I don’t know about you guys, but I forget things very easily. Someone may tell me something very important, but it makes no difference. If I don’t write it down I’ll forget it. In college I had a planner that I nicknamed “my life” and it went with me everywhere. Needless to say, I was happy to put it in the closet after I graduated. When my husband and I got married I decided to try life without a planner. It was nice for a while, but after a few times of forgetting important meetings I had to change my tune. Things definitely weren’t as crazy as they were in college or while I was planning our wedding, but everyone has things they need to get done! And thus the planner entered my life again.
Although I couldn’t entirely get away from needing a planner, I could simplify things a bit. I definitely didn’t want to go back to how I did things in college. I used to write down everything I had to do as I thought of it, and often forgot to add things. There was no order, just a messy list that looked like chicken scratch. This time around I started making changes in order to keep my life and my planner more organized.
Here’s what I do in a few steps:
1. Take a few minutes to look at the planner every Monday morning
2. Write out any appointments and projects
3. List everything that needs to get done chronologically everyday
4. Star the items that absolutely must get done that day
5. Put any extra projects/ to-dos that aren’t as important ‘t the bottom
6. Check of the items as they are completed
7. Keep a separate planner for big projects and organize it the same way
When I stick to scheduling this way, I don’t get lost in my list and nothing gets forgotten. I also stay sane, which is always a bonus!
It’s amazing how much I can accomplish in a day with just a little organization. I can tell a big difference in my productivity when I don’t take those few moments to plan out the day. Somehow things take 10 times longer and I lose track of what I was supposed to be doing. Just a few minutes everyday can work wonders! Keeping your life organized doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it is really easy and will save you many bang-head-against-wall moments because of forgetting something!
