Simple Ways to Keep Your Busy Schedule Organized
Why is our generation SO busy? We do so much professionally, socially, and even when we have a moment to breathe, we STILL find six healthy seasons of a show to binge on Netflix. When do we carve out time to get organized?
I have spent so much money buying every organizational tool at Staples and every expensive fancy planner I see other bloggers rave about. I even spent time reading books to become more organized. Honestly, it has gotten me nowhere and cost me the two most valuable resources: time and money.
Over the past year, I challenged myself to learn how to manage my resources. As a result, I developed a simple formula to keep everything organized.
I am a huge believer in going after the things we truly LOVE. And the first step to that is staying organized and, most importantly, focused. With that being said, let’s get into my top FIVE organizational life hacks!
Here are FIVE simple ways to keep your busy schedule organized:
Give EVERYTHING a due date.
One of the most overwhelming feelings is the thought of hundreds of tasks piling up and adding to your list of responsibilities. It is very de-motivating long-term as you may feel out of control of everything in your life.
When this happens, challenge yourself to sit down and prioritize your to-do list by placing your most urgent tasks at the head.
Creating due dates for each task helps organize your thoughts, and you may find that you can accomplish everything in ample time.
For larger projects (like wedding planning, running a fundraiser, or large events), consider creating a spreadsheet template via Google Sheets to collaborate with others and split up the due dates.
Having a due date replaces someday I will get this done to creating a projected date of completion. Schedule a massage or a night out to reward yourself when it is all done!
Make a daily checklist.
Is there anything else more exhilarating than crossing a task off your to-do list? (Yes, I am sure there are) BUT this is one of my personal favorite feelings.
Each day, make a list of no more than 3-4 tasks you wish to complete. It could include going to a hair appointment, cleaning your car, and making dinner. OR it could be finishing a project at work, grocery shopping, and hitting the gym.
Whatever YOUR busy schedule looks like, creating a daily checklist will keep you on track and organized. And having a visualization of the tasks you accomplished throughout the day is a great way to fuel your motivation for the days to come.
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Write it out.
I am big on the psychology behind writing things out with a pen and paper. While we have advanced so much as a society becoming more digital, there are still so many benefits to writing things out.
Writing out notes by hand has been proven to increase your comprehension, engage your brain to retain information better, and improve your ability to focus and remember.
Here are a few tips for staying organized by writing out your tasks:
- Use a desk calendar. Having a visualization of your tasks at hand and a clear picture of the date/day of the week it falls on will help you avoid overbooking yourself.
- Go old-fashioned and use sticky notes. You read that correctly! Use sticky notes as a way to have a visual reminder nearby the task at hand. For example, if you need to order plane tickets, place a sticky note on your laptop. If you are out of a favorite food, keep a running list by your fridge. These small gentle reminders will make a HUGE impact.
- Keep a notebook. I like to use a notebook to write out my outstanding to-do tasks. Keeping a running to-do list in a notebook helps me better remember what I have already accomplished and what still needs my attention. As you know, I LOVE my Rocketbook. It still gives me the satisfaction of writing out my notes, but it has an eco-friendly component since it saves my notes in a digital format.
Please note that this page contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure here.
Set an alarm reminder.
Have you ever had full intentions of getting something done only to check the clock and see that the day has gotten away from you way too fast? Forgetting tasks at hand happened to me waaay too often. So, I made a conscious decision to set alarms to remember important tasks.
There are moments when I am at work, and I need to remember to grab a few household items when I finish up. I use my phone alarm to remind me at 4:30 pm to stop at the store. I even use the alarm label to describe the items needed.
Give yourself time to slack off.
Giving yourself time to slack off may seem counterproductive to organizing your life. But inevitably, if we overbook ourselves and consistently prioritize being busy, we will cause ourselves to burn out.
When you are creating deadlines, making checklists, placing appointments and to-do’s on your calendar, make sure to build in time to relax. You will want a few go-with-the-flow days to unwind and be free.
Overbooking your schedule can set you back weeks if you find yourself overwhelmed. Be gracious with your time and energy, and remember to give some back to yourself.
It may be tempting to join that Thursday spin class – but now that you’ll have the tools to visualize your schedule, you can better determine if you will still have a day to slack off if you join.
Conclusion
Staying organized can be simple and fun if you find which tools work best for your life. Maybe you’ll create deadlines, use a daily checklist, write it out on sticky notes throughout your house, capitalize on setting daily alarm reminders, or even revisit your already busy schedule and carve out some self-care time. Whatever you choose, make it work for YOU! How will you get organized today?
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