In this post, I would like to share how I get things done. I am not someone who is highly organized and disciplined. Being easily anxious, planning really helps me stay calm and on track.
Evernote
First of all, among other planning tools, lists are the most important. I am a hardcore lister. I keep my lists on Evernote – things like goals, master to-do lists, financial commitments, saving goals, and writing ideas. I realize that many achievements in my life are more likely to materialise if they are written down, insyaAllah.
I prefer pen over the keyboard for the thinking process. I don’t immediately plan or type my lists on Evernote as I brainstorm better with pen and paper than with a laptop or cell phone – they often bring me to other places, such as random websites, social media platforms, and useless news scrolling. Only when I’m happy with my lists do I transfer them digitally.
Yes, it’s quite tedious. For me, analog might slow us down, but while slowing us down, it makes us more thoughtful and creative.
Evernote is amazing. It is a cloud-based software service designed for creating, organizing, and storing various media files, whether it’s a text document, a photo, a video, an audio file, or even a web page. The only thing I dislike about Evernote is that it can only be accessed from no more than two devices if you’re on the free version. Expectedly, I’m on the free one.
Google Calendar and Google Tasks
The things I need to do are pretty much routine, e.g., daily tasks like going to work, writing, sending and picking up kids, chores, AM and PM beauty routines, and weekly tasks like halaqah, groceries, going out with friends, and kids’ quality time (art, workbook, storytelling), etc. Therefore, I don’t really do daily planning and to-do lists. The daily to-do list is only necessary for non-routine work that I keep track of using Google Tasks. Google Tasks is a free online service that helps manage your to-do lists.
Since those tasks are nothing without a date/time assigned to them, I schedule them on Google Calendar along with my events and appointments. Google Calendar is also an online service, so it can easily be accessed via apps or internet browsers as long as you have the internet. Unlike Evernote, there’s no limitation on access for both Google Calendar and Google Tasks. They can be displayed side by side on a computer screen, which is very helpful.
Notebook or Bullet Journal
My minimalist on-the-go essentials are my phone, wallet, notebook/papers and pen, lipstick, and my car key (only if I’m driving, of course) – all in my handbag. I always have a mini notebook in my bag. It is more like a bind of loose papers to me. They get finished pretty quickly because I love to tear them off and give the papers to my kids and friends.
At this moment, I fancy having an appointed bullet journal. I was already using one before I started listing religiously on Evernote. However, after decluttering all of my notebooks, I have none left, and over time, I feel like I’m missing something.
I’m planning to have a pocket-sized bullet journal for on-the-go journalling. I won’t overlap its role with my Google Calendar, Google Tasks, and Evernote. It is not so much for planning purposes but more for therapeutic journalling. I’m still giving it time to think about whether it’s really necessary.
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