How to Get More Done Everyday

There are a lot of things to like about the month of December. Christmas, for example. And Christmas music. And Christmas lights... and stockings and... SANTA! But if I had to choose one December thing that I could do without, it would be the cold weather!

Cold weather and I do not get along. And neither do I and these ridiculously short days... I need sunlight! And warm weather! And to be able to walk outside without putting on every piece of clothing I own. *sigh*

Ever since the November weather took a turn for the freezing (literally, I've already seen ice), my productivity has taken a turn for the nonexistent. Well, that just isn't going to work for me. I need a plan to get my life together, no matter what excuses I may make for myself (and believe me, I am never at a loss for a good excuse)! 

The Plan:

1. Write down everything that happens in your normal daily routine.

WHY: From the time you wake up, you have different little routines throughout the day. A morning routine, an after work routine, a dinner routine. And just because they are �routines� does not mean that they are GOOD ones! For example, I used to have a really *horrible* after work routine of putting my stuff down to �put away later� and spending about an hour on Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest. Once I wrote it down and realized how much time I was WASTING, I was able to clean that up real quick!

HOW: I don't know anyone who feels like they "have enough time"... you know what I mean? Like, everyone feels overwhelmed by the amount of things to do in the amount of time they "have". However, actually writing down your daily routines can really help you find out just why it is that you never have enough time. In this really amazing article by Personal Organizing Expert, Elizabeth Larkin, she discusses how she discovered imbalances in her own time management and the steps she took to fix them!

2. Highlight the unnecessary/useless activities. 

WHY: So, in the above example, my unnecessary activities were obviously all of the time I was spending on social media. And I love social media. But it is the ultimate time waster! Because I feel the need to schedule everything in my life, I created a sort of social media schedule for myself where I don�t get on it between certain hours. This has really been super helpful for breaking my bad routine! Set some rules for yourself to break your own bad habits. After all, no one knows you better than you do!

HOW: You know that saying that hindsight is 20/20 (or 50/50 in Cam Newton's case)? Well, when you look back at how you spent your day, that hindsight really kicks in. "WHAT? How could I have possibly spent 30 minutes staring blankly into my closet before deciding to wear?" And don't even get me started on Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest/Tumblr./Twitter... holy cow! Mark up that paper where you wrote your daily routine as if you're grading the worst paper ever written. Be harsh on yourself. This is how you're gonna get some of your time back!

(here's an awesome post on 15 sneaky time-wasters we all deal with!)

3. Create a list of things you would have liked to get done or would like to add. 

WHY: Oh, you're not done with that hindsight yet! Now make a little list of things that you wish you had gotten done! By the way, this is a big part of procrastination, too! Yep, we put off things that would be pretty simple to complete just because we don't want to. A perfect example from my life is calling the dentist. Y'all. I recently put off scheduling a dentist appoint for 2 months. I mean, I just put off making the call to schedule the appointment. Do you have something like that that just gets moved from list to list? Tell yourself tomorrow is the day you call the dentist (or whatever).

HOW: So, once you are aware of where your time is being wasted, go ahead and make a little list of PRODUCTIVE things that you would like to use that newly found time for! You could probably get 3 days' worth of to-do's done in 1 day, if you really tried! Think about your long-term to-do's. Do you need to e-mail your advisor about something? Send a resume out somewhere? Sign up for yoga classes again? Or get your oil changed? ...or call the dentist? Look at that list of tedious, totally procrastination-worthy tasks and get ready to kick its butt!

(you know I love tips on how to make a great to-do list and this post from LifeHacker is perrrrfect!)

4. Tomorrow, try to replace one useless activity with one useful one. 

WHY: Baby steps. I am a big, big fan of baby steps, aren't you? Like, maybe if I just skip the 3 minutes that I would spend taking one of those ridiculous Facebook quizzes that I love so much (according to said Facebook quiz results: the city I "belong" in is San Francisco... the state I "belong" in is Virginia... the country I "belong" in is Italy, by the way. However, that geography has been a little hindering, so I'm still here in Memphis). Anyway, taking baby steps like replacing one activity with another is simple and it will help us slowly build better habits for the future!

