How to deal with the stress caused high number of daily tasks?

We are moving. This generates a lot of little tasks - not only packing the whole flat for 5 person. Moving tasks are priority first tasks. But life has to go: I am a freelancer - I cannot stip to work (ok, I can take back a little...), and housework has to be done.

Step 1: Collect your to do-s

I started to list my must do-s into my daily layout. The place wasn't enough (see on the right column).

Step 2: Thematize and prioritise your to do-s

I started to getting desperate, then I took 3 sticky notes, labeled with: work, moving, housework.
I wrote to the top the absolut must do today tasks, and at the bottom, those I should do - very recommended...

Step 3: Organize to do-s

Then I took the slim flag markers, and marked with yellow all tasks need only couple of minutes to accomplish. With pink calls - calls need also only couple of minutes. And what I can see? What is left, is not too much.

Step 4: Make a schedule

Then I scheduled these groups into my day (see on the first picture in the left column). 9-10am: quick work tasks. 10-11am: calls, 11-12: something from work. 12-1pm: lunch break. 1-2pm: something from moving list. 2-3pm: housework. Then I will see, what is left and make a plan for the rest of the day. Now it seems not so scary!

Step 5: Start working

(And not writing blog - it's work hour!)

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How work together my paper planners and Google Calendar with my apps?

If you didn't read my last post about how I use Todoist and Evernote - do it now first!
While the apps help keep me on track, with automation, reminders, quick collecting, I also need for planning the paper and pen. When I use them, I think differently, more deeply.
The whole planning system is like a zooming process.

Year

The farthest picture is the year for me.
I filled out the Powersheets - what helped me to crystallize my goals. But I don't really use the monthly sheets, I just read my goals through every months.
For my work I made a yearly plan (you can take a look on it in this video, by about 8 minutes). Both are written.

Month

I made a separate monthly calendar booklet for myself for the year. At the beginning I wasn't sure, if it is a good idea, but I needed more ring space, so monthlys has to be removed. I'm very satisfied with this solution. (For next year - advice for myself: use thicker paper! :)) This calendar is, where every time related things arrive. It lives in my main planner's pocket. I synchronize this with the calendar in my pocket - but only those things are going to my pocket what can influence appointments - "give pocket money for kids" is in A5 but not in pocket. When I'm on the go I bring only the pocket with me. If I have to make an appointment in my pocket, I don't write it on paper (I would forget to copy), I write it on little post it note, and that stays there until I didn't copied (I have a task in my daily review "check pocket".)
For work I have also monthly calendars, where I write deadlines, and plan out on what day on what big thing I will concentrate.

Week

When I do my weekly review, I copy all events to the Google Calendar, because I need reminders. Every new item in Google Calendar goes automatically to Todoist (with IFTTT), so I can see them in more place (sure, what sure). 

Day

The daily focus from the monthly plan goes to the daily page - what I also need to write. Even if I have my little tasks from Todoist... I copy my tasks from Todoist to my daily page! Not all, but most of them. I need to plan out, in which hour I do what. (Not too detailed, but like "daily routine", "write xy pattern", "phone calls", "little things".

It might be a little chaotic... A little summary:

Tasks are collected in Todoist. They are scheduled there according to paper planning. Tasks are copied to paper planner (daily pages).

Other stuff are going to Evernote. (Templates, routines, archive, supporting materials, project infos - no tasks! Pending items)

Appointments are going on paper planner, and are copied to Google Calendar.

Time-related items (my kids have today a sport competition - when, where, what they have to have.... - are going as a photo into Todoist [TICKLER] "project". 

All real planning happens on paper. Almost all information keeping happens on computer.

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More-and-more planning in apps (Todoist and Evernote)

My planning system is a Frankenstein :) I had Evernote since years, but I didn't used it too much. But as I saw a lot Todoist/time management videos, I learned about Evernote too, and started thinking on, how I could use it, how I could organize my stuff in it. I love the idea going paperless: I want to scan all my documents, and toss as much as possible (contracts of course not :)).
How my system works now?

