How I Stay Organized - Welcome to Olivia Rink

Posted September 18, 2015

I recently found out that there are actually people out there who specialize in organization. Like, it’s their full time job… “professional organizer”…So now I’m sitting here wondering if I missed my calling..But on a serious note, I’ve always been pretty on top of things when it comes to organization. Partly because I’m OCD, partly because it reduces my stress, and partly because it’s the only way to get sh*t done. Whether you’re a student, young professional, business owner, or a stay at home mom.. I strongly believe organization is the key to success (or atleast one of the keys).

Chicwish Sweater (sz small & 15% off) || T Bar Bangle (code tpb-oliviarink for 15% off) || Karen Walker Sunglasses || ASOS Jeans || Suede Mocassins [Old Navy]

Today I’m sharing what I do to stay organized and on top of things. When I started blogging, I had no idea how many hours of work went in to operating a successful blog. Between writing copy for future posts, managing social media, working with brands, styling shoots, shooting content, managing accounting, answering e-mails, phone meetings, blog conferences, promotional events, and trying to find inspiration on top of all this can get pretty hectic. Not to mention – working out, cleaning, laundry, cooking, and attempting to be hair/makeup ready at all times..uhg men have it so easy 😉

So, if you’re having a hard time trying to manage it all, maybe it’s time to switch up the way you organize things. Here are a few of my tips for:

1. Become a to-do list queen…At the beginning of each day, I hand-write a list of all the things I need to get done that day. Prioritize in order from most important to least important. Highlight the things you HAVE TO get done before going to sleep that night. Cross things off as you complete each task for a sense of satisfaction! For those of you who are more digital – iCal is great.

2. Invest in a good planner… I use two planners – one for personal life and the other for work. If that’s a little intense for you, one detailed planner will do. Take it with you everywhere in case you need to schedule things on the go (invest in a good tote bag that will fit your planner). Write in pencil!!! Life is unpredictable and things change every day.

3. Use a giant desk calendar…Lay it on your desk or hang it on your wall. It’s a great way to see your whole month for planning and deadline purposes. I can’t plan anything unless I can visualizing my entire month (white board works too).

4. Figure out your most productive time of day and capitalize on it…I’ve become quite the night owl lately, so I make sure to get all of my errands done throughout the morning & afternoon while things are open, then it’s crunch time at night. Whatever time you’re most driven, creative, and focused, take advantage of those hours and minimize distractions (phone, friends, food, tv).See where to find your own personalized notepads here: Curio Press

5. Set deadlines.. A very important life skill.

6. I sit down and tackle e-mails twice a day…
Once when I wake up in the morning and once before I go to bed at night. When I don’t get to them all, I make sure to atleast categorize them all on gmail and then block out a couple hours at the beginning of each week to respond to them all because nothing stresses me out like seeing that terrifying red number on my gmail app.Fun fact: I’m an extremely fast typer (like 85 words/minute) and I never knew that you used shift to capitalize letters. My whole life I’ve used caps lock on, caps lock off when I want an uppercase letter. Lol.

7. Keep a notebook for ideas – don’t clutter your to-do list…I keep a tiny “ideas notebook” with me at all times. I use it for random thoughts, blog ideas, when I panic and rememeber I forgot to do something, etc. Don’t write these on your to-do list. Clutter, uhg.

8. Work outside your home (especially students)… I work from home, so I have a pretty good desk set up going on right now away distractions. But, sometimes it’s nice to get out of the house. Find your favorite local coffee joint and post up shop for a few hours to load up on caffeine and get things done.

9. Take a break…Getting out and stepping away from your work is good for a lot of reasons. I’ve noticed that when I try to write about a topic when I’m not focused, my writing kind of sucks. A change of scenery is always beneficial! So, whether you’re studying or doing some type of work project, it’s important to change things up so you don’t lose inspiration.

I hope these organization tips help you to stay a bit more organized in your daily life! All of the my personalized stationary in this post is from my sweet friend Alexis at Curio Press – check out her Etsy shop here. If you’re an avid list-maker like me, you have to order some of her cute notepads!

Other favorite Chicwish items:

Olivia Rink

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