HOW: Beginning tomorrow, just replace one of those ineffective activities with something useful and productive! This way it�s not completely impossible feeling� it�s just one little thing! Most people perform cognitive tasks best between the hours of 9 and 11 AM. That's the optimal time for "working", so tell yourself this: Absolutely NO social media (or whatever your vice is) between those hours. Use them solely for producing the thing that you are supposed to produce! Not even a little tweet. That newsfeed will be there after you complete your to-do list! <-- my daily mantra.

(Tiny Buddah has a great post on taking baby steps to achieve your goals, here!)

5. Keep sneaking the productive activities in (one a day) until they become habits!

WHY: This is effective because it allows you to build your confidence in your productivity and keep setting goals to get better. We all fall into bad habits... even the most organized, productive person you can think of is at risk for a bad habit or two. So, we just have to keep working hard to get better and better each day!

HOW: As you move through the days, try to keep replacing that useless time with something productive! Not only will you accomplish more each day, but you�ll feel less rushed while doing it! It�s a total win-win! What if you just look at the weather and pick out an outfit the night before? Would that save some valuable time in the morning? Or even planning out meals so that you aren't spending 30 minutes binge eating on everything in sight the moment you get home from work? (totally not an example from my real life at all...)

Hopefully, this will {at least} get us moving in the right direction for some MORE PRODUCTIVE HOLIDAYS!!! YAY! :)

What are some tips for productivity that you have? Or something that you would like to start doing? And how do you deal with the loss of our dear Daylight Savings Time? 

More about → How to Get More Done Everyday

Note Organization Checklist

Keeping up with class notes can literally get a little messy sometimes. I didn't start rewriting mine until my junior year of college when my Landforms professor mentioned it... but ever since then, my newly-rewritten, color-coded notes have acted as study guides for upcoming quizzes, tests, and exams! So, knowing exactly where to find what information is super important! And obviously, it required a system! The way it looks has transformed over the years, but the main idea stays the same!

- KNOW ALL OF YOUR UPCOMING EXAM DATES -

Every semester, there are a certain number of quizzes and exams. They are almost always on the syllabus (I don't think I've ever had a college professor give a "pop quiz")... so there is pretty much NO reason not to be prepared for them! When I rewrite my notes, I try to make them look like a study guide... or an infograph... or something else remotely interesting to look at! Hence, all the different colors, silly doodles, and bullet points! Try to fit as much important info as you can onto one page!

- KEEP ALL OF YOUR NOTES IN THE SAME PLACE -

Then keep all of the notes from every class together and in chronological order! Last year, I tried out a filing system. This year, I'm using a binder. Some years, I just put them in a designated side of my class folder. Different things will work for different people (and different professors' teaching styles), so don't be afraid to change it up! Just be sure to be consistent with whatever system you choose to use! Keeping all the notes together is the most imperative part of keeping them organized!

- LABEL EVERY SINGLE PAGE WITH DATE & TOPIC-

Be sure that each page of notes is labeled with a date and topic header. This will help you quickly flip through the top of your papers as you look for particular chapter notes or notes from a specific time frame! Since tests are usually organized by a few chapters at a time (Chapters 1-4, or 5-8), it's helpful that these notes are all back-to-back wherever you choose to keep them. If you've been writing page numbers in your notes, you probably know exactly which pages the questions will come from, too! 

- INCLUDE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS & OUTLINES -

And if you used a graphic organizer to help you rewrite your notes, definitely don't leave that out! Date and label them just like you would any other page of notes! In my opinion, these are some of the most helpful "study guides" because they are just very visually-easy to read. A good combination is to outline the actual textbook chapter and rewrite your class notes using a system that works for you! Between those two documents, you should have all info you need for the exam!

- MOVE "OLD" NOTES AFTER THE EXAM/QUIZ -

Once I finish with a particular section of notes, I either put them in the back of the "notes" section or I paperclip them together to let me know that I'm finished with that information. Don't throw them away! It's always nice to keep them around just in case you need to revisit something in the future... or if you have a (*DUN DUN DUN*) comprehensive exam at the end of the semester! (aka: how you know your professor really hates his/her life and wants you to be miserable, too).