Todoist

Todoist keeps all my to do-s. Every little thing, and big recurring things too. I organize them into big groups, like: work, family, personal, and I have some "extra", like to buy - I shared this with my husband, I write here the shopping list, he can go with his phone shopping and check them out.

I'm not sure yet, what is best for "tickler" stuff - keep them in Todoist, or Evernote. Future events have documents with informations, and I want a reminder for them. Keeping document is better in Evernote, but getting reminders from two places? Not sure I want this.

Evernote

Whatever I can think on, goes to Evernote. Files, archives, ideas, emails forwarded... I have here something "GTD like" organization. Inbox: where everything arrives - if I wouldn't do like this, I would forget tagging stuff. Planner keeps planning tools, like review templates. Projects for 3 main part of my life: work, family, personal. For work I keep two stack: active and inactive projects. Filing cabinet keeps documents, without grouping. Saved recipes, documents, notes, infos saved from the web, etc. Pending is for... pending items :D Like orders (I just forward the email what I get...), and other things I'm waiting for. I check this weekly, and archive what is not any more pending. Archive is for archived projects.

Evernote keeps also my reviews. This is really genial: I can write in the same note to do-s, instructions, place to write, and files. Why I don't keep these todos in Todoist? Because like this I can go through my review in one place! This is my weekly review note:

First the reflection for the past week: I finished these, list of tasks: like process inbox in Todoist and Evernote. That was great, and not so great, and journaling, if I have any thoughts I want to write.

And tasks for planning the next week:

And take a look on my daily review, here comes the best part - this note contains files too. I created my weekly chart in excel - and the data copies entries into yearly chart automatically! I could delete the "refresh the yearly chart" todo from my weekly review.

And how it works together?

In Todoist I have a task "daily review" - ok, go to Evernote, copy the daily review template, fill out, done. Next please.

In Todoist I have a task: work on project xxx pattern. This can be a little bit complexer. For a project in Evernote I have more notes - one for the whole projects, with informations about timeline, deadlines, and internal links for all related notes, like Pages document, where I write the pattern. I have a note for "supporting files".

And I also have tasks in todoist in that project. This is because I can add a task to Todoist with only one keyboard combination. When I check my test thread and I find a mistake I have to correct, or just have to do: cmd+shift+a - and the task created in Todoist inbox. When I process the Inbox the task goes to the project. For this tasks I don't place a reminder! I have just one for the project. I go to that project tasks list, and working on them.

This post starts to be too long, so I stop here. And maybe next time I write about how comes to picture my planner and Google calendar - because here are also changes...

It might be confusing, please ask if you want to know more about anything (don't ask how to make things in the apps :) I can give you links, ok... :D)

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Using stickers for planning, not for decorating

I love to spend lot of time with my planner, but what is too much, is too much. I'm always searching for solutions to automate things, or making it simpler.

Where and for what do I use stickers in my planner?

1. Monthly spread - recurring events
I have lot of thing what don't need to write, but it is good to remind me. I know, that I bring my smallest daughter to Hungarian School every Wednesday. I know, when to leave, when it is. But I have the sticker here, because when I make an appointment with someone, I might forget it.

2. Monthly spread - events, color coded, with icons
I just started to make my own stickers with my new Silhouette Portrait. I've chosen for all family member a color.

This way the sticker tells me without writing: who and where, and I have to write only the when. It spares me a lot of time and space.

3. Monthly spread - events, without icons
I don't have icon for any possible events, so I made a lot circle stickers too.

4. Recurring tasks not to forget
Like give pocket money to kids every first day of the month's.

5. Daily schedule - event sticker without icons
I love how the circle sticker pops out! More and more than only writing in, even if it is written with color.

