3 Tips to Organize Your 2018
Happy New Year's friend!
I can't believe how fast 2017 went. From learning more about how to be a parent, how to construct a deck, how to be homeowners, fine tuning our budgeting skills and introducing some new concepts into my homemaking, 2017 was definitely a year of learning. I am so excited to see what 2018 has in store for us! (#babyevans) (<-- my best friend is pregnant not me!)
This morning on the blog I thought I would discuss 3 ways to get organized for the year ahead.
Write Down your Goals
I'm not talking about New Year's Resolutions, but instead I'm going to talk about goals for the year ahead. When you write down a goal as opposed to making a sweeping resolution the odds of it happening are pretty good. Taking a sheet of paper write down 5 goals you want to get accomplished over 2018. Now, taking a separate piece of paper for each goal write down the baby steps you can take to actually achieve them (Quarterly, monthly, weekly, however you want to break these goals down). I like to start from the end date and work backwards, for example:
Goal #1 - Completely declutter home by December 31st, 2018
January - declutter and clean kitchen. Donate items unused to charity.
February - declutter and clean bedroom. Sell unused clothing items on Ebay or Poshmark.
March - declutter and clean baby's room. Set aside for friend or relative having a baby.
April - declutter and clean bathrooms. Throw out anything expired as well as writing a list of what needs to be replaced (medicine etc)
May - declutter and clean sitting room. Donate any unused items to charity.
Continue with the remaining months and rooms you would have left to declutter
December - Entire home is decluttered.
Of course you could acheive this home decluttering in less time. However, when you set your goal be sure to take your lifestyle into consideration. How much time do you actually have to devote to the goal? Give yourself some breathing room and allow for slip ups and loss of time or motivation.
Paper or Digital - Find your Planner
Make this the year you discover what type of planner or organizer works for you and your lifestyle. Whether you are drawn to the digital world or the paper world, there is a huge amount of selection for you to choose from! Finding a planning system that works is (in my opinion) key to a successful and organized life. I've included a couple of both digital calendars and planners as well as paper planners for you to check out and see if anything works for you and your life!
Digital Calendars and Planners
Google Calendar - Free - Synchs on all devices (iPhone, iPad, desktop)
Any.do - Free with purchasing options
Planner Pro - Free
Tiny Calendar - Free with options to upgrade - synchs to Google calendar as well as apple calendar
Paper Calendars and Planners
Erin Condren Life Planner - My current obsession and love! I find this paper planner to be the most comprehensive out there.
Passion Planner - This was also on my buy list for a while and I may try it out if I need a change from my life planner.
Plum Planner - Absolutely loving Plum Planners! Beautiful designs and an option for a smaller version.
Moleskine - If you're looking to more bullet journal instead of needing a planner template, check out Moleskine notebooks. Amazing paper quality and truly perfect for bullet planning.
My advice to anyone looking at purchasing a new planner is this: Before you start shopping make a list of must have items for your future planner. Ask yourself some serious questions. Do you prefer horizontal planning? Vertical planning? What about times, would you prefer hours or no time at all? Writing everything down will help you really narrow in on what planner will work perfectly for you.
Plan Backwards
Not sure what you want to accomplish this year, or feeling overwhelmed? Sometimes it's incredibly beneficial to work backwards to plan out your year or a goal. Take a moment and think about what you want to be celebrating at the end of 2018. What accomplishments will you have under your belt? What will you be proud of? Chances are there will be a handful of goals that were attainable, and the question is - what are those specific goals? Do you want to be entering 2019 10 pounds lighter? Do you see yourself surrounded by your family at a resort in Hawaii for the 2019 ball to drop? Really take a couple of minutes and visualize it, and then put pen to paper and plan it out.
What are your goals for 2018? And how are you planning for them?
Cheers!
3 Tips to Organize your 2018
Goals, Planning and what to do if you're feeling overwhelemed!