I'm not going to lie, organization used to be be incredibly hard for me. Trying to find a way to fit everything into one day and keep up on all of my tasks and responsibilities seemed impossible. I had pretty much given up on even trying. Then someone introduced me to a system that worked for her. I tried it and found that it didn't quite work for me. However, I was inspired to play with it and find a system that works for me. After more alterations then I could count, I finally did it! I've been using it for a while now and, when I work it as it should be, it works great so I'm excited to share it with you!
I'm really excited about this system because I love it and here's why.
1.It's personalized. You create the details to fit your life because when it comes to life, one size
does not fit all and we shouldn't be pressured to try to make it.
2. It's easily altered when life alters. The system is as flexible as you are.
3. I wake up every morning knowing what tasks are on my plate. It takes the guess work out of
my day and I don't have to look around and try to plan out what needs to be done most while
hoping I somehow manage to not miss anything and get everything done for the week.
4. It's simple. While it doesn't always feel simple when you're starting off, it becomes almost
second nature!
Where to start
So, how does this system work? It starts with a few questions. They sound like silly questions, but take a moment to think about them. You may also want to have paper and pen ready to jot down notes or make lists as you think through it all.
1. What are your house hold responsibilities? Break it down. If you clean, don't just say clean.
What do you clean? What rooms are you responsible for?
2. What do the other people in your house feel are your responsibilities? Don't be afraid to ask
them. Open up the conversation. You may be surprised by what you learn.
3. What obligations to you have outside of them home? Do you have book club Tuesday nights?
Do you have to take your daughter to soccer practice on Monday and Thursdays?
4. How much time do these obligations take? Your book club may only be an hour long, but
when you take into account travel time and the time it takes to get ready to go, that one hour
weekly event may easily turn into a two or more hour event.
5. What do you want out of your day? What do you want to accomplish in a day? What about in
a week?
Categorize
Congratulations! You've got the basic ground work done! How do you feel? A little scared? Don't! You've got this! Trust me! Remember that pen and paper I suggested earlier? Good! If you haven't already, make a list of all of your responsibilities for the week, leaving out anything that is not regularly done weekly.
Done? Awesome! Now, look at that list. Do you notice that you have tasks from different areas of your life on that list? I, for example, have household duties, responsibilities in my office, goals I have set for myself like working out and reading and then there's spending time with my kids and making sure they get what they need. What different categorizes do you have? Use high lighters to color code your lists.
Look at your lists again. It's time to ask yourself some more questions. As you look over your list, ask yourself these questions.
1. What tasks in each category do you like to do the most?
2. Which tasks in each category to you like to do least?
3. Do these task need to be done by a certain day?
4. How much time do these tasks take to accomplish on average?
Almost there!
You're so close! Now it's time to put it all together. I use Microsoft Word to create my template.
I like to use different colors to help differentiate the different days at a glance. I also tend to assign bright, happy colors to the days of the week I like least to help give something positive to the day from the start. Just as I use my favorite colors for my least favorite days of the week, I don't worry much about the colors given to the days that I like. On a side note, I often change the colors as I create my schedule as my favorite days may change based on the tasks I need to do that day.
Put it all together!
Now that you've gotten this far, you can't stop now! It's time to break up the tasks! I divide my day up among the categories so that each day I complete a task from each area. So, for starters, I get my cleaning done first because its my least favorite category. Each day of the week I clean one room (Mondays I clean the kitchen, Tuesdays the office, ect) and maintain the rest of the house (some light picking up, making beds, ect). From there, I move on to my work day. I give myself one big task a day for work. (Monday I write blogs, Tuesday I create images for social media, ect). I then plan out my personal activities such as working out (every other day), reading and what not. I also divide the days of the week up, focusing on having quality time one of my kids a day. (this doesn't mean I don't spend time with the others, but but on these days I sit down and watch a movie with them, play a video game or board game, focusing just on them).
Not sure how to make it all fit? Here are some tips.
1. separate your least favorite tasks. Maybe schedule a task you dislike from one category with one
you enjoy from another. This way no one day is regularly dreaded.
2. If one of your tasks on, say Monday, takes a while to complete, fill the rest of the day with
tasks so that you're not stressed or rushing to complete it all.
3. Include a day(s) for catching up if you fall behind. It happens, so roll with it. And hey, if you
don't use the catch up time to catch up, you can use it to enjoy yourself guilt free!
4. Remember, it doesn't need to be perfect. You can change your days around as many times you
need to in order to find the right system for you!
5. Don't forget to take into account any travel or preparation time for activities outside of the
home!
6. Group items in the same category together for each day.
7. organize your groups by order you plan to complete them or by importance. For example, I
have my house hold tasks listed first, then my work responsibilities and so on.
The final touch!
You've organized your week! Are you excited? You should be! Now it's time for those last little details to top it all off!
1. spell check. Make sure you don't have any typos and that you understand and are comfortable
with any abbreviations you've used.
2. Color code! Assign each category a color and make each item in that category the chosen color!
This way all you need to do is glance at your weekly plan to know what's up!