6. Daily schedule - color coded with icons
There are events, what not influence my schedule, but I have to know, like one of my bigger daughter has an appointment. I place the sticker reminders on the right side of my schedule. Didn't found now one quick, but you can see above, how I placed such an event on my schedule.

7. Index page - type of the event

I try to write every important stuff, what I might have to remember later, when that happened. Here I have a different logic with the color coding. I have for all family members a separate sheet, and color codes mean different segment of life (like green is health, yellow is fun, etc.) This way is quick to find: when was my daughter last time by dentist? I don't need to read for that, only search the teeth icon.

This post is part of the planner experience link up party:

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There are days what would be better not happened...

I planed for this week to post about time blocking. But life wanted others. A boring post, without any pictures...

You can have plans, when kids are sick and you don't sleep a minute the whole night. What can you do in this case? Take a look on your plan, and decide, what is essential? What is not possible to leave out? Do those, and rest.

What did I today? 
- Slept from 9 to 11 pm.
- Worked a little bit - I started a test yesterday, there was a lot of questions. I answered the simple ones and collected all others, where I have to think, and answered: I will answer tomorrow.
- I scrolled through my emails, if there is any very important to answer. No one.
- I called my physiotherapist to cancel my appointment with him for today.
- I went to doctor to get the results for my allergy test.
- I went shopping some very important thing (like bread, apple, etc).
- Loaded washer twice to clean the bed clothes.
I didn't done my daily routine, and any other tasks I planned for today. I just browsed on internet, and other very useful stuff :D

What do you do in such extreme situations?

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Preparing myself for 2016

I don’t write too much, because we are were visiting friends, family, I’m were never alone! It’s amazing and horrible in the same time :) I got my Agendio planner in PDF in email (as a reward for sharing it), and I want to try it out. Even if I decided before to go with monthly and daily pages only. The advantage of having my weekly/monthly routines printed out is huge. 

Having both monthlies and weeklies is not a good option, as I found (too much copying), I needed to remove the monthlies, and making place for my weeklies. I took a deep breath, and removed the a-z dividers also (lot of width), and left only the most important-always have to be with me- type infos in the planner. I will place the rest (they are also very important :P) in an other planner, which will be stay at home. Now I have a Barbie-thin planner :D

I can’t wait to get home and print my weeklies! (Ok, done.) What is left?

The new 2016 main planner setup

1. Landing section

Flyleaf with sticky notes, Inbox, and note papers after the inbox.

2. Tasks 

Lot of master to do lists of creative, declutter, home, etc stuff. (I should do them one day.)

3. Ideas

I use the divider as a container, I removed all of the paper after this, because I will store my ideas in an other planner, I need the space here. That's why are they on sticky notes, I can remove them. 

4. Projects

First the index of the projects, than the project pages with page flags.

5. Calendar

As mentioned, I removed the monthlies, I have here my weeks, not on 2 pages but on 4 pages. I keep a daily insert between the two half of the week (as usual, double punched). This way I don't have to copy my schedule to my daily insert.

I designed a new (100. version…) weekly planner, what I can print on the back of the Agendio pages. (See, Agendio, one more argument for selling the planners in digital form!) At the front: weekly planning, but here I will concentrate first on goals and projects, only after than the tasks. I hope, this way won’t be so overwhelming the lot of tasks. (I've forgot to take a pic in use, so a printscreen here :D)

On the last page I have the weekly review, with my usual checklist, and an opportunity for myself to write done, what I did for my goals, that I can concentrate better on my successes instead on not finished tasks.

6. Infos, notes, etc

That's left:

I miss a little bit my monthly pages, I hope I will be happy without them. I filmed also more about this setup, I will publish it in couple of days.

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Rethinking my life

It's the last month of the year. I started preparing my planning system for the next year:
- printing?
- buying?
- planner inserts?
- planners?

