What are your keys to staying organized?
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Would you share some of your tricks of the trade? I'm sure some of our fellow organizers can benefit.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on -
This is so me. We have three children, 6, 10, and 11yrs, and I work at home. I know some of you MUST have a planner/datebook. I'm absolutely lost without my highlighters!
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Permalink Reply by Lori on -
Me too. But I not only DEPEND on my planner, I actually use MS Outlook on my computer. My whole schedule is in Outlook and I print out my daily calendar using daytimer printable sheets. I also print out a monthly calendar to hang on the fridge so everyone knows where I am, when I am available, etc. I actually use 2 daytimers, one that stays on my desk so if I get a phone call, I can check everything at a moment's notice; the other that I carry everywhere with me (it contains my business cards, note paper to write those little things done that I think about as needed).
Another thing that I do is Yahoo sync my desktop to Yahoo (online) and then sync Yahoo (online) to my laptop...so my schedule (and my contacts) really do go with me. I am also working on remembering (haven't gotten used to using) syncing it with my PDA too.
Vanessa said:This is so me. We have three children, 6, 10, and 11yrs, and I work at home. I know some of you MUST have a planner/datebook. I'm absolutely lost without my highlighters!
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Permalink Reply by Lori on
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One more thing, everything is color coded. Personal is green, Business is blue, CANNOT MISS items are highlighted with tan, Birthdays are purple, etc. You could also color code each person - hubby - yellow, yourself - pink, kid #1 - green, kid #2 - blue, etc. Makes it easier to see who needs you where and what needs to be done!
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on
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I wish I could use Outlook. I need my calendar at my fingertips, ready to work at the ring of the phone. Also, I book appointments at an hour's notice sometimes, so I just stick with my book - portability is a plus! I highlight season premieres in orange, but other than that, I use my pink & green. My book reminds me of watermelon, lol.
Lori said:Me too. But I not only DEPEND on my planner, I actually use MS Outlook on my computer. My whole schedule is in Outlook and I print out my daily calendar using daytimer printable sheets. I also print out a monthly calendar to hang on the fridge so everyone knows where I am, when I am available, etc. I actually use 2 daytimers, one that stays on my desk so if I get a phone call, I can check everything at a moment's notice; the other that I carry everywhere with me (it contains my business cards, note paper to write those little things done that I think about as needed).
Another thing that I do is Yahoo sync my desktop to Yahoo (online) and then sync Yahoo (online) to my laptop...so my schedule (and my contacts) really do go with me. I am also working on remembering (haven't gotten used to using) syncing it with my PDA too.
Vanessa said:This is so me. We have three children, 6, 10, and 11yrs, and I work at home. I know some of you MUST have a planner/datebook. I'm absolutely lost without my highlighters!
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Permalink Reply by Cynthia - The Good Enough Witch on -
I use MS Outlook for my calendar, email and contacts on my computer. It syncs up nicely with my Palm Pilot that I carry in my purse with all the same info.
Recenty started to use a paper planner to plan for the week ahead. Did this because all of my to-do lists were getting out of hand and I needed one place to manage them. (Read, prioritize them and eliminate the unnecessary.)
And don't forget about Post-It Notes. I LOVE MY POST-ITS!!!
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Permalink Reply by Strudel on -
I'm learning a lot from watching my daughter. Having permanent homes/places for things definitely helps. And also if they have only one possible home - and if there are two possible homes double up on items so there's one in each place. I guess this really applies more to scissors, pens, tissue boxes and other basic stuff and not to cars :P
Going back to my first statement, having one home for her shoes for instance means when we tidy up that's where we go - and anyone can do that, and when we need to get a pair we all know where to go to get them from. So yeah, gumboots to slippers are all in the same spot.
We use a shared calendar system on the computer (I'm currently using the Lightning extension in Thunderbird but you can use different applications to view the same calendar) to keep track of appointments - and I overlay many separate calendars: birthdays etc., events - that interest us but we're not necessarily committed to, and bills etc due.
