Just How Do You Get Everything Done?

Okay, so here's the question I get asked most often: "How are you getting so much done?"

Do what? I feel like most of the time I am simply spinning my wheels getting nowhere really fast! But then, I take a look back through my "War Book", and I see that in reality, I have got so much completed in some days that even I am amazed at how much I was able to complete!

The truth is, I do have a "War Book". It's simply a journal/planner. I am really big into Bullet Journaling (I won't go into how to set one up; Google it for goodness sake!)  And I am a list maker.

(This is my War Book. I use one every 6 months. I buy these from Amazon and they cost about $11 each. Lealther-like cover. Great paper quality. And I keep EVERYTHING here.)

First, I have a monthly daily task chart:

This page covers two pages actually, and is broken down into routine daily housecleaning and work related tasks that MUST be done daily to keep my ship sailing smooth! I do a lot of writing, so my blogs are all there, as are tasks for genealogy business and new business matters.

I make sure I start my day with prayer and Bible study. It's what keeps me going strong! So each day I write down what I have gleaned from my Bible Study.

This section can take anywhere from half a page to up to 4 or 5 pages. It's the largest part of my War Book. I have this under a section marked "These Things I Know To Be True". It's kind of a spin off of Oprah Winfrey's monthly editorial page in the "O" magazine. My faith keeps me well grounded, so it's a must for me.

I also keep a list of family birthdays and anniversaries, so that I don't forget to send birthday or anniversary cards!

As each month ends, I simply draw a line through it. 

I use the back cover page and the back of the journal as a pocket (I use a binder clip to make the pocket.)

In this pocket go my many receipts, and bills that I must pay. Along with contact cards. And anything special I may want to keep as a memento from the 6 months - birthday cards, special notes or drawings from my grandchildren, a card from a bouquet of flowers, a book mark from a friend, etc.

I also keep blank pages for my little doodles.

Just silly little line drawings I make with ink. Nothing fancy here! Just something I do if I have to sit in on a conference or lecture that I find particularly boring. LOL No one knows if I'm intent on taking notes, or simply scribbling my little doodles!

Not shown is my checkbook register. Yep. I keep it hand drawn in my War Book, because I have my War Book with me at all times, and not my check book, since I am a die-hard Debit girl! (How did we survive before the debit card?) And there are pages for my personal diary.  Again I didn't picture that either.

I have probably a hundred or more of these books. From the simple diaries I started at 14, to the more sophisticated War Book I carry today. I draw out a month at a time using a ruler and templates. You can also get free templates to just print out your journal/planner, which may be better for some. I enjoy the creative side of doing it myself. But to each his own.

The idea is to make a list of everything you need to accomplish daily. Check it off as you do it. And then nothing is overlooked.

Yeah, I could probably do the same thing simply using a cell phone app. But there are some things simply more fulfilling than using an app to me.

If you'd like to try the very journal I use, you can order it below directly from Amazon.