I'm not sure about you but for me, life is hectic. Living life as a single was bad enough. When you live life as a couple it gets even more complex. Then throw in the kids and it gets downright hectic. Life just never stops. There's always that next appointment or event that you are all trying to get to. And to make it more complex, sometimes events and appointments are for just one person or one kid, and sometimes everyone's individual schedules start conflicting with each other.
This is where having a shared calendar system comes in. I know many families already have some type of system. And many people have some form of system at work to keep track of things. But here is where the breakdown comes in to play, they are all different systems. And eventually something will fall through the cracks and an event or appointment gets double booked or forgotten. The shared calendar or "family calendar" is where it all comes together.
The shared calendar is something that I have used with my wife since we got married. At first it was not so much for avoiding scheduling conflicts or double bookings. I was a grad student at the time and she wanted to know when I get out of class and when my assignments are due. It was a system to keep me in check and to keep me accountable for what I was doing. However, as we started to add to the calendar, we started to add in particular work events that my wife had or nights out with the girls that she had. It was essentially a heads up for me to know what is up in her life so I can react accordingly.
Eventually, this calendar of ours evolved to not only include all our events and work stuff but also chores that we have at home. Chores such as vacuuming and laundry that are done on a more scheduled basis. Then when the kids came along, it included the kids' events and play dates and such.
Having everything on the same page helps with planning and coordinating. It helps us know what we have agreed to with other people without necessarily needing to consult with each other first. In a sense, it allows the freedom of knowing that we wouldn't be overfilling ourselves or creating conflict. The calendar system allows for us to note down what is happening and when. It becomes a good place to consult when we plan for family time and events. It allows for us to know who is able to pick up the kids when and if one of us will not be home for dinner or will be coming home late for any reason.
We execute this shared calendar system through Google Calendar. Using iCal or Microsoft's Outlook Calendar works too. The point is to have a place that all of you are able to access and edit with the devices that you own and use.
The beauty of Google Calendar is the ability to use it on essentially any mobile device and tablet, while being accessible on the website and also on most computers' default calendar program. As an added bonus, although I do not personally use this function, it also has the ability to allow for other family members to subscribe to it or to share it without editing capability.
Most of us have various digital devices ranging from smartphones to tablets to computers, and all these devices are connected. This connectedness allows for the ability to share and connect in a way that we weren't able to before. It's allowed my family to leverage technology to help simplify our life. It's allowed us to be on the same page on what is happening and when. It's allowed us to mitigate potential conflicts that may arise from miscommunication and poor planning. It's created a system of trust and accountability as both of us know what is happening in the other's life. And if something happened outside of the scheduled events, it promotes talking to grow closer together. The fact that we know what is happening in each other's life, we now can move on from asking what is happening to asking what happened during those said events in life.
I'm not sure about you, but having a shared calendar system is a life saver and a time saver for us. And I hope that this has been an inspiration for you to start something similar if you haven't already. And for those that have a system that works for them, I would love to hear about it.
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