My planned planning system for the next year looks like

1. my main planner will stay my purple A5 Filofax Malden, with monthly pages. I'm not sure in weeklies. I want them, but weekly and monthly is too much. Because a whole year weekly has no place in my planner, I need the monthlies for future planning. I have to figure it out. Plus in this planner: ideas, tasks (they are also ideas, like what I can do if I don't have too much energy), projects and informations.
2. I ordered a month daily planner booklet, I love it so far, and don't disturbs me, that it is separate. Why I ordered this? Because I don't want to use my time for printing and I didn't found any daily insert I would like to have. I also ordered a year day planner spiral notebook, what I got last week and it is only four month. Hahh, you should read first :D I think I will go with the one month dailies after I ran out from the 4 months, it fits into the back pocket of my Filofax. If I start to hate, that it is not an insert, I can cut it out and punch.
3. Business planner: A5 Filofax Malden. Monthly and weekly. Monthlies are not for appointments (because I don't have business appointments :)), but deadlines, planning working times, projects. Statistics, infos, etc in this planner.
4. Your best year 2016 Creative Business Planner. I started to read and fill out this planner for goal setting in my business. I placed the pages into my Filofax Clipbook, without it's monthly and weekly planning pages, I printed out my own monthlies. I can move the actual month always to the Malden.
5. My mental health is important, I will order the Powersheets, whatever it costs to me...
6. Daily Greatness Business Planner

Decisions

Last times I'm lost, what I should do, how my time should be organized. I'm a lot angry with my kids, I'm impatient. I decided, I work in December as few as possible, and spend more time with the kids and finding out what I want and at the end of course, I plan my next year. One question is if I want to write this blog and filming youtube further? On which level? As I see, I can't and want to be a "professional" planner. Too much planning in blogging is not for me, I'm more emotional. If I want write, I write, sometimes to find/make a nice picture for a blog post would be a setback in the way, so I have decide: will be a not so perfect blogpost, or there will be no? I say yes for the notsoperfect :) I hope you too!
I leave at the end, why I started to write this post at all. I got a comment here on the blog, where someone says thanks for me, and I got also a comment on YouTube on a video of mine. You might laugh: two comments can make you happy? And yes, from comments I know, writing this blog makes sense!

I'm say Hello for you. Do you hear me? Do you want me to continue?

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What to do, if you didn't planned correctly and your plan is crashed?

Nothing serious: no accident, no new stuff, only not enough thinking, that happened with me yesterday. Very carefully written plan, which was wrong. Why? I planned a task for next Monday. But this task was a precondition for a task I planned for yesterday, what have a deadline for tomorrow. How silly. And? What can I do? Reschedule! Put off everything else and make the task planned for Monday, and what a task? A big one, of course.

This is how my yesterday turned out, a lot of tasks unfinished.

This was my original plan for today:

I took two post it notes to write a new list with the tasks I thought this morning I want to finish today. I don't care about the other things written originally here. If I'm done with the post its, I can move on to this.

I have no idea, what I will finish today, so I didn't wanted to schedule the unfinished tasks from yesterday (but I wanted to clean up that page), so I wrote everything only on an other post it. When I make my daily review tomorrow morning, I will decide, what I want to do. I will move that post it until I have on that any task.

Let's go back to my list on the two little post its! :)

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10 tips for ADHD people using a planner

1. Write everything down. 

I mean it! You might forget!

2. Find the way to find the place for every little piece of information in your system. 

Not enough to writing down. You have to find it later!

3. Such few distractions as possible. 

It's better to keepyour planner simple and not full of stickers, washis, etc.

4. Separate the informations

In time and topics. In time: don't have to do's on your daily page only you MUST do it on that day (not too much to dos) - if you have more time, pick more tasks from other lists. In topics: have more, than one todo list. For cleaning, work projects, family things etc. What makes you sense. more in time: use the 43 folder system or my 17 dividers system, and move in those projects/todos/infos, what are time sensitive. This way they are out of picture, until they come back, if you will need it. 

5. Use time blocking

In daily planning: use blocks for different activities. Make all phone calls at the same time. make work at the computer same time. housework, or anything make you sense. Write this categories clear separated on the daily page. 

