While I am very organized, at least I think so, I have often struggled with finding ways to stay organized and productive. I have a gazillion journals from the various conferences I have attended every year for cyber but I have only used one of them and barely. It's just really difficult for me to stay consist with writing in a journal or anything similar. One of my best friends even bought me a cute journal that just sits on my desk and looks pretty. For me, working in a journal, while beneficial, gives me a little anxiety. I'm always like what if I mess up and can't change the page. I like things to look pretty and what happens when it doesn't. I am a tech girl so I prefer to do things on the computer and being able to access those things from anywhere, mainly my phone, is key to staying organized.
Because journaling hasn't worked for me yet, I had to find other ways of staying organized. Remember, there are thousands of tips and tricks for this so it is really up to you to find the method(s) that work best for you. At the end of the day you have to live with it.
Here are my top ways of getting and staying organized for business and for my home life.
WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. To-do lists, chore lists, appointments, classes, after school activities, homework assignments, everything. Having that visual of what is going on, your calendar, you are able to see where bottlenecks are occurring and where change can be made.
Use post-it's to write the items in number 1 down. Post-it's became my friend for the better half of 2020. They are convenient, colorful and just the right amount of space to get your thoughts out. Using post-it's allows you to move sections of your notes around and not mess up what you are trying todo. They also work great for brainstorming ideas and putting those ideas into buckets.
Hey Alexa. If you have Alexa or Siri or Bixby (Android) utilize them to help keep you organized and set reminders. I use Alexa all the time to create my shopping lists which helps keep me on budget and not buy random things when in the store. That last part is still a work in progress but she works. Plus there is an app for your phone and you can refer back to it whenever you need to.
Google to the rescue. Well Google Calendar. Google calendar has the ability for users to create tasks with reminders. If you are a frequent Google user, this may be a great option as the tasks are right in your calendar that you look at every day. I have about 5 calendars connected together and have used tasks in the past to stay on top of things. While it's nice to use, I don't use it any more. I still to Notion now as I have tons of other items in there that are helpful.
Set Reminders on your phone. This is similar to using Siri or Bixby but you can actually just set up reminders on your phone. For the Samsung Note 20 Plus, just type in Reminder in the applications and a little bell comes up. Write the reminder and set a time and bam. Reminder set. If you keep your location turned on, you shouldn't but thats just me, you can actually get reminders based on your location.
Cloud based software. My favorite since Christmas has been Notion (notion.so). This tool allows me to do ALOT of things. I keep track of my tasks using the Task List. I manage my content using the Content Calendar. I can store my study guide notes, course outlines, and book ideas. You can use it for daily reflections and to journal. And there is an app!!!!! Yes to apps. The best part, they have tons of different prebuilt templates and ones from the community that you can use for your own work. And it's free.
These are merely suggestions for you to try. I have used ALL of them. Once you find your method, let me know! Getting organized also has a profound effect on your budget. It allows you to see all the things you currently have, declutter that stuff and then purchase only what you need. Sometimes we tend to buy the same product over and over because we forgot we had it and we weren't organized.
All in all, find the methods that work for you. Being organized will help your budget tremendously as your know exactly where money is going and for what purpose.
Make sure to follow @mimi8303 and @amstrategies_bookkeeper for your bookkeeping, personal finance, and cyber needs! And sign up to receive notifications of new blog posts and products!
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