Welcome to the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge! We’re clearing clutter, reorganizing and letting in fresh air to build a home we love. New to the challenge? You may want to begin at the start.
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How to Organize Your Day
I’m not going to lie to you. I’m a bit of a hot mess, hence the title of this series, when it comes to keeping up with my daily obligations and life. Truth be told, it’s because I’ve said yes to too many things, but I’m working on that. The one thing that keeps me sane day in and day out is my daily planner. It organizes my whole life!
Here’s a collection of my favorite cute paper planners.
I know there are a bajillion digital planners and calendars out there, but I firmly believe that at the heart of an organized day is a paper planner. (And if you strongly disagree, that’s cool. Use what works best for you and we can still be friends!) I use mine for everything, but I also set up important dates in my iCal app that need an alert on my phone, because I know myself and sometimes I need a reminder so I don’t miss certain things!
I’ve never used a Google Calendar to share with my husband, because honestly, he’s not a huge digital planner. If he were, I’m sure we would use one too! But I’d still stick to my paper planner for MY daily life.
I personally use the Emily Ley Simplified Planner (affiliate link). It’s just as the name says: simple. And I LOVE that! I don’t need anything too complicated.
RELATED: My Favorite Daily Planner for Staying Organized
My biggest tip for having a planner and actually using it is this: Commit to it! Write everything in it and commit to looking at it every morning, throughout the day and every night before bed. Keep it out where you can see it! When I’m working at my desk, it sits right beside my computer. When I’m home and not working, it sits on my kitchen counter.
There’s something satisfying and encouraging about actually using a pen or pencil to check off items on your to-do list.
I also find it’s easier to see everything on paper.
Here’s how I use my planner every day:
Emily Ley Simplified Planner
- I write my to-dos in the column on the right.
- Then I use the time-blocking method to write out everything I have to do for the day on the schedule on the left. This includes preparing meals, feeding my children and my morning and evening routines, which I’ll get to in a minute.
- I just slot the extra to-dos into my schedule wherever they fit and go about my day! Whenever I finish one thing, I look to see what’s next on the list. Easy peasy. You’ll also notice I schedule in downtime and play time. This is crucial as a mama of two little girls. Sure, it rarely happens exactly as planned, but I can guarantee I get more done in a day this way than when I don’t!
On a business note: while I track everything I have to do each day in my planner, including my general work duties, I also keep a separate paper blog/business planner. It’s for super detailed stuff about my business, like my post titles and plans for upcoming posts, etc. I only write my daily to-dos in my personal planner.
Here’s one of my favorite reasons for using a paper planner. I can easily flip back to the same time last year and see exactly what we were doing. If I was using my planner well, it gives me clues about what I need to plan for this year that I’ve already forgotten.
Things like, every year we do VBS the first week in June. Or we have to plan 1-2 birthday parties right before Christmas. Or that we need to start planning our May beach vacation the November before.
If I didn’t keep a calendar, I’d have a general idea about these things, but it wouldn’t be crystal clear in my mind. I can ALSO leave notes for myself for the next year. Like how I have to start Christmas shopping and decorating on October 1 so I can get everything done before Christmas. Being a blogger means I have a lot more to do at the end of the year, and if I want to do it with excellence (or just not burn out), I need to start early.
Weekly Tips for Keeping Your Life Organized
I’ve built these simple steps into my life over the past couple of years. They keep me winning (mostly) at life.
- Every Sunday evening, look over next week’s schedule. What can you get done early, or do you need to call a babysitter for the weekend ahead? Do you need to order a gift on Amazon for an upcoming birthday party?
- Also on Sunday evenings (or another time you choose), plan your meals for the week. If a grocery store in your town offers curbside pickup, take advantage of it. Our Walmart offers free grocery pickup and I love it! I make my meal plan on Sunday night and order my groceries for Monday morning. On the way home from dropping my youngest off at preschool, I swing by Walmart, grab my groceries, take them home and unload them. If I need a few other things from Publix, I’ll pop in for a quick trip between Walmart and home.
- Have 3 things that you do every morning and every evening to keep things running smoothly. I find that any more than 3 is too much for me, but if you can handle doing more than that, then go for it! Here are mine:
- Evenings
- Tidy up
- Load and run dishwasher
- Check planner & make tomorrow’s to-do list
- Mornings
- Prayer or devotion
- Empty dishwasher
- Plan dinner (take out any frozen ingredients)
- Evenings
Keep it simple and on paper, and you’ll be winning at this organize-your-life thing. Each year I use my planner, I get better at it and more organized. If it doesn’t seem to be working at first, just keep at it!
The Messy Work: Write down your 3 things for mornings and evenings, order a paper planner (find my favorites here) and choose the day you’ll plan your meals.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about creating an organized home binder! See you then!
Right there in the mess with you, Laura
More Posts You’ll Enjoy:
- The 10 Easiest Family Command Centers to Get Organized
- How to Declutter Your Home in 5 Simple Steps
- The Best Holiday Planner Printable Binder
- How to Organize Your Home in 4 Simple Steps
- 10+ Stylish Dog Crate Furniture Ideas
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