I often get asked how I manage to get so many things done as my work does take majority of my day everyday. I wake up at 6.00am and I’m out the door by 7.00am; I work from 9.00 – 5.30 and I am back home for 7.00pm that’s me gone, for 12 hours everyday – Monday to Friday. How then, do I manage to have a life, run a house, have time for my husband/family and friends, run a blog and do freelance work? (And sleep occasionally). There are number of things you can do to ensure that if like me the little time you do have is used to its maximum.
Organisation
I am on the go quite a lot and my creative thoughts just appear out of nowhere, usually at the most inappropriate times and I often catch myself thinking “I have to write that down later” and guess what happens? I don’t, and the thought is gone, often for good. That’s why I started to make lists – for everything; house chores, work, blog, shopping list. I have so much going on that I need to write every detail down, and you know what? It lets my mind rest once I get it out of my head. I’ve had 2018 planner bought since June 2017, as I’ve have so many dates to remember my mind was going into overdrive and my OCD could’t rest with all the bits of paper lying around. Now, I can be sure that if anything comes up I won’t double book it or miss anything.
My tip is to buy a notebook, divide it into sections: work, home, social etc. and anything that needs to be done write it down. When you physically see the volume of work you have written down in front of you, your motivation kicks in automatically (at least it does for me).
Prioritizing
Many tasks we are given, be that at work or college come with a completion deadline. As you grow older you will realize paying bills has a deadline, making cake for your child’s school bake-sale has a deadline. Once a week you need to sit down with your To-Do lists and prioritize what needs to be done first, what’s most time consuming and how you can fit that into your daily routine. I used to leave the hardest things last but I’ve realized that once you do them first everything else just seems to fit into place nice & quick.
Figure out what needs your attention first and get that done as soon as you can – you don’t need the added pressure of running out of time to add to your stress levels.
Know Your Capabilities
The key to succeeding in anything, is believing in yourself and know what your capabilities are. Honestly. No one else will know your strengths and weaknesses better than you. I assume all of us on a weekly basis have some sort of a routine/schedule. How do you get to work? Do you drive or take public transport? If you’re on a public transport there’s a huge window of opportunity to get things done. You will have no one to disrupt you, no kids hanging off you and lets face it unless you have a workaholic boss nobody will be ringing or texting you at 7.00am. Find those windows of opportunity, be that 15 minutes for answering emails or catching up on that E-Book you’ve been wanting to read. Your schedule may be hectic, but plan your tasks with it in mind and everything will become just a little bit easier.
Online Tools
If you’re in the world of digital media like myself, or have a business with an online presence scheduling tools are your best friends. When you have a half an hour to spare, this could be your whole week of social media posts done for you! Hootsuite is a great tool to use for scheduling on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as well as Twitter Deck for Twitter solely. There are number of tools that can be used to make your life easier, and get some work done in advance.
Once you plan ahead; stick to it and work smart then you’re onto a winner. In this day & age who doesn’t have a hectic lifestyle? Of course, I have given up a chunk of sleep to get some of my daily tasks done, but I do need to make time for my husband and as hard as it is I also need to switch off every now and then. Remember balance is what keeps us human.
Leave a comment below on how you stay organised, I love hearing tips from others!
Joanna x
Joanna Stich 
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