You all know how much I love to-do lists and planners. Well, I have discovered something new which I absolutely adore!
Let me back up a moment. A lot of my work, for both my blog and for the work I do with clients, is ongoing long-term work. That means that I have to chip away at these projects a little bit each day. And that can be tricky to keep track of and manage, especially when it’s time-sensitive projects such as social media!
But then I discovered this new organizing tool that is absolutely perfect for helping me to juggle everything I have to do every day or second day or once a week...
Write down a list of everything you need to do, divided into clients or projects, and place it in a plastic sheet protector.
Use a dry erase marker to check things off as you do them throughout the day. The next morning, you can wipe it clean and start over!
I can’t believe how genius, simple, and effective this tool is.
I got the idea from Mama Miss, when I recently purchased her mid-year blog planner (which is a really nice, super comprehensive resource! I highly recommend it!).
The only issue I had with her daily maintenance page was that it included some things that I don’t do, and it was missing other crucial things for me.
So I created my own version.
My page is divided into two columns, one column for SaganMorrow.com work and one column for my major clients. From there, these are sub-sectioned out into tables (such as “Blog,” “Facebook & Twitter,” and “Other”), which include three columns: a blank space for me to check things off, the actual task itself, and then the approximate amount of time that task will take me.
I find this tool to be extremely helpful in juggling all of the different work I have to do each day, and it’s oh-so-satisfying to check things off as I complete them! Using a dry-erase marker over a plastic sheet protector makes this an environmentally-friendly organizing tool, too, and one which you can keep reusing day after day.
This type of tool is perfect if you ever feel a little overwhelmed, as it breaks projects into very manageable pieces. It also ensures that nothing slips through the cracks---which, of course, is extremely important for your own work and for your client work.
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LOVE this idea! I would go even further and have a dry erase board to tick things off.
I’ve got that too 😀 There are just too many things to write on the dry erase board though… heehee. But it is SUPER useful to have a white board to see the main things to do at a glance!
A great tip! Who doesn’t love a to do list? I’ve been known to add in things I’ve already done just to have the satisfaction of crossing it off!
Haha, that IS very satisfying 🙂
Clever idea. I used to do this with my chore charts.
Smart!
[…] Sagan Morrow shared a organization tip that was so amazing… I went out and got the materials to do it as soon as I read her tips! You need to read this, especially if you’re a blogger. […]
i use this system with homeschooling my boys but never thought to use with myself-huge head slap! Great tip!!
Do it!!! It is awesome 😀
[…] to lists and keep at it. I have a small day planner, plus a weekly to-do sticky note, as well as a list of everyday items in a clear sheet protector that I can check off with a dry-erase marker. Because of the nature of my work (the blog side of the things, the freelance writing / editing […]
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[…] can have bulletin boards, white boards, a reusable daily checklist, binders, sticky notes; the works. The trick is to have a balance of a variety of different options […]
I use a 1 week dry erase board, so that I can easily change my tasks. I also am limiting myself to 3 priority tasks per day,(alla Tim Ferriss) so I am able to fit it all on there. For client work, I’d probably need something like you’re using. Right now, this is for business building.
Great method for business building!
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