If that's the case, better start those flashcards now!

-MAKE FREQUENTLY-VISITED INFO EASY TO FIND- 

Finally, don't be afraid to use some "mixed media" to help you quickly identify useful information in your notes! Post-It's, Sharpies, Washi tape are all awesome ways to draw attention to information that you'll need to find quickly again (...and again... and again) throughout the semester! At the end of the day, "organization" is a pretty subjective word, so you need to find out what it means to you and implement the best practices for yourself to keep up with the information in your notes!

And even though I joke about comprehensive exams, don't let them stress you out either! Because so much information is covered on them, nothing really gets too in-depth so I actually think they're easier than exams that cover more narrow scopes of information. 

If you don't take away anything else from this post, take away these two things: 

MAKE YOUR NOTES EASY TO READ & KEEP THEM TOGETHER!

Everything else is just the OCD-freakishness-icing-on-the-cake! :) 

How do you keep your notes organized throughout the semester! Do you tear them out of your notebook or just flag the pages? Or if you keep notes on your computer/iPad, how do you save/study them?!

More about → Note Organization Checklist

3 Ways to Form Study Habits

Sometimes it�s easy to make yourself sit down and do some schoolwork (like when your assignment is due tomorrow) and other times, you kind of need a little boost of motivation to sit down and get started on it. That doesn�t mean that you�re a slacker, or lazy, or a bad student. It�s hard for everyone to force themselves to work on things that don�t necessarily have a sense of urgency. Schoolwork and studying really rely on discipline and habit. It takes work and organization� and even planning (YAY!).

We often hear that it takes 21 (or is it 28?) days to form a new habit.  And, with that already in the back of my mind, I heard something pretty interesting earlier this year when I was researching for the 4 Rules for Effective Studying post. In that post, there is a video of a lecture from a professor (Dr. Marty Lobdell), and he suggests a really cool idea: having a �study lamp�. I kind of blended those two ideas together and came up with a couple of other ways to create a study habit/routine in my everyday life.

So, here are 3 tricks that you can use to get into the habit of studying daily, too! 

1: Use a "Study Lamp"

This is the idea from Dr. Lobdell. He especially suggests it for students who study and sleep in the same room (aka bedrooms and dorms). A �study lamp� is a lamp (obviously) in your study area that you only turn on when you sit down and actually start on your schoolwork. When you get up to take a break, turn the lamp off. And don�t use this lamp for any other reason! The reasoning behind this is that your mind eventually gets into the habit of going into �study mode� when the lamp is turned on.

2: Designate a "Study Chair"

That idea kind of inspired me to think of some other things that could trigger that kind of conditioned response. Consider designating a �study chair�. A place where you always sit when you�re working, but that you don�t use for anything else. Since we moved into our loft, I�ve been using one specific chair at our dining table as my �work station�. Even though I sit at that table for dinner and other things, I never use that particular chair unless I�m working. When I�m there, I know it�s time to get stuff done!

3: Buy a "Study Candle"

Along those same lines, I also recently did some research on Aromatherapy, which I am just fascinated by. Did you know that smell is our biggest link to memory? I can still spray the body spray I wore in high school (Love Spell!) and immediately be brought back to those memories. And the smell of dew-covered grass in the morning reminds me of all the soccer and softball games I played as a little girl. The same with the smell of the beach of course! So, I thought, why not do the same with studying?

I have a �study candle� that I light when it�s time to get some schoolwork done, and a �relaxing candle� that I light when I�m ready to calm down my mind, turn off my electronics at night, and just be present in the moment. When I looked into the scents that would be most effective for working, the things that I found were just SO interesting! Different scents have different effects on our brains, such as boosting confidence, creativity, and focus. There are some links below to take you to some of these articles!

