For people with kids, the self-help journey stops being an ‘interesting niche’ and becomes a raw necessity because of how overwhelming parenthood is. Even with your life in order, there’s always something that can be done 10% better than yesterday. That’s just the reality of parenthood.
Pew Research data shows that 41% of parents felt the experience was “tiring,” and 29% found it stressful all or most of the time.
If you know someone struggling with parenthood, maybe a close friend or even your partner, a planner might be the best gift for them. Don’t believe us? Well, in this article, we’ll explore why this simple productivity aid can end up having the most impact on their life.
1. Planners Play the Role of ‘Mind Organizer’
Take a moment and think about how your friend or partner lives their life. Does it feel like they have everything under control? Does it look like everything is neat and structured in their life and home?
Often, our minds get so busy and disorganized, like a messy desk that’s super cluttered. Seriously, think about an actual desk with cables, cups, and random stationery everywhere.
If someone needed to find something in a hurry, they’d end up tearing through the desk to get what they were after. In a similar way, for people overwhelmed with the responsibilities of parenthood, their mental desk can be super messy.
Planners act like desk cleaners, and that can make a huge difference in helping them manage time and activities better. As Plum Paper notes, some planners are specifically designed keeping in mind the stress of working parents. They have layouts that can be customized and even sections for chores, meals, and other tabs that help with managing work vs. home priorities.
The best part is that these days, you can also find customizable and personalized planners. That means if you have a clear understanding of their schedules, you can create a planner specifically for them. This can make for an amazing gift if you know the names of their kids or some of the hobbies they have!
2. Planners Help Reduce School Work Stress
Every parent knows the drama and tension that happens when they realize their kid forgot to tell them about a project that’s due tomorrow. A planner will ensure that they never run into such situations, and that alone makes them an excellent gift.
Of course, they’d naturally have to talk to their kids and find out if there’s something that needs to go on the planner. But that’s still a better situation than having to deal with last-minute stress.
Moreover, it’s not just schoolwork that planners can help with. Everything from what to pack for lunch and snacks to dates of school events like parent-teacher meetings becomes something they never fumble with again.
Similarly, many parents send their kids to after-school activities. According to data from the latest census, 44% of boys and 35% of girls took part in extracurricular activities like sports.
However, many of these lessons and centers can be quite expensive, and if kids miss a class, that’s often a no-refunds situation. Thus, something that helps parents plot down all the routines to keep track of helps so much!
You’d be surprised at how much people just wing it and try to remember things off the top of their heads. That can work, but the more that’s happening in life, the more likely things get overlooked.
3. Would Allow Them to Realize They Need More Self-Care
Many parents invest all their energy into taking care of their kids. While that’s admirable, it does lead to frustration that will eventually affect other areas of life.
This is becoming more evident as research has shown that 57% of parents are reporting the effects of burnout.
They start getting irritable with their partners, they abandon hobbies that they once loved, they feel emotionally numb, and old friendships take a backseat.
The sad part is that if you were to directly tell them that they need self-care time, it’s not going to work. They’re going to feel guilty about it, and that doesn’t help.
However, with a planner, there are often dedicated sections just for wellness and self-care. Such prompts remove some of that guilt around taking breaks, which can be truly liberating, and that’s the best gift you could give someone.
Long story short, if you choose to give someone a planner, you are helping them unlock a new version of themselves. We’ve gotten to this stage where there’s an app for everything. Sometimes, however, fiddling around with your phone isn’t the best way to do things.
For overwhelmed parents, it’s far easier to organize and reclaim their lives with a physical planner. With your gift, they’ll wonder how they ever managed to function without a planner.