PLANNING | How I Organize My Day

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

Life can be hectic and sometimes you may feel lost. I personally have been there a million time. In my early twenties, I held the "live fast, die young" motto quite close to me so I did not plan anything. While it sounded like I had a carefree, non type-A lifestyle (a misconception!), it caused me to have a mountain load of stress. Being in a uni and started my first business while studying, the stress was beyond my control as everything was not organized. I'm talking physically and mentally.

This habit continued when I started my first job. It wasn't pretty. The key to my job as an executive secretary was to be highly organized, which I was not at all. The first few months were disasters. I did not have seniors or superiors to refer to, and mind you it was my first career. After wading through what I can describe as a disorganized nightmare, I decided it was time for a change.

I'm glad it happened.

Having the ability to organize my day is something that I learned for almost a decade. Some people learn faster than me, and that is amazing! Nevertheless, it has given me a solution for unnecessary, avoidable stress and generally help me to achieve a better mental health.

HOW I ORGANIZE MY DAY

The first step for me is to realize there is no perfect solution for everyone, and that is okay. As long as it works for me, it is good enough. It is important to experiment and stick with the ones that you prefer, no matter if it doesn't work with most people. Here are ways I organize and ensure I have a productive day ahead:

1. Having a Planner

There are variety of planners available in the market now. I am happy to see that the current planner market is booming and there are different styles and systems that can fit almost everyone. From the structured ones like Franklin Covey to the more open and fun ones like Erin Condren. Choose the one that you are comfortable with!

My current 2017 Portly Planner in Blushing Dalmatian

My planner is from Portly Paperie, and it was designed by me to suit my style of organization. Since I am running a few businesses, I need a planner that can organize my goals, thought processes, keeping track of my life and to plan my daily routines.

2. Set a Daily Goal

Setting goal everyday giving me a sense of achievement

To organize my day, I set my daily goal first. For me, having a goal each day will give you something to look forward to, and give you a sense of accomplishment when the goal is reached. Your daily goal should be the priority of the day, and you will work towards completing this priority.

After setting my goal, I will mark any reminders for the day. Whether to pick up dry cleaning, going to the post office, or anything that I know might slip off my mind.

3. Mark your Events & Appointments

I mark the events first and allocate the time frame

When I'm not busy, I use stickers to mark events and appointments

And then I will make sure to mark my events and appointments and state the time frame. This can be an important meeting with my clients, birthdays, weddings, and all sorts of important events I have to attend. Having the allocated time frame will give you a clearer look how your day is going to be.

Sometimes we overestimate ourselves and "book" ourselves to too much tasks to complete in a day. Keep in mind that a simple meeting can take about an hour, not including travel time. With a good overview of how my daily events are going to be, I am able to plan my tasks better.

4. List your tasks

This type of simple to-do list is sold everywhere! Very handy if you are more visual.I stick this pad to my fridge.

I think everyone agrees that having a to-do lists will make you a more productive person. And it is fun to tick off all those items in the list! You are more likely to complete tasks that has been written down, than just listing them mentally. If you are a more visual person, having a task list displayed is a great solution. I personally love the dry erase boards for this purpose, especially those DIY ones made from old frames.

I'm loving this idea found on https://brightnest.com

Or this beautiful acrylic board made by Gladys Warden from http://www.steeltoesandstilettos.com *swoon*

My Portly Planner has a section for daily to-do lists, so I use it as I carry my planner everywhere. It's easy for me to refer to even when I'm outside the office. If you own a planner, try to integrate the to-do list together with your events.

Also function as my grocery list!

5. Prioritise

Now that you have your events and tasks listed, it is important to prioritize. Sometimes you can't have everything done within a day, and it is always good to know which is more important at a glance.

I used to stick post-it notes in different colors to mark my priorities and stick it on the wall at my office. Generally I used hot pink (or red) for extremely important, orange or yellow for items with medium importance, and green for things that can be rescheduled.

Now that I have everything in my planner, I color code my priorities using colored gel pens. I discovered Paper Mate Inkjoy and fell in love with them! They are easy to write with, doesn't bleed through my planner papers and dries pretty quickly! I always restock them especially in black because they are, hands down, my favorite pen in 2017.

Color coding your priorities will give you a visual track at a glance without you having to scan your events and tasks over and over again. This works for me because my days can get very busy and I tend to forget things within 5 minutes time frame (not going to pretend I am not absent minded)

Using pens and washi tapes to color code my priorities.

So friends, that's it. 5 steps to organize your day. This is what works for me, and I hope it will help you gain some ideas to have a better organization of your time. Hope you have a productive week ahead!