Here are some scents that may help boost your productivity:

Cinnamon: Concentration and Focus
Jasmine: Calmness, Confidence, Energy, and Optimism
Lavender: Calmness
Lemon: Calmness, Clarity, and Concentration
Peppermint: Clarity, Concentration, and Creativity
Rosemary: Energy & Memory

And here are the different scents that I use at different parts of the day:

Morning: Jasmine, Peppermint, or Rosemary
Night: Jasmine, Lavender, or Lemon
Studying: Cinnamon, Lemon, Peppermint, or Rosemary
Writing: Jasmine or Peppermint

This, this, and this are some interesting articles to check out if you want to read more about aromatherapy or the Olfactory Bulb (the reason smell and memory are closely linked)! There are even more scent suggestions in the articles, the ones listed above are just my personal favorites. Just a few helpful things to keep in mind while you�re walking down that oh-so-alluring candle aisle at Target! 

� it gets me every time! :) 

Do you use any of these kinds of tricks to get yourself into the habit of studying? Have you tried using aromatherapy ever? Do you have a special routine or space designated to �study time�? 

More about → 3 Ways to Form Study Habits

Clear to Neutral

So, this has been one of my long-standing favorite efficiency/productivity/organization rules of all time! It�s called� you guessed it� Clear to Neutral! The cool thing about this rule is that it�s just so simple. And once you begin to notice and practice it, it basically becomes a habit! Not only that, but it is super helpful across all areas of life, not just studying! I think I started this in 2012 when I was having a really hard time making myself do schoolwork and I couldn�t figure out why. The answer? FRICTION.

This was the closest thing I had to a messy picture. Not because my home is never messy� but because I�m definitely not going around photographing it when it is! 

Friction is anything that you have to do before the thing you need to do. Confusing, yes? But I promise, you know exactly what I�m talking about: Let�s say that you want to study, you go wherever it is that you study but it�s covered in junk that you have to move before you can even begin! Or in the morning, I may want to clean my home but what if I have to put away things that were left out overnight? I�m less likely to get to the ACTUAL cleaning because I have to do yesterday�s work first.

And yesterday�s work = Friction.

Clearing my Living Room to Neutral means putting away any glasses, schoolwork, bedroom pillows, shoes etc. so that I don�t wake up to things already out of place. 

And guess what? Friction is a huge contributor to procrastination! And who doesn�t hate procrastination?! So, how can we overcome this and free ourselves of excuses?! That is where Clear to Neutral comes in! The basic idea of this is to leave every space exactly the way you want to find it!

Clearing my closet to Neutral (the hardest) means putting away all jewelry, purses, shoes, dirty clothes in their bag, and hanging up all clean clothes.

For example, I want to easily be able to edit my research paper the next time that I open my computer. In order to do this, I need to save it to a place where I can quickly find it, with a name that I will quickly recognize, and I need to close all of the other open windows or unnamed documents on my computer so that I don�t have to do it next time! Otherwise, they will create friction between me and my schoolwork. And I definitely don�t want that!

Clearing my schoolwork to Neutral means putting every paper back in its appropriate section in every notebook. Then putting all of those notebooks back where they belong. 

Now, whenever I reach a stopping place on a paper/project, I save it and put it in its appropriate folder. I make sure that I put every note from my schoolwork into its appropriate section of my notebook before closing it. That way, when I�m ready to study the next time, I don�t have to look for it or reorganize my notebook. I�ve already done that! I just flip to the correct section, grab my notes, and start! And do a bunch of documents/photos saved on your desktop count as friction? Um� absolutely.

Clearing my office supplies to Neutral means putting every marker, pencil, paper clip, etc. back into its designated container in my �office space�. 

Once you get used to looking for it, you�ll realize that friction can literally be all around us! How about our purses? Holy Chicago! That�s like the Mecca of all friction! Closets? Do you have to pick up a bunch of clothes before you can do laundry or choose an outfit for tonight? Bathroom? What if you have to throw away a bunch of old or empty bottles before you can even spray down the bathtub and counter? Cars? Nope. Definitely no problem with friction in my car (#sarcasm).

