5 Things I Do to Stay Organized
As someone who is super creative, my brain is normally going a mile a minute switching from topic to topic. I can go from thinking about a presentation at work to a dance routine I did in 7th grade, to tonight’s dinner, and a concept for a photoshoot.
Because my brain can be all over the place, I’ve developed systems and habits that help me stay organized and allow me to have as little stress as possible. In today’s post, I'm sharing the 5 things I do on a daily/weekly basis that help me stay organized.
#1: FIND AND USE A PLANNER THAT WORKS FOR YOU
Planners are my thing. There are very few things that get me as excited as researching and buying a new planner each year. Throughout the years I’ve used many types of planners and they each stand out in their own way.
When I was in college I used a Day Designer Daily Planner where each day had its own page. During this time I needed this amount of space to keep track of my assignments, appointments, and extracurricular commitments. Since graduating I’ve noticed that I don’t need that much space and specificity on an everyday basis.
This year I’ve been using the Erin Condren Petite Planners that go inside the On the Go Folio. This system allows you to buy an outer “shell” (the On the Go Folio) and then choose up to four book inserts to go inside. There are many options for the inserts such as a daily planner, monthly planner, travel planner, budget planner, wellness log, and much more. I’ve been really enjoying this system because it allows me to customize my planner to focus on the aspects that are most important to me.
In my planner Erin Condren Petite Planner I have the monthly planner, undated daily planner, budget book, and a lined journal. This allows me to plan my months out (since my day to day doesn’t change much) and if I have a really busy day I can use a page in the undated daily planner. Additionally, I can keep track of my spending and financial goals in the budget book, as well as jot down any important information/thoughts in the lined journal.
My Planner Supplies: On the Go Folio, Monthly Planner, Undated Daily Planner, Lined Journal, Budget Book, Clear Pockets, Large Paper Clips
#2: USE A PASSWORD MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
I use a program called LastPass to keep track of all my passwords and important information. As I’ve gotten older the amount of important information that I need to keep track of has grown exponentially. By using LastPass all of that information is in one place and is easily accessible via their website and mobile app. They also have a browser extension that auto-populates login information of websites you’ve saved previously and prompts you to save passwords for new websites.
#3: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF “TO DO” LISTS
Every day when I get to work I write a “To Do” list with all the projects that I currently have on my plate. I then go back and highlight the most important tasks (based on my goals and deadlines) and focus the rest of my day around them. Most of the time I’m repeating tasks from the previous day’s list but I’ve noticed that even though it’s repetitive, it makes sure that I don’t miss anything. I find so much value in this habit because it makes sure that I’m focusing my time/attention/energy on the things that are helping me get to my goals.
#4: CLEAR THE CLUTTER
This is honestly the habit I struggle with the most. I wouldn’t say I’m messy but a little clutter doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Even though on the surface I don’t mind clutter I have noticed that when my physical and mental space is cluttered, I feel more anxious. To combat this I do weekly inbox, files, and images declutter on my computer and phone. This allows me to catch clutter before it has a chance to pile up and become overwhelming.
#5: CREATE A FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
I’m often working on large design projects that have lots of smaller parts that make them up. In the past, I would find myself saving all my files to my Desktop for the sake of time. Where it might’ve been easier in the short term, it became super difficult to find things in the long term. Now I’ve created a file management system that allows me to easily find files from any project, from any time. I’ve also carried this system into my backup process which takes place on Google Drive. I have all my files that are over a year old on my Google Drive and organized in such a way that I can easily find them when need be.
Hopefully, you found this post helpful and it serves as inspiration for all your organization needs. Feel free to leave a comment sharing any tips or systems that have worked for you and share this post with anyone you believe could benefit from it!
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