Top 10 Things I've Learned About Staying Organized

Here are the Top 10 things I've learned about staying organized:

1. Have themes for your days – I like the idea of Back Stage and Front Stage days. Back Stage is preparing for the show… Front Stage is putting on the show!
2. Color code your calendar – Don’t overcomplicate it… I have 5 colours and it gives me a visual aid to know what type of day I’m having at a glance. I’ve separated mine by client meetings, other meetings, internal work, travel time and personal.
3. Use time blocking – Schedule meetings of course. Schedule projects and tasks. Schedule checking email. Schedule lunch… and even try scheduling breaks! (I learned this last one from having 20 Zoom meetings in a row and wanting to die.)
4. Daily Top 3 – Choose the three most important tasks you have to get done that day… and make sure they get done. When everything’s important, nothing’s important.
5. Plan your week – Take 30 minutes to plan out your week in advance. I choose Sunday evening, but anytime before Monday works great too.
6. Plan your day – Do you ever find you have more clarity about your priorities at the end of your workday? Use that clarity to plan for tomorrow!
7. Get the pen back out – I am a technology nut, but I’ve come to appreciate the clarity I gain with only a notebook, a pen and my thoughts… oh and maybe a Grande Non-Fat Flat White.
8. Take meeting notes – Not only does it show respect to the person you're meeting with, it helps you to remember key discussion points. I take mine on an iPad using OneNote so I can search anything I’ve ever written.
9. Have a workday routine – Try starting each day and ending each day with a routine. I start each day with reviewing my schedule and my daily Top 3. I end my day with reviewing tomorrow’s schedule and setting my next Top 3.
10. Delegate to Elevate – You will always be busy if you don’t learn to delegate. Make a list of all the tasks you do in a week, then delegate the stuff you don’t like… which is likely the stuff you’re not good at anyway!
11. BONUS: Ignore Top 10 lists – Everyone is different, and you do you. 

I hope some of these lessons resonate and help you on your journey!