How-to Tackle Sunday planning. đđ˝
Flipping reactive rushes into proactive plans.

After working with thousands of parents, there is one thing weâve found separates a week that you feel great about - where you feel in control and things are going as they should be, and a week that you feel like youâre just hanging on by the fingernails and just trying to âget throughâ.
And that is: having a proactive approach vs. a reactive approach, where you have an overview of the week ahead and identify any tricky parts and problem solve ahead of time. Itâs having a plan A for how youâd like things to go plus a Plan B (and letâs face it, Plan C) for when things inevitably go awry. Itâs not, as many might think, planning for every possibility, but rather, knowing beforehand how youâre going to deal with situations that go sideways and catching gaps before they turn into full-on fires.
So weâre kicking off our Parenting Like a Pro series with something weâve found is a staple in a ton of busy working parent homes - the Sunday check-in. A quick, proactive review of the week that covers whatâs coming up and uncovers any gaps.
Weâve dug into how a broad range of families do theirs and weâve broken them into easy-to-plan for pieces for you.
Our recommendation is to create the habit at a committed time every week (maybe itâs over Sunday morning coffee or in the evening after the kids have gone to bed) to plan for the week ahead. Choose the things that are important in making your family run smoothly each week.
Ideally, this is done with both partners to both of you feel involved and in the loop about all the important things, no matter who will be doing most of the family-related work.
Alrighty. Letâs do this.
Sunday Check-in đ
See if you can find 10 minutes today to review whatever is most relevant to you:
1) đSchedule review - Start by pulling up both work calendars plus the family calendar (Consider creating one if you donât already have a family calendar. A separate family calendar is particularly helpful once your child is around 3 and starts having a schedule of their own with preschool and activities.)
Do a quick review of the week - any travel, early meetings, late events? Make sure theyâre all in the family calendar so you can track any conflicts. Key things to look for: gaps in childcare - maybe one person is travelling on Tuesday but the other has a late work meeting. Make a list of all the gaps and then reach out to your back-up bench to get them filled.
2) âď¸đAM/PM responsibilities - Whoâs on to handle handoffs every morning and evening - whether itâs dropping off at daycare or relieving the nanny. It can be a set schedule or figured out each week. Many parents will put these shifts into their work calendar so itâs easy to remember and meetings donât get planned on top.
3) 𼌠Meal plans - This is simpler than it sounds. Letâs focus on dinners (and school lunches if you have that joy). Come up with a list of meals that are popular with the family and just write âem down.

Even something this basic makes getting groceries easier and puts an end to the daily question âwhatâs for dinner?â. Weâve also gotten feedback that itâs helped cut down on last-minute order-out meals - which saves money and is healthier all around.
4) đ¤đ˝Key reminders - The endless little reminders are ones that almost break us all. Things like - bring $5 for a school field trip or pyjama day at preschool. Maybe itâs registration for swim lessons opening at 8am on Tuesday or the nanny needs to leave at 3pm on Thursday. Get them in the calendar - the added benefit is that now itâs not down to one person to remember it all.
5) â Priority to-dos - Look at your familyâs general to-do list and pick the top 2-3 that you want to focus on getting done this week. Maybe itâs calling the plumber to fix a leak, booking the holiday hotel or finding a piano teacher. By focusing on only 1 or 2 per person and clearly breaking out all the subtasks, youâll stand a better shot at getting it done (eg. instead of âregister for summer campâ, try âcreate list of top 10 optionsâ and âask 3 kid-friend parents for their optionsâ).
Phew. I know what youâre thinking - that all sounds great, but can you just give me the thing we can use? Yes we can.
Weâve collected countless ways that many of you do this already - in formal and informal ways - and weâve put together a couple of options if youâd like to try it out.
1) The basics: In a 5-minute speed round - pull open both of your calendars and just talk over the week, focusing on anything not usual - no school days, work dinners, early meetings.
2) The written down review - for those that love writing down the plan and posting it on the fridge, hereâs a quick template that covers the things above. (I literally just used this to figure out we hadnât figured out childcare for this Fridayâs No School day đ)

3) The email - write up a quick email and email it to everyone involved in the week.

There you have it. The first Parent Like a Pro tool. Collected from the lives of hundreds of families doing this each week and shared out to everyone to save you from reinventing this wheel.
Do you have tools that you use for weekly planning or something that wasnât covered here? Weâre always looking to add to our best practices - email us at hello@modernvillage.com or upload your tools here: https://themodernvillage.typeform.com/to/CpIfhT
Was this helpful? Iâd love if you would share with 4 or 5 parent friends. Was it not so helpful? Iâd love to know why - email me at avni@modernvillage.com.
Until next week.
Letâs parent forward.
-avni
Coming up:
đ Summer camps and kids activities are a constant. How should you think about them and what are tools to help plan?
đ°Family finances. What are the biggies that we should all be thinking about and what are the tools and services making it easier?
đĽ°Relationships - it can be hard to figure out how to find the time and energy to invest back into our relationship with our partner. How do others do it?
Do you have tips, tricks or tools that you think could help everyone? Share them here: https://themodernvillage.typeform.com/to/CpIfhT
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