Clearing my �office space� to Neutral means putting all office supplies away, updating all to-do lists and calendars to reflect the progress I made during my latest work session. 

Today, go through your day leaving everything the way you want to find it! :) 

Have you ever heard of Clear to Neutral? Do you think it could help you become more productive in your daily life? Or are you already using a similar system? 

More about → Clear to Neutral

Post-It Calendar System

Let me introduce you to my newest system for keeping up with assignments (and other day-to-day life tasks, in general)! This is my Post-It Calendar System slash Command Center slash The �Hub� of our daily lives! I have always, always had a difficult time finding and sticking to a calendar system in my home because: 

     a. things always come up that need to be added/cancelled/changed/rearranged

     b. a regular monthly view isn�t helpful when you have to flip the page

I know that sounds crazy! Believe me, it�s not that I�m too lazy to flip a page on a calendar. It�s just that, psychologically, it�s just easy to put things off by saying, �oh, that�s not till next month," even when next week IS next month! For {literally} years, I have been trying to figure out a way that I can always see what is actually coming up in the next 4 weeks. And this is finally my solution! 

Every week, on Sunday afternoon, I write out a Post-It for the bottom week (which is 4 weeks away). Then I move all of the Post-It�s up and add the new ones. This way, I am always able to see what is coming up this week, next week, in two weeks, and in three weeks. Kind of like a �living calendar�! 

I have been using this consistently since May and it has worked absolutely flawlessly! 

If something comes up, like an unexpected get-together, school event, or due date, I just take down the old Post-It for that day and write a new one! If it�s something important that I need to remember or that will cause a huge disruption in my daily routine, I use a different color to make it stand out. I write tasks for each day with checkboxes beside them so that I can just check things off as I finish them! 

I also created a little space for those mundane tasks that need to be done from week to week like scheduling appointments, paying bills, or running errands. At the beginning of the week, I also write on the little Post-It tabs all of the things that I need to accomplish and stick them in the �This Week� box. 

Whenever I have some downtime, I choose one of these and try to get it done in 10 minutes or less (to keep me from getting distracted). I have these color-coded by the color-coding system that I�ve been using this semester (orange: health / pink: social / green: work / blue: school / purple: blog), but they don�t necessarily have to be color coded! That�s just a little OCD showing! 

Each day, I take the day�s Post-It and put it in the �Today� box! This is kind of my �flight plan� for the day! When I leave, I just stick it to the back of my phone and head out the door. If I have a lot of errands to run, sometimes I get confused/overwhelmed about where to go next, so I just flip my phone over and go by my checklist (please tell me I�m not the only one who gets confused as soon as I get in the car)! 

On the left side, I created a little �study assignment system� where I can keep up with all of my upcoming schoolwork! These little chevron squares and letter stickers are from Creative spaces and worked perfectly for making schoolwork seem like a happy thing! Everyday, I try to break my schoolwork down into three 30 minute tasks and I write each one on a Post-It tab. As I finish them, I just throw the Post-It away! Best. Feeling. Ever.

Next to the daily assignment blocks, I have my semester assignment cards. Before we sold our house, I used to hang these cards on the wall in my home office. This year, I just punched a hole in the top right corner and used a binder clip to hold them together. Each week, I take the week�s assignment(s) off the clip and stick them directly onto the bulletin board. This way I can take them off as I need to while working on my project!

This system has been so effective that even my HUSBAND writes things on the calendar.

Well, he wrote one thing on the calendar.

Once.

But still, that�s progress! :)



There are a ton of products out there that can be used to make something similar to this, but if you�re looking for these specifically, here is where I got them: 

• Bulletin/Chalk Board: Pottery Barn
• 2x2 Post-It�s: Target
• Black & White Pennant Banner: Creative Spaces
• Washi Tape: Target
• Post-It Page Flags: Target
• Chevron Squares: Creative Spaces
• Index Cards: Target
• Binder Clip: Target

Aren�t Post-It�s just the most amazing thing ever invented? Do you use a system similar to this? What routine do you have for keeping your assignments organized? 

