
If you’re interested, in learning more about Plan-a-Palooza and checking out her free training program, visit her website for more information: https://www.megansumrell.com/
CLOSING THOUGHTS
As we wrap up, I want to leave you with this thought.
When you’re navigating the transition to adulthood and managing supports for a young adult with a disability, there can be so much to think about that it’s easy to spend all your time reacting to whatever comes next. And I’ve certainly been there. But, I’ve learned that taking time to step back, think about what matters, and make a realistic plan can help me feel more prepared and more confident about the year ahead.
So, give yourself permission to find a system that works for you. Start small, revisit your plan, and remember that your goals belong on the calendar, too.
Until next time, remember that you don’t have to have everything figured out today. We’re learning as we go, finding our way, and building the next chapter one step at a time.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll talk to you soon!
-Cheryl