Using apps to manage your life
Oh, how I appreciate apps that can help us better our lives! Gone with the grocery list on the fridge that you forget at home, or the meeting you forgot about because you got busy. If we remove the task of remembering the everyday details in all things, then we can be more effective in remembering the things that we can’t automate. It also removes the energy that you need to expand in deciding what to work on.
Remembering everything steals your time.
Let me explain. A few years ago I went through a time where I really thought I was getting dementia. Friends would tell me, “I told you that yesterday, can’t you remember?”. I remember my husband and I driving pass a new building going up. “Wow, look at that!”, and my husband laughed and said, “You said the same thing two days ago. I was anxious and overworked with not even 10% of the amount of work I have now. What changed? My management style.
So, I’m going to address the major component to stay in control; saving energy.
Saving Energy
1) Plan and then follow the plan
Plan your day. If you can block it out in time zones, even better. Decide the previous night or early the morning what you are going to work on. Once you have a full day planned out, you can merely follow it to the end, without wondering what to do next. You will be surprised at the amount of energy you save when you don’t have to think about the next thing to do.
Apps I use:
I use Google Calendar for all my events. My husband and I work together so we’ve created multiple sub-calendar categories with different colour codes, so I can see at first glance what is happening and what category item it is. For example, church events are orange, my events are pink, his events are blue, together events are purple and so forth. However, I rarely open the app to create events there, instead I use the Any.do widget.
I’ve placed the Any.do widget on my home screen so I can have a quick view of everything happing on a particular day as well as instantly create new tasks and events.
Managing tasks should be as easy as possible. Hassle-free and no-brainer application.
2) Create lists
It’s a standing joke that I have many lists. For most of my lists, I have separate apps, merely because I’ve tried so many apps and kept the ones that worked well for a specific list. I’m going to share my list apps with you, however, I recommend that you start with only one and add more if necessary.
Habit Tracker
Loop Habit Tracker is probably the longest-lasting app on my phone, and with good reason. It’s so simple and easy to use, no ads and a fantastic records overview! I use this app to track my every day, every other day and weekly habits. You can’t manage want you can’t measure, right?
To Do Lists
Microsoft To-Do, the old Wunderlist. I’m still getting used to it, although it is very similar. I use it more for long term lists, e.g. gift ideas for friends (sneaky note-making whenever someone tells me what they like), home projects, clothing items I need and things I tend to never make time for. (I have a habit in my habit app to check these lists weekly.)
Work Management
Trello, an old favourite. I use this app mainly to manage my everyday workflow. With different lists and cards that you can drag around, this is a simple and easy way to keep track of everything that is going on. I’ve ever since created many other boards on Trello to minimise my phone apps. Goal-setting, Bible study, quotes, ideas, study notes, etc.
Grocery Lists
Our Groceries has multiple lists. I like to have a “quick buy” list, a general grocery list and list for all the specific occasions we have time and again, like sushi night or hikes. Bigger home items also have their own list. Another great feature of this app is that other members of your family can also access it and add to it.
Tasks
Any.do is my event and task app. I have two different any.do widgets on my phone. One with my calendar and today’s events and tasks overview, and then another widget where I can see all my future tasks. Widgets are fantastic tools to use to make managing your life easier.
3) Toughest to easiest
When you plan your day, place the hardest or most difficult task first and then follow the sequence up to the easiest task last on your day. Difficult tasks need the most energy, so the earlier you tackle it, the better your chances of having enough energy to complete it. Later in the day, when your energy is lower, you can work on tasks that don’t require that much energy.
4) Use your strength wisely
Which brings me to the fourth point – make the tough decision when you plan. When I plan my day I check what is already scheduled for the day, then I open my habit app and work from the top down deciding on each habit point what I will do to accomplish the habit item. For instance, if my habit is to write a blog post, then I’ll decide right there and then what post I’ll be writing (Offcourse I have a blog ideas list too). Or, if I have to go to the shops, I’ll make my shopping list as part of the planning. Remember, save energy! It’s best to assign a time to it, then you’ll be sure to have time for it and the rest of the items on your list.
Make the tough decisions early, then there’s nothing to think about when your energy is low.
5) Learn and adapt
Don’t expect perfection overnight. Learn from your mistakes and adapt. One of the biggest adjustments would probably be learning how much you are capable of handling in one day. We tend to load too much on our fork. I like to use Timesheet to track how much time I spend on a specific task. I use it mostly for work when a client pays me per hour, but you can use it to get an estimate on the time you normally spend on tasks so that you can make the necessary adjustments.
6) Automate whatever possible
This is probably the one area where I still have a lot of tweaking to do. The more load you can shed by giving it to apps, the more energy and time you will have for the things that really need you. Something great that works well in this regard is having a year cleaning plan. I’ve created this list and added all of them as reminders on my Google Calendar, repeating them how frequently necessary. So, every Monday I’ll get a reminder of home cleaning tasks that must get done that week. You can download my yearly cleaning plan and many other time saver sheets here.
Remember, the fewer decisions you have to make and the less you have to remember them, the more energy you will have for things that really need your energy. Save energy!
