My goal at the end of last month was to get all my ducks in a row so that I can start the New Year Organized – so I am give you three helpful tips to starting the New Year organized. I am pleased to say that I did all of that – it may have been on January 1st, but whatever. I’ll own it!
Getting Things Done (GTO)
One of the first things I did to try to start the New Year Organized, is read through the book “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. Although I’d read it some years ago, it was just as relevant today as it was then! I remember being way more productive about 10 years ago, and now I know why! It was because I read this book. I am planning on reading it at least every 5 years or so – just so that I can keep on top of my productivity! If I could tell you one thing about this book, it’s this: DO A BRAIN DUMP. Not such a lovely phrase, but really great advice!
What is a Brain Dump?
Write down EVERYTHING that’s on your mind. I did that a few days ago and it has ROCKED MY WORLD! From the desire to completely redo our landscaping, to calling to make an appointment for my nails, I wrote it down. It didn’t matter if it was a far-distant goal or a short-term need, I wrote it down. It’s AMAZING what it does for the brain – hence, BRAIN DUMP. I had five pages of random thoughts that had consumed valuable real estate in my head. Now that those items are written down, I truly feel as though I can “release” those thoughts. It’s helpful in EVERY aspect of my life, but especially when it comes to getting down to business (literally and figuratively).
After I wrote everything down, I categorized the items. I had a TON of “to organize” items, some that ended up “on calendar”, quite a few that I wanted/needed to “purchase” amongst several other categories. This helps me to sort out the items by importance, but also “if I have a little extra time”. Say I have 20 minutes before my kiddos get home from school and I’m “done” with work for the day. I can quickly look at my “to organize” category and see which drawer/closet/cabinet I can organize in that amount of time. And BAM. Another checked item on my list!
I also looked on Pinterest for some different “Getting Things Done” worksheets/templates/ideas. There is a BOATLOAD of inspiration on there. I decided to take this particular chart and draw it out on my own. I love the simplicity of the diagram. It really helps me to remember the order of his method. Here’s my board of “GTO” from Pinterest – MY BOARD – maybe you’ll find some extra ideas there!
Planner(s)
Another thing I did, which I ALSO mentioned in a previous blog post, was purchase a planner. I purchased this planner from Plum Paper.
I just received it today and I couldn’t WAIT to start writing in it. I’ve already got the next couple of weeks planned and I can’t wait to write MORE!!!
Google Calendar
The final thing I did to begin the year off right was COLOR CODE my Google Calendar. Wow. I can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner. You may be thinking – “That’s ridiculous! Paper planner AND Google?” – well, I’m trying it for now. We’ll see how it goes!
The categories I used for Color Coding my Google Calendar are:
- Ashki Photography (anything business related)
- Cecilia Appt
- Julius Appt
- Selah Appt
- Cyndee Appt
- Lumuli Appt
- Automatic Payments (credit card)
- Automatic Payments (debit card)
- Birthdays
- Check Needed (preschool, medishare, tithe, etc.)
- Marketing Calendar
- Routine Tasks (I set a “repeat” for each of these – whether it’s six weeks or once a year – it’s helpful!)
- Tasks (basically, a to-do list for the day)
