This time of year is always extra busy, and with the fluid nature of things right now it’s possible that your schedule is constantly changing. I’ve come up with a few tricks that help me to stay as on top of things as possible.
I can’t possibly remember everything that I need to get done or recall random thoughts that pop into my head. Here are a few things I do that might be helpful for you, too!
1 – Leave Visual Cues For Yourself
Leave the light on in the laundry room to remind yourself to switch clothes from the washer to the dryer.
This might not work if you have a large family and always have laundry going. I only have to do laundry every other day. I put a load in first thing that morning and leave the light on in the laundry room to remind myself to put it in the dryer before I go to work!
Place post it notes on the door for things you need to grab on your way out.
Use post it’s to remind yourself (or someone else) to grab lunch from the fridge, put the trash cans out or grab something they need for work.
2 – Use Smart Reminders on Your Phone
Remind yourself of household tasks:
- Siri, remind me in one hour to put the soup in the fridge (so you don’t forget to put it in the fridge after letting the leftovers cool on the counter!)
- Siri, remind me in 40 minutes to put the clothes in the dryer (this works like my light trick if your laundry room isn’t on the main level of your house)
Remind yourself of things you need to do when you get home.
- Siri, when I get home, remind me to get the thing I need for work tomorrow: I do this if I need to take something to work the next day – party supplies, a card for someone, etc.
- Siri, when I get home, remind me to make a vet appointment
I love that on my iPhone, it alerts me with an audible notification and then those reminders stay on my lock screen until I go in and check them off!
3 – Use the Notes app on your phone
I use Google Keep and love it! I use it for so many lists and things I want to remember but can’t keep in my head. Here’s a screenshot of part of my lists as they are right now:
I keep a running list of meal ideas, grocery items we need, blog post ideas, Christmas lists from family members, and funny or inspirational quotes I want to remember. I love that you can make lists that have check boxes, color code your lists and share them with others so they update in real time.
Of course these tips are just “extras” that I do to complement my planner, which is where I keep all my weekly to-do’s and reminders. I don’t carry my planner with me, so that’s where my phone comes especially in handy.
More Time Management Tips:
- How To Get the Most Out of Your Planner
- How To Avoid Social Media Distraction and Get Things Done
- 3 Reasons You Are Late – And What To Do About It!
Come Home For Comfort 
Good advice!! I definitely could use Siri more to help me remember things. That would be really handy. I like making notes on my phone, often leave my laundry room light on to keep track of loads and I like to make a pile by my keys at night of everything that needs to leave with me in the morning. All those little tricks add up!
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I wish I could ask Siri to clean up after supper! 🙂 Seriously, it’s been really helpful to use that function on my phone for little things that I know I’ll forget – especially when I’m driving or have my hands full.
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