How to keep your shit together

This time of year I always find myself getting overly stressed. I always put too much pressure on 

myself to be productive at the start of the year and start the year off well, but once we hit February 

I've usually crashed and am rushing with everything. As February is ending I know I'm going to get 

even more stressed than I already am, as March is a busy month as it's full of birthdays and days or 

nights out. I'm a huge fan of organisation and my OCD becomes a positive in that sense, and since I 

know I'm not the only one who is struggling to keep their shit together I wanted to share some of my 

tips on how to do just that, when you're feeling overwhelmed by everything.

Make realistic to-do lists

No matter what kind of person you are, you will always be able to benefit from a to-do list. I've 

noticed a lot of the time people write a list of 10-15 things they want to do in the day, that are so 

unrealistic and highly doubtful of actually being done. I like to make a list of about 7 things, with a 

few of those being things I know for definite I'm going to do, such as; brush my teeth, get dressed and 

have a shower. Adding everyday tasks to your to do list will give you the sense of accomplishment 

when you check them off your list, making you want to complete the entire list. It's important to 

make sure it's realistic and achievable. Don't push yourself too hard.

Use a planner

If you have a lot going on in your life and find yourself often forgetting appointments or having a lot 

of extra time because you mixed your plans up, then get yourself a planner. I'm a huge planner love 

so I invest in the Day Designer planner. However there are a lot of cheaper alternatives that can be 

found online or in your local supermarkets. There are also downloadable planners for free online as 

well as using the planner on your phone, if you prefer that. Having all your information in one place 

will really benefit you and make your day run more smoothly.

Make it visual 

I'm a very visual person and love the idea of using stickers and colour coding. You can colour code if 

you are using an online planner, however I find it more satisfying to have a physical planner for me to 

use. I use different highlighters for different things, such as; green for events and days out, pink for 

birthdays and anniversaries and yellow for appointments. I also keep track of bills, paydays, books 

read and anything to do with work. When it comes to the day-to-day tasks I love to use stickers from 

CRGARTDESIGN* to accessories and make doing tasks a lot more fun. This also helps me keep 

track of when a new TV show is coming out and what parcels I have arriving and when. 

Maximise your time 

When it comes to maximising your time a planner does come in handy, however I find that I waste a 

lot of the day doing things that don't need to be done or can be done later. E.G. I often will just sit 

down and rewatch old YouTube videos or rewatch the same Netflix show during the day. I've recently 

started to maximise my time, by saving screen time for the evening once I've got the rest of my tasks 

done. The time in the day when I'm finding myself doing nothing, I will often book an appointment I 

need to, message a friend of read a book to help me get closer to my 2020 reading goal.

Stick to a routine

A lot of the time when people say stick to a routine, people get intimidated and think they have to 

follow a minute by minute schedule, day in day out and they will get stuck in a rut. This s the wrong 

way to stick to a routine. If you want to get stuff together and feel more productive then a routine will 

help with that. For instance I wash my hair twice a week, and I've chose to do that every Monday and 

Thursday. I will also try and pamper myself every Sunday and I upload my blog posts every Monday, 

Wednesday and Friday. Sticking to a routine with certain tasks will help you become more productive 

as they soon settle into your day and happen out of habit rather than doing them because you have to.

xoxo

Lea-Mai

Some of these products were gifted (have been marked with an asterix) to me however this post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.