I've learned the meaning of P - L - A - N - N - I - N - G the hard way too - After Christmas I begin to think of next year's Christmas - and likewise if I've heard of new babys on the way- and weddings coming up and and and - I make a list according to month - in a notebook, so the overall plan is right in front of you, not on a calendar somewhere - that all of a sudden you turn the page to the next month and see that a birthday - wedding or ??? is coming up within days or within the month... and I begin sewing
I've also learned to just keep a supply of baby quilts on hand - not necessarily done - but quilted together - the binding is the easy part if the rest is done, for a quick gift... and if you can afford to work ahead - make quilts to store- there has to be at least one of a stack of quilts that will work for a quick wedding gift - anniversary gift - or whatever. My DMIL has a closet of them - all marked as to pattern and color - and are packed into acid free paper in boxes, and every now and again she goes in and takes them all out - airs them, and refolds them in a different way - so they never break the fibers and are fresh to go as a gift... not everyone can do as she does, but she has practiced this for many of her 92 years!!
We are not all that fortunate- but I'm working toward having at least one quilt of each size available and then the supply of baby quilts - those babies just seem to pop up at the strangest times! right?