More about → Post-It Calendar System

Crash Course on Exercise and Studying

We all know the health benefits of daily exercise. BUT did you know that its also beneficial to your grades?! Yep. It�s true. At least, according to a bunch of articles I�ve been reading lately. 

But do you know what? Whenever I�m feeling caught up in a big project, the first thing I cut out of my day is exercise! Usually because of the time commitment (you know, we have to get ready, go to the place where we�re exercising, actually exercise, go home, shower, and change}. That�s a lot of time away from whatever project needed our attention in the first place. But apparently, when we�re working on something really big, that�s when we need to workout the most! 

In a video I posted a few weeks ago, Marty Lobdell said that a girl he dated in college decided to study from 6PM-Midnight. Every night (I know, right?). Yet she actually failed a bunch of her classes! Why? Because her brain zoned out about 30 minutes (which means she was practically wasting 5 1/2 hours of her time)! Don�t let that happen to you! Put on your tennis shoes and step away from the computer. 

If you need a little more motivation to get moving, here are the whos, whats, wheres, whys, and hows of exercise�s positive impact on studying! 

Who?

ABC News, Deseret News, Huffington Post, NHS Choices, NY Times, Points Sports, US News, and WebMD have all recently published articles linking different cognitive functions with exercise! Follow any of the links in this post to see what they have to say about it! 

What?

Any kind of cardio is awesome for boosting your brainpower (including the creativity you need for that big project)! Think biking, dancing, running, swimming, walking� or even yoga!

Where?

If possible, get your daily exercise in outdoors! Not only has being outdoors been linked to increased brain power, it is also good for mental health (aka less stress), physical health, and even social interaction! Combining the outdoors with exercise and it�s basically a recipe for success!

When?

20 minutes a day seems to be the most agreed-upon amount of time (some people claim its 30, while others say 15). Can you step away from those flashcards for 20 minutes? Of course you can! But where in the day? Preferably in the morning or before your class/study session. Also, between 5-6 PM is a pique time for cardio because our "lungs are using oxygen more efficiently", according to Matthew Edlund, M.D. 

Why?

When we exercise, we take in more oxygen and our blood moves more quickly, which changes its chemistry in our bodies. This changed chemistry actually allows more nutrients to be available to our brains (which is why eating healthy is super important, too!). Having more oxygen and nutrients available to our brains boosts our ability to juggle mental tasks, enhances attention span, and improves memory! And those are some pretty necessary capabilities for writing papers, reading textbooks, and taking exams!

How?

I�m certainly not the best worker-outer in the world. But I really have noticed an improvement since I started doing a little bit everyday. Of course, I had to create a crazy OCD-friendly system to go with it...

I run on dates that are multiples of 3 (3rd, 6th, 9th, etc.)

I do yoga on dates that are multiples of 4 (4th, 8th, 12th, etc.)

And I choose a quick little workout from my Pinterest Workouts. board on all of the other dates.

Of course, I�m sure most (normal) people don�t need a color-coded agenda for their workout routines  :) 

Do you make time for exercise every day? Have you noticed a link between your physical activity and your ability to accomplish tasks? What kind of workout system do you have? 

More about → Crash Course on Exercise and Studying

Do One Thing at a Time

{source}

Have you noticed that people have really been putting an emphasis on �work smarter not harder� lately? You may or may not have researched what the heck that means, but this is one of the primary focuses of that statement: Doing one thing at a time. 

It seems like I�ve read research on this everywhere lately. Long gone are the days when we celebrate people who were on the phone, while writing a report, while watching the news. Because, as we now know, someone who is doing all of those things at once is not doing any of them well. 

And you may think, I don�t do that. But� what about your phone? It has become the new face of multi-tasking and we don�t even realize it! Twitter notifications, Facebook notifications, Snap Chat notifications, Texts, E-Mails� and of course, the good ole� phone call. It�s a little much. It�s multi-tasking. And most of the time, we don�t even realize we�re doing it!

But we need our phones so how do we stop? 

