How The F*ck I Stay Organized

I'll keep it real - KB and I have had some robust conversations (that's adult code for arguments, lolz) about scheduling and organization.

Basically we're about to do the damn walking down the aisle thing and, even though we've lived together for years and have a routine down, we're just busier than ever and have more joint events. Between his family reunions, work travel, and random happy hours - and my work work, blog work, etc - our calendars are a general clusterfuck. As a couple, we definitely do not have a perfect system down.

But like as me, myself, and I - I use two tools specifically to keep myself organized and just had to share.

My two KEY tools I use to stay organized

The "Reminders" app

I have become OBSESSED with using the "Reminders" app on my phone to create daily to-do lists. I know a lot of bloggers (or just like, general normal humans) like using the "Notes" app - but there's something about the formatting and already list-ready nature of "Reminders" that I like best.

I create a "Reminder" list by day of the week, and toggle between the days to see if I need to carry any items over from the last day. I'm also really into branding everything in my life right now (to keep me inspired to create content!), so I love how customizable the "Reminders" app is (check that black background in dark mode + the pink/purple text).

I recently purchased a planner and while I love love love handwriting, I was finding it difficult to cart my planner around with me to and from work. I take the bus so really don't need any extra baggage weighing me down, ya know? I'm loving that I can quickly add to my list on the go (because my phone is always with me) without the extra item to remember to pack.

ALSO - "Reminders" syncs up to my MacBook! Meaning I can easily transition between devices to keep working on my to-do list.

G Suite

I use the "Reminders" app for my actual daily to-do list, but the app isn't great at giving me the BIG picture. Again, this is where a planner does come in handy, but in the spirit of keeping my life simple and digital, I utilize G Suite to run both my work and my personal life.

I live by my Google calendar.

Honestly, I have to. We've had such a busy year. I found myself constantly accidentally forgetting commitments I had made to friends ("oh shit, did we have plans tonight?!"). At that point, I knew I needed to have some sort of system to map out what days I'm actually booked and when I'm actually free.

I toggled back to the month of August so that you guys can see how I utilize Google Calendar for both the blog, my YouTube channel, and my personal life. I created different calendars and overlay them so that I can see everything all at once - or peel back the layers and just look at content or events!

I schedule everything I can. 

Botox? Add it to the calendar. KB has a work trip? Add that to the calendar. Drinks with the girls? CALENDAR. You get the point.

I know these two tools may not seem like much - but I swear this system has kept me sane.

If it's not on my calendar, it doesn't exist. When things started to really pick up, I asked a senior level mentor at work how she kept everything straight. How do busy women keep from feeling like drowning?

The first thing she asked me in return was, "Do you have a to-do list and do you have a calendar?"

At that time - NOPE. Her point to me was that smart, accomplished women don't remember everything, they have a system to help themselves remember the highest priorities.

I love having a great on the go to-do list app to make sure I'm getting through the nitty gritty + day to day, and also love having my "high level" calendar to be able to plan in advance and keep my schedule straight.

Got organizational tips & tricks? Share 'em in the comments below!