I hate the idea that you have to stick with one organization system throughout the year.
Organization systems are tools that adapt to our lifestyle and our workload and should
be chosen and used according to those principles.
Currently, I’ve been loving an all-digital system again Because I can see the exact same
information in different devices even if I’m in a situation where I don’t have my laptop
or even my iPad with me.
Being able to log quick notes And tasks without having to set up a notebook or a ring-bound
planner feels awesome, especially when you can add more detail and information to those
notes in the future.
My current organization system is divided between three major apps: a main calendar
app, a to-do app and a project planning app.
I’ve been using Timepage, Actions and Notion, respectively, for this, but you can use other
similar apps of your choice.
The basics of my organization system require three main steps: 1) scheduling events, 2)
logging tasks and 3) project plan.
I go through these three steps when I need to plan for something or during my weekly
reset organization sessions.
- The first part of this process is opening my Timepage app, which is basically a very
pretty and functional calendar app, go to my monthly view and add events.
In my own personal dictionary, calendar events are basically locked time blocks . As soon
as they are added to my calendar, that timeblock can’t be used to schedule tasks.
Whether it’s a place I must be, someone I have to hang out with or that gym class
I have to go to, any future tasks that I try to allocate to my calendar can’t interfere
with those time blocks.
- When scheduling an event, I like to add in as much detail as possible, including exact
timeframes, location, contact numbers in case there’s someone I have to call, as well
as notes related to that event.
I then select the calendar I want to add that event to and that’s it.
I simplified my calendar organization and currently have two calendars: a family calendar,
where I share events that are relevant to share with my fiancé, and a personal calendar,
which has information that is only relevant to me.
After all of my events have been scheduled, it’s time to switch apps and open Actions.
- Actions is an app that simply lets you log tasks.
It’s supposed to be simple and fast and it mimics the experience of a to-do list by
relying on swipe gestures and individual lists of to-do’s, like you would find in the pages
of a notepad.
I have four main lists on Actions - a list for work, other for general chores, a list
for wedding planning and a list for YouTube projects.
These tasks can either be logged indefinitely or scheduled for a specific day.
For logging tasks, I go through the same system every time.
- Step number 1: When I open the app, I open my first list and insert anything I remember
that I have to do, from very small things like “e-mailing final version of document”
to big things like imagining an entire project from scratch.
I make sure I open each one of my lists, skim through the tasks that have been logged and
not yet completed and then add things I remember I still have to start, improve or complete.
- Step number 2: After all of my to-dos have been added to their corresponding list, I
return to the split view and start dragging each task to a certain day of the week.
Assigning a time slot for these tasks creates a sense of accountability but most of all,
it immediately affects the rest of my day.
This is fundamental because the great thing about Actions in my opinion is that it synths
perfectly with Timepage.
- There’s a weekly view in the left column that imports all events added to Timepage,
even if they come from multiple calendars.
Having this overview of your week makes it easy to drag and drop tasks, as you already
have a sense of your available time because of your locked time blocks.
Managing your way around your scheduled events makes it easier to allocate time dedicated
to finish a certain task because there’s an improved perception of how you’ll be
spending your time and that will eliminate any need to re-allocate.
All of my events have been scheduled and all of my tasks have been allocated.
This means it’s time to look at the bigger picture and this means project planning via
Notion.
A quick note regarding my understanding of Project Planning, however - although it can
include obvious things like creating a new YouTube video series, writing an article or
changing my bedroom decor, I also call project planning to major lists that are used for
a longer time-span than tasks in to-do lists; for instance, my bucket list and my 30 before
30 list have been included in Notion.
The same idea applies to things like my reading list, major meal prepping routines, links
for budgeting spreadsheets, etc.
Furthermore, Notion also acts as a data repository and it’s a place I use to keep all the random
information I don’t want to forget like brainstorming templates, ideas for Christmas
gifts, contacts, restaurant recommendations, video exporting settings, submission rules,
the list goes on and on.
In other words, after everything is scheduled and allocated, Notion acts as a major (but
organized) brain dump.
I type down everything I think about: stuff I want to do, stuff I need to remember or
stuff that I may do one day in the future and would like to have a place to record in
case I forget.
Part of this brain dump actually sees the light of day and ends up being scheduled or
allocated into tasks; for instance, my self-learning video series was once a page of Notion that
I didn’t initially plan to start anytime soon.
A final note just to say that this system only works in its entirety.
Missing any of the three steps renders the system useless so I make sure that I visit
all three of these apps as part of my daily routine.
After a week or two, it gets pretty fast and seamless and definitely helps me feel less
overwhelmed.
And if you want to learn more about different organization systems, you can use today's
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I hope you enjoyed this video and I will see you next week.
Bye guys!