How I Stay Organized (Without a Single Sheet of Paper)

It seems like paper planners are “the thing” to have right now.  I see people on Instagram all the time talking about how organized they are because of ____________ planner.  You fill in the blank – there are tons out there!

But personally, it just isn’t for me.  If having a paper planner keeps you more organized, more power to you!  Keep on keeping on.  But I tried it for about 6 months and couldn’t do it.  Several years ago, I took the blogger bait and tried out an Erin Condren planner.  It was “the” planner to have at that time, so I just had to see what all the fuss was about.  It certainly was pretty and had a great layout.  But, a few issues I had (and really would have had with any paper planner)…

-It was bulky.  I hated having to keep up with this massive planner.
-It got messy for me.  The big issue is that, with blogging and blog design, flexibility is key.  I found myself constantly scratching out/reassigning tasks and to-dos, and I ended up with more scribbles on a page than words.  That made it really difficult to use.
-If I left it at home, I didn’t know which way to go! 🙂  I like having my planner/to-do list available at any time.  I’ve said it before – if I don’t have these available at all times, I might not remember to wake up in the morning.  I’m seriously dependent on a calendar/to-do list.
-Those planners aren’t cheap!  I wanted a method that didn’t require a big purchase.

So, after a few months of really giving the paper planner a chance, I decided to try another organizational method.  Believe it or not – I don’t use a single sheet of paper or a single pen to do this!  This has worked so well for me for a few years now, so I thought I’d share it with y’all.

The two main things that really make this work are my calendar app on my Macbook Pro/iPhone and an app called Wunderlist.  I’ve mentioned this one before – it’s a free, simple, no-fuss to-do list app that I absolutely love.  The reminders app the comes standard on iPhones is good too, but I prefer Wunderlist because of a few features it has (the ability to prioritize to-do list items being the big one).  Of course, any calendar app and to-do list app would work…there are tons of great free ones out there no matter what smartphone/computer you use.

For my calendar:

I kind of consider my calendar app the “big picture,” whereas Wunderlist is how I organize the smaller day-to-day details (more on that below).  As events, work projects, and other scheduled items come up, I put them on the Mac calendar.  Also, as I think of ideas for blog posts or schedule sponsored posts, I put them on the calendar in a tentative date.  If it’s just something that needs to be completed at any point that day, I make it an all-day event (right click your event, select “get info,” click the date, and select “all day”).  If it’s something that needs to be done at a specific time that day, I set it for that specific time.

Here’s what my calendar looked like as of yesterday (I’ve erased a few things for privacy reasons, but you get the idea).  I have a color code on here: blue is blog posts, red is blog design, gray is for our rental condo, purple is for sponsored social media posts I’ve agreed to do, and green is for home/personal events.  If an item is yellow, that means I’ve completed it.  This is kind of my version of having colored pens for your paper planner. 🙂

This method is so great if you need a flexible schedule.  A lot of times I don’t get finished with a certain blog post or a sponsored post launch gets moved – so I pick it up and drag it to the new day.  Simple as that – no scratching out or rewriting.  It’s also so easy to look at this and see what I’ve got on my plate for a current week.  By making all of the finished items the same color, I can quickly see what’s left for that week.

For my to do list:

Like I mentioned, while the calendar is my “big picture,” Wunderlist is how I organize the smaller details of each week.  I have kind of a Sunday night ritual: I sit down with my calendar and add each item to be done that week (blog posts, blog designs) as an item on my to-do list.  I also add cleaning projects for that week (from my cleaning schedule post…I actually pull up that post on my blog every single Sunday to make my list for the week!).  I organize all of these tasks into what needs to be done each day.  Then, I star the items that need to be done Monday.  That way, it’s easy to quickly look at the list and know what needs to be done that day.

I check off items as they’re finished.  Then, at the end of each day, I take a look at my to do list and star what needs to be done the next day.  So on, and so forth.

I usually try to overbook my Monday-Thursday to make sure I have everything done before the weekend.  I rarely finish everything that’s starred on those days, but it gives me a little bit more motivation to really get a lot accomplished.  If it doesn’t get done one day, I keep it starred for the next day.  Friday is my overflow day – anything that doesn’t get finished Monday-Thursday is a Friday project.

Of course new things get added as the week goes on.  Wunderlist makes it so easy to quickly drop something else in (and I promise this post isn’t sponsored by Wunderlist…I just really like the app!).  I just pop it into the list where I’d like to get it done.  Way easier than having to jot a note out to the side of a paper to-do list.

Both the calendar app and Wunderlist sync to both my phone and my computer…so, even if I’m not at home, I always have access to both.  No need to remember to bring an additional planner since I always have my phone with me.  I have the Wunderlist app on my computer too, which sinks effortlessly with my phone.  And, since Mac Calendar is an app on both my phone and computer, it’s just a click away too.

So there you have it.  It is possible to stay organized without a fancy schmancy planner, I promise!  This method is totally free (given that you already use a smartphone and computer), doesn’t require extra paper/pens/supplies, and really just does work better for me than a paper planner.  Hope it helps some of y’all out there, too!