Hello, how are you? It’s been a little while hasn’t it? There has been lots going on but it is so nice to be back sharing my weekly motivational tips with you all. 

Now, this week I wanted to talk about getting organised. Things have been pretty hectic over here and I’ve got out of my weekly habits, and over the last few days my brain has been going into overload. There is so much I needed to do and I just didn’t know where to begin.

I was getting my children ready for school the other morning and was getting breakfast sorted and noticed I was completely away with fairies, just thinking. Thinking about all the things I need to get done for UnitedArtSpace as well as juggling general life. It’s a lot and I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I didn’t even know where to start. I thought to myself, come on Michelle. Pull yourself together. Take control of the situation and don’t let it spiral.

So with all this going around in my head, I thought it would be a nice little topic to touch with you. I am going to be sharing my top tips on how I get organised, gain that control and make sure I am getting the things done that need to be done.

Get it down on paper 
 

I have tried to do this before and it never works. I have lots running around in my brain and I start to try and plan my week out and it just doesn’t work. Our brains aren’t calendars or notebooks and they can get overwhelmed. It’s so damaging when we start to try and plan away in our heads. There isn’t enough space for it. 

If you do this, stop! 

You’ll find by scribbling all those thoughts down on paper will relieve the brain. You will be writing and with each thing you write you will start to feel a weight being lifted. Think to yourself, what is bothering me? What keeps popping into your thoughts? Write it down. 

Once you’ve got all this out, you can then begin to plan.

I also like to check in with my bigger plan too – what is it that I want to achieve this year? Am I on target? Is there anything I can do to move closer to that goal? Checking in with where you are is so important as it is so easy to get caught up in the everyday and start to feel swamped. Maybe now more so than ever. Things in the UK are starting to get back to normal, slowly but surely and with that comes the kids clubs, meeting friends, going here and there and we can start to feel swamped. This is when we can start to lose sight of our dreams as we just don’t have the time to focus on them.

Planning them into your weekly tasks is essential if you want to get to where you dream of. 

Creating a plan

Once you’ve got all those niggling thoughts out on paper, you’ve checked in with what you want to achieve, you can then begin to plan. 

Create a list of all that you need to do. Then plan for the 90 days (three months). I have just done May, June and July. I like to know what the next few weeks and months are going to look like so I can be prepared and see what commitments I have, personal and work wise.

Add all the things from your list to your calendar – where are you going to fit them in? Block time out for those bigger tasks and then group together those niggly little jobs. You can then set aside an hour or two a week to get these little bits and bobs sorted. 

Remember, it doesn’t all have to be done in one month and that is why planning in bigger chunks is so important. You can spread things out to make sure you have blocks of time to focus on the tasks that are going to move you closer to your goals.

Print it off

To me this part is key. If we aren’t looking at it everyday and making sure we are following our plan, we don’t get things done and the overwhelm kicks in again. 

To create my calendars I use iCalendar. Each week I print the week off so I can see what it is going to look like and so I don’t forget anything. From the kids clubs to the little everyday tasks that need doing. 

If we try to plan everything inside our brain it is easy to forget personal commitments when thinking of work and vice versa. Having a calendar where it’s all in one place that we can look at each day makes it so much easier and makes our mind clearer. 

TIP: Focus time, make this non negotiable. When you really want to get a job done, turn off all distractions. Mute your phone, emails and messages and get stuck in to the job in hand. ​

Working in seasons

This one isn’t for everyone but I like to work this way. It really helps me to stay on track and to stay focused. 

Working with the seasons is working in three month blocks. Each three month block has a different purpose and will pull into a different direction. So for example, the first season’s of this year was all about getting in front of people. We’ve had events, challenges, celebrations, launching the shop. 

Now as we’ve moved into the next season, I am now focusing on what I call content creation. Creating lessons, rewiring the seven keys etc. 

Of course, there are weekly, daily tasks that I need to show up for but I am talking about my focused time. The bigger tasks that are bringing me closer to my goals. This where the ‘seasons’ take effect. 

This doesn’t work for everyone – some of you will like this idea and it will work well. Others will work in other ways and do tasks as when they see fit. That is fine, we all work differently but the key is to keep checking in with our goals to make sure we are working towards them. 

To recap, here are my tips for getting on top and staying in control: 

  • Get everything out of your brain and down on paper. 
  • Create a plan in your calendar – what are you going to achieve and when are you going to do it? 
  • Print it off and check your calendar daily. Make sure you know what your week is going to look like. 
  • Find focus time that is non-negotiable for your bigger, more focused tasks. 
  • Keep checking in with your goals. Keep asking yourself, am I working towards these? 

I really hope you have found this useful. Remember, when you get that overwhelming feeling and you don’t know where to begin, get everything out of that brain, then plan, plan, plan.

You’ll feel the weight lifting and the mind clearing so you can begin to achieve and start working towards your dreams – you’ve got this! 

Much love,

Michelle.