So, I’m a person who really likes being busy, but recently my days have been so packed that important things have gotten lost in the shuffle. And I’m a professional organizer! So, I’ve been trying out a few strategies and wanted to share them with you so you can make sure to set yourself up for success when your schedule feels overwhelming:
Prioritize First
I don’t know about you, but when I get super busy I start feeling overloaded and overwhelmed. The first thing I do is write down everything that’s in my brain. This can include appointments, phone calls, school forms, errands, blog ideas, etc. I get everything on paper so I can see what I’m dealing with. Then I look at the list and note anything that can be postponed, eliminated, or delegated. I take the remaining items and list them in order of priority. Just doing this already makes me feel more clear headed and in control of my day.
Design Your Day
I use Google calendar to manage all of my appointments and meetings and I always include the address and phone number in the appointment for easy reference. Once I have the framework of my day in, I look where I can add in other things like exercise, grocery shopping, and errands. I write everything I plan to do on a white index card (I learned this from my Dad!) and I toss the index card in my purse for easy reference throughout the day.
Pack and Prep
When my husband is out of town or I anticipate an unusually packed day, I do my best to prep and pack as much as possible the night before. This includes packing up lunches and backpacks for my girls, selecting and laying out clothes for the morning, and even setting up a simple breakfast and laying out cups, bowls and spoons. Every second counts! I’ve recently also started packing up energy bars, nuts and dried fruit so I can have healthy snacks available throughout the day. I also make sure to fill up my favorite water bottle so it’s ready for me to grab and go when I head out the door. These small efforts go a long way in keeping me sane when things get hectic.
How do you prepare for a busy day? Please share your ideas in the comments below!
Totally needed this this week, THANK YOU!
So glad! xx
I have a checklist next to my bag of just the must necessary items: glasses, phone, wallet, work badge, laptop, lunch, bike lock — just the items that would most seriously mess up my day to go missing. I check it at night as I’m packing. I also bring other things: hat, coat, pens, etc, but those don’t go on the list.
Mary-Ellen, love that idea so much!
xx
Great post! I also prepare my to do list and review my email the night before, so I’m ready to get started the next day. I would love to hear how you manage dinner schedules so you get to bed at a good time. By the time my daughter eats, we get her to bed, then we eat and prepare for the next day it’s so late. We’ve tried lots of tactics but we still really struggle to get in bed before 11+.
Hi Erin,
We have worked hard on this. It’s much easier now that our girls are a bit older and more independent but basically this is our schedule – 6pm We all eat dinner 6:30pm Girls brush teeth and get ready for bed while my husband does the dishes and I make the lunches. 7-7:30pm We read to the girls and lights out! The key is sorting out what we are eating for dinner and shopping ahead of time so we can quickly whip something up and all eat together. Hope this helps!
I love all your points in your blog post! Additionally, I like to plan out what the next day will look like the evening before. It helps me to get going right away rather than become indecisive about how to structure my day! 🙂
Courtney – Yes, making decisions ahead of time is always a win for me too!