2023 Here I Come! Ten Organizational Tips
We run a complex business over here at The E List with lots of projects going on simultaneously and too many details to count (every list has over 30 links that need to be checked and checked and checked again!) It takes a battery of organizational strategies to keep everything on deadline. Over the years, I’ve figured out the best tools to keep us on track.
If you’ve got a small biz or need to keep your home and family organized, I’m offering up my tips to get a running start in 2023.
Moleskine Daily Planner: My bible: this is the simplest planner available, with one day per page. Nothing is more satisfying than checking off my long list of daily to-dos. I always order the hard- bound version in red, personalized in gold. https://www.moleskine.com/en-us/shop/planners/12-month-planner/daily-planners/classic-planner-2023-scarlet-red-8056420859652.html
Ink & Volt Weekly Planner: This keeps me on track with a two-page spread for the week, so I can visualize what’s coming at me, plus a monthly calendar and space for weekly and monthly (even yearly) goals and projects. (Pictured above). The navy one is chic! https://inkandvolt.com/collections/planners/products/ink-volt-2023-goal-planner-signature-series?variant=39772497936439
Favorite Notebook: Mnemosyne. Available at Weekend Kitchen in Essex or Amazon. This lined pad has the smoothest writing paper I’ve found. It’s a joy.
Evernote (app): All my ideas are stashed here in a multitude of searchable notes, whether vacation ideas, restaurants to try, books to read, gifts to buy, articles to write, or future plans. I love that it easily syncs with my phone and laptop.
Pages on Mac. This is where I sketch out all my articles, longish emails, and anything else that needs to be written and edited. I keep one page going per month, so it’s easily searchable.
Grammarly: I don’t publish anything without sifting it through Grammarly for errors in punctuation, spelling, and, duh, grammar. My most common mistake? Redundant indefinite article. I also take immense pleasure in their weekly summary of what I’ve written: 943,254 words since I started using the app in 2016, which is about NINE books worth! I just LOVE Grammarly.
Appointments: Absolutely every appointment, whether work or play, goes straight into my Mac (ICal) calendar. I can’t remember anything, so if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t happen.
ReMarkable: This is my latest purchase, as my website designer had one and I was instantly intrigued! I have yet to use it much, but so far, it is, well, remarkable! It’s a “paper” tablet that syncs to the cloud (and your phone), and, for me, at least, I’m hoping it will eliminate all the stacks of notebooks and forgetting where I wrote what. I prefer to handwrite my notes, and the feel of writing on this tablet (with its own special pen) mimics writing on paper well enough. The beauty is that you can save your notes to a file, making them easily searchable and retrievable. You can also transfer them to text (great for taking meeting notes, no more typing them up) and improve your focus (no more surfing in the middle of a task!). I have high hopes for this one! https://remarkable.com/
CoSchedule: This app is industry specific, so it’s not for everyone, but if you need to plan and keep track of content, whether articles or social media posts, this has been our go-to for years.
Word Count Tools: An easy way to see if you’ve used the same word or phrase more than once in an article.