As my planner continues to fill up with my part-time job, my private English lessons, and other networking and volunteering assignments, I am coming out of hibernation into a 'busy' mode, trying to squeeze in everything onto the page with little room to breathe. Before I feel overwhelmed and stressed out, I need to organise my life a bit and maybe you can use some of my ideas to get yours in control too.
As my ex-employer said to me ages ago, nothing is that urgent and everything can wait unless it is a life or death situation. I need to keep reminding myself what role I am playing at different time of the day, knowing that there is only so much I can give.
Priority is everything! Narrow down what you want to achieve in the next few months, and create a routine to fulfill a small step everyday which is related to your said priorities. Take out tasks which are unrelated to your goals so you can focus on the ones which move you forward. I love creating my to-do list on my monthly planner and it is my bible to get anything done at all. I check with my list everyday to make sure I have my priorities cleared and tasks done to facilitate the process. I always go for planners with the time on the side so I can write down the places I need to be in chronological order. Schedule in every single appointment and chores to be done is extremely calming and mind freeing.
To make my planner more pleasing to the eyes, I color code my tasks based on project types. I try to keep everything in one planner (an A4 size one is just perfect!) and only use a Steno-notebook for ideas and drafting on the go.
Meanwhile, I suggest leaving a generous margin in your schedule as back to back appointments don't work in real life. Shits always happen such as the traffic, an unexpected shower on a sunny day, or stains from your favourite pasta on your shirt. I like to have a leeway in between to account for the unexpected and as a result, I won't be devastated when shits hit the fan. Personally I am the least creative when I run on the wheel without pause. Running on autopilot is not my style and I like to make everything I do with intention. Downtime is a must for me as I need the space and time alone with my own thoughts.
I have hitherto learned to accept that I can do anything but not everything.It takes a lot of effort to decide on spending time on things that matter but it's so worth it. I don't believe in long term planning and creating a weekly/ monthly schedule is the best I can do.
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