{"id":5572,"date":"2024-10-15T06:24:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T13:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/?p=5572"},"modified":"2024-10-08T12:29:22","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T19:29:22","slug":"planning-academic-year-vs-calendar-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/2024\/10\/15\/planning-academic-year-vs-calendar-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning &#8211; Academic Year vs. Calendar Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My recent planning realization and why it works for me so much better than January goal setting.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I attended public school as a student, then went to college for a teaching degree, and then became a public school teacher. Most of my formative life I spent thinking of each year in terms of what grade I was in from fall to spring. Summer was my downtime and reset. A time when I would get a new planner and think ahead at what changes my life would hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I moved into being a stay-at-home mom I was no longer tied to the school calendar but because my oldest was born in August I often continued my late summer annual planning routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each year I have been in a rhythm of planning and resetting our schedule in the fall. The realization hit me that I have not fully invested in this natural rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When January comes around the energy I have is not yearly planning mode. <\/strong>While everyone online is talking about revamping routines, eating healthy, and yearly goals, I am happy and settled in my hobbit-style home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My mood after Christmas often looks more like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>getting extra sleep in the mornings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>quiet reflection and journaling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>some relaxed decluttering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>slowly getting back into the school routine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>baking homemade bread and trying new casserole recipies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reading fiction books snuggled up in a blanket with a purring cat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reorganizing spaces around my home that are bothering me<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>long hikes and walks in the Arizona desert \ud83c\udf35<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>deep cleaning after I put the Christmas decor away<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>enjoying tactile hobbies like junk journaling or knitting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>having slow evenings &amp; family movie nights<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-5-819x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5574\" title=\"clear fishbowl beside pine cones on brown wooden table\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-5-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-5-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-5-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-5.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"true\">Dane Deaner<\/a> on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\">Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For years I gave myself grief over this. I felt less-than because I love goal setting and planning but my heart is just not into it in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this summer I had a realization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I can approach yearly planning when it works for me and not specifically when the calendar \u201csays I should\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This August &amp; September my life has looked more like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>getting up early to go for walks (with Gunnar\ud83d\udc15\u200d\ud83e\uddba)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>morning journaling and habit tracking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>planning out the school year details &amp; organizing our calendar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>lots of time school planning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>planned activities starting back up (driving kids places &amp; being productive on the go)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>writing work and reassesing what to focus on<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>research, reading and gathering ideas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>teaching the kids new skills (cleaning, cooking, &amp; around the house)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>conversations about productivity with friends<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>evenings spent reading (usually non-fiction)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When I am in this mode I naturally move into planning, goal setting, and evaluating.<\/strong> It feels like a logical progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So this year I embraced it. I have switched all my planning (not just school related stuff) to an academic year rhythm. I evaluate all areas of my layered life and set goals, plan milestones, and look ahead at the next 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I set up my <strong>Notion Digital Planning System<\/strong> to give me some structure and a path ahead. [more about that in this post = <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/open.substack.com\/pub\/embracinghome\/p\/my-new-digital-organization-system?r=1qjcbv&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=true\">Digital Planning<\/a> ]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also started a new routine with a daily log\/reflection journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The combo of these planners is helping me stay on track and they fit seemlessly into my lifestyle. I don\u2019t feel overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-4-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5573\" title=\"macbook pro on white table\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-4-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-4-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-4-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-4.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"true\">Pauline Bernard<\/a> on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\">Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I am a sucker for paper planning and having something posted in our kitchen to communicate to my family. So every year I make some printables to use in my planning routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2024-2025-School-Year-Planning-Pages.pdf\">Here are is the free PDF from this year <\/a>\ud83d\ude01<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>and this is a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/2024-2025-Planning-Calendar.pdf\">Printable Academic Calendar with space for notes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Apparently I am not alone in this idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few days after I had written this post, I went on a morning walk and listened to this Mel Robbins podcast: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.melrobbins.com\/podcasts\/episode-209\"><strong>How to Get Ahead of 99% of People (In 4 Months)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I loved her perspective and it further confirmed my suspicions! Check it out!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope that by sharing my recent planning shift that you can give yourself permission to tackle planning in a way that works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am excited about the year ahead and I feel hopeful about the plans made. We shall see what the year holds, but I feel good about moving into fall with fresh goals and planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflection Questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When do you tackle yearly planning?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What times of the year do your natural rhythms create a logical progression into planning?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would love to hear from you. Please share in the comments! \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcd2Happy Planning &#8211; April<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\">Cover Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@renataadrienn?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\">Ren\u00e1ta-Adrienn<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/grey-and-black-pen-on-calendar-book-ebvCsRypmxM?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My recent planning realization and why it works for me so much better than January goal setting. I attended public school as a student, then went to college for a teaching degree, and then became a public school teacher. Most of my formative life I spent thinking of each year in terms of what grade&hellip; <\/p>\n<div class=\"readmore-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/2024\/10\/15\/planning-academic-year-vs-calendar-year\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read <\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stc_notifier_status":"sent","_stc_notifier_sent_time":"2024-10-15 06:42:24","_stc_notifier_request":false,"_stc_notifier_prevent":false,"_stc_subscriber_keywords":"","_stc_subscriber_search_areas":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,37],"tags":[586,587,589,529,585,18,235,40,100],"class_list":["post-5572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mom-life","category-seasonal-planning","tag-digital-planner","tag-digital-planning","tag-notion-planning","tag-planner","tag-planner-tips","tag-planning","tag-planning-for-the-new-year","tag-planning-with-kids","tag-seasonal-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5572"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5576,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5572\/revisions\/5576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}