I am a curious person with a fast mind. But curiosity creates chaos unless I build systems to catch all those ideas. So I keep learning how to organize myself, even if I fail at it repeatedly.
My Planner Graveyard
I have used so many planners, including Covey planners (I even saw him in my early corporate days at a work meeting). I did use my Covey planner when I was working. One of my children talked me into the Erin Condren planners. That one was pretty, but I don’t recall using it regularly. I have used those big desk calendars, and those worked great until I had too much stuff on my desk and it got covered up.
One system I used pretty regularly for a few years came from a seller on Etsy. She made two-page monthly calendars so that when you look at the page, it’s spread across a notebook binder. I still have that one somewhere. It lost its usefulness now that I have no young children anymore to plan their schedules.
In more recent years, I actually followed a tutorial for building my own planner. I used PowerPoint, and the planner was so pretty, I really enjoyed making it. It had flaws that I couldn’t figure out, and alas, it is now a file on my PC that is in my storage unit and not in my current possession in this apartment.
I have also over the years bought digital planners and trackers. But honestly, what I go back to are those little notepads that are half size. I have lists of everything and plan my lists for the next day. But then I have so many little half pads everywhere that I can’t find the one I need in a timely manner. (I do use my Outlook Calendar and my Apple phone calendar for appointments too.) I really like the feel of writing down what I want to do and crossing it off the list. Doing that electronically just doesn’t give me that dopamine hit as much as taking my pink pen (yes, my favorite pens are usually pink with black ink) and crossing off a line on my to-dos.
Well, I am at it again, but let’s see where this one takes us. I bought an undated planner, which is the best kind because you can start and stop whenever, as long as you date the page so you know what went on. (My kids will have a ton of calendars and planners to sift through one day.) My new planner is in a grid formation, I think that’s kind of cool. I wish I was artsy enough to make it look pretty, but alas, I am only a wannabe artist and will probably just use my pen.
I often feel disorganized considering how fast my mind shoots thoughts and ideas at me. But I actually am not. My house has a spot for most things, not a lot of clutter. I purge things often to make sure I don’t end up with too much stuff that has no place to be kept. I was always good about my kids’ sports and events. We were never late to anything, never forgot to show up. The kids were fed as healthily as I could try to feed them.
The Tiny-Chore Method
One thing I do that helps me get through things I really don’t want to do is break up my to-do list into the tiniest accomplishments to feel like progress is made. I do this when I have a cleaning day planned. I hate cleaning, but living in a dirty environment is even worse, so you just do it. Back to my method: I make a list. It isn’t by room, it’s by chore. My list looks something like this:
- Toilets
- Kitchen sink
- Dishes
- Tub/shower
- Bathroom sink
- Kitchen island
- Mirrors/glass
- Dusting
- Make bed
- Stove top
- Kitchen cupboard wipe
- Bathroom cupboard wipe
Side note: Have you read the book Atomic Habits? I have read it at least twice, maybe three times. My method is essentially that, adding small things to your routine keeps things from getting out of control.
You get the picture. As I work on those, I cross them off, and they all get done. I have used this method for many years. When my children would help with house cleaning, they knew to look at the list on the counter and cross things off once done.
Another thing I do to lessen my stress is when I get up in the morning, I don’t walk past a spot without picking up trash. (In my house, it’s my husband’s tissues, he has super bad allergies, poor guy, and his floss, he’s meticulous about dental health.) I grab water cups from the night before after everyone is awake. I make sure no clothes are left on the floor of the bedroom or bathroom. It takes seconds to pick up and put in the laundry in the hamper and set the dirty cups in the sink. (Don’t worry I clean dishes daily or several times a day.)
Learning about art and history is fun. Learning how to manage my scatter brain? That’s the real challenge.
What Works For You?
Anyway, what methods do you use to keep things from getting out of control? Right now, I am just going to use my new planner to clean up all these notepads…. Fingers crossed it sticks!
