Organizational Tips for The Super Unorganized

Organizational Tips for The Super Unorganized…

Before you delve into this post, I will warn you, I am probably the least organized person you will ever meet. So if your organizational skills are on point, then you might want to skim over these next few paragraphs and jump right into the info on these cute planners, because organized or not, these planners are LIFE CHANGING. Or if you just want a good laugh or to cringe at how disorganized I am, then I encourage you to read on.

As I said, I am far from OCD when it comes to putting things in their place or keeping things neat and organized. For some reason organizational skills have never come naturally to me, they are something that I have struggled with since I was a kid. Just ask my mom or any of my teachers who picked up! Years later I am all grown up and living with an even messier and more disorganized husband (sorry Casey) which has forced me into changing my ways a bit. He may be a bit messy but I am to blame for the boxes of stuff that arrives daily. As a blogger, I am sent a ton of different things to review, wear, and feature on the blog. While this is an AMAZING job, I do have to stay on top of getting rid of things so we don’t live surrounded by stuff! I make sure that I give things to friends and donate or consign a bag of clothing a month. Trying to stick with the “one in-one out” rule. With my monthly edits, daily pick up routine and the help of a maid doing a deep cleaning once per month, we are almost living like fully functional adults! But keeping my house together and keeping my life together are two separate things.

Keeping my house in order is one thing but keeping my life in order is a whole other thing. While my house may not be an organizer’s dream, I do try my best to keep things in order when it comes to my business. Over the past two years, I have been working from home (most of the time) on my consulting gigs and my blog and with a million events going on, deadlines to meet, posting schedules to follow, there are certainly things I have learned along the way to help my day flow a bit easier. Find my tips below.

Organizational Tips for The Super Unorganized

Get A Great Planner:

I have always admired girls with super cute planners but never had one until very recently. I picked out this super cute and customized just for Moi, Erin Condren LifePlanner™ and it even makes me, the super disorganized girl, get excited about organizing. I love the layout of it and that I know that everything I need is right in that little book. I was able to design my own layout, color combo and was even able to personalize it with my name and of course “Fifty-Two”!  I take my meeting notes in there, plan my days, log my workouts and check off my to-do lists in this planner. Something is so satisfying when you write a task down and then you check it off. You just don’t get the same satisfaction when you complete a task and then delete it off of a electronic list.

Find Apps That Make Your Life Easier:

This one is essential for me. Since I run my business from my laptop and my phone, I need to be able to do pretty much everything at the drop of a hat. While this has been a learning experience for me, I have found that there are apps out there that can make life much easier. Since we probably all work in different industries, these apps might not be helpful to you but I will share the apps that keep my life in order when it comes to my business.

• Planoly– Oh this app has been an absolute life-saver for Michelle and I. Planoly lets you preplan all of your Instagram posts ahead of time by dropping your photos into a grid and then sorting them out the way you think they look more visually appealing. This is how you can achieve that drool worthy Insta page minus the headache. Michelle and I love it for those reasons but also since we live on separate coasts, this helps us know when and who is posting next. This has been a huge time saver for both of us!
• Google Drive – This is something I think everyone needs, no matter what you do. You can access your files from your computer or from your phone and you know you always have what you need with you.
• Photo Editing Time Savers – While I like to do most of my photo editing in LightRoom on my computer, I do sometimes edit photos on my phone when I am on the go.  A few of my go-to editing apps are VSCO, SnapSeed and PicTapGo. I also recommend getting a camera with wifi functionality because then you can wifi your photos directly to your phone. I have the Canon 6D and LOVE it!

Use An iCalendar- 

This kind of seems like a no-brainer. Pretty much everyone that has a smartphone has an electronic calendar on their phone. USE IT! I put all my important meetings, calls, events and appointment reminders in there and have it notify me an hour ahead of time. You do not know how many times this function has saved me from missing meetings.

Organize Your Computer- 

This one wasn’t easy for me but I do try to take some time each month to organize my computer and make sure all documents are in the right folders. Since I have a ton of different clients and work that I am doing at all times, I make sure that each project has a folder so that I know where I can easily find everything. Since I have a ton of photos, video clips and files on my computer, I make sure to dump everything onto a hard drive to free up computer space. I also backup to this hard drive so that if god forbid anything happens to my computer, I won’t lose EVERYTHING!

Keep Your Working Space Neat- 

I have a hard time keeping focused when my workspace isn’t neat. Pretty much everything around me will drive me nuts until I clean it and then 3 hours later I still haven’t gotten any work done. So if my desk is a mess, I will move my laptop to the living room or kitchen to work, since I know I won’t be as easily distracted there. If things just seem hectic at home, then I will take my laptop and planner to my co-working office in G-town, Whole Foods or to Starbucks to work, I know that I can get in the zone without distractions in those places.

I know many of these things are pretty darn basic but for a person that struggles with staying organized, these have been the things that have kept me on track.

Join the party! From the signature Erin Condren LifePlanner™ to customizable notebooks, calendars & organizational must-haves, Erin Condren products aren’t just for scheduling each day – they’re for celebrating each day!

This post was sponsored by Erin Condren. All opinions are my own.

xo

Sarah