I need help getting and keeping myself organized on a daily basis. I’m a budding Entrepreneur and have my work-room, which includes my sewing machine and all my supplies, in my bedroom. I’m also a blogger with two different blogs that I have to keep track of, and I find that I’m running out of space and have clutter everywhere. I don’t even know where to start. I also need help keeping a daily planner so I can keep track of all my to-do’s, appointments, meetings, etc.
Raili:
It’s tough to juggle everything you need to get done in a day – I know, I’m the Chief Juggler! Here are my ideas for you:
1. Get out of the bedroom if you can. The last thing you see at night and the first thing you see when you wake up is your work area – and sometimes that can be stressful.
2. Sort the clutter by area – Blog 1, Blog 2, Sewing, Supplies, Personal. (Start on the floor and work your way up to the surfaces.) The key to getting and staying organized is to have different areas of your work separated. This can be accomplished with something as simple as file folders, on-desk folder holders, or pretty boxes.
3. If you can put up shelving over your work area, store each box/file on the shelf until you are ready to work on it. Only work on one area at a time if possible.
4. Since you sew and that may be an important part of your business, I suggest you get a bulletin board – you can use cork squares and use them to make a large board. Post materials, patterns, drawings, threads, etc. to the board if you feel it will help you organize a creation visually. Use one or two of the cork squares for your blogs too! Just put up things you think are important and take down when you are done or your clutter will migrate to the boards!
5. Create a master To Do list for each of your work areas (each blog and sewing). Prioritize each list. Then create one daily to do list with just one or two things from the master list of each area. Focus on getting those done first.
6. Some people prefer to focus on one project or one aspect of their work per day or part of the day. You could try and implement that too – from 8AM to 10AM just work on Blog 1, from 10:15AM to 12:15PM just work on Blog 2. You can have a loose plan to return calls in the afternoon. Only plan to tackle 4 hours of work per day on your to do list. This allows for emergencies and general interruptions. Once you finish the planned items, choose something else from your master list to tackle.
7. To handle your overall schedule, I suggest you post a calendar above your work area. Put the current month and the following month up. Those desk calendars work great because they are big enough to put several items in a day and you can see quickly what you have coming up this week, next week and next month. You can color code as needed. Use this as your master calendar. Transfer anything on the big calendar to your planner (so you can have the most up to date info when you meet with people). Check your Master Calendar when planning your daily to do list.
8. Most important, take time at the end of the day to clean up your work area and put everything away. Make sure all the Blog 1 and Blog 2 and sewing is away and your work area clear so in the morning you have a fresh start to the day.
Let me know if these tips help you juggle your busy day!
