Five Easy Ways to Organize Your Week

Welcome to the last week of July. Weren’t we just celebrating Independence Day and making plans for a long summer ahead of us? To get the most out of the remaining days of summer, you may find it helpful to organize your week – just a smidge in some key areas. This will take only a few moments and help to ensure that you can work hard, play hard, participate in summer delights, and enjoy your version of logistical bliss. Perhaps one, some, or all of the following ideas will appeal to the organization enthusiast within.

1. Take five minutes to glance through your calendar and get a sense of what’s on the docket this week. Are you getting your haircut? Paying your mortgage? Going to a ballgame? Meeting friends for dinner? It’s always helpful to be reminded of your planned activities and obligations so you don’t double-book yourself or forget to complete a necessary task.

2. Identify how these happenings may shift part of your weekly routine (i.e. laundry night, keeping tabs on your piggy bank, etc.) Flexibility is the name of the game. If Girls’ Night Out is happening when you’d normally do  laundry, pencil in another time when you’ll dish detergent into a nearby washer.

Tip: Maintain a weekly schedule for doing laundry, paying bills, going grocery shopping, and taking care of other errands and chores. Routines can take some getting used to, but once they’re part of your life, you’ll find that they’re well worth it. And when something more fun comes up, the routine helps you move things around so you can enjoy yourself and still accomplish whatever needs to happen in the land of chores.

3. Before planning your meals for the week ahead, make note of any dinner meetings, work trips, or other activities that will modify the food schedule. Then, plan your meals and grocery list accordingly. This will help you save money and keep you from wasting food.

4. Remind yourself of any special events you had considered attending this week. Does your local museum have a summer event happening on Tuesday night? Is that concert in the town park still happening on Thursday evening? If so, plan accordingly so you can attend these fun seasonal shin-digs.

5. Carve out time for yourself as part of your organized week. This is as important as being honest with yourself and being considerate of others. Claim your sense of peace by making “quiet time” a priority. Daily.

Maintaining a schedule and building a routine may sound like the opposite of being flexible, but these things are what will most support flexibility and your version of organizational bliss. Here’s to an organized week full of spontaneous moments and summer adventures.

* photo by Justyna Furmanczyk