This Week I…
May 8, 20175 Pairs of Sensible Party Shoes
May 12, 2017
I’ve always been a pretty organised person.
By which I don’t mean that I have a tidy desk, or colour coded files. Because that’s definitely not true. Just that I’ve always known what needs to be done. I know how much money I have in the bank, what bills need to be paid and when, and I mostly know where everything is in the chaos that is in my house.
What I have lacked is some sort of system for keeping myself on track. I’ve always kept everything in my head, and as I’ve got busier and life has got more hectic that has led to things getting missed or forgotten. And OMG if there was ever anything that’s made me feel more terrible in my life it’s forgetting something REALLY important that I was supposed to do and now it’s TOO LATE.
So, I started trying lots of different ways to get myself organised. I tried apps. They didn’t work for me. I tried notebooks, which were great for notes and ideas, but for daily organisation they sat closed on my desk and I never looked at them. Finally I found a great spiral bound weekly planner in Sainsburys, which was amazing for organising my week and writing to do lists. However, it didn’t quite have all the things I needed.
So I made my own.
I use 3 different printable sheets. The first I print on a monthly basis. It has a calendar at the top. It’s blank so I can enter my own days and dates. I use the squares to enter key events from the month, like birthdays and special occasions, and also to plan out blog content. At the bottom are some spots to write things I MUST do this month, and things I would like to get done if I have time. I try and stick this to the wall above my desk, though my office space is a work in progress and I’d like to get a proper pin board/chalk board up there.
Each week I print off a weekly planner where I plan out what I need to do each day, and there’s a space at the bottom for notes. This is similar to the planner I got from Sainsburys and is super handy to be able to see at a glance which days are busy and which are a little quieter.
Lastly, I needed a daily to do list. So each morning I add things from my weekly list, anything I didn’t get to the day before, plus anything else that has come up. I use it to prioritise. So I have a to do list, plus a little side box where I can add things I want to do if I happen to race through all my other work. There’s also a “Tomorrow is another day” box, where I can bump things to the next day if life gets hectic.
It has been suggested to me that other people might find these handy too, so I thought I’d share! I tried to make them a bit pretty, but they could do with a little bit of tidying up (if I get time!).
P.S. If you like that mug, you can get it here.
If you’d like to grab then for yourself the sign up to the newsletter. Once you’ve completed the double opt in you’ll get an email with the links to download the planner pages. Already signed up? Don’t worry, I’ve already sent then out to you by email!
5 Comments
My early adult years were not spent in college. But, I was out on my own, not by my own choice since my parents kicked me out. I was living pay check to pay check at two jobs. I worked for tips at both. I had my budget calculated to how much I needed to put aside each day I worked to pay my bills. The rest then got split up into 3 piles: emergency, fun (new clothes, shopping, a new book, a night out, etc.), and food. I had to learn to be organized like this.
I think it’s so funny that with all these apps., spreadsheets and computerised reminders we still find bits of paper the most efficient thing. I have a desk diary that all the garden visits go into and a list on my dining room table of all the jobs I need to do. Any discussions out on the job are noted on my phone and then transferred to the list.
And I get so much gleeful satisfaction from crossing things off the list!
I am THE MOST disorganised person, so I am in awe of your organisational skills. I’ve no idea how I somehow managed to get this far (heaven knows how!) I live in hope that one day my mammoth lists, post its and things-in-my-head will miraculously transform me into someone who has it together! A girl can dream.
I live my whole life (work and free time) timetabled and budgeted.
Sadly I don’t get everything done: much as those who sell apps would love it to be untrue, there is such thing as ‘just no enough time’. 🙁 What I’m working on is self-care not always being the thing that gets cut so I can fit other stuff in, but again, my work is in a loco-parentis role and at home I have a young kid so it’s very hard to cut back on that.
Hi – love that you made your own printables to work exactly how you wanted them to – sometimes it’s the best way! Thanks for sharing x