Ducks in a Row

I am by no means an expert at organization, but my Type-A personality means that I've tried many different ways of tracking my to-do lists, appointments, and tasks. To me, keeping things like this well-organized means that my brain is free to actually do these things, instead of wondering what comes next. And, because I'm a person who can become overwhelmed easily, having all of my ducks in a row keeps that feeling at bay. I may be a tad Monica Gellar, but it works really well for me. 

My Organizational Tools 

Erin Condren Life Planner
I've long been a paper planner gal. While I do incorporate digital elements, nothing works better or is more satisfying for me than writing things down in a paper planner. I love to see the week at a glance, as well as schedule tasks & to-dos for particular days. I also use this planner as a journal of sorts, as I jot down random activities, meals, etc. I've used other planners in the past, but so far, this one is my favorite. It's a bit of an investment, but for something that I use daily for 12 months, it's worth it. It has a monthly spread and a weekly spread with each day broken down into morning, day, and evening, as well as a goals/notes section and room for other to-do lists or notes at the bottom. I may switch it up next year and try Emily Ley's Simplified Life Planner (swoon!), but for now, this is working really well. 

Evernote
Finally, a place for ALL of my notes and lists to coexist together! I'm a recent adopter of Evernote, but have been using it on my work & personal computers, iPhone, and iPad consistently for a few months. Admittedly I don't use these to the fullest, but it's a great place to keep track of important lists & documents that you'd like to access from anywhere. I keep my grocery list/meal ideas there, my 2014 goals, a master to-do list for work (including major deadlines), Christmas gift list, bucket list, blog post ideas, etc. It has a great virtual "check box" feature, and I love that it syncs up and is available everywhere. 

iCal or Google Calendar 
I use this to keep track of appointments and firm deadlines. Like many other users, I have several different calendars (work, personal, etc) so they can be color coded. I also have a shared calendar with my beau, as well as access to his personal calendar, so it's easy to see at a glance what events are upcoming. It's also great how this is available from various devices and you can set alerts & reminders. 

Schedule Time to Plan & Prioritize 

Every Sunday night (or another time during the weekend if needed), I open up all of the things mentioned above and chart out my week in my planner. I make sure all of the appointments and deadlines are there, as well as making my personal & work to-do lists for the week and assigning them to days of the week if possible. The nature of my job is that often tasks will spring up at the last minute, but this really helps me to have an idea of what a week is shaping up to be. 

Because I'm an introvert and require a certain about of downtime to function at my best, planning my week in advance allows me to make sure that unscheduled time is, well, scheduled. If I know I have long days or social plans Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, you can bet that Tuesday night is going to be blocked off for DVR catch-up and an easy dinner. Also, I can see what weekend days are free and be sure I can make plans with friends early in the week. 

Another thing that I try to do regularly is for the final 15 minutes of every workday, I prioritize my tasks for the next day. Some things may not have gotten done, and there may also be new tasks that have been added to my list. Making sure I know where to start assures me that I'll begin my day focused and not scrambling to figure out what should have my attention. I also try to spend the last 30 minutes of Friday's workday making my to-do list for next week (again, moving over any unfinished tasks as well as adding those I know about), which makes Sunday night's planning session a breeze. 

Leave Room for Spontaneity

And, above all, don't plan every single moment of your life -- make sure to leave a little room to wing it & be spontaneous. Clearly, it's good to make sure the things you need are a part of your week, but sometimes you've got to abandon your original plan and be a little flexible. What if you were planning to stay late at the office to get ahead on a project, but got invited to get a pedicure with a coworker? What if you have a well-stocked fridge and your dinners all planned out, but you feel like celebrating a regular old Tuesday with dinner out? Plan, of course, but leave room for fun that you don't even know exists yet.