Staying Organized (When it Doesn’t Come Naturally)

As much as I would love to say I’m organized by nature, it takes A LOT of effort for me to stay on top of life. Add in the fact that when I have things to do that are challenging, or I don’t enjoy, I leave it to the last minute. Sounds like a win, win right?

While I’ve made it this far, I’ve taken on a lot more commitments over the last year. The only way I’ve been able to actually get anything done, is to lean in to strategies and tools that help me stay productive and consistent.

Here are some of my favourite tools to stay organized:

• Google Calendar – colour coded and accurate to the minute. if it’s not in my calendar, it doesn’t exist. Yes, I’m that person who sends calendar invites to my fiancé for date night.

• Evernote – I started using this about 6-7 years ago when I was trying to keep organized at work. Since that time, I’ve been using it for just about everything – lists, voice notes, pictures, recipes, goal setting, brainstorming. It’s a great free app that can be used on multiple devices – perfect when you’re on the go.

• STIL Classics Planner – I’ve talked about the weekly planner before. As great as technology is, I’m still a sucker for pen & paper. It’s been really helpful for me to plan out the month and mark key deadlines, map out my teaching and workout schedule, track daily habits and create a thought-out daily to-do list. The planner has a schedule page and since that’s already in my calendar, I use this write down what I’m grateful for every morning and wins for the day before I head to bed.

•  Calendly – I use Microsoft Bookings at work and I love that it cuts out a lot of back and forth when coordinating schedules. Calendly is very similar. It’s easy to set up your availability, build in breaks and add whatever buffer time you need in between meetings to (hopefully) avoid running late. Share your link and voila.

I’d love to know what tips you have for staying organized.