6 Organization Hacks for Handling a Busy Schedule

If you – like so many other people – have a day job, a side hustle, and 50 other things on your plate, it is essential to be organized and on top of things. As someone who is always busy, I've come up with six organization hacks to help me handle my packed schedule, and I want to share them with you.

Everyone is different, and because of that, some of these tips may be beneficial to you and some may not. This is just my way of doing things, but I encourage you to test these tactics out to see if they meet your needs.

1. Make a Daily To-Do List

This is a non-negotiable step for me every single day. Truth be told, if I don't write something down, I will most likely forget to do it. Plus, any Type-A personality can tell you how great it feels to cross an item off your to-do list!

I suggest getting yourself a notebook that fits in your purse or pocket – something that is easy to carry around with you. This will allow you to keep all your notes in one easily accessible place and keep you from misplacing your valuable to-do list.

2. Keep an Electronic Calendar

I use Google Calendar, which has the added benefit of integrating with my Gmail account, but there are other great calendar apps out there, too, such as Calendly.

When you add an event to your electronic calendar, you will usually have the option to set reminders for yourself and invite guests so that the event shows up on their calendars, too. This is especially helpful for meetings involving multiple people because it ensures that everyone is on the same page and has the same information. By keeping an electronic calendar, you also ensure that you can easily access the details of your schedule from various locations (phone, computer, etc.), which means you'll always know what's coming up, no matter where you are.

3. Write Emails the Night Before so You Have Them Ready to Send First Thing in the Morning

This is one of my most recent organization hacks. I try not to work on nights and weekends, and I set clear boundaries with my clients so they have realistic expectations for when they can contact me. However, if I know I have a busy day coming up, I will often draft emails the night before and leave them in my outbox so I can simply click "send" the next morning without much hassle. This does require you to be proactive and put some work in outside of regular business hours, but when you're extremely busy in the morning, this can help you get on top of things and maintain organization throughout the day.

You should also know that there are apps like Boomerang that let you schedule emails ahead of time. However, I personally like to go over my emails again before sending them, which is why I do it manually.

Join the Conversation: What's Your Organization Hack That Keeps You Productive?

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So there you have it – six organization hacks for handling a busy schedule. Staying on top of everything on your plate isn't easy, and it definitely isn't always fun, but it is possible! Once you establish a routine, staying organized is easy.

Michele Lando is a certified professional resume writer and the founder of Write Styles.