I wanted to share the number one thing that I do to not be too overwhelmed with life, and it’s getting organized. In my “how to” video I wanted to share specifically my Google Calendar tips and how I’m currently learning how to time block.
I fully believe that for most people, if not all, being organized and prepared helps to relieve some stress in life. I know that it may be stressful to some when they see a huge list of tasks that they need to accomplish, but writing them out and planning ahead does not add to that list, it simply helps you prepare to accomplish them more effectively. For me, being aware of what I need to accomplish within a given day/week is monumental. Feelings of anxiousness can definitely be a result of being overwhelmed with all you need to accomplish. So why not get organized? It can only help!
When thinking about sharing my tips on how to stay organized, I realized I follow four simple steps. The first is writing down everything you need to accomplish within the week. (If you’re planning on a weekly basis.) I write down what I need to accomplish at work, school, home, various activities and even my exact meals and workout times. This may seem tedious, but it’s the only way to get a clear vision of everything you need to do.
Now I know this is a lot of information to keep track of so my second step is prioritizing. There will always be some tasks that are more important to get done than others, so putting your items into a list by priority helps you know what absolutely needs to get done. I put the highest priority items on my calendar first and block out enough time to complete them. Then I go down the list and I find that blocking out time for each activity really shows me that I have the time in my schedule to do them.
The third step I follow is super simple: categorize activities by color. I love to color coordinate things. I could color coordinate my life away if I had the time. This is one feature of Google Calendar that I love because I use different colors for different activity categories. I will put my most important tasks in red so I can clearly see that I have something I need to accomplish that day. Plus it makes your calendar look 1000x better.
The fourth step I follow is vital to this whole process. If you are serious about being organized and planning your time, you need to hold yourself accountable to what you plan. It would be a colossal waste of time to do steps 1-3 then never look at your calendar. I personally view my calendar anywhere between 5-10 times a day, but that may seem excessive. When I start to feel anxious about what else I need to do throughout the day I can simply pull out my calendar on my phone, ipad, computer, etc. and see that I have time set aside for each task, which eases my stress. I suggest looking at it in the morning so you know what your day will look like, partway through the day to see what your next task is, and at night to see if you accomplished what you needed to and also to view the next day’s agenda.
I know this probably seems like a lot but I promise getting organized and feeling prepared can ease so much stress and anxiety. I suggest learning how to time block because it has saved my mental health state countless times. I also suggest trying out Google Calendar because it has several capabilities to make your schedule nice and clear!
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