There’s something so satisfying about planning and organizing for me. That’s part of the reason I love doing Virtual Assistant and freelance Graphic Design work. I get to plan out when I have to do what, juggle a bunch of different tasks and decide what needs to be prioritized. But even for me, that can sometimes get overwhelming.
So if you’re someone who hates planning… or just doesn’t have a good organized system for writing down what you have to do, this blog is for you!
Everyone loves free stuff, right?
I’m going to walk you through my whole process of organizing and planning, from start to finish. AND if you are one of those lovely people who is subscribed to my newsletter, you will receive a FREE downloadable weekly organization layout to use in your calendar or bullet journal. If you aren’t subscribed, make sure to do that now so you can get FREE goodies in the future.
Ready to organize?
Alright, let’s get started. The first thing I do every month is look at any upcoming deadlines, appointments, events or important dates coming up that month. Because I do my Virtual Assistant work from home and also have a full-time job at an office, I have a calendar book at my job where I write all of these dates down.
I also use this calendar book to write down my MIT (Most Important Tasks) on each day of the week.
At home, I have a desk calendar where I write the same important events and write a couple overall MITs in the notes section.
This is an easy way to see upcoming appointments and events at a glance. I try to only use my calendar book and desk calendar for Virtual Assistant and freelance tasks.
Join the Bullet Journal Craze – It’s worth it!
After I have all of my major events written down, I go into my Bullet Journal, this is a catch-all for everything I have to do, from bills due to doctor appointments to projects to pet visits.
I create a monthly overview and write down bills due and how much. I also write down other deadlines for my virtual assistant job if I think they are big enough to have with me every day.
From there, I start building my ‘Weekly Overview’ for the upcoming week. This is usually my favorite part because I like to get a little creative.
My weekly overview usually includes things I know are due and also deadlines I create for personal projects.
We then get into the day-to-day. This is a place where you can really use it as you want.
Sometimes I just jot down everything in my brain, even if I know I won’t get that task done that day. This makes it a lot easier not to forget anything and to have those tasks somewhere. If I don’t complete that task that day, no problem, just move it to the next day.
An Easy Way to View Projects on The Go
I do write tasks for my Virtual Assistant business, but if I know a task is going to turn into a project (ie; there ends up being multiple subtasks within this task), I switch over to my trusty Asana account and create a board specifically for that project.
Asana is also a great place to collaborate with other clients that use it. Not all my clients use Asana, but the ones that do are able to assign me tasks and track my progress.
Notes Never Fail
One last part that completes my organizational system is my note taking journal. Some people use their Bullet Journal or whatever journal they have for tasks to also take notes in, however because I am constantly looking for new courses and online certifications to learn more about specific topics, I have found that having a journal dedicated solely to note taking on these topics is very useful.
This way, I have every note I’ve ever taken in one book and don’t have to flip through as many pages to get to them. I also sometimes use my note taking journal while organizing my bullet journal, which makes having a separate journal even more important.
To organize this journal, I have an index at the start with enough space to add new subjects as I focus on them more, then I just add a headline to the top of the page whenever I switch to a different topic and that’s it! Easy peasy.
Find What Works for You
I know my way of organizing may seem a little over the top, but it works amazingly for me. I love having a mixture of online and paper tools to get me organize and I find that I’m actually excited to plan for a new month or week!
Hopefully you’ve found some of my methods helpful or they have inspired you to think about what would work best for you! Even if you don’t own a business or do freelance work, having a planner and a journal is a great way to keep yourself motivated on whatever goals you have.
That’s it for now! If you are subscribed to my newsletter, you will receive a more in-depth look at some of the ways I use my Bullet Journal as well as a FREE downloadable template to use as a weekly planner. If you aren’t subscribed… what are you waiting for??
Talk to you soon!
Isabel Madeline