one of my biggest goals of this year was to be more productive. some days i could end up staring at my phone, on twitter, for hours on end. all of a sudden, the entire day is gone and iโve accomplished nothing. that is the worst feeling. being homeschooled, itโs SUPER important for me to be responsible and finish my schoolwork. with ballet and blogging added to the mix, things can get a little crazy. after some trial and error, iโve found the easiest ways for me to be stay organized and i’ve decided to share it with you! (because i’m just SO AWESOME like that)
use a planner and calendar
personally, i find writing down all my tasks/events to be more effective than uploading it as a new event on my phone. you can easily customize things the way YOU want. sometimes apps arenโt able to provide what i need in the most efficient and effective way. my paper source planner is my new best friend.
color coordination
iโm a visual person and love being colorful. i’ve categorized all my tasks/events into colors (i.e. blogging is aqua, school is green, ballet is pink, etc). this way, i can easily see what needs to be done in the different aspects of my life.
use all the things!
highlighters! pens! tabs! sticky notes!! indulge in using all the extra things: i usually highlight super important stuff i need to remember. pens are part of the coloring package. tabs allow me to easily flip to the week weโre on. i usually write my daily to-do list on a separate sticky note and stick it next to the date. (this fills in more space.) also, isnโt it great to flip through your planner to see it being, well, USED? my planner is being loved. *hugs*
compile a to-do list
iโd say iโm a fairly task-oriented person. to me, thereโs nothing more satisfying than crossing off something on your to-do list, or ending the day knowing you did all the things you planned to. although i almost never complete everything on my to-do list, it forces me to do things iโd otherwise procrastinate on. theyโre like mini goals. even if i didnโt complete the task, at least i tried, right?
accomplishment stickers
this is another way i managed to motivate myself to be more productive: accomplishment stickers. if i finish a blog post, i add a sticker to my planner; if i go running, another sticker; if i finish a school assignment, another! these are things that you decide on โ and they can be mundane things like grocery shopping โ but they seriously do wonders to me. writing this blog post? GOLD STAR FOR XAN!
This is such a great post! For me I use google calendar for EVERYTHING because it’s always with me as my computer/phone/etc. I have separate calendars for each class, my blog, swimming, family events and that’s how I keep track of what I have to do when. For me at least it helps to see it in a calendar format. ๐
I love this post! I used to be super organised, but now? I don’t know what happened, maybe it’s because there was such a big gap between my last exam and my first schoolday at my new school, or just because it’s a new school, but I’m not organised AT ALL. I’m definitely going to do some of these things ๐ (I already make to do lists like crazy haha) I’ve seen other people use sticky notes as well, and it’s so smart! Definitely going to do that one. Also the colour coordination and stickers!
I loved this! I didn’t use to be a super organised person but since having this blog I’ve found that I need to manage my time a lot better which means getting organised and fast. I bought my first planner the other week and it’s helping me to keep on track of all the tasks that I need to get done as well as events that are happening in regards to university and even hanging out with friends.
To-Do Lists are my absolute best friend. Like you said, there is nothing more satisfying that crossing something off a list. Even just simple tasks like taking a shower (You’d be surprised how much I procrastinate).
Wow, I love these tips! It’s funny because I’m actually homeschooled too, and I also have ballet and blogging on my plate as well! So of course, these tips are extremely helpful, thanks so much for posting!
I LOVED this post! It got me so pumped for making an organizer! ๐
To do lists are my favourite list to write! I love challenging myself. I also like to write in my planner off days where I can kind of chill and relax. Between work, school, blogging I had a hard time making time for friends and family so I give myself off days to take that time out for friends and family.
Love this post! And your blog has a gorgeous aesthetic! ๐ I was wondering, where did you buy the planner/diary that’s in your pictures? It’s super cute ๐ x
I love your planner it looks super beautiful! I really enjoyed using a diary when I was in university. The more colours and stickers the better. Nowadays I stick to using google calendar or my bf to remind me of things though XD
If I’m not organized, I just don’t even try to organize at all. *facepalm* But hey, I guess I should go and give some love to my planner now, right?
Great post I totally relate – if you’re at home and you don’t get organised or have a plan, the day just slips by. These tips were really helpful and it was fun to see what works for you. Maybe I should get this organised ๐
I also a planner to keep me on track with my schoolwork, and since I’m also a visual person, I use colorful pens and highlighters. I also add some quotes to keep me motivated. For my other things to do, like reading, going out with friends, or blogging, I usually stick sticky notes everywhere, like on my laptop, bookshelves and mirror. That way I always remember things I’m supposed to do. Amazing post! ๐
THIS POST IS MY EVERYTHINGGGG. Especially since you used pretty photos and ahh Paper Source. ๐ I have a very similar organizing method; I use a planner and Google Calendar. I would use a physical calendar, but I’m just adding so many events that I don’t have time to sit down and write them! But yes to the sticker thing!! I first learned about it from Victoria Schwab and I now use it for exercising, writing a blog post, and finishing a book ๐
BEAUTIFUL post, Xan! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!!
I’M HOME-SCHOOLED TOO! ๐ I have this gorgeous Paris planner that I’m totally in love with, so I use that for my to-do lists and daily tasks etc. Also – I love the idea of using stickers, think I might start doing that too! ๐
Being organized is so important in general but I need it especially when it comes to blogging. I use highlighters, color-coded post-its, and have a schedule book between co-bloggers and me. Unfortunately, we need to figure out an electronic system of some kind because often someone will not check the book and things get left off to the last minute ><
Great post!
I loved this post! I’m trying to get organized, and I’m going to try some of your methods. Where on Paper Source did you get thta planner? What is it called? These lifestyle posts really help, thank you! ๐