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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The "Next Week" flyleaf

I have this flyleaf already for months ago in planner. It helps me in weekly planning. This is a laminated piece of paper, where I wrote with pen - Frixion users, attention: never write on a piece of paper you want laminate!!! I didn't wanted to spend too much time to designing an insert for this.

What all function the next week flyleaf has?

1. Keeping the weekly review checklist
Everything I have to do on my weekly review is listed here. I can use whiteboard marker to check the points off.

2. A list about our weekly routine

I didn't wrote this on the paper, because it can be change. It's on a post it note. As you can see some stuff is already added to it. Having the family routine by hand by weekly planning is very useful, I don't have think too much, what everything we have, only write them in. The are also recurring appointments and also tasks I have to do on a specific day on the week. 

3. Place for next week's tasks

Sometimes come something into my mind, and I don't want to add to my actual weekly tasks, because I have enough. I also don't want to write to my next week planning page, because I might use a different format (as before I tried so much options, or I just don't want to make it disorganized. I just jot it done here, and I can add to week, when I make the weekly planning. Sometimes works this post it as a master to do list, when I don't write next week something to my tasks, I just leave it here for later. While I have a page marker on the top, I can reach this place very quickly.

4. Pending items

On the back I keep waiting on stuff on post it's. I review them weekly, if it's finished, or have I something to do with that thing. I have also a don't forget post it here just in case :)

What do you think about this useful tool? Would you use something similar? If yes, what elements would you take?

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

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The greatest menu planner you have ever seen in Filofax - includes recipes

As every family, we have also usual meals. But sometimes we forget them. We also have recipe book - what is hard to use. 

When I wanted to try out a personal size planner, I bought a cheap used Filofax Domino, then I moved out to another planner, and this one stand on the shelf. Why couldn't be this one my recipe book combined with menu planner?

Purple Filofax Domino, personal size

Recipe book

I placed a-z dividers to the planner and I place recipes in this order. 

No categories, only first letter. I think this way is simpler to find the right one.

Menu planner

This is more interesting! I have here month on two pages "calendar". 

Page marker of course kitchen themed :)

And some laminated craft paper, with the names of the dishes. Here I use categories: the color of the flags means: meal, sweet, soup, vegetarian, etc. The dashboards are: quick dishes, complicated dishes, desserts, etc. 

Quick dishes for workdays

Time consuming recipes for the weekends

And we have also a wishlist dashboard, all family member can move here a flag he/she want to eat. It makes me also simpler to choose, first I go here! At Friday I plan for the whole next week and write a shopping list. I have some rules, what also helps, like we eat noodle on Wednesday, we eat chicken at Thursday... I leave the flags on their place for a month or longer for we eat variously enough.

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ADD style planning

I posted this picture on Facebook last week. And here some more explanation, what happened here?

I don't know why, but the last two weeks was extreme chaotic for me. More appointment, less concentration maybe... The week before I started with big hope and hard resolution: I will keep the plan! I made a 3 hours section for daily "must" or routine, or what, what included daily routine (started with brushing teeth, and work stuff as reading emails, etc), my little steps (for declutter, learning, and some other goal-related "I-do-every-day-a-little-something" tasks), social media. I made it Monday,  and I had so much emails to answer, that I couldn't finish this purple section until evening. Despite I shutted off Facebook and Skype and so on. I work concentrated and at 16:30 I was shutted off. My brain stopped to work. I was disappointed: if I leave myself to distracted with FB and things I WANT to do, than I don't finish with my plan. If I don't let it for me, that I can't finish, because it is so exhausting for my ADD brain to stay on the way... What was the outcome? I did not do anything on Tuesday. Really. I striked, and spent my time with I wanted. Don't say I am lazy, or I should have more willpower. I am not lazy, and I don't have willpower. I have ADD. It is really frustrating, when I loose the control so much. Fortunately on Wednesday I had a consultation with my psychiater what brought me back to life :)
Rest of the week? Try to save what you can... On the picture you can see Friday. Planning was more what I DON'T do, not what I do... I had to choose, what I leave. I didn't wanted to print new daily page, so I wrote on the green post it the most important tasks and covered the original plan with it. I worked from that list with the help of the little orange square post it. That is a great technique to stay concentrated and motivate yourself. How it works: pick from your list the 3 items you want to make. Choose the 3 most important, or what you have mood, or the first 3 one, take one with physical activity, one with sitting or something like this to work more balanced... After you are done this 3 tasks, reward yourself! Take a break, or do something for you (I make mostly some planner related stuff :D)
Extra chaotic stuff there: post its for tracking items (waiting on package :)) Note for myself, what to do, when I have headache. Procrastinated tasks, on post its, with a hope that I will do it at least. (They are still there...)

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Simplify! 4 tips for using flags in your planner

Flags are fun and useful tools in planning.
I have my flags from Sigel. Flags are very eye-catching, and most important: removable, thats why reusable. Why would you write things again and again? Why would you waste paper to re-plan something, if you need it? Use flags, if you have to do the same things more time, if you need something to outstand or if the schedule can change.

1. Things that I have to do often - I keep them on my dashboard. What I'm using often: laundry. My washing machine is in the basement, and I can so quickly forgot, that I started it... Flag comes to my daily page. It has a bright color, won't be hide between other to do-s!

2. Things I have to do again and again - Hair dyeing is every 4 weeks. If I done, I replace my flag for 4 weeks later.

3. To wait. I started a task, but I'm waiting someone else. Here: I wrote an e-mail, I wrote on the flag also, when. It is shifted all days, and if I don't get an answer in an appropriate time, I can ask after.

4. Planning. In an ideal life I would do things in that time as I planned for the first time. But the real life works other. Here you can see my planning for the year, for different topics, as knitting, pattern writing, etc. Flags give me the chance for re-plan.

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Simplify!

We tend to be make things complicated. But why? Something don't goes well for you? Try to find out how to simplify!

For one of my daughter was always a problem to place the used clothes to hamper. Clothes was on the floor. I bought here a hamper to her room. I made simpler for her to get the clothes in the right place. I wanted to try some coffee brands, and only buy next time, what I liked. I didn't remember, which I loved. Next time I cut out the name from the packing and glued on the box with a post it. I can write here, if I liked or not.
Ask a question from you: why I cannot do this? What makes this thing hard to make? And find a solution what help.
You have little kids and the bring they toys to the living room. You want a nice living room without kid stuff. It is really so important? Buy some boxes and put every toy at the end of the day in them. If it is full you can bring them back to child's room.

7 tips to planning:

1. flags 
2. post its
3. routines - on laminated inserts
4. filing
5. trying not to be perfect
6. laminated checklists
7. finding the place

I will write detailed post about these in the next days.

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