Happy New Year everyone! This post is going to be all about how to get organized in 2019. A lot of you probably don’t know this but I also work a full-time traditional desk job on top of basically full-time blogging. I’ll be doing a full post on this in the future but long story short – maximizing all hours in the day is key of me! I’m not an expert on this, I’m just doing my best here. These are a few ways I’m going to try to better myself in the new year and a few tactics I’ve used in the past that I want to add back into my routine for 2019.
The to-do list:
This year I want to be sure I’m using my time efficiently. It’s so easy to look at a to-do list of 50 things and so overwhelmed that you can’t complete anything on it. Something that I used to do a lot (which I’m going to implement again) is writing a list of the top 10 things you have to do then splitting it up to 2-3 tasks a day. This way when you think about your to-do list you should think about the 2-3 attainable goals that you can complete verses getting too overwhelmed and feeling like you can never do all of it.
I thought this was my own personal system until I was googling “2019 planners” to put in this post and I came across the productivity planner. Well the productivity planner is basically exactly what I just explained so congratulation to whoever monetized that haha. You can fill in your top 2 tasks of the day, secondary tasks and more. Below is an example of what one of the pages look like.
I’ve linked to 3 different places where you can find the productivity planner below as well as a few different agendas. I still love a good agenda and ordering one it’s a great way to get motivated to use it and stay organized (or also a guilt trip).
Productivity Planner:
Agendas:
While I still love my agenda, there’s just something about easy editing that only a white board can provide. There’s something so satisfying about writing my to do list on a white board then crossing things out when they are done. I need to step up my white board game so I’ve searched for a few cute alternatives. I think I’m going to order that gold one below. It’s really small, super cute to leave out on your desk area and I linked to a really similar one on Anthropologie on my gift guide that they no longer have available.
Time Management/ well-rounded:
This is something that I started doing towards the end of the year and I thought it was a very efficient use of my time. If I was working on something design related/ something that didn’t require a lot of reading a writing, I would do that task while listening to a podcast. I switched off between more fun and lighthearted podcasts and podcasts that would teach me a little more about the industry. I’m the type of person that listens to podcasts on 2x the speed anyways so for me, this was a very useful way to kill two birds with one stone.
Below are a few of my favorites that I found:
Fun:
The Bitch Bible
The Skinny Confidential (a good mix but also informative)
Cult Liter – Shoutout to my friend Spencer Henry who started such a cool crime/ mystery podcast
Ladygang
Industry focused:
Ted Talks Daily
The Influencers Podcast
Goal Digger
I also had the book Influencer on my reading list for forever but I just couldn’t get around to reading more than a few pages at one time. It’s not that it wasn’t interesting because it totally was! But while I was reading I just kept on thinking about how I needed to do all of these other things the book talked about to run a successful company and ended up prioritizing my to-do list instead. Well I finally realized that I could buy the audio book and listen to it while I was working and that was perfect for me! It was a great way to get the information from the book while still completing other tasks.
Minimizing unnecessary drive time:
I spend so much time in the car that I basically keep my makeup in there almost as much as I keep it in my bathroom. For someone who is always on the go, it’s smart to make sure that what you’re doing makes sense and is worth you time. This is something I need to try to optimize more in 2019. For example – why am I spending an hour + a week driving to Whole Foods, picking out the same items, checking out, getting in my car, driving home, bringing them upstairs, etc when I can just order them online and get them delivered? I know there are a lot of grocery delivery services like Thrive Market for example so I’m going to try them out and let you know which ones I like the best.
At home workouts:
It’s been so hard for me to find a consistent workout routine. When I was in Arizona for NYE, I worked out everyday but barely use any of the gym machinery. Yes, I love walking on the highest incline for like 15 minutes because I hate cardio but other than that all I use is a mat and a set of weights (I have these exact ones). I basically realized that I could take about 30 minutes to myself every other day (to start) to do a quick at home workout. Below are the items I’m going to brush off and actually start using. If you are interested in seeing these workouts, let me know! I also came across a super cute wellness tracker calendar here where you can write down everything you’ve eaten that day amongst other things. This strategy isn’t the best fit for me but it’s super cute so I had to add it in just in case any of yall are looking for something like this.
Take a break and disconnect:
While 2019 is all about using your time wisely, that doesn’t necessarily mean working around the clock. It’s important to know how to best use your time, make memories in person and live a life beyond your screen that’s worth sharing and talking. I felt like I really did this over our NYE and the photo playing Scrabble is from that trip. It’s a great reminder of the importance of prioritizing your time and how invaluable spending time with those you love is. If you are looking to disconnect and recharge on your own, another way to do this is through meditation. Two of my favorite mediation apps are Head Space and Happy Not Perfect.
Ok I think that’s enough “new year, new you” in one post. I hope these tips are helpful for how to get organized in 2019. Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for following along with me on this crazy journey. I am so grateful for that.