6. Use color coding 

to make visual separation more clear. But only if it menas not visual clutter for you!

7. Use routines 

Create daily/weekly/monthly routines. Write them down! 

8. Have checklist for any recurring activities  

If you have do that thing take out your checklist and you have the steps, you don't need to thinking about it. 

9. Mark the task what you started

If you will be distracted, you will be know, where you have to go back. Mark it with a point, highlighter, arrow page marker...

10. Track your items

Started but not finished tasks, delegated tasks, orders, etc has to be tracked.  Write somewhere in your planner - you can make a tracking section, or take a postit, and write it on. What are you waiting for? When it is started? When should you check it? Place to that date in your calendar or your daily page, if you have already for that day, or in the 17 dividers system. Write, what the other part promised, asked, what you answered...

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My ideal planner would be...

I think it doesn't exist.
Lets see what I want, and what planner gives me that.

1. Monthly calendar

It has to be big enough. I'm visual, I love to use my stickers to see what's going on. I got this feature perfectly in the Happy Planner. I think A5 Filo would be also enough, I never tried. In personal, too small, hate it.

2. Weekly calendar

I prefer now the vertical layout, but I'm not sure in that, maybe what horisontal I used hasn't enough structure, and that's why I made it chaotic. In A5 Filofax was too much lines on horizontal, and for me was not enough wide by a day to write in. Happy Planner give me the size. Personal size: too small.

3. Monthly planning

It's ok by any planner I used before, I can add my planner pages in any size. I want to see the big rocks, and having place to distribute them to the weeks. It's ok to having it separate from the other stuff, I take a look on it once a week.

4. Weekly planning

I want to see it somehow together but separated from the weekly calendar. I want it together but separated from the daily planning. In Happy Planner it's not perfect. Projects listed on the left column, but I don't have enough space for all todo-s I want to listing. So I added a list paper in the middle, what is disturbing, I would like to see the whole week at a glance. It is the same thing with the page marker. How could I have the page marker and the todo list make at the same time visible and invisible? :D I don't want to flip to my todo list. I want to keep it at the week - see? It seems to be impossible. But I write here, who knows, you can give me a good idea! In personal I had enough place, and made a fold out, what was not bad, but also not good. Somehow I didn't checked the list, I don't know why. It wasn't simple to write on it.

5. Daily planning

I want to keep it together with my weekly planning and calendar. Mission impossible (or I didn't found the way). When I have do2p in personal I felt it so separate, I have seen only that day. But what I do today is influenced what I will have tomorrow...
What I need here: place for time schedule, visual! To do list, notes. But I don't want to copy events always from the weekly calendar, it is wasting time. I don't want to write tasks to the schedule, but I hate leave unused space on the schedule it is paper wasting. I need different amount of space every day for notes. When I had do2p in personal size, I often left the whole note page clear. Wasting paper and place in my planner. I need something more flexible. No idea.
Size: personal was for daily's perfect, A5 was too much, also do1p, in Happy Planner: no way a whole page for a day, would be crazy. I'm experimenting now, how to use the weekly layout for daily planning too. I would be happy for pictures in my Facebook group how everyone use a system similar to Happy Planner. Not nice decorated ones, they distracts my attention. Functional ones. I'm hesitating to create Chronodex stickers for the schedule, they would be left me enough space for planning, but it might be too small. Notes aren't solved in Happy Planner. Maybe Post its. But where to keep them?

6. Notes, infos, tracking

Is not a big deal, I can solve it in any planner.

