How To Be More Organized and Get More Done

I love making lists I have notepads everywhere with lists started on all of them! I even have a list of books that I plan to read before the year is done. I have many planners from over the years that I should probably throw away. Now, do I always follow these lists? Sometimes….. Making a list can be helpful for many things. It can help you see what you need to prioritize in your coming days or weeks. You can also see what’s on your mind if you make a list. Writing down a task can even help you realize that it’s just not that important at that time. Sometimes I have the same thing on my list for days and days!

Did you know that organizing your day can help you become more productive? It’s tricky, but it can be done. What I have been doing is scheduling using the block system. I’ve been doing this for a long time now, and have heard it go by many names. But as I was saying I’ve been doing something like this since I was in college as a young adult. I needed a system that helped me organize my day that would help me get the most done. So the idea is to block out your days in 3-4 hour increments and write down the things you need to get done in each block.

I couldn’t find a great planner that I loved that I could use for my daily life and my homeschool routine. So I created one myself! You can find it here.

So to start, just pick your hourly increments that make sense to you. You can do 7am-9am or 8am-11am or whatever makes sense to you for your morning. Pick out the hours and figure out what you like to do in those hours. The first few hours should consist of your morning routine. Like breakfast, exercising, taking a shower…you get the picture. Then maybe the afternoon is where you like to go out so when you run your errands or go to the doctor. Write down your regular routine and make a priority list! Here’s an example of what I mean….

Here’s a sample of my daily schedule with the meal planner. The meal planner alone has saved us from eating out so many times! Now prioritize your tasks and write down the ones that need to get done asap in your first block if it makes sense. I put a lot of the same tasks in the same slots throughout the week, but if it needs to get done sooner than it goes first.

Now, once those 3 hours are done in your day, stop what you’re doing, and move on to the next block REGARDLESS if you have finished everything in that block. Now this is key! I know, I know, you’re freaking out say, but I need to finish everything on my list!! Well…have you finished anything on your to do list today? Maybe, maybe not. So just put the priority on the block that make sense for the next day. I promise this will change your life!! It really helped me to see that even if I didn’t finish something in the day I can move on and put it in another block for the next day. And hope I finish it then…..

Just remember, this is for you and your family to make your day more productive. This is a game changer for the homeschool family especially because I can write when I want to teach a certain subject. But it doesn’t always go as planned so I go on to the next block. This can really help you figure out what is important in your family and what you can forget about. So do what works for you and what will help you stay on task!

You can find this planner here and be prepared to have your productivity skyrocket!

Have a blessed day!