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Today we’re talking about being prepared and proactive in this challenging &crazy life you’re living right now.  I want to share my tips based on what has worked for me & what has crashed and burned. 

You 're juggling work hours, your everyday schedule  plus caring for your Loved One.  Then add the normal every day responsibilities like house chores, meals & errands.

Picture this:  

• My work calendar is online - on my work laptop - on an outlook calendar
• My Mom’s appointments are on her paper calendar on her bulletin board
• My spouse’s appointments are on his phone and through his doctor’s app and when he or I remember, they are put on the calendar on our refrig
• My business is on my Google calendar
• Then my personal appointments are on post it notes, in your wallet, maybe the refrig calendar & if I am feeling organized, I add them to the refrig calendar  

Can you relate?  Prior to caregiving, I thought I was organized & actually when I was raising my 3 boys, I used to refer to myself as the project master a& knew exactly what was going on at any time.  

Times have changed.  I could psycho- analyze myself,  but I believe it takes a heck of a lot of energy, emotions, patience a& time to care for a Loved One.  

So in this episode I want to talk about what you can control & what you can do to be as prepared & organized with your time as possible.  

Disclaimer here - my way is not always the right way for you.   It took me months  to find what worked for me.  Then, when I got it right, the situation changed again.  

You may be saying, why plan & why organize?   

Planning is important because it helps you use your time in the most efficient way. You can realistically gauge how much you can get done & how much time you have to do it. That way, you can feel accomplished knowing that you did what you set out to do.

When caregiving, you're actually setting expectations for your Loved Ones, keeping your life somewhat organized, & most importantly setting boundaries for yourself & making yourself a priority  

Think long &hard on what boundaries you NEED to set for yourself.  You need to put yourself first so you don’t stress & burnout.  You are no good to anyone if you can’t function physically & emotionally.  

So here’s a sneak peek into my Sunday’s night planning time.  I first grab my favorite beverage & block off 1 hour to plan my week’s schedule.    I go into the week feeling much better & have found out that I'm somewhat of a planning nerd now.  

Before I share & walk through the steps, I captured everything for you in an easy step by step free document.  Just go to cathylvan.com/sundayplanning

Look at all your calendars & put into one calendar

• If you are old school, find yourself a nice planner
• If you like electronic,  you can use something like google calendar or i calendar

You now have a visual of what the week holds.  

First:  Schedule YOUR time. 
Second:   You now have to figure out the Caregiving 
Third:  Then work schedule & commitment  
Four:  What other personal obligations or essential responsibilities do I have this wee

Now you should be ready to go into your week knowing what is one your schedule.   Obviously you can’t control the unexpected.  

As a caregiver, you may have to make sacrifices.  But one thing you can’t sacrifice is your health & well-being.   You have to recognize the importance of YOU.  Look in the mirror at you & tell yourself that you will take care of her.   

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