All The “To Dos:” Staying Organized

Hello Everyone,

This has been a big week of organization for myself. At the beginning of the semester, I am always given a handful of dates to remember and assignments to be done. On top of work and daily routine, it can be a lot to keep track of. There are a few steps I like to take to make sure I stay organized and can tackle my projects bit by bit.

The first thing I always do is, whenever I am given an assignment with a due date, or just an important date to remember, I write it down in a weekly planner. Right after I mark it “to be done” in my planner, I mark the actual due date. This way, i already have a reminder in two different places! After, I may turn to my calendar and mark it up too. My calendar really plays the biggest role for me during finals week; being able to map everything out for the last few weeks allows me to organize my time accordingly. 
After I have the assignment documented somewhere, I start to decide how to plan the following weeks until it is due. Often, I’ll make myself progressional due dates. For instance, if I have a painting project due in a month, first I’ll plan when to do the sketch, then when I should have the first layer down, and finally the dates that I will work on the finish.

I often keep a couple of different “to do lists” as well. I’ll keep one list of everything I need to get done in a day so that nothing gets left until the last minute. Then, I’ll have a list of all the upcoming due dates so I do not miss a beat. If there is something I have to do on the same day every week, I’ll pre-set a reminder on my phone that reminds me on that day, every week. By keeping track of my daily, weekly, and monthly progress, I am able to plan my time efficiently, while still leaving time to relax and unwind.
How do you keep track of your busy scheduling and due dates?

Best,
Annmarie x