How Do I Stay Organized in Daily Chaos?
Being an organized person was something that came naturally to me. My mom was highly organized in the presumed chaos of five kids, dogs, and farm animals. She made lists, and before Outlook and Google Calendar, I was a list maker too. But then came Outlook and calendaring took on a whole new meaning.
I run two calendars, Outlook at my day gig and Google calendar on my Android phone. Yes, I’m an Adroit girl. I run two calendars because the day gig won’t allow us to access any Google suite products, and I don’t care for how Outlook acts on my phone.
I even time-block housecleaning chores.
I was time-blocking before time-blocking became the thing it is today. It’s a terrific system for managing productive time and, more importantly, downtime for family and self-care. I color-code blocks, so at a glance, I know whether it’s a meeting, a personal appointment, a medical appointment, or grandkid activities (I miss the days when my calendar was full of my kids’ activities). I even time-block housecleaning chores, which I spread out over the week. Please take one day to unplug at least once a month. Your mind, body, and spirit need it and deserve it.
Fridays are my least frantic day at the day gig. I spend a few minutes each Friday morning syncing my Outlook and Google calendars. I will also take a look at the next two weeks to see if any appointments need to be moved or deleted. The older I’ve become, the more selective I’ve become with my personal time. Trying to run a side hustle as a creative takes a slice of that selective personal time.
If you’re overwhelmed with keeping track of your time, I think time-blocking could be the practice to take up. Even if you rely on a paper calendar, block time. Give it a try for a couple of weeks to see how it goes. Stop back by this post and leave a comment.
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tags: #timeblocking #organizationaltips #calendaring #personal time #unplug