Organizing Time and Projects

How are you during the Holiday Season? 

Are you calm? Or are you like me and feel frantic? 

This is the time of year when I start worrying about the amount of things that I have to do and how fast time is flying by. 

In my earlier years, I would stay awake thinking about all the things that I needed to get done. I would run lists over and over again in my head. They even snuck into my dreams from time to time. 

I have learned that if I write things down, then my mind doesn't feel the need to remember. The lists help me clear my mind and brings me a sense of calm.

I would like to share with you how I organize my time and my tasks. How I organize is not for everyone but it has definitely helped me over the years. I have discovered that as long as I have a plan, I can manage nearly anything. A plan helps me focus on one thing at a time instead of the whole overwhelming picture.

Organizing Projects

When I feel overwhelmed with a list of things to do, be it creative, cleaning, event planning, etc. I will write them down on a piece of paper. I keep a pad of paper and a pen in the nightstand beside my bed. The next morning, I will sit at my computer and complete a list such as the following. 

Project template download

The list is kept in a place where I will see it often. From the list, I will prioritize the items that need to get done immediately and those that can wait a couple of days. If I have 30 minutes of free time because my family is busy, I will take a look at the list and see if there is anything I can tackle during that time. 

When the projects are broken down into tasks, to me, they appear more manageable. The budgeted time also gives the tasks a "that's not too bad" appearance. 15 minutes to complete something encourages me to do it because 15 minutes is easy. I can do that while the chicken is cooking in the oven. 

It is amazing but as soon as I organize the projects on paper, what seemed impossible becomes possible.

Organizing a Shopping Day

This organizing document might seem ridiculous but it has been amazing for me. I live about 40 minutes outside of town and do not have many opportunities to get to town to shop. When I do, I plan it to be a very efficient outing. 

I will choose to shop in the east end or in the west end of town. Often it is dependent on any specialty stores that I have to go to, such as Ikea, Lee Valley or the Scouts Shop. There is only one in town and they are located in the west end. 

Shopping day template download

When planning the shopping day, the less back and forth or going and back tracking the better. I will try to either start shopping at the closest store and make my way, in a straight path, to the furthest store and then drive straight home or will start at the furthest store and make my way back heading towards home. By listing the stores, their location and the times at which they open, this helps me to plan that shopping path. 

The last three columns keeps me focused while shopping. If I don't make a list of what I plan to buy it is very easy for me to browse and shop for things I do not need. The time to shop (last column) is almost like a challenge - "Ok, I have 45 minutes. Go!" 

In the car, I will write on the paper what time I arrived and how long it took me to shop. This gives me a visual of - am I making good time or do I need to speed up my shopping. I usually have to stick to a timeline so that I can beat rush hour traffic and make it home on time to pick up my son from school. 

Day Off

To make the most of my days off at home, I will write down a "to do" list and prioritize the things that I really need to get done. I will figure out how many hours I have before my family comes home from school and work and then write down what I plan on doing during that time. 

I will never book the entire day because I may want to take sometime to just sit but in an 8 hour day, I will plan 6 of it.

Why would I plan my days off? If I don't, I can easily "online window shop" for a couple of hours, watch crafting videos, learn how to make Minecraft houses and gardens. Then when I go to bed that night, I will stress about all the things I have to do and how little time I have left to do them in. Best to plan.

I tell my family often, the only thing that stresses me is TIME. If I have all the time in the world, I am relaxed. As soon as I feel I am running out of time then I become a short fused person.

Plus, I am happiest when I am productive.

Tell me your time and project organizing secrets, I would love to hear them. I am still trying to figure out a method to effectively organize my work life and work projects.