Getting Organised | Tips and Tricks for 2020

I have a constant battle with to-do lists. I find a system that works, then I go to the extreme and start adding on more than I can hope to achieve and it becomes this stressful, overwhelming situation I can’t get out of. Then I change strategy and start it all over again.

This year, however, I want to focus on being productive but not attempting to achieve too much. I have no idea whether I can carry this off, but I figured that if I can at least try, it might get me through a few months, right?

I’m trying a few different techniques this year:

Pomodoro Technique

I discovered this last summer after getting increasingly frustrated with not feeling like I was utilising my weekends. For those who don’t know, this is a timed technique: I have mine set on the standard, which is 25 minutes focusing, 5 minutes off, repeating three times and then a longer break period. The idea is that your brain gets used to focusing for that timed session and you break down activities into how many sessions you think it will take and plan accordingly.

I’m still learning how to use this the best as I’m either setting too long or trying to break tasks down too much into the 25-minute slots. But even with not quite getting it right yet, it’s certainly working to stop me feeling like I’m wasting time when I know I want a productive day.

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

Bullet journaling

I’ve wanted to have a proper bullet journal for ages but my lack of artistic skills means I’ve never tried it because I would want it to look pretty. I then bought some stencils – and have been having a great time with it.

I’m currently trying to figure out the best plan for me. I currently have monthly goals, then a weekly plan that breaks those down and then setting a few daily tasks to actually tackle the list. It’s helping me focus and work on bigger projects rather than a long list of not achieving much.

I’m finding that it’s therapeutic even just decorating it for the week, even if I haven’t got the task list quite right yet. Either way, it means it’s doing me some good.

Blog planning

This is where I’m struggling. I tried out Monday.com and it seemed absolutely perfect, until I realised it wasn’t free and there was no way I was spending £22 a month. I’ve tried different spreadsheets as well which has helped – I find it easier than a hand-written one because I’m often chopping and changing.

I like having an overall monthly view and being able to list the posts for ease when I need to see more details. I’m currently trying to build a spreadsheet on excel to help me keep track – and plan ahead – but my excel skills are lacking so it’s proving problematic. If anyone has any planner suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

How do you keep yourself on task and organised?

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