I’ve always been a keen organiser and lover of to-do lists. Some time back my organisation systems needed an overhaul…
You see, I was an avid post-it-note user. As you can imagine, this wasn’t the most effective means of staying organised, no matter how well-intentioned my efforts were. Most of the time my post-it notes would end up at the bottom of my handbag, scrunched up, or would just disappear off the face of the Earth. Worst case, I’d end up with something leaking in my handbag ruining my organisation attempts. (Just a quick disclaimer, I am more organised these days, but after spilling 20% of my coke zero in my handbag earlier today I am definitely still working on that side of things ;))
I still use a mix of handwritten and digital methods to keep myself organised.
I find a balance of both helps. There’s no greater satisfaction than ticking off completed tasks on paper but I also enjoy the convenience of having 24-hour access to my digital organisation systems.
Here are 5 Tips to a More Organised Life I recommend to help you on your journey to kick-ass at organisation!
Disclaimer: Please note these recommendations are not sponsored in any way, they are just things I love and highly recommend!
The links to some items are from my Etsy store so I will receive payment for these purchases.
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Start a Bullet Journal
I discovered bullet journals a few years back and found they helped me to keep all my thoughts in one place and have a plan for action. Even better you can personalise it to suit your needs and schedule. I like to do a week to a page as well as a page for the monthly calendar and monthly goals. In the week’s plan I include the following:
- To-do list
- Weekly Meal plan
- House tasks/chores I need to do
- Monday to Friday Weekly schedule with dates for plans and appointments
- A ‘To buy’ list for any items I need to buy that week such as birthday gifts
- Exercise plan to mark in gym days and other exercises
On my monthly page, I mark in any upcoming appointments or scheduled plans for the month ahead so I can see my month at a glance. I also make note of my goals for the month on the page to the right. It certainly beats my old post-it note system and I find it extremely satisfying ticking things off my list as they are done. Is there any greater joy?
You can make your bullet journal as simple or creative as you like it’s totally up to you! If you love drawing or are artistically creative I’m sure yours will look a lot better than mine 😛
For anyone else a bit stuck on what to include in their bullet journal or how to get started, there are many “Bullet Journal” Pins on Pinterest to help you get some cool ideas and inspiration.
And of course the organisation doesn’t end here. There are a myriad of things you can use your bullet journal for:
- Tracking your debt journey
- A habit journal to record your achievements e.g. exercise daily, water intake, taking your vitamins, eat fruit
- A list such as books to read, books I’ve read, documentaries to watch
- A record of things you want to do around the house
- Keeping track of your savings balances
- Weight goals
- Recipe ideas
- Cleaning schedules
- Favourite quotes
The greatest thing about the bullet journal is you can tailor it to suit your life and sometimes it feels nice to crack out texters and coloured pens and get your art vibes on (stationery lovers I’m looking at you!).
2. Use A Weekly Planner
If you aren’t keen on lugging around a notebook everywhere you go, I’ve got your covered. After a year or so of bullet journaling, I thought can’t I just make this process easier and save myself time each month ruling up new pages? Yes, yes you can!
So I came up with a Weekly Planner to help you stay organised without the need to manually prepare pages in your bullet journal or the need to carry around a notebook wherever you go.
Insread I would print out my planner each week which allows me to track all of my important To Dos, Schedules and Appointments, Meal Plan and so on in one place without the bulk! Every time I think of something I need to do that week, or if I need to buy something I quickly jot it down on my list which I carry in my handbag and tick off things as I go. You can even just paste it into your bullet journal to save yourself some time on ruling up new pages.
It will make it easy for you to keep track of:
> Your To Dos by how much time they will take
> Daily Appointments
> Goals, including Exercise and Cleaning Goals for the week
> Your Meal Plan
> To Call list
> Items you need To Buy
> Any Notes you need to jot down
If you like a more simplified planner without all the excess bulk in your handbag you can order your Weekly Planner here.
