I have always loved being busy. I had a full senior schedule in high school, worked part-time manager positions, took extra college night classes and was involved in 16 extracurriculars. I love being involved and engrossed in the activities available. Connecting with people is important to me, but it gets overwhelming to be so involved.
I have gone through every organization system in the book, and I am here to tell you, there isn’t a perfect solution. Out of bullet journals, paper planners, online planners, wall calendars and everything in between, not one planning situation works for everyone.
This is just personally what works for me. It has taken me years to get here, but now that I’ve arrived, life is a little bit easier.
- Planning Online
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Balancing a million things starts with keeping track of it all. I find online programs super helpful in this. I can connect my plans to all my devices, and always have a way to see them.
Google Calendar is probably my favorite program for this. I create different calendars for class, work, etc. and can turn them on and off at will. The calendar transfers nicely from device to device, and many other people use it too. It sounds simple, but having one place for all of your events and having it constantly on you is a game changer.
A color coordinated, overlapping calendar is nice to pull out right from your pocket. It takes the stress out of knowing where exactly you have to be at what times.
I am also a fan of the app Nebo. This is primarily for an iPad and pencil, I use it in place of notability. Nebo allows you to write on an unlimited plane, kind of like an endless piece of paper. I like to use it for my to-do list. I can separate all the things and highlight them. If I want to write down my schedule, I can.
The internet has done a lot of things for us, take advantage of it!
- taking a step back
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This is the one that took me the longest to learn. You cannot throw yourself 1000% into everything without taking some time for yourself.
I spent a long time in a pretty toxic group. I threw my all into it, but was left burnt out and unappreciated. It took me four years to figure out that I had to take a step back.
This doesn’t mean quitting completely, but prioritizing it less. When the eight-hour work times got tiring, I just left. I just committed to less and instead showed up only when I wanted.
It’s hard, but knowing when you need to become less invested in something is a powerful and important skill.
- Brain Dumps
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Sometimes, getting online is too much. Paper can be useful when you are overwhelmed with things to do. Personally, I jot down everything I am thinking of and break it down into itty bitty steps.
Seeing everything laid out physically is nice to bring tasks from an overwhelming, impossible monster to just a manageable set of things to do.
Dump all your thoughts on paper, and just see if it is easier to manage.
- Little Preps
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When everything overlaps in your schedule and you have no time to breathe, take what time you do have to make it simpler.
Prepare what you can the night before. Pack your bag, plan your outfits, night is just a calmer time to get things done during. Use the golden moments as time to yourself.
Finding time for you is incredibly important to keep yourself running during the chaos of life.
- Switch it up
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If you have a system, but it stops working as well as it used to, don’t be afraid to change the system!!
If you bullet journal, but suddenly it’s taking up more time and not getting used, try a digital reminder. It’s okay to change and not use something anymore, mess around with the options available to you and find something new that will work.
Change is part of life, and it’s healthy. Shifting things around makes the repetitiveness of life a little more interesting.
Nothing is perfect, and I still struggle with my schedule sometimes. It is all about working to get as far as you can with what you’ve got. Have fun being busy!