With work I use a mainly GTD (Getting Things Done) system that works for me. I've moved it between analog and digital and in between many times and at the moment it's predominantly digital using Lightning once again. I also use GTD folders for sorting mail - but I'm still notoriously bad at dealing with email so take that with a pinch of salt :P (though it has improved things - especially from a sanity perspective).
I'm lost without a diary which I use to jot down stuff I need to accomplish that isn't worthwhile adding into the computer and also when I'm out and about.
Household tasks as a bit of a sticking point for me as I don't particularly enjoy that they're so recursive. I'm currently trying to improve what I get accomplished in this area and I've been working off a card deck made from business cards for the last 10 days and that's going okay but I'm still procrastinating some tasks - and my husband is away at the moment so it's easier to accomplish more - so who knows what it'll be like by the end of the month.
I like lists and I try to beat procrastination by breaking down a task into tiny portions. For instance, when I need to clean the fishtank I get a tasklist which starts off 1) Get the buckets 2) Turn off the pump 3) ... By the time I've done step 2 I'm normally into the task and before I know it it's completed (well technically it's 40 minutes later :| ).
Something I have to work on (which I think will help stay organised) is to declutter more - to the point where it's left the house (or more accurately the car), and not to let more clutter in - maybe to the point of "1 thing in - 1 thing out".
Okay I'm out of nuggets for the moment - hope something there helps someone! :)
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Permalink Reply by Lori on
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If you do decided to go with a planner, you can purchase the blank pages (or make your own) and just print out your calendar, contacts, etc directly from MS Outlook.
Cynthia - The Good Enough Witch said:I use MS Outlook for my calendar, email and contacts on my computer. It syncs up nicely with my Palm Pilot that I carry in my purse with all the same info.
Recenty started to use a paper planner to plan for the week ahead. Did this because all of my to-do lists were getting out of hand and I needed one place to manage them. (Read, prioritize them and eliminate the unnecessary.)
And don't forget about Post-It Notes. I LOVE MY POST-ITS!!!
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Permalink Reply by Lori on
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For you car, I didn't check to see what ages your child (ren) is/are, but you can purchase one of those organizers that hangs over the seat, for toys, games, etc. Another thing is a basket (a basket with dividers is even better) for all those little things that you always seem to have in your car - kleenex, wet wipes, CD's, etc. And if possible a small (very small) garbage can so kids (and you) can throw away the empty wrappers, water bottles, coffee cups and then you just empty one bag whenever it needs it - daily, weekly, etc.
Strudel said:I'm learning a lot from watching my daughter. Having permanent homes/places for things definitely helps. And also if they have only one possible home - and if there are two possible homes double up on items so there's one in each place. I guess this really applies more to scissors, pens, tissue boxes and other basic stuff and not to cars :P
Going back to my first statement, having one home for her shoes for instance means when we tidy up that's where we go - and anyone can do that, and when we need to get a pair we all know where to go to get them from. So yeah, gumboots to slippers are all in the same spot.
We use a shared calendar system on the computer (I'm currently using the Lightning extension in Thunderbird but you can use different applications to view the same calendar) to keep track of appointments - and I overlay many separate calendars: birthdays etc., events - that interest us but we're not necessarily committed to, and bills etc due.
With work I use a mainly GTD (Getting Things Done) system that works for me. I've moved it between analog and digital and in between many times and at the moment it's predominantly digital using Lightning once again. I also use GTD folders for sorting mail - but I'm still notoriously bad at dealing with email so take that with a pinch of salt :P (though it has improved things - especially from a sanity perspective).
I'm lost without a diary which I use to jot down stuff I need to accomplish that isn't worthwhile adding into the computer and also when I'm out and about.
Household tasks as a bit of a sticking point for me as I don't particularly enjoy that they're so recursive. I'm currently trying to improve what I get accomplished in this area and I've been working off a card deck made from business cards for the last 10 days and that's going okay but I'm still procrastinating some tasks - and my husband is away at the moment so it's easier to accomplish more - so who knows what it'll be like by the end of the month.
