Intro
My brain is a mess, so it’s insanely important for me to organize my day-to-day life. I think we all feel the need to get our shit together, am I right?
Between my personal life, managing my blog and other content, and working from home, it can be hard to figure out what to do and when to do it. Without a solid organizational structure and a plan, I would probably just sit around twiddling my thumbs.
Thankfully, after years of struggling and trial and error, I’ve found a strategy that works for me. I use four tools to satisfy different needs and organize my life. It has been running pretty smoothly ever since I put it into action!
Trello
If you’ve never used Trello, you’re seriously missing out. This has been an absolute lifesaver for me when it comes to keeping my shit together. Utilizing a card system that you can separate into lists and different boards based on your needs, it’s easy to keep things together and link to others when necessary.
I use Trello to organize my long-term vision. These are things like my yearly goals, my big projects, or any thoughts on future endeavors. I also love it for keeping track of my lists: what shows to watch, books to read, games to play, etc.
I don’t have to look at Trello every single day, but I do take a glance at it every week just to make sure I’m staying on track. Once I’ve accomplished a goal or finished a project, I put the date completed in the title and move it to a “Done” list on the board. This makes it easy for me to see everything that I’ve accomplished!
Google Calendar
As I pare down my timeline, I move on to Google Calendar. I’ve tried so many different online calendars over the years, but I just keep coming back to this one. It’s so easy to organize. The cross-platform syncing, the color-coded calendars, and all of the features just make it so user-friendly.
I use this calendar to take a look at my months and weeks. I knew I wanted to implement a time-blocking system, so I took about an hour to figure out what my main task categories are. Once that was done, I laid them out how I found fit in each day. I also utilize this structure to add in important events or appointments when I need them.
It’s important to me that this calendar is easy to read so I can just have a quick glance every morning. To make that happen, I simply created a new calendar for each category and color-coded them to make it visually appealing. Things like my deadlines are bright red so they stand out, while less important tasks, like my general admin work, are more muted so they don’t stick out as much.
My time blocks stay the same, so I don’t have to work on this calendar very much. I do review it every Friday to ensure everything is correct for the upcoming week.
Planner
Probably not a surprise that we’re getting a little bit smaller with our timeline now! To organize my daily tasks, I use a planner. I am the type of person who changes planners every couple of months, so it’s difficult for me to keep longer timeframes like weeks or months in one. That’s why it’s perfect for my day-to-day!
At the start of each day, I take a look at my google calendar and figure out what deadlines are coming up. Based on that, I lay out what tasks I need to fit into each time block. I thrive on structure, so I lay everything out by the hour and keep a checklist to ensure everything gets done or rescheduled. My current planner has a “notes for tomorrow” section, which I LOVE because it helps me keep on top of things. I can always look back at the day before and see if there was anything I needed to get done.
Alarm
Now we’ve made it to my smallest point of organization: alarms. I use Alarmy on my phone for things that require immediate attention or reminders for important events.
It’s easy for me to lose track of time, especially when I’m in a solid workflow, so having a gentle alarm to tell me it’s time to do something has been life-changing.
\My main alarms are:
– take medicine
– go to the gym
– end the workday
– start evening routine
These are just little reminders that help me move from one task to the next without getting lost in my day. I’ll add some if I have an important appointment or other events I need to tend to that day, as well!
Conclusion
It took me a while to figure out a system that worked for me, but these four tools have made keeping my life organized so simple and easy. I don’t know how I survived without this plan!
In the end, it all comes down to finding a plan that works for you. I highly recommend trying these tools out if you’re struggling to organize your life.
If you use a different strategy to keep it all together, I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment down below or tell me all about it on Twitter!
Love these ideas, as my business grows I need stuff like this in my life 😀 Thanks for the ideas and tips.
You are definitely more organized than I am. Maybe I need to implement some of these, and get more organized as well.
It took me a long time to get here, but now that I have a system that works for me I am so much more productive!
Awesome apps. I have one similar to Trello and it has different features. I would like to check it out though. Thank you for sharing!
Oh, I’d love to hear about any tools you use that work! I have used Trello for a while for different purposes and the ease of use is just so nice, I can’t stay away!
This is awesome! I have never used these tools before. These are very useful tools to get organized. Thanks for sharing it!
I highly recommend them, it’s been a game-changer for me!
Google calendar is life – it is one of my most useful tools.
Legitimately same!! So helpful
I am a OCD type of person so I feel so much better to have everything organized and planned. These tools are incredibly useful and I think it will help a lot of people who are having trouble with scheduling too! – Kncyx Journeying
I’m so glad you think so, thank you!
Calendar, alarms and notebook are my things. I like everything organized.
It takes a good system to be organized, I love it!
I am very confused when it comes to using Trello, but can definitely relate to using google calendars. I am always looking for ways to be more organized when it comes to working. In my personal life, I am more organized.
https://www.ourredonkulouslife.com
Trello took me a while to get used to, but now that I have it exactly how I want it, I can’t imagine life without it! I recently started organizing my personal life and my work life all at the same time in the same spaces — this has helped me stay on top of every so much better!
These all look like wonderful tools to use to organize life. I use a planner and use an alarm. Sure need to get the google calendar, looks very helpful for sure.
Whatever works for you is best! I do love how easy it is to keep my days and weeks organized in Google Calendar though, so highly recommend.
In theory, I’m using all these tools. However, most of the time I’m ending up with some loose sheets of paper and some post-it.
ok ok I am also a post-it fiend! I have a special day (usually my admin hour on friday) where I gather all the notes on my desk and if they’re important, I’ll transfer them to a special board in Trello
I would love to use Google Calendar and Trello. But, every time I use it, I have more things to put on the calendar and to-do list.
I swear by my calendar. It’s very important for me because I am very bad a feeling time and dates which is actually is not best in my line of work. Great tips!
Yes, a calendar can be so helpful to keep everything together! Without mine I definitely wouldn’t know what day it is
Trello is a personal favorite. This has been a gamechanger in project management. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to keep things organized.
Same for me! Now that I have my Trello organized in a way that works for me, I legitimately cannot imagine life without it.
Great post, I love staying organized and planners are a life saver for me!
Thank you, I’m glad to hear it!
I don’t have the other apps but the alarm app and google calendar are a very big part of my life. I’d be going late for work if I didn’t have the alarm app.
Oh, for sure! Everybody has different tools that work for them.
Thanks for sharing great ways to get organized. Lately I am a totally mess in that department !!
It can be so hard to get it all together, but I believe in you!