Planners and organised people

[Plannerspannermanners]

Is anyone else a planner? I feel like there are frequently threads on here about people struggling to keep up with their busy lives, but does anyone else just shrug and think - make a spreadsheet?

I’ve always been like this, even as a child. I can remember dates and times and have a photographic memory. I picture the days of the week and the months of the year on a continuous rolling wave (in my mind) and can always place when something needs to be done or will need to be booked in by. I don’t get stressed by being busy because I’ve always planned for whatever events are coming up. This is not a stealth boast by any means - it actually causes problems and the older (and more menopausal) I’ve got, the less I can cope with others, even DH, not being ‘switched on’ or needing reminding about what’s coming up and when. I know that this is my problem as I’m probably the abnormal one but it doesn’t stop it infuriating me!

Anyhoo - interested to know if there is anyone else out there who’s similar 😀

It makes me stressed too, which is what is so stupid. I essentially leap from one urgent deadline to another due to epic levels of procrastination and displacement activity.

You are right we are all very different, and not always in a good way!

Yes, all this does sound familiar ( even though I do generally get everything ready the night before). Still always something seems to go wrong. And we walk to school, so I can't even blame traffic most of the time.

That's the thing with my journey to school as a child - it was only about ten mins away in the car. We could have walked it easily but there was never time. Her journey to work was even shorter! I think that made it worse in a way as she couldn't seem to factor in the difference between perfect road conditions and rush hour with every traffic light on red.

@Scalottia I used to work myself into a heap with planning and organising stuff so it filled all my time and I didn't have time to relax. Now I plan free time in - not what I'm going to do with it, but just that it'll be free from admin, work etc. It's definitely helped!

I also find that planning helps me cope with changes of plan(!) and uncertainty. I know what options there are. If there's an unexpected friend round for tea I have enough extra basics like pasta, rice to stretch the food further. It's harder if it's unexpected person with dietary requirements though! When there's a big change of plan - eg my area flooded and I volunteered in the flood relief centre instead of doing the stuff I'd planned to do for those days, it's easier to deal with as the prioritisation needed is so clear. What I do struggle with is other people trying to impose their priorities on me when they're not my priorities.

As another semi disorganised one, the problem seems to be that my brain sees the big picture really well but missed little steps. It makes me terrible at giving directions too but I'm great at long term strategy because I can see the patterns rather than the details. For example, my rough budget forecast goes out about 40 years but it's done on the back of envelopes 🤷‍♀️

I don't like rushing in the morning so allow myself a lot of time and break it down in to allocated time for different activities.

So on a normal work day I need to get the 8.28am train.

So I work backwards from that immovable time, I work out how much time I need to allocate to all the tasks I need to complete. By doing that I can work out what time I need to get up.

1. It takes 10 mins to walk to the station so I have to leave the house by 8.15am.

1. It takes me about 25 mins to wash up and tidy after breakfast, dry my hair, put on make up, get my coat, shoes, bag etc.. so I need to start that at 7.45am.

1. I like to take about 30 min to eat breakfast and catch up on the news so I need to ensure breakfast is ready for me to eat by 7.15am

1. It takes about 30 mins for me to shower, wash my hair, get dressed and prepare breakfast so I need to be out of bed by 6.45am at the latest but usually aim for 6.30am.

I tend to iron clothes and make lunch the night before.

Are there any particular apps people use?

This year, Im starting with a paper diary and google calendar for appointments(adding notifications in advance).
Im going to try the six Week look ahead and also create a list of annual commitments, insurances, dental checks, MOTs.
booking annual leave.

I find I don’t always have energy and everything goes to one side during my energy dips.

need to commit to exercise and the prep to get to the gym! To make it happen.

tips gratefully received!

I don't really use any apps. Appointments and reminders go in my diary in my mobile phone.

Generally day to day organisation is down to having a routine, then it comes naturally.

I also operate the system mentioned above of sorting things immediately, letters and emails are opened, read and dealt with as soon as they arrive.

In terms of finances, it helps to use a banking app like Monzo where you get auto notifications of any spending and desposits so you can't ignore them. My main current account app doesn't do that so I go in once a week just to check on things. Once a month I do a proper review of the statement to check payments are all ok.

I don't do this in my personal life but I find One Note really helps me stay organised at work. I add outstanding tasks, forthcoming meetings, meeting notes, links, useful info and check it first thing in the morning along with my emails and calendar to make sure I know what is going on

Thanks, I’d like to try one note.