Too often we find ourselves rushing around to prepare for the big events in our lives. Birthdays, holidays, and vacations are meant to be times of celebration and relaxation, but end up resulting in additional stress. If you are having trouble planning for the special events in your life, this downloadable template is just for you!

Brainstorm
Begin by listing all of the things you need to do or pick up for your big event. Don’t try to organize it yet—just get all of your ideas out by writing down everything that comes to mind. You can whittle your list down in the next step.

Organize
Separate the list of items into two categories: To Do and To Pick Up. For example, “Go to the grocery store,” would be under the To Do column while the specific list of groceries would fall under the To Pick Up section.

Time
Estimate how long tasks will take to complete, and assign a realistic time frame to each one. To keep your goals within reach, color code tasks according to which ones can be done a day, a week, or even a month in advance.

Assign
To ensure that nothing gets overlooked and you’re never behind, schedule actual dates to complete each task on your list. The estimated time limits will help keep your to-dos on a realistic and manageable schedule.

Calendar
Once your list is broken down into actionable steps, mark every task on the calendar. If you’re using an electronic system, set reminders one week in advance for a well organized, almost full-proof system.