3. Three Item Task List
I first heard of the Three Item Task List from Joshua Becker and loved the concept of tackling three small to-dos a day, rather than trying to overwhelm myself with one large list.
If you are anything like me, you’ve tried the latter and sometimes our to-do lists can look so overwhelming that we don’t know where to start. Looking at a list of ten things might make it hard to prioritise what is the most important task and can be an extremely unrealistic goal. Let’s be honest, trying to do a large number of things in a small space of time can and getting overwhelmed can often mean we make no progress on anything.
The key to achieving our goals is to set realistic ones. If you try and attempt 10 things on your to-do list today you are more than likely going to fail. A good tip to limit the overwhelm of your to-do list is stick to a list for each day of the 3 most important tasks.
Pick the three things that you feel are the most important to be done today. The ones that if left incomplete have the most consequences. Once you have completed those three most important tasks, you will feel a great sense of achievement that you met your days goals.
If you feel like you’re on a roll and could do more than three go for it, but only do this once you have done your top three items. By the end of the week you could have up to 21 tasks on your to-do list cleared off and that deserves a huge pat on the back!
To help you get started you can grab a free copy of my Three Item To Do List worksheet here.
Don’t forget to check out “12 Simple Bedroom Organisation Tips!” for more organisation tips!
4. Google Calendar to keep track of your schedule
I have been using my google calendar for years and would be lost without it. Although the bullet journal is great for writing down your tasks and plans, there is nothing quite like having access to your calendar no matter where you are. I don’t carry my bullet journal out with me on nights out and there is the chance you could leave it at home one day. A wall calendar just never worked for me as you can only view it when you are home and it’s not ideal for making plans or appointments on the go.
Typically you will always have your phone or access to a PC, laptop or tablet at work so there will be very few occasions where you aren’t able to check your calendar. Each time I make any plans it goes straight into my Google Calendar to make sure I don’t lose track of it and forget. There is so much to remember day-to-day and we should utilise what tools we have to make our life easier.
Another advantage of the Google Calendar is you can share it with whomever you need – your spouse, team, colleagues. It can help everyone stay on the same page as to what is happening and when. I’m sure there are other digital calendars out there but I have found this one the easiest and most reliable.
5. Utilise Organisation Apps
There is a whole range of organisation apps out there to help you get organised. Apps such as Google Keep, Wunderlist and Colour Note are great for organising your notes and to do lists.
Colournote App
One of my personal favourites I love to use to keep track of notes is Colour Note app. There is an option for notes or checklists. You can make as many notes as you need and copy and paste information easily. It’s great for those times when you want to make a quick note like a movie recommendation, or if you come across a book you’d like to read. I like to make notes in mine such as what I have planned for the day, my shopping list and where I am going to shop, recipe ideas, travel packing lists, and so on. Even better, it syncs with your phone so you can back-up your notes – no fear of losing your phone and your important notes. You can easily send the notes to your email or share it with others.
Trello
I’ve also moved on to using Trello more recently which uses boards and cards which allows me to do all of the above and more. Boards can be things like ‘My to-do List’ or ‘favourite recipes’ and the cards under can contain your tasks or favourite recipes plus ingredients or other notes. You can add notes or due dates to your items/tasks.
I love that I can make a quick note in my list and move it where it needs to be later by selecting, move, board and card.
Google Drive
Another organisation app I love is Google Drive templates. It offers a to-do-list where you can list your to-dos by category, record the due date, enter a description and mark them as completed when done. Simply open up your Google Drive account, click+New, Google Sheets, From a template, To Do List and start organising!
Try a few out, research your own and find what works best for you!
For more tips on getting organised check out 13 Time Management Tips to Get Organised for more tips on getting on top of your to do list and tools and techniques to become an organisation master.
This weeks questions: What are your favourite ways to stay organised? Do you have any apps to recommend? Please Comment below with your tips.
