Advice – I Don't Have Time to Get
Organized!
I can't claim to be particularly organized
person. This grieves me deeply because my grandmother was very much the type of
person who had a place for everything and everything in its place. I have long aspired
to be more like her. But fifty-plus years in, I'm going to have to admit that
being pathologically organized is not written into my DNA.
However, I am an author who regularly turns
in 6 to 8 books a year and releases 6 to 8 books a year. That's a lot of
deadlines, blog posts, book launches, newsletters, and giveaways. Our children
have flown the coop in recent years, which helps a lot in terms of how many
day-to-day tasks are on my plate, but laundry and cooking still exist in my
world. Believe me, I've been waiting for the private jet to take me to an
island where dental appointments and snow tires are not a thing, but so far, no
luck.
Scheduling all of these things into my
phone became one more to do. It was exhausting, and it didn't work, especially
because I can’t stand typing on my phone.
I finally went old-school. I found a
business calendar (Polestar Business Agenda is my organizer of choice) that
shows a week at a glance. I use a pencil so I can erase and yes, it stays on my
desk at home, which means it’s not with me when I’m booking my next acupuncture
appointment, but as soon as I'm home I write it in. If it conflicts, I change
it.
One of the most important ways this method
works for me is the ability to push tasks forward easily. You might be someone
who works in a calendar app and has no problem scrolling and clicking and
pushing items around. My brain operates better if I visually see the week’s
task at a glance. On Sunday night, I review and reschedule anything that wasn’t
completed. I rarely completely drop tasks (unless I’m consciously
procrastinating. Website updates often get pushed and pushed and pushed.)
Along with appointments and writing goals
and upcoming promotions and my gym days, I also make note of content ideas for
my next newsletter. Also, on a daily basis, I write down my word count so the
running total gives me a sense of achievement.
Obviously, this isn't a new concept. You
may very well have a wall calendar that tracks soccer practice and early
dismissal that works perfectly for you. But if you’re juggling creative or
small business goals with all those other tasks, you might find this works for
you.
Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with some laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. Mostly she writes contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule’s Montana Born, but her backlist of fifty books also includes self-published erotic romance, romantic comedy, and even an epic medieval fantasy. When she’s not writing—just kidding, she’s always writing. Look for Dani’s latest Presents, Untouched Until Her Ultra-Rich Husband, out now!
Dani Collins on the web:
Website Facebook Twitter Instagram
She also has a new book out this month...
Untouched Until Her Ultra-Rich Husband.
…is the only woman he’ll marry!
Multibillionaire Gabriel Dean is so outrageously wealthy that when computer genius Luli Cruz uses her skills to hold his inheritance to ransom, her audacity simply amuses him! Innocent Luli needs Gabriel’s help to avoid destitution. Gabriel’s solution? He’ll secure both their futures by marrying her! But sweeping wide-eyed Luli into his luxurious world, Gabriel discovers the chemistry with his untouched wife is priceless…
Welcome to the exclusive world of the ultra-rich…
Buy on:
Nice to learn about Dani and the book sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI would have trouble keeping up with all you do. I would say you are very organized.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting Comedy Plus.
Have a great weekend. ♥
so intesting post;)
ReplyDeletea journal or business calendar seems like the way to go.
ReplyDeleteFun post. I find old school planners work best for me too so I can totally relate!
ReplyDeleteI do the old-school thing and write everything down in a large calendar. It keeps me fairly organized.
ReplyDeleteso good and helpful post;)
ReplyDeleteOh very interesting darling
ReplyDeletexx
This is what I do as well... jot down things that have to be done.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I do like my phone calendar for appointments. But- I do keep a paper calendar for scheduling work things. I only put important events for work on my phone and keep the day to day things on paper. Easier for me to see and manipulate. So many different systems for different people. :)
ReplyDelete~Jess