Staying on Top of Things

I’m a do-it-all. Ask anyone in my life and most of them will be in awe of how much I do in a day. Everyone always wants to know my secret and honestly, the only secret I have is plan ahead. Even if you don’t stick with the plan, have a plan.

1.) Keep a Planner | Right now, I’m obsessed with my Simplified Planner by Emily Ley. I love that it has a page for every day. I pack so much into a day, those little week-by-week pages just don’t cut it. Every hour has two lines, one for the top and one for the second. I like being able to see what blocks of time I have free. I know a lot of people color code these, but I haven’t jumped on that board. Since my business is so appointment-based, I use the pencil because people always reschedule.

2.) Carry a Notebook |  I carry a notebook around for my books. The Assassin will be a ten book series, and sometimes I get really good ideas for subplots. In the back of the notebook, I write down notes for other things, whether it’s blogging or Mary Kay. Having a notebook is a great way to keep track of the loose ideas that roll around in your head.
3.) Separate Everything in Binders | I have two 3 inch binders – one for my books and one for Mary Kay. While these don’t go with me everywhere, I always keep things in them. Every script, flyer and idea for Mary Kay is in those rings. For The Assassin, I have two drafts of the book, numerous outlines of the first and second book, character sketches and so much more. The binders keep me on top of things because I’ll know exactly where to find something.

4.) Use Technology | I use the to-do list app, Clear. You can get it both for iPhone and Mac (That’s what I have). I’m not a total user, I still use my list in my planner, but sometimes, it’s easier to pull out the phone and note it down there. Either way, use a to-do list! I also have the Sunrise app (it’s a Calendar app) for appointments.

There’s still some days where I get nothing done, but be organized (to some extent) helps me keep things in order and gives me the brain space to be creative and come up with some awesome ideas.

How do you stay organized while working on multiple things?