Organized or Not, I can find all my information, eventually
Have you ever felt like your to-do’s are running you, instead of the other way around? I know I have! With the struggles of work, family, household tasks and more, it can be hard to stay organized and on top of it all. Starting out with a few simple things can help you start to feel more organized. Below I’ll share a few things that have slowly helped me get more organized, and gain a bit more control over my weeks.
Here are 3 simple tools I use to keep myself on track each week.
1. Weekly Planning on Sundays
I spend time every Sunday, usually 30 to 60 minutes, prepping for the week. I add all my activities, appointments, training sessions, classes and work schedules to my planner for the week.
This gives me a great glimpse at the times I’m busy each week; and the times I’m not. With working three jobs and taking a college accounting class I schedule everything into my planner. Yes, even the cleaning and grocery shopping!
2. Tula XII Planner with Daily and Weekly Inserts
A planner can help organize and keep you on track, if you have the right one for the job. I was introduced to Tula XII planners back a few years ago, and now couldn’t do life without one. You can personalize each planner to your liking, with hundreds of inserts to choose from!
Daily and weekly inserts are what keep me on track and organized each week. I have one of each of these in my planner, plus a couple more. All work together to keep me on track, and I am able to see at a glance what is going on. Whether it be daily, weekly or monthly.
The daily inserts can include 15 minute increments of time, or you can choose blank. I personally use the one with the increments of time (shown below) as it is so easy to see where time is going and being spent. This truly helps plan for each day.
Monthly inserts can be pre-printed, or they can be blank for you to embellish as you like. The blank ones can be decorated with stickers and washi tape to reflect a monthly theme or your personal style. Making them your own can help you to use them daily! Who doesn’t like something pretty to look at! My monthly, shown below, is color coded to help me stay organized.
3. Colored Highlighters
Speaking of color coding, do you love color? Have you ever used, or thought of, color as an organizing tool? I think color coding is one of the simplest ways to keep organized, and it’s an easy visual to scan. Using a different color highlighter for each “category” helps one to stay organized, helps to see where time is spent, and can be visually pleasing if you’re creative. Which I’m not, just the basics for me!
I love a pack of highlighters with various colors to help me stay organized. The ones I use have a large variety and are available on Amazon. I’ll link those below in case you’d be interested in grabbing some for yourself.
Remember, One Small Step at a Time
One small step at a time can lead to a more organized day, week, or month. It takes time for a task to become an automatic habit. Each of us is different, so give yourself time and grace when developing a new routine.
Links to the items mentioned in this post
Highlighters
Daily Insert
https://tulaxii.com/productdetail/xii-xl-H1084?u=ChaosCoordinator&r=C58537
Monthly Insert
https://tulaxii.com/productdetail/xii-05-H2003?u=ChaosCoordinator&r=C58537
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