3. Print it up and post it where you'll see it often! Mine is hanging from my desk!
Yay! You've put together a weekly plan to help you achieve everything you need to without the stress of missing something or trying to juggle the time while flying by the seat of your pants!
I showed you mine! Let's see yours!
I'm really excited about this system because I love it and here's why.
1.It's personalized. You create the details to fit your life because when it comes to life, one size
does not fit all and we shouldn't be pressured to try to make it.
2. It's easily altered when life alters. The system is as flexible as you are.
3. I wake up every morning knowing what tasks are on my plate. It takes the guess work out of
my day and I don't have to look around and try to plan out what needs to be done most while
hoping I somehow manage to not miss anything and get everything done for the week.
4. It's simple. While it doesn't always feel simple when you're starting off, it becomes almost
second nature!
Where to start
So, how does this system work? It starts with a few questions. They sound like silly questions, but take a moment to think about them. You may also want to have paper and pen ready to jot down notes or make lists as you think through it all.
1. What are your house hold responsibilities? Break it down. If you clean, don't just say clean.
What do you clean? What rooms are you responsible for?
2. What do the other people in your house feel are your responsibilities? Don't be afraid to ask
them. Open up the conversation. You may be surprised by what you learn.
3. What obligations to you have outside of them home? Do you have book club Tuesday nights?
Do you have to take your daughter to soccer practice on Monday and Thursdays?
4. How much time do these obligations take? Your book club may only be an hour long, but
when you take into account travel time and the time it takes to get ready to go, that one hour
weekly event may easily turn into a two or more hour event.
5. What do you want out of your day? What do you want to accomplish in a day? What about in
a week?
Categorize
Congratulations! You've got the basic ground work done! How do you feel? A little scared? Don't! You've got this! Trust me! Remember that pen and paper I suggested earlier? Good! If you haven't already, make a list of all of your responsibilities for the week, leaving out anything that is not regularly done weekly.
Done? Awesome! Now, look at that list. Do you notice that you have tasks from different areas of your life on that list? I, for example, have household duties, responsibilities in my office, goals I have set for myself like working out and reading and then there's spending time with my kids and making sure they get what they need. What different categorizes do you have? Use high lighters to color code your lists.
Look at your lists again. It's time to ask yourself some more questions. As you look over your list, ask yourself these questions.
1. What tasks in each category do you like to do the most?
2. Which tasks in each category to you like to do least?
3. Do these task need to be done by a certain day?
4. How much time do these tasks take to accomplish on average?
Almost there!
You're so close! Now it's time to put it all together. I use Microsoft Word to create my template.
I like to use different colors to help differentiate the different days at a glance. I also tend to assign bright, happy colors to the days of the week I like least to help give something positive to the day from the start. Just as I use my favorite colors for my least favorite days of the week, I don't worry much about the colors given to the days that I like. On a side note, I often change the colors as I create my schedule as my favorite days may change based on the tasks I need to do that day.
Put it all together!
Now that you've gotten this far, you can't stop now! It's time to break up the tasks! I divide my day up among the categories so that each day I complete a task from each area. So, for starters, I get my cleaning done first because its my least favorite category. Each day of the week I clean one room (Mondays I clean the kitchen, Tuesdays the office, ect) and maintain the rest of the house (some light picking up, making beds, ect). From there, I move on to my work day. I give myself one big task a day for work. (Monday I write blogs, Tuesday I create images for social media, ect). I then plan out my personal activities such as working out (every other day), reading and what not. I also divide the days of the week up, focusing on having quality time one of my kids a day. (this doesn't mean I don't spend time with the others, but but on these days I sit down and watch a movie with them, play a video game or board game, focusing just on them).
Not sure how to make it all fit? Here are some tips.
1. separate your least favorite tasks. Maybe schedule a task you dislike from one category with one
you enjoy from another. This way no one day is regularly dreaded.
2. If one of your tasks on, say Monday, takes a while to complete, fill the rest of the day with
tasks so that you're not stressed or rushing to complete it all.
3. Include a day(s) for catching up if you fall behind. It happens, so roll with it. And hey, if you
don't use the catch up time to catch up, you can use it to enjoy yourself guilt free!
4. Remember, it doesn't need to be perfect. You can change your days around as many times you
need to in order to find the right system for you!
5. Don't forget to take into account any travel or preparation time for activities outside of the
home!
6. Group items in the same category together for each day.
7. organize your groups by order you plan to complete them or by importance. For example, I
have my house hold tasks listed first, then my work responsibilities and so on.
The final touch!
You've organized your week! Are you excited? You should be! Now it's time for those last little details to top it all off!
1. spell check. Make sure you don't have any typos and that you understand and are comfortable
with any abbreviations you've used.
2. Color code! Assign each category a color and make each item in that category the chosen color!
This way all you need to do is glance at your weekly plan to know what's up!
3. Print it up and post it where you'll see it often! Mine is hanging from my desk!
Yay! You've put together a weekly plan to help you achieve everything you need to without the stress of missing something or trying to juggle the time while flying by the seat of your pants!
I showed you mine! Let's see yours!
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