I consider myself to be very organized. But, there are times when it becomes difficult to keep all of my calendars, organizers, planners, and to-do lists straight. At the end of last year, I had major tasks to complete for school and other aspects of my professional life to attend to. In addition, I was also experiencing big changes in my personal life. I found I was writing and re-writing lists and wasting so much time trying to manage everything. I decided I needed an extremely cheap way to get all of my LIFE to-do’s in one place. I wanted the system to visually represent each aspect of my life and be something I could physically manipulate.
The result is my sticky note whiteboard system.
I have the board divided by days of the week, the weekend, and the future. Each major aspect of my life has been assigned a color of sticky note. Color coding helps me quickly visualize where I need to devote my time for the week. It also makes the numerous sticky notes less intimidating! In addition to major tasks, the board helps me keep track of the smaller tasks I might not write in my planner. If I don’t complete a task, and it wasn’t due at that time, I just slide it over into the next day.
There is something to be said about crossing an item off your to-do list. Or, throwing away a “completed” sticky. It also helps to write things down when you are feeling overwhelmed. This method serves both of these purposes.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I still make lists and maintain my planner. But, this board helps to arrange everything I need to do in ONE place. I plan out my week on Sunday nights. This helps me to prepare for the week and gets me back into the weekday mindset.
There are many ways you can adapt this for yourself! I want to hear how you stay organized! Bonus points for pictures!
How do you stay organized? Do you prefer written or digital planning and to-do lists?
Do you have a command center at home that helps you and your family stay organized?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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