Happy 1st Monday of February! I hope everyone's resolutions are somewhat headed in the right direction. One of my New Year's resolutions was to be more timely, so today I'm going to share with you all my (tiny bit obsessive) way of staying organized and making sure I accomplish my weekly/daily/hourly/minutely goals.
In high school, I had a tendency to wait till the last minute for everything. I was always the person running into class as the final bell was ringing. It wasn't like I was unorganized, but I didn't value the need to be ready or at places earlier than the start time of an event. Fast-forward to my freshmen year of college, I realized that this mindset and these habits would no longer work. While trying to balance classes, cheerleading commitments, sorority activities, etc., there was no option for my past habits to exist.
With many of our days being so hectic from living multiple lives such as a school life, work life, social life, personal life, etc. it can be difficult to maintain an organized schedule which can lead to forgetfulness or tardiness. To keep everything in order, I have 3 large sticky notes, a planner, and a wall calendar in my room. The following is a breakdown of the organization of each of these:
*For privacy purposes, the following images have been blacked out, taken from previous semesters, or have been recreated to serve solely as an example and not to display my actual daily life and schedule.*
Sanity Saver Sticky Notes- My 3 sticky notes play a significant role in giving me guidance and helping me maintain a clearer, more focused mind. I love the satisfaction I get from seeing a sticky note showing that I accomplished everything I needed to do. (These sticky notes are sold in many places, but I get mine from Target. Click here link to get your own). How it works:
Sticky Note #1: An overall list of all the school assignments that I need to get done for the week. It's categorized by classes then circled or highlighted with specific colors coordinating to when I need to do an assignment/the assignment's due date. (I like to make this list on Sunday night or on Monday before the week picks up.
Sticky Note #2: List of personal goals/to-do's for that week. This sticky note is a little more flexible, but reminds me of the things I need to accomplish as well as keeps me updated on my productivity as the week continues. (I like to make this list on Sunday night or on Monday before the week picks up).
Sticky Note #3. This note is made daily and includes my full schedule for the day, planned down to the exact minute. *With this sticky note, it's highly important to remember and understand that life doesn't always go as planned. I always have to remind myself of this when my timing isn't as exact.* However, one way I combat this conflict, and possible threat to my mental health, is by allowing extra time for things (such as adding a few minutes on to a mapped out travel time and aiming to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to an event). (I make this note the night prior to the occurrence of this routine or the morning before my day actually begins).
Praise to the Planner- Although my sticky notes, which allow me to more thoroughly organize my life, are pinned in the pages of my planner, I still worship my planner for other purposes. The main part I use in my planner is the monthly calendar. Here I keep track of birthdays, events, appointments, meetings, classes, blog post propositions, possible dates for trips and other opportunities, basically anything with a designated time or place. I also make notes of the nights that I've gone out to ensure I'm maintaining a good balance of a work and play life. In the weekly divisions of my planner, I rewrite the things from my first sticky note, however, now it's broken down into days. All of this stuff is also color coordinated (individual classes, class times, social events, sorority events, appointments, etc.). Click here to find this planner.
Calendar- Now I know what some of you are thinking: this girl is psycho for keeping track of literally everything and even more so because I do it through sticky notes, a planner, AND a wall calendar. However, my calendar gives me the overview of important things I need to be aware of for that month. It's very general and helps for quick scheduling purposes and reminders. It keeps track of birthdays, exams, events, football games, and important dates. Surprisingly, my phone calendar isn't used as much though. I usually only use it to input appointment dates. Click here to find this calendar.
I hope this post could provide you with some ideas on how to become more organized, or that you could relate and not feel like you're the only one who's psycho about planners, crazed about calendars, and obsessed with organization.
XOXO,
Alyssa Ashley