How to Organize Your Time with Only a Weekly Planner and To-Do List

Organizing your time can be a tricky task. However, it can be necessary to insure you've done everything that needs to be done and in a reasonable time frame. Many people avoid many time management practices because they themselves can be time consuming, but if you use efficient techniques, it doesn't have to be. There are only two tools you need to properly organize your time: a to-do list and a weekly planner. They can be electric or paper; it doesn't matter. The weekly planner should simply have slots for each day and the to-do list can be any lined paper or .txt file.

You should use the weekly planner as you traditionally would. Write down all major events and appointments: birthdays, anniversaries, doctor and dentist appointments, important meetings, vacations, and exam dates. Additionally, you should include in your planner anything else that you still need to do but aren't things you do every day, e.g. parties, visits from relatives, home improvement projects. You should also add things you do regularly but not daily such as weekly or biweekly. Some examples are exercise routines, replacement schedules, and take out the trash.

You can write out the schedules as far into the future as you like. If a routine has no chance of changing, you can write it out for the whole year. If you want some flexibility then you can write out all events within 6 months or even 3 months. Try to keep at least several months written out in advance so events don't sneak up on you. And singular events should be written up as soon as you know about them, no matter how long it will be. Annual events can be marked for the entire year at the start of each year.

Your to-do list should comprise of everything you need to do for the present day. Every morning, or the night before, make a new to-do list for the new day. Include everything in your to-do list, even your leisure activities. You should also include any events from your weekly planner that occurs on that day.

When you complete an activity in a day strike it through on your list and put a checkmark next to it. If you find that you won't be able to complete an activities after all, you should strike it through and place an "X" next to it. If you intend to complete it later, either add it to the next day's to-do list or to your weekly planner so you don't forget. By using the weekly planner with the to-do list, you can list things in your weekly planner to be done on different days, but still have a handy list to check off throughout the day. Having a smaller "one day" list allows you to feel accomplished with your completions rather than feeling like you still have a mountain of work to do.