When I found out I was pregnant with baby number two I had a mini-meltdown. I could not keep things together with one child how was I supposed to do it with two? Working full time and then coming home to housework was overwhelming. Saturdays were a waste of cleaning and laundry. Over the last few years, I have been introduced to various methods of home organization, cleaning, and even planner planning. I have gathered methods from various places to help me create routines and habits that help me feel on top of my to-do list.
Along with my planner I use a small notebook to take notes on projects I am working on or to jot down ideas so I won’t forget. I have used the Day Designer Planner by Blue Sky for about 11 years. I love the overall layout but I really love that it gives you a few pages at the front to set goals and design your days. My old ringed planner system that I still love but it was too big. It took up to much room in my work bag. As a commuter, I wanted something thin and simple that would not add a lot of weight.
How I use my planner is always evolving. I keep track of a lot of information in there. I use it for meal planning, tracking work and school schedules, my cleaning routine, my workday task, meetings/appointments, and my hobby planning. That is a lot of information even for a ringed planner.
As I looked over my planner in January, my mind was in a whirl with everything that I want to accomplish in 2022. Work Goals, personal goals, and family goals all had to be sorted out. Plus coordinating with my husband’s goals just added to the jumble I had going on in my head. It was at this time I decided to move from a paper planning system. I am still a little shocked I went down this route. But it has been a good journey so far. I had used Google calender on occasion but never really embraced it. And it goes along with really utilizing my technology (phone and surface) to their fullest potential.
Friday nights I like to sit with my calendar and take 20 – 30 minutes to review my upcoming week and jot down any to-do’s I need to keep track of such as meal prep and meetings or games on the schedule. I then take another 30 minutes and review both the church’s blog and mine, scheduling any post or making a list of content that I need to write up. Lastly, I review my classwork and make a plan for completing my assignments.
Over the next few post, I would like to share how I transitioned from a paper planner to using Google Calendar and Google Keep.
Are you a digital planner? What tools do you use to keep yourself organized?