My Secret to Getting Things Done

Thank you to ShopStyle and Outdoor Voices for sponsoring today’s post.

Hello friends! I hope y’all are having a great week! About a month ago I shared the routine chart I made for my son and it has been going really well. I’ve been waking up early and I will wipe off the previous days’ checkmarks, write today’s date at the top, put a sweet note at the bottom, then set it onto the counter for James to fill out as he completes the tasks in the morning.

I also fill up a cup of water for him and sit it nearby with his vitamins. That is his “cup of the day” so that he drinks water first thing in the morning and also doesn’t dirty 15 cups out throughout the day.  He has been waking up and getting right to it, showering, making his bed and getting dressed, whereas before, he would get out of bed and start right into video games! 

He also has a new reading requirement (20 pages a day) for two books that need to be read before school starts.

My Secret to Getting Things Done

It finally occurred to me that I needed to make a routine chart for myself! As much as quarantine life has taught me that I need to be flexible and go with the flow, it has also solidified that I need the comfort of a daily routine to get (and keep) me going.

If I don’t have something written out regarding what I need to get done during the day, I literally feel like I am treading water or floundering about.  Like many of you, I’m working from home with my two kids and only have limited help from my mom since she started working.  

I definitely try to move with the ebbs and flows of life, but in general, things still have to get done! 

My secret to getting things done is to Make a Plan, then Execute the Plan

I’ve gone from paper planners to plain notebooks to keeping notes digitally on my phone, but what seems to work best for me now is having the following THREE LISTS:

ONE : a weekly routine checklist 

TWO : a weekly planner/schedule with time slots

THREE : a plan for each day 

THE WEEKLY ROUTINE

The weekly checklist lays out the things that I typically do on Monday through Sunday, on those days.  I typed this up on my computer and then printed it out since it is mostly static and doesn’t change.

For instance, I always workout on Mondays and that’s the day I like to batch write blog posts.

I take photos on Tuesdays, and do house tidying/organizing on Wednesdays.  I save my errands for Fridays and that’s also our Movie Night. 

Saturdays are for laundry (I always start right when I wake up), meal planning and grocery shopping.

Sundays I meal prep and have a note to limit my screen time.  I also review my budget and do accounting.  And make my plan for the week.

You wouldn’t believe what a good reminder it is to have this weekly routine available at a glance.  

Also, I find that if you do you things on repeat on certain days of the week, it becomes more of a habit and less of a struggle.  Knowing what you are supposed to be doing, when, frees up that mental energy, kind of like meal prepping in advance. You don’t have to spend time wondering what isn’t getting done or when it will get time, you have already decided that in advance.

THE WEEKLY SCHEDULE

The Weekly Planner is where I schedule out workouts, appointments, errands, work things, kids things, etc.  I like to use a planner that has times so I can visually look and see what my day looks like.  It also helps me realistically plan because we all know there’s not enough hours in the day sometimes.

Scheduling your exercise into your calendar is one of the best ways to make sure that it happens.  You’ll never have time if you don’t make the time!   It’s the same thing with meditating or stopping to take a few deep, cleansing breaths. If you think you don’t have time for it, you probably really need to do it!

One of the first things I schedule every week is exercise and try to aim for 4 to 5 workouts a week.

Outdoor Voices sent me the Exercise Dress and I’m really smitten.  It’s one of their best selling pieces with over 1,700 positive reviews. I swear I’ve never put on something like this before.

Get this, you step into it because the dress has a fully lined bodysuit with a built in bike short.  The material is their special LightSpeed fabric and is the coolest thing and the fabric feels light as air, like a second skin.

The bike shorts have a discreet pocket for holding your keys or phone too.

Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress

Not only is this Exercise Dress great for sports, you may find me running errands it in!  It’s that comfortable!

The Exercise Dress fits TTS, I’m wearing size XS.

You can purchase this exercise dress at Outdoor Voices and they offer Afterpay, which lets you shop for the things you love and pay in 4 installments, always interest-free. For example, the Exercise Dress is $100, but with Afterpay, you pay 4 installments of $25, with $25 due at time of purchase. The payments are due every 2 weeks. All of your payments are interest- free and there is no additional cost as long as you pay on time!

You will receive your products after making your first installment, just like with any other purchase method. I suggest getting this exercise dress and then you have to write me and tell me what you think!

THE DAILY PLAN

One of the biggest things that sets me up for success as far as getting things done is making a plan for the day the night before. Even though you’ve make a weekly schedule, that is more of a broad overview.  The Daily Plan is where you detail the nitty gritty.

Anytime I’m really sleepy at night and think to myself, “I’m too tired to plan the next day, I’ll just do it in the morning” it never goes as well. It’s so much better to take 10 minutes the night before and at just list out your top three priorities for the day.  Hopefully, it will help you fall asleep easier because, instead of being overwhelmed by all you have to do, you have a plan to get the important things done.

Then, go about getting the most important thing done first. When you do the most important thing first, even if nothing else gets accomplished, you’ve made progress toward what matters.

I love talking about this stuff and being productive, but trust me, there is down time as well and not every minute of my day is scheduled.  I do understand the importance of just chillin’ with no particular agenda, and that is critical to our well-being too. Maybe that’s why I try so hard to GSD during the week, so I can relax on the weekends!

I’d love to hear how you plan your days and schedule your weeks.  Let me know in the comments.

Have a great day friends!

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

12 Comments

  1. Thank you, Megan! Your posts about productivity are my favorite and help get me back on track and GSD! I do a giant brain dump of to dos with a sharpie about once a week, then use your daily schedule printable to organize and plan what I will try to get done the next day.

  2. You should mention your “brain dump” idea as well! I adopted that years ago from you and keep one page of my notebook that I dump things that randomly come across my mind. Vet appointment….a gift idea for Christmas….things I need to purchase for the house. That settles me to know I have things jotted down.

    1. Oh yes! That’s a good one! I keep a notebook by me while I’m working too and jot down all those random things that pop into my head!

  3. Cute dress! Yes, I do all those steps, too. But, I use an app to manage it because I don’t like writing the same thing over and over and over. I have little kids and don’t have time for that. The app is free in the app store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-arena-app-project-planner/id1295129242?ls=1. I really like that you can set things to recur and that you can drag-and-drop something to another day. Plus, when I have a big deadline I can make it HUGE so I know that’s the most important thing that day.

    1. Thanks for sharing that app! I go back and forth with using a digital planner and paper, but I tend to always go back to paper. Maybe once school starts I’ll go back to digital.

    1. Great question! No, I have a Weekly Overview on one page that’s printed and put in the kitchen. Then, the daily one is in a planner with a week at a glance and has times on the sides.

  4. Hi Megan! Greetings from Houston, TX ?Your blog is wonderful!!! We made Rhonda’s chocolate chip cookies – they are heavenly!! Thanks so much for all you share!

  5. Hi Megan, can you share brands of planners you use! There are so many choices, I end up trying several and have never found one that really feels all my needs! I love the acrylic calendar but my office is tiny!

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