The number one question I am asked, hands down, is “how do I get it all done?” How do I blog and work and homeschool and clean my home and cook and spend time with my husband and have time to shave my legs once in a while too!?!?!?! Today I am going to show you my secret and challenge you to start managing your time amidst your chaos (because let’s be real… the chaos will always be there)! Let’s figure out how to plan your day more effectively. Don’t forget to pin this image for later!
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How to Get it All Done: Prioritize.
I used to be a list maker. I would make list after list after list. I would plan out my days with everything I needed or (naively) wanted to do and then I wouldn’t get it all done and I’d feel terrible. I gave up, I lost steam. Since discovering bullet journaling, I also have come to understand the beauty of prioritizing my time. I still make my lists, they are super handy for just unraveling the chaos of my brain. However, once my list is on paper, I set out to prioritize it. This is where I become brutally realistic. What is my top priority for my family, for my work, and for myself? Those are must-do’s, everything else starts to move down on the list. This way, come 2am when I close my eyes (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but seriously… I need to sleep more!), I can go to bed feeling a sense of accomplishment. I had a purpose that day and I fulfilled it. Instead of trying to do it ALL, I try to do the most important stuff and dabble in the rest if time allows.
plan your day
Plan Your Day.
Because of my failures with planning before, I never really experienced the freedom that planning could offer. I guess I never EVER would have put “planning” and “freedom” together in a sentence before either. Doesn’t planning your life give you *less* freedom and flexibility?
Let us look to the chicken, the one with his head cut off. This, dear friends, is me! I run aimlessly from task to task. I can sit at a computer all day looking at social media, S-L-O-W-L-Y moving forward before I get distracted or start on something else that needs to be done (before I finished the first three things that is). I scramble, I flail, I’m drowning over here people!
Planning ahead, organizing my flippant thoughts, pinning them down to save me time, being more focused and intentional with my time… those things bring freedom! So so so much freedom! Because I plan, I have time to fit in a spontaneous visit with someone. Because I plan, I don’t forget important events that are coming up. Because I plan, I can make a goal and actually achieve it!
How to Get it All Done: Evaluate.
If you don’t know what bullet journaling is, check out my post here. For me, I blend my lists and goals with my journaling. It is simple and an extension of my day, my brain, my thoughts, my challenges and successes! As I journal that day, make little notes, I am essentially evaluating my day. What worked, what didn’t? If I am not accomplishing tasks, and I have a lot of arrows pointing forward to be rescheduled, I know that I am being unrealistic in my expectations. I am constantly taking stock and figuring out what is working and how to improve upon it. I think this is such an important step in managing your time. You will never truly be able to manage your time until you are figuring out what your time wasters are, or maybe owning up to your own limitations. Maybe you aren’t getting it all done because in this season of your life… you CAN’T! What can you cut back on?
We need to take the time to re-assess our days, instead of just plowing forward, adding more and more to our plate and hating ourselves when things are falling through the cracks.
Join us for the “How to Organize your Life in 30 Days” Challenge!
Do you feel like you are drowning in to do lists, laundry, and dishes? Does lack of organization cause you to lose your patience or avoid having people over? Are you often late because you can’t find what you are looking for? As mom’s, we all have a lot on our minds and life is busy. In some seasons our mind becomes so full that we become less productive. I am teaming up with some amazing bloggers to bring you 30 days to an organized life! All you need to do to join the challenge is check out the landing page HERE and start working through the challenges. You can join in at any point, there are no rules! Share your before or after pictures on Instagram and use the hashtag #30dayorganize for a chance to win a $10 gift card to Hobby Lobby (3 winners)! The more your engage on social media, share the graphic below, etc. the more entries you’ll have! The winners will be announced on Instagram so stay tuned!
Join the challenge! Take a screenshot and share this on Instagram!
Your #30DayOrganize Challenge Day 8: Plan Your Day
I challenge you to plan your day for tomorrow! Make a simple list and then prioritize your list, write little numbers on the side, color code them, highlight them, rewrite them in order… whatever that may look like to you. At the end of you day, take the time to re-assess. Were you realistic in your goals? What could you change? Was it too stressful or were you feeling like you could have fit more in? Get creative and come join me on Instagram for planner inspiration with just me and my bullet journal!
