3 ways to get better at organizing your day

Have you ever struggled to get control of your day and stay on top of things?

Do you feel like you constantly overrun the deadlines for projects?

I know exactly how it feels.

I used to spend most days at work, either worrying about one thing I didn’t manage to do or another important project I forgot about.

And if we’re talking weekends – then forget about them, because I’ve been trying hard not to think about Monday morning.

Well, that has changed for me since I started using three simple but incredibly effective productivity tools, and now my days are truly productive and amazing! And perhaps even more important too – stress-free!

The first step is:

Get yourself a notebook and a pen.

The second step is:

Getting you one of the most important tools in my productivity arsenal – tiny post-its. I use them to plan not just my day or week, but also manage my projects and tasks ahead. And this is how it’s done:

Take your notebook and create two columns for each day on a page titled “Next 7 days”. Then take a blank sheet of paper divided into small segments (anything works gre at), write down all the things you need to get done that particular day, then put the little post-it note with that task written on it into its respective segment your calendar grid. This way you will know exactly what to do that day. Repeat the process for each day before you go to bed.

The third step is:

And finally, once a week – on Sunday evenings – sit down with your pen and notebook, open up your project/task list, and schedule as many as possible of your tasks ahead so that you have more time to do the things you want during the upcoming week.

How does this help?    You will always know what’s coming next so there’s no chance of being lost in a huge pile of tasks or missing an important deadline. You will be able to get more done in less time because even if something unexpected happens, you won’t get flustered about not having any control over it since everything else is already planned out for you by tiny little post-it notes.

Here are some FAQs recently asked by my students:

One question is: “Do I need to use the same notebook all year round?”

The Answer: You can! After Sunday, February 23rd, here are some tips on how you should move your schedule ahead by one day. Once at the end of February, open up your planner and write down any special days like birthdays, anniversaries or any other date which holds important meaning for you or to someone else in your life. This way you will always be reminded about them when the time comes around again.

The next question usually asked is: “Is it better if I write my tasks on a whiteboard instead? And once done, just erase them so no clutter gets left behind?”

Well, this certainly works too, but I’m a pen and paper girl. It’s a personal preference really.

And the last question is: “Can I use one notebook for all my tasks?”

Of course, you can! But what I recommend is that once Monday or Sunday comes around – take out your planner from Tuesday or next Monday again to remove the completed post-its, then create a fresh new page/grid to schedule your projects and tasks ahead for that week.

Conclusion:

This simple process of planning things ahead will improve your productivity at work or at home – giving you more time during the weekends to relax with friends, family or alone time – whatever it is you need! If something unexpected happens – don worry! Your entire schedule is already planned ahead for the week!

Is it better to have one long term goal or many short-term ones?   Well, that depends on you. The answer is not black and white. It’s a mix of both approaches. After all – writing down your goals is an important part of achieving them, but actually working towards them can be equally important because… When you write down your goals… And set concrete deadlines… Or even only develop an initial plan.  But don’t take action –you are really missing out! On another hand, if you don’t achieve anything in life it doesn’t mean that you didn’t write down what you wanted to do with your life. It means that there are other crucial things holding you back, aside from not having written them down. And that’s why I advise you to write them down on a list, but then take action as well! It comes down to you set aside time each day to do things related to the goal/s you have set for yourself. So what are your thoughts? Is there something holding you back? Let us know in the comments section below!