AIBU to ask you for help with my organisational skills please?

[PamplemousseRouge]

Hi everyone.

I've posted about this before, but I'm still unsure and struggling a bit with my organisational skills.

I think it's because I haven't got into a routine yet, and I haven't found an organisational system that's simple but effective enough.

I also think it's partly because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and because I've got quite low self-esteem (which I'm working to improve), so I'm sure I over-think each organisational system I put in place(!!)

My current idea is to have a diary and a paper pad.

The diary would be for appointments (it's a Moleskine Peanuts one, so it's got the time already printed in the margins).

The paper pad would be for to-do lists. I'd have four sections: day to-do list, week to-do list, long-term to-do list and an Eisenhower Matrix (to help me decide which tasks should go into my day, week or long-term list).

My plan is to write/update my daily to-do list every evening. This would be a 'SMART' list of around 10 things or less, with rough time estimates of the duration and deadline of each task. (SMART = is the task specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound etc.)

What do you all think?

Thanks for your help with this :)

[PamplemousseRouge]

Anyone? :) I'd be really grateful if you could offer some advice please.

[ElizabethHoney]

I'm much better at thinking of systems than sticking to them!

I therefore promise myself a minimum amount of time to stick to something before changing it... might be worth considering trying this for 2 months and then reviewing?

[MatildaTheCat]

What is it you are actually trying to organise? Work,the UN, family schedules? You say you haven't found a routine yet, what has changed and how disorganised are you?

Fwiw I have an online diary and a notebook for general daily shit like shopping lists. I try to deal with admin as it arises.

What you are proposing sounds too complicated. You'll be organising and reorganising lists when you could be achieving something.

[SpecialStains]

I just use google calendar for everything. For example- I'll put 'do food shop' on at Saturday 9am and in the notes section stick in a shopping list. Birthdays are all in there with yearly reminders and addresses in the notes section.

[viques]

I downloaded a notebook app on to my phone. It is a godsend. Easy to add to amend or delete. I put reminders, eg dry cleaning, ,shopping lists etc. I used to use paper notebooks but lost/forgot them all the time.i also use the diary alerts on my phone as well as aweek to view paper diary . (Wikinsons do lovely ones!)

[PamplemousseRouge]

Thanks Elizabeth and Matilda for your posts :)

Matilda I've just changed my circumstances (have left a job), so am looking to get myself re-organised. I'd like to organise my personal and work responsibilities to keep everything on track. I'd prefer to keep the system paper-based if possible, as I feel that it would be easier to use and more visible.

Elizabeth are there any potential organisational systems that you think might work in my current situation?

Thank you to you both :)

[minipie]

I vote for electronic too, on your phone. That way if you are out and about and you need to add or change something you can do it there and then. If you are a perfectionist then paper is a nightmare as as soon as something is crossed out/changed you'll hate it

I use the calendar app on my iphone. DH and I share a family calendar and know what each other have got on which is a godsend.

I use a Note in the Notes app on my iphone as a to do list. I need to stick to one to do list or I forget about some of the tasks. Urgent tasks get an asterisk. Again this list can easily be shared with DH/anyone else as I can just email them a copy.

I also have all sorts of other Notes - packing list, possible day trips, books I want to read, present ideas, companies whose stuff I like, etc.

If there is a task I really absolutely have to do on or by a particular date then I put it in my calendar for that date with a reminder set to ping a day/a few hours ahead.

I use my commute to go through my calendar and to do list and also to catch up with emails/texts.

[PamplemousseRouge]

Thanks everyone for your help and ideas so far :) if you have any more ideas you'd also like to share, I'd be grateful.

[PamplemousseRouge]

Thank you everyone for all of your tips and help so far!

I'm quite keen to keep the system paper-based, as I feel that this would suit me best. I'd be really interested to hear form anyone who keeps a paper-based organisational system that works for them :)

Thanks very much again for your help :)

[71HourAchmed]

Hi, I use a bullet journal (which is basically just a notebook). What I like about the system is that it is really flexible, and you can adapt it to what works for you. I don't now use some of the key bullet journal concepts, but have brought in other thing to make it more useful to me (e.g. Prioritising tasks, tracking various habits, having daily rather than weekly spreads etc.

The background is here bulletjournal.com/

But if you google, there's loads of ideas out there