tips and scripts from Dana Finch

A calendar a day keeps a fight at bay

When our boys were little my husband worked long hours covering ball games, seeing athletes at the clinic, I felt very frustrated because I never seem to know where he was or what he was doing.

One night he came in tired and late…I was sitting on the bed waiting.  He promptly asked “what’s the matter?”  I burst into tears and wailed “I never know where you are!”  After a pause he threw his day planner on the bed and said “You want to know where I am read the book.”

Now this was not a good communication strategy for either of us.  After calming down we came up with a tip for effectively communicating our schedules with each other that still serves us well after 25 years.

1.Buy a monthly calendar for you fridge.

2.At the beginning of each month list all the known events

                    (include kids, sports, work events)

3.Keep a personal weekly calendar

4.On Sunday evenings review each others calendars for that week’s events.

We made a pact with one another if an opportunity came up that was not on the calendar you could not commit with out first checking with the other person.