How to stay organized while working from home!

Many of us are now trying to get accustomed to working from home. Whether its schoolwork or work for a job, we might be struggling with how to stay organized and on top of due dates. Well, we are here to help! We have some fun tips and tricks our staff members have found helpful for keeping on task. And these can be used any time of course, so feel free to make this your year-round habit!

Tip #1: Use an agenda or calendar to visually keep track of due dates. 

It is super important that many of us get our assignments in on time, and no one wants to email their supervisor or professor turning it in late because they “forgot” it was due. Agendas are a great way to organize your important dates to remember. You can also use a calendar or agenda on your computer if you’re more comfortable with that. Some people find that they remember things better when they write everything down. Monthly or weekly, write down everything according to date, and even plan ahead by writing down what days you want to start working on it, so you don’t end up waiting until the last minute.

Tip #2: Color code your different classes, your duties for your job, and other things that you need to do. 

Using your handy dandy agenda, pick out a color for each of your courses (i.e., science = blue), or for different things you have to do for work (i.e., blog posts = blue). Once you choose colors that you will remember or most associate with that topic, then whenever you have something that needs to go on the calendar, just write it in that color. Make sure to write out a legend, so you know what color you picked for what. Have some fun with it!

Tip #3: Write out a weekly “screenshot” of all the tasks you want or need to complete.

On a blank piece of paper, just write out the days Monday-Sunday and next to each day, write down what you want, or need to complete. Some things could be simple like “do the laundry,” or it could be an important due date like “final paper due by 11:59 pm”. If your agenda already has this feature, then you can use the weekly view in there! Or if you just wanted another way to help remember, you can post it on the fridge.

Tip #4: Make a daily schedule.

Write down when you want to wake up and go to bed. What times you want or plan to have meals. Allot a certain amount of time during the day to complete your work and leave time for fun stuff or wind-down activities like puzzles and crafting. It helps you to stay on track each day, and for those people who crave that regular 9-5 day, this helps give them a sense of that while stuck at home. 

Tip #5: Have fun!

If you are someone who already likes journaling, then writing out your agenda would already be considered something super fun for you to do. You can add cute little doodles to make things pop. Use lots of fun borders to outline the boxes on the calendar. Make it all yours!

If you’re looking for more ways to get organized in more ways than just work, check out our e-library on Overdrive and Hoopla for different books that can help get you started on any type of project you were looking to work on during your stay-at-home time. 

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