I like lists and I try to beat procrastination by breaking down a task into tiny portions. For instance, when I need to clean the fishtank I get a tasklist which starts off 1) Get the buckets 2) Turn off the pump 3) ... By the time I've done step 2 I'm normally into the task and before I know it it's completed (well technically it's 40 minutes later :| ).
Something I have to work on (which I think will help stay organised) is to declutter more - to the point where it's left the house (or more accurately the car), and not to let more clutter in - maybe to the point of "1 thing in - 1 thing out".
Okay I'm out of nuggets for the moment - hope something there helps someone! :)
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Permalink Reply by AndreaM on -
I'm always driving around so I use my cell phone to add notes and reminders to my Google calendar. To do this I subscribe to Jott.com and I have a Parrot hands-free bluetooth device in my car. For example, when I leave a dentist appointment with the next appointment made, I can call my calendar using Jott and put the new appointment right on my calendar. I also use both Jott and Google Calendar to send me SMS text message reminders.
I have to discipline myself to write the Google calendar appointments onto the family paper calendar. Although I'm the geek in the family, my husband is a paper+pencil kinda guy, so it is important to us to use both electronic and paper reminders and calendars.
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Permalink Reply by Lori on
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That is a great idea - guess I'll be looking into Jott.com too. Thanks for this important tip!
AndreaM said:I'm always driving around so I use my cell phone to add notes and reminders to my Google calendar. To do this I subscribe to Jott.com and I have a Parrot hands-free bluetooth device in my car. For example, when I leave a dentist appointment with the next appointment made, I can call my calendar using Jott and put the new appointment right on my calendar. I also use both Jott and Google Calendar to send me SMS text message reminders.
I have to discipline myself to write the Google calendar appointments onto the family paper calendar. Although I'm the geek in the family, my husband is a paper+pencil kinda guy, so it is important to us to use both electronic and paper reminders and calendars.
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Permalink Reply by Cara on -
My method to stay on track is that I ALWAYS have to have a daily list of plans and what I need to do that day, as soon as the day starts. If I have to spend time when I get up to figure out what needs to be done, that's time I could've spent putting in a load of laundry or checking my email! So the night before I always make sure I know what I'm going to need to do. If there is laundry that needs to be put away, I always try to put it away before I go to bed, so it's not hanging over me when I wake up. And right now, my son is just over 1, so he hasn't learned to put his toys away yet, so before I go to bed I get out my redi-wipes and wipe down and sanitize his toys before putting them away. Another thing I do before bed is always make sure that all of the dishes are either hand washed (if there's not many, and it saves on electricity and water to not run the washer) or put them in the washer to start before I go to bed; that way all I have to do is put them away when I wake up.
One thing that I always have to do when I wake up is MAKE THE BED!! And for being a SAHM, it's easy to just let that go. But as long as I get the bed made up, I feel refreshed and more eager to start my day and all the tasks at hand. When it gets let go and left undone all day, I just don't feel like doing anything all day and I get lazy.
And I'm also one of the ones that puts my entire life into Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and runs my world via Outlook! I must have everything color-coordinated and by golly if every file on my machine isn't renamed to a proper name and put in the correct folder I will go mad crazy!! I even have my monthly annoyance in Excel detailed down to a yearly, monthly and weekly view!!
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Permalink Reply by Lori on
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Isn't it a great feeling when you make your bed in the morning. Everytime you walk in your bedroom, it's like an "aahhh" moment...nice feeling. I make my bed too and if I don't, I just don't feel right during the day.
Cara said:One thing that I always have to do when I wake up is MAKE THE BED!! And for being a SAHM, it's easy to just let that go. But as long as I get the bed made up, I feel refreshed and more eager to start my day and all the tasks at hand. When it gets let go and left undone all day, I just don't feel like doing anything all day and I get lazy.
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