One of my biggest 'life issues' is without a doubt, lack of focus & organization. I have to stay very dedicated to my schedule to gain any traction in my life - a habit I'm not particularly good at keeping. Falling out of my routine means I start losing my mind. Things pile up, stress builds, important things get forgotten and my week goes from a hopeful beginning to a useless mess of my time. Eventually, I'd really had enough and I decided that if I wasn't just going to become inherently organized - I had to change myself to become the way I wanted to be...so that's what I'm doing!
As a 20-year-old with ADHD, routine is my friend. Without it, I tend to be anything but productive, even as a put a mass amount of effort into getting things done. I've realized that for me personally, planning, scheduling & keeping lists are all must-dos for a productive day, week or month.
As I've settled into a more normal schedule between work, school & home life, I've found it a little easier to map out my time. I've also fallen in love with my new life planner (by Erin Chondren - I'll be reviewing this later) and I use it to keep my life on-track throughout the week.
As a 20-year-old with ADHD, routine is my friend. Without it, I tend to be anything but productive, even as a put a mass amount of effort into getting things done. I've realized that for me personally, planning, scheduling & keeping lists are all must-dos for a productive day, week or month.
As I've settled into a more normal schedule between work, school & home life, I've found it a little easier to map out my time. I've also fallen in love with my new life planner (by Erin Chondren - I'll be reviewing this later) and I use it to keep my life on-track throughout the week.
Weekly To-Do : I've come to love the freedom of this planner because I don't have to plan everything out by specific time/date. I always have my over-arching, less time-sensitive goals over in this section, and I looooove getting to check things off (probably a little too much). I also schedule things in this section weeks in advance on occasion - then I have the wiggle-room to not be confined to a single day, but know I have to get it done that week (e.g; oil changes, bills due, etc.) |
Shopping list : I am one of those people that will walk into Walmart, forget the only thing I actually came for, and still leave $50 lighter. I put stuff like this on sticky notes so that I can add to it and move it around to fit my schedule - I can cross stuff off and move the note over to next week to grab the rest...for my semi-organized chaos, this is a must. I would lose my head if it wasn't attached, and I definitely shouldn't be trusted to remember dish soap at the store by myself. As you can see, my massive group of roommates blows through all paper products like there's no tomorrow. I've never been so stressed out about the amount of money I drop on toilet paper. |
My list of lists goes on and on - I won't bore you with pictures of the mess. I suppose it's one of the few compulsions that I have, but it's obsessive to the point of hilarity sometimes. Though this type of list-writing is actually useful to me, I also repeatedly write the same lists over and over...and throw them in the garbage. All my spare notebooks have random lists on them, as do most receipts and scraps of paper you can find littered in strange spots around my house and car.
Finding a way to organize your lists effectively...that's the trick. Now, they're finally in one place and I actually use them. How innovative!
I've come to learn that while getting organized is hard, staying organized just takes some continuous effort - and it's worth it for the lack of stress. Before, it seemed like there was something I forgot to do every day, but now new tasks go straight to my planner, whether they need done by Friday or by next March. I may never miss an orthodontist appointment again!
What do you do to stay organized & productive? I'd love to hear your tips, tricks and quirks that you use to keep your life moving - I'm always up to try new things!
Finding a way to organize your lists effectively...that's the trick. Now, they're finally in one place and I actually use them. How innovative!
I've come to learn that while getting organized is hard, staying organized just takes some continuous effort - and it's worth it for the lack of stress. Before, it seemed like there was something I forgot to do every day, but now new tasks go straight to my planner, whether they need done by Friday or by next March. I may never miss an orthodontist appointment again!
What do you do to stay organized & productive? I'd love to hear your tips, tricks and quirks that you use to keep your life moving - I'm always up to try new things!