Lately a number of colleagues have been asking me how I
organize my personal and professional life. And I have been sharing my tips
with them. If you look at my office to my house-the word “organized” won’t necessarily
be the first word to come to mind! (probably mediocore organized more fitting)
But if you look at the lists posted around my house, my I-Phone,my agenda, my
post it notes or take a look inside my brain you will really very quickly that
the exterior is just a façade.
I am super organized. As in super.
But from the outside I can look a bit (very ) chaoptic
too. Clothes piled up, dishes in the sink, sometimes track pants worn inside
out.
Here it goes my guide to organizing my life.
Work:
-all appointments go on my Iphone with a 15 minute alert
for the next meeting
-I have a daily list of things needing to get done that
day and a monthly list and a general list
-I also have a list and a folder for each big project I
am working on (many!)
-I have electronic files for each of my projects
-I guess because I have always worked…organizing at work
is fairly simple for me as I have always done it. Mornings every single day are
spent planning and organizing and crossing of and transferring items. I would
never start my day without making time for this. Even if I have to get up at
5:30am to do it I will
-I have excellent people working with me!
-If personal appt happens during the work day they go in my
manual agenda and in my iPhone since they are during working hours
-I have an alert before every personal apt of 15mins (30
if I have to travel)
-all kids activities that I am involved in (pick up drop
off etc.) are in my personal agenda. If I am not involved they are not in there
and are in the kid’s memories or agenda and are their business to deal with
-Sunday night we do “Family Calendar” and everyone goes
through what we each have that week and we manage our own agendas accordingly
-Sunday nights is also “Lists with each kid” I sit down
with each for at least 15-20 minutes and go through whatever I need to for that
week. I have a tab in a notebook for each kid and Hubby and write things as
they occur to me. This Sunday lists really diminishes the nagging factor as I
try to not go over stuff daily and aim for once a week unless really necessary.(which of course there is stuff that comes up daily)
-I also have a tab in notebook for anyone who works in
home (my Mom, cleaning service, cooking service etc.) and these lists get
communicated on Mondays or Tuesdays
-My husband and I do “Tuesday Lists” every Tuesday (duh!)
and this sets him up for his lists of what I need him to do that week.(guess who the boss is???) Section
of list is Doing and section is Discuss. This takes us a good 45 minutes on
Tuesdays and if we do not do it we feel the pain.
-I have a ton of post it notes on my desk at home and at
work and whenever I think about something I write it down. Anything and everything
from “write so and so a thank you note to “buy perfume as smells good on Mary!”
These post it notes get transferred to
the tab notebook Mondays and Fridays.
-Anything that needs to be on a specific day as a
reminder either goes into manual agenda on that day or gets a reminder on the IPhone
with Siri (ie: today a BFF had a very important dr apt and I want to know how
it went and so put a reminder fort 6pm today to text her and ask). People’s
birthdays are in agenda , if I want to remind myself to ask a family member or friend
it is on a reminder or in agenda or both ,sometimes 3 days in row to ensure I
don’t forget (if it is something important I likely remember anyways but put a
reminder just in case as my brain overloads quickly)
-Pending items often get an entry with a ?. “Christmas
organized yet???” Just so I kept track of where I am heading before X-mas actually occurs.To me this is a huge corner
stone of true organization is anticipating upcoming dates vs. just recording
them.
-Generally speaking organizing is done on lists days and Mondays.
Also every night between dinner over and chores and tucking kids in, I will be
found at desk organizing for home and for work and making lists. Always.
Always. Always.The nights I have something planned it is 30 minutes early
morning before work.
Iphon
-I keep many recurring weekly things in my iPhone that pop
up in evening. Things like watch one show a week with kids, ensure grocery list
is made, do laundry etc..I also put reminders for things that don’t come as
easily and naturally to me (reminder to make snacks for kids once a week on weekends
or bake for them etc..)
-phone is with me all work day and after dinner for an
hour and then after kids tucked in for about an hour as I work on it and answerer
emails and do work. After work until dinner always off and after 10-10:30pm
always off an away. Weekends on when I want it on but hidden away otherwise as
too tempting to be on work email (more on that ritualization later as very
complex)
Kid’s
lists
-My kids have a weekly list that is prepared Monday
morning and good until Friday. On it they have things that need to be done or
discussed nightly. After dinner and chores (which are listed on it) they cannot
go back to homework, or TV, or any technology before everything is crossed off
and shown to me. Works sooooo well. (took a decade to master though!) Also
often 1-2 nights a week we are not home so helps them to manage themselves.
-Weekends they have weekend chore lists which are bigger
or I just often yell out orders (really loudly)
Family
Night
We have weekly time (Tuesday or Wednesday evenings) where
we gather to discuss something other than lists and chores. Give thanks for our
blessings or discuss a certain article, or look at pictures together, or gather
quotes, or discuss a problem in the world or our family, or recognize achievement,
or discuss upcoming family vacation etc..)We used to put 45 mins aside every
week but now with two in high school and very intensive sports programs and one
going into high school this longer formula cannot work for us. Now it is about
15 mins but still enjoyed by all(probably bc it is the only night of the week
the kids get to have a treat). Used to be bigger funner treats and now a little
bowl with usually one or two tiny Halloween candies. Oh well…still love it!
Values
and priorities
I have constant reminders everywhere of what is most important to me in that phase of my life to ensure that my actions and activities are very much based upon my values and priorities. I want to ensure that my agenda and calendar always refelct my heart
(hint hint this will be my keynote speech one day so stay tuned!!!!)
Notes
on Phone
I have tons and tons of lists on notes of what books to
buy, errands, quotes that inspire me, good contacts, ideas for my book etc.
So there it is in a nutshell with many layers in between
and many elements I have forgotten. To me organizing and lists are at the very
core of who I am and without them I would be nowhere near who I want to be as a
wife, a mother, a friend a daughter, a sister, a niece etc..Even with all the
organizing I am not where I want to be but I am closer.
I will debate any day of the week that it is not just things and appointments that we have to
organize and prioritize but relationships
and people. We can all have the best organizing system possible and show up
to every apt on time and have our christmas tree decorated to the max but if our prioritizing does not include people,
relationships and planning of events, we will be living in a whole lot of chaos
and in my opinion, often far off from what we would like to be.
I think that organizing brings us closer and closer to
our full potential as human beings. Actually…I am sure of it.
Let’s just say that there was a fire drill at work the other day and the buzz in the hall was that it was not a drill but a real fire (it was not!). Let’s just say I risked my life and went back for 4 of my most precious possessions (agenda, phone, links of London bracelet and sunglasses) No car keys as could not give a damn about cars.
And you???Email me your best tips!!!! Love getting new
and improved ones!
