Looking Ahead to the Next Month to-dos

I have always been in awe of how my brain comes up with all the things I need to do next month, when I am trying to concentrate on the things I need to do today.

As a stay-at-home parent, I am not at a desk most of the day.  When a to-do for next month pops into my head, in the past, I would grab a sticky note and place it somewhere or I would be so sure I would remember it when the time came.  Which it didn’t work for me.  The sticky notes would get loss and no way, did I remember it. 

Ever since I have used a planner, it sits on top of my desk open to the week/day and I will walk by and make notes on it as the day goes by, it is a habit now.  The planner became a solid place to make notes as they come up and I no longer use sticky notes that get lost.  

One of the habits I come to do a bit is adding to-dos for the next month near that month calendar.  Depending on the calendar/planner you use, it might have different spaces available.  I use a blank page in front of the monthly calendar to add a brain dump of any to-do for that month that pops into my head the month before. 

It is sort of planning ahead of the planning.  It sounds like a lot of work, but is not, it is just sticky notes in one place.

For example, as the month of April is happening and the thought of “I need to plan for Mother’s Day gifts/get together.” I will go to this page in May and add it to the brain dump.  Next week when I sit down and plan the month of May, I will refer to this list. 

Not all items will make it to the calendar, but the benefit of it being out of my head and a place where I will remember them makes a difference to me.

What do you do when items pop into your head?