Family Calendar for the Year Ahead

Schedule an entire year of essential family appointments in January. Get them on your calendar at the top of the year so you can free up some extra mental space and energy when it comes to things like well checks and dermatologist appointments.

Yearly Scheduling System

January is a great time to sit down and schedule yearly appointments for everyone in your family. Here is the list I like to follow. If my providers have online scheduling portals, I like to utilize those and make sure everything is up to day on our account when it comes to insurance and contact info.

• Yearly Physicals – I try to schedule the week of their birthday and check to see if they are due for any vaccinations. This is also a great time to check to see if the school requires proof of vaccination or physical for fall registration.
• Dentist – It’s so easy to put off those dental cleanings, but get them on the calendar!
• Specialist appointments – Whether it’s your annual mole check with the dermatologist, your ophthalmologist, or other specialists who help you manage chronic conditions, I like to get these appointments booked as well.
• Accountant – Reach out to your accountant and set a time to meet before filing your taxes. This always gives me a target for getting expenses categorized and other tax documents organized.
• Financial Planner – We just started using a financial coach and have started to put a system in place for some long term financial goals. (including 529 accounts for our kids)
• Vacations – We always make a game plan for vacationing as a family at the top of the year. Whether it’s as simple as a weekend getaway or family trip over spring break, it feels so good to get something on the calendar. This also gives us an idea of how much we should plan to budget for anticipated travel. This is also the perfect time to request that PTO with ample lead time.
• Car Service – While this might depend somewhat on mileage, I like thinking about when I anticipate car service needing to happen, especially if we are planning to take any long road trips as a family.
• Home Service – Think about the yearly home maintenance that you’ll need to take care of. Whether it’s quarterly pest control, window washing, roof cleaning, HVAC service, or cleaning services. Schedule what you can now, so things don’t sneak up on you.

What else am I forgetting? Do you like to schedule any services at the top of the year?