How to stop being the family calendar for the whole family

The Watch Test

To first see how much you need to make some changes in how you manage your family calendar, we suggest you take the Watch Test. For one week (or less, if the observation becomes clear very quickly!), take the time to count all the times a family member asks you for information related to the household schedule. If the answer is less than five, your family calendar management is undoubtedly impeccable, and you can stop reading here. However, if the count is higher, we have some solutions to help you!

From Your Head to an External System

Of course, if you've gotten into the habit of managing and keeping all the activities and events that punctuate daily family life in your head, it's highly likely that the children, and even your spouse, rely on you to know what time their dentist appointment, piano lesson, or dinner at the grandparents' house is, hence the numerous questions you are probably bombarded with far too often for your liking!

The solution? Implement an external system that the whole family has access to, thereby freeing you from the burden of being the human calendar.

The Belles Combines Weekly Planner

Designed to tangibly lighten the mental load of parents (and, let's face it, often the mother!), our weekly planner allows you to note down each week all scheduled appointments (with a section reserved for children's and another for parents'), planned meals for each day, and various tasks that need to be completed. Placed prominently in a strategic location in the house (the kitchen, for example), it allows each family member to easily see what needs to be done and what's on the schedule for the week, thereby developing the autonomy and sense of responsibility of both young and old!

The Octave App by Les Belles Combines

Octave, our virtual family assistant, was also designed to lighten your mental load and optimize your family's organization. With its interactive calendar where you can enter not only scheduled events but also all daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly tasks, its organized to-do lists, and its meal planning function (with an integrated cookbook!), Octave transforms your family's daily life. Accessible everywhere, directly on your smartphone, the app can be shared with all family members, so that everyone is easily informed of the family's game plan!

The Redirection Script

Of course, even if you implement a new system, if you continue to unthinkingly answer questions like "What are we having for dinner?", "What time is my dentist appointment?", or "Is it trash day?", your system will be useless! It is therefore important to change your habits and establish a new redirection script. So, for all these questions, you must now reply, depending on the type of system implemented: "Check the planner" or "Go look in Octave." The more you do this, the more your family members will get into the habit of consulting the external system before asking you a question related to family organization.

Four-Week Training Plan

Are you convinced of the relevance of adopting a new system but don't know where to start to ensure its success? Here is a four-week plan that will allow you to train all family members in its use.

Week 1 - Discovery and appropriation of the system

During a family meeting or at a time you deem appropriate, first present the chosen system to other family members. Take the time to explain the reasons behind its implementation and give a quick guided tour of the selected tool. If you have opted for Octave, create each user's profile now. Finally, ask everyone to add a personal event or task to the calendar, whether physical or virtual, to familiarize themselves with the chosen system.

Week 2 - Consultation and accountability

From the second week, it's time for everyone to adopt the habit of consulting the system daily, ideally at a pre-set time (after breakfast, after school, etc.). Older children can also now be responsible for adding their own events to the calendar. This is also the time for children to get into the habit of consulting the system to know what tasks need to be completed before earning privileges, such as going out or screen time, for example. Finally, it's important at this stage to celebrate small victories, by highlighting the times a child checks their schedule or completes their task without needing to be reminded.

During this time, the parent who carries most of the mental load gradually adds the information generally kept in their head to the new system, while continuing to provide verbal reminders, until everyone has assimilated the use of the new tool.

Week 3 - Autonomy and communication

It is at this stage that verbal reminders must cease, and natural consequences for lateness or forgetting must be assumed. With Octave, this is also the week when reminders/notifications can be added to help each family member remember important appointments or tasks to be done. It's also a good time to sit down together to discuss areas for improvement related to using the new system in order to find solutions to any difficulties encountered.

Week 4 - Consolidation and family routines

The training plan is almost complete, and so it's time to establish a weekly time slot for family planning. Everyone can add their relevant appointments and events, and potential scheduling conflicts can be identified in advance. Non-recurring tasks can also be assigned at this time based on availability and individual skills. The system should now represent the family brain, no longer solely resting on the default parent's shoulders!

Testimonials

If you're still not convinced, here are some testimonials from clients who have adopted our weekly planner:

Simple and complete planner

Very happy with my purchase! The weekly planner has all the necessary boxes and sections to effectively plan my family's week.

Great tool!

A comprehensive visual tool that facilitates weekly planning and communication between parents.

Take Action!

Your homework this week: implement a new external system to finally lighten your mental load! First, take the time to explore the options offered by the planner and the app to select the tool that best suits your family's needs and reality, and then set it up!