Tony Schwartz of the Harvard Business Review suggests 3 simple solutions to multi-tasking that we can all implement in our daily lives: 

1. Maintain Discipline.

Set a timer for 45 minutes (not a full hour), put your phone on silent (or in a different room), and spend that 45 minutes COMPLETELY FOCUSED on your task! Then spend 15 minutes reviewing what you completed, do a quick check of phone notifications, grab some water, etc. When the 15 minutes is up, start all over again!

2. Stop Demanding or Expecting Instant Responses.

Just because you received an e-mail or a text doesn�t mean that you have to drop whatever you�re in the middle of and respond immediately. And you know what? I think people who expect to receive immediate responses come across as pretty self-absorbed. Everyone is busy. Everyone is stressed. Everyone has deadlines. Don�t let others kill your productivity! 

3. Renew.

Have you ever noticed that sitting at a desk and �studying� for hours is one of the worst feelings in the world? That�s because it is. Not only that, it�s also one of the least productive things in the world! Most of our brains can only completely focus for less than an hour. However, when you take breaks, it fills up your focus to 100% again. 

Do something to refresh your brain! Stand outside, grab some water, do some yoga poses, lay down in the floor, draw a picture, do whatever will relax your body and brain for a few minutes! It may feel unproductive, but it�s actually one of the most productive things you could possibly do!

So this weekend, as you find yourself spending extra time writing lesson plans, finishing up school projects, or even hanging out with your friends (this is the one I�m the most guilty of), be ALL THERE. In that one thing. And just do it really well! :) 

Do you agree with this or has multi-tasking worked for you in the past? Also, I love to hear about study strategies, so let me know if you have a system that works well for you! 

Source:

Harvard Business Review

More about → Do One Thing at a Time

Time Management System

I've really been working on my schedule lately. I feel like I just have all these things floating around in my head all the time that I need to work on� and I can just never find the time. The unfortunate part is that I spend so much time thinking about what to do and when to do it and how long to do it for that, a lot of times, I never get around to actually doing it!

*sigh*
I�m pretty sure this is the struggle of all slightly OCD people, like myself.
(or just pretend like it is so I�ll feel better, k?)



Here are some steps to create a more efficient time management system:





STEP 1: Write down everything you need to do each week

These are recurring tasks {studying, volunteering, internship days, etc.} that have to be accomplished.





STEP 2: Break down the time you have 
This is only the time you have control over; leave the time you spend at work or school out. This is just a super-visual way to compare how much free time you have with the tasks you need to complete.

-

*OCD Side Note: 
I chose to break my time down into minutes because I�m bad at math they are just easier for me to divide across the days. Here are the amounts of time I used for this step:

360 minutes OR 6 hours
180 minutes OR 3 hours
90 minutes OR 1 1/2 hours

-

STEP 3: Prioritize tasks by importance 

So, the things that are the most important to you will, obviously, go at the top. Those are the things you want to spend the most time doing because you actually care about them. 

STEP 4: Rearrange tasks until your schedule just �fits"

Having the ability to shuffle the cards around was SUPER helpful! It was so interesting to see how much I over/underestimated the amount of time that things took.

STEP 5: Write out your new plan on paper

Once you decide how much time to spend on each task per week, write it out on a piece of paper. This will help you see if it is actually a realistic plan for your week. USE A PENCIL because you will need to erase (more than once).

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*OCD Side Note: 

I am a total perfectionist-freak who uses a timer for EVERYTHING (or else I would never stop). So, I actually found out how many minutes I would spend doing each task per day. 

For example, whether I choose to clean my house 12 minutes a day for 7 days a week or 45 minutes for 2 days a week, I�ll meet my goal either way. 

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Doing this helped me realize which things needed to become part of my daily schedule and which things could just go on a to-do list. Another thing that was helpful was to think of the time in minutes rather than hours. It made it a lot easier for me to find a way to divide it up across several days.

By the way, see where it says whenever right there in the middle?

That�s me being spontaneous.

:)

Do you have a system that works for organizing your time? 
Are you feeling overwhelmed by all of your �to-do�s�? 
How do you deal with it? 

{Shared on A Life in Balance}

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