Hey guys!
Welcome back to Lavendaire.
It's Aileen.
So good to see you.
Today I want to share how I plan and organize my life, how I get things done.
And I've basically revamped my entire to-do system
from what I use digitally to what I use on paper, so I want to share that today.
So I'll start with the digital format.
So I started to use Trello.
If you watched my older videos, you know I used to use Wunderlist.
But the problem I found with Wunderlist was: my projects were all in separate tabs,
and only when I clicked on them could I see the to-dos.
And so sometimes I would focus on certain tabs and forget to even open other tabs,
so I kind of left other projects or to-dos in the dark.
So with Trello, I can see everything at a glance because I organize by projects vertically,
so each vertical column is a project, and I list all the tasks under there.
You can organize it really well, and you could also move the boards around.
So what I do is: I put my highest priority project to the very left so that I see it first.
And then if that project becomes less important,
then I'll move it down and move something else up.
I like the ability to move things around
because it just depends on what's my priority at that moment.
I also love using colorful labels on Trello.
I usually put on a yellow label for things that I need to work on now,
and then an orange label for things that are secondary important
but still things that I want to focus on.
There's so much flexibility with Trello,
so I've really been enjoying this as my new digital to-do list platform.
So if you're interested, check it out.
You'll start to get the hang of it after you play around with it.
I also use iCal on my MacBook, which links to my iPhone.
This is where I list all my appointments, events, travel plans, and also my content calendar as well.
For example, I'll show you my month of February, since it's long gone.
I had a podcast recording week that week so I have all the calls scheduled for the podcast,
as well as fitness classes, travel plans, speaking engagements, things like that.
Now let's move on to how I plan my day.
I love to plan my day on paper.
It's just something that I enjoy and it's easy for me to focus on just what I write on the paper,
because if I work off of Trello or anything digital,
it kind of feels like a mess because there's a lot of other distractions there.
So for the day, I like to focus on whatever I write down.
I actually used to do this on a notepad or a post-it note and leave it on my desk,
but recently I had the idea to design a template for how I want to plan my ideal day.
So this is actually a prototype for a product I'm coming out with later in the year.
It's going to be called the Daily Planner by Lavendaire.
This is a side note, but you know how I have the Artist of Life Workbook
that is like the big picture, planning your goals for the year.
Well, the Daily Planner is literally something to help you plan your day.
So I've been really enjoying using this and I've just been printing it out on paper right now.
So the basics of this format is to start the day with an intention of how you want to feel.
I feel like not many people think about that,
but you can actually shape your day by asking yourself: "How do I want to feel today?"
"Do I want to feel happy?
Do I want to feel confident?
Do I want to feel courageous?"
I feel like starting with that gives me back power to shape how I want my day to be.
The next crucial part is to list the three most important tasks
that I want to get done for that day,
and these three tasks are the tasks that if you ask yourself,
"If I were to only complete three things in my day and be satisfied with that,
which three things would they be?"
Usually I'll look through my Trello and kind of pick out whatever's the most important.
For the most part, I already know in my head what I have to do that day
because whatever's most important is top of mind.
But this just helps me get things organized and prioritize something you might think is important
might not be, compared to other things, so this helps you organize it.
After you pick your three most important tasks,
then you can fill it in with your other to-dos
that you'd like to get done that day, but aren't a complete necessary.
Usually I have 3-5 other to-dos on my list on top of my most important tasks
and it's never more than that, because the most important things really take up most of my day.
Next, I plan the self care items I want to do that day.
And my "self care items" I mean positive habits that you want to do every day,
your routines, things that make you feel centered, at peace, happy,
anything that is good for your body, your health, your mind, all of that.
Meditating, journaling, exercising, reading, cleaning.
Things like that, I consider go all under the umbrella of self care.
And not many people put those in their to-do list all the time.
So I like to have a space for self care just so I remember to do them.
Lastly, I have this little section for notes and that's where I would write down
meetings, appointments, just little reminders throughout the day.
Then, at the end of the day – and this is completely optional –
is I like to take a little moment from my day to reflect on
what I'm grateful for and what wins I had that day.
Reflecting on what you're grateful for, it's always so helpful to focus on gratitude
because without gratitude, you can have everything in life and still not be happy.
Gratitude will make you feel more fulfilled, more satisfied and content with your life.
It just has so many benefits.
And also, focusing on your wins –
if you guys haven't seen my video on my confidence story
about how small wins help you build confidence, watch that video.
But basically, the idea is focusing on your wins,
rather than your losses or things that you're lacking.
It will just help boost your confidence, boost your morale and motivation.
It's just good to focus on the good, rather than focus on the not-so-good.
Another thing to note is: I often try to plan my day the night before.
So at night when I'm doing all this reflecting, I also take that time to plan out tomorrow:
what my most important tasks are to do tomorrow, all the to-dos, everything.
Alright, so I hope you enjoy this look at how I plan life,
how I get things done, from the big picture to the daily tasks.
Let me know if you have any questions.
I'll do my best to answer in the comments down below.
But yes, I am planning to launch the 2019 version of the Artist of Life Workbook in November.
It'll be November 1, tentatively.
And I am coming out with this new Daily Planner,
which is basically these pages but in a notebook form, so that will be really nice.
But I mean, you have the info here.
You can create your own template and follow this yourself every day,
I don't mind because it's helpful.
If you do want to be the first to know when these products will come out,
definitely sign up for the email list down below
because I will soft launch to the email list before even launching on any social media.
Alright, have a beautiful day.
Love you all so much, and I'll see you next time.
Bye!