7. Size

I want to keep all stuff together. What exactly? Minimum my calendar to bring with me, giving the opportunity to make appointments. Have place to take notes, and some very important informations always with me (as insurance numbers). I used for a while for this reason my Filofax Pennybridge as a wallet plus monthly, weekly calendars and note papers. But I didn't liked to have that separate my "planner planner" :D So adding to the minimum: weekly, monthly planning and more infos, tracking items. I make lot of notes and I love to keep lot of informations with me. What makes my planner bulky. That's why I bought the Kikki K medium, which has 30mm rings. Too bulky. Why have all planners soooo bulky covers??? Paper is already enough bulky. Plus point to the Happy Planner: no cover only that laminated paper. If I could solve everything in the personal size - or pocket... hmmmm, I would be so happy! The Happy Planner is too big always to bring with me! Also the A5 Filofax - it seems to be bigger because of the cover. I might try again the Domino... It has no pockets.

8. Bound

I love much more the rings as the disks! I'm thinking sometimes about the Traveller's Notebook, but that I can't give anywhere an extra sheet held me back. Plus it is also small, isn't it? And laying flat is a must. I keep my planner always open next to me.

Conclusion

I think, I covered all things here.
My ideal planner would be a Filofax Finsbury Pocket,
which can keep a lot of paper without turning too bulky
with a Happy Planner size monthly planner
with some magic a big weekly and daily view together.

OK. If you see somewhere my ideal planner do not hesitate to share with me! :D

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How to build your perfect planner system? Week 6: Make your first reviews

How was going with planning? Hard to find the best way, isn't it? Don't worry, keep trying other structures. (If you didn't done yet, read the last post here.) Today is time to take a look on what happened on the last week.

What is a review?

Shortly: checking what you accomplished and what not. Decide what you have to do next. You can download my printable review checklists here.

Daily review

You have to make it every day. The ideal way would be to make it at the evening, but some (as I) make it at the morning. Planning takes time. But also save too. Schedule a planning session for every day! 15-30 minutes, you will see how much you need.
What to do?

• Take a look into your calendar, what appointment will you have? You might prepare something for it. Block out this times in your daily schedule. If you need to travel, block out the traveling time too! I make it like this:

Out blocked time helps you to decide how much tasks you can plan for the day.

• Check yesterday. What tasks aren’t finished? Copy it. You don't have to move them for the next day, decide, when you want or have opportunity to make them.

Higlighted tasks are done, x-d are cancelled, marked with arrow is moved forward.

• Check your weekly plan. What tasks are what you want/must do today? Write on your task list. 
• Clean up your inbox. What should I write here? You know, what to do. If not, read it here! 
• Make the plan. If you schedule your tasks, make it now. You don’t have write task by task to the schedule, you can write also “bigger” things, as email, work, calls, etc. 
• Set reminders for appointments. If you tend to forget to leave, use a calendar on your phone (I use Google Calendar), and set reminders. You can set for your working sessions too if you wish. 

I took a video once how I did my daily review. Watch it here.

Weekly review

• Schedule for it 30-60 minute weekly. When? Friday evening or at the weekend - if you have possibility for concentrate work or Monday morning. 
• Clean up your inbox if it not cleaned yet. 
• Check your Friday as by the daily routine. 
• Check your weekly planner - decide what to do with the unfinished things. Move them, cancel them or move to someday section. 
• Check your monthly planner. What have you planned for this week? 
• We didn't talked before recurring tasks (coming soon :)), but it is on the downloadable print out… Write these tasks into your days (like Monday: laundry, Wednesday shopping) 
• Tracking list: coming soon. :) If something generate a task here, write it to the weekly tasks. 
• Check your calendar. What deadlines you have? Write appointments to the daily pages. You can do it now, for the whole week, or on daily basis. When you write all at the same time you can better plan your week, you see, on what day you have more time to do your stuff. 

I took a video once how I did my weekly review. Watch it here.

If you make it regularly you will never miss a task you wanted but not done.

Homework for next week

Make your first weekly review as soon as possible. Schedule time for the next today. Do your daily reviews from now every day! Don’t forget to schedule time for it. You might write down how much time you need.

Next part: Values

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in comment! Share your experiments in our Facebook group, and get more help!  

Find here the whole series.

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