Tag: organization

Asana

Leave a comment

Life can be profound and novel, but most of the time it’s the day to day that defines our overall sense of happiness, control, health, and success. A life of order is a holy grail that many seek.

If you find yourself missing deadlines, disorganized, and overwhelmed, Asana just might be the remedy you’re searching for. In my own experience, this tool has taken an enormous weight from my mind, freeing it from the terrible task of being a filing cabinet and allowing it instead to innovate and execute. This has led to significant growth in my career and personal life.  

Basically, Asana is a free online project management tool that can function as the ultimate task list. It allows you to put all of your to-dos, reference materials, and ideas in one place. You can create projects, lists, collaborate, and more.

What I love:

  • It’s a pretty layout, simple, & user friendly (like an iPhone)
  • You can customize to your heart’s desire
    • Included is a template library to make your list more tailored to what you are trying to accomplish
  • You can share your task lists or projects (it’s free up to 15 people)
    • For example, you could keep a list of housekeeping to-dos, share it with your spouse, and assign each other tasks.
  • To keep relevant emails or files on hand for reference, you can simply drag and drop. It’s extremely convenient.
  • You can add updates as the project or task progresses
  • Sub-tasks can be added within tasks and assigned deadlines (one of the handiest functions)
  • The tool allows you to keep everything you need to organize life in one place
    • You can also download the Asana app on your phone and access your lists anywhere
  • Asana can be used in conjunction with David Allen’s Getting Things Done method (if that’s your cup of tea)
  • Aaaand my personal favorite feature is that mythical creatures burst onto the screen sporadically when you complete a task. The dopamine hit is real!!!! 👌

I set my Asana up so that some of the “projects” are master task lists. I have lists and projects for work that I divided up as “Deadline Bound,” “Other Requests”, “Future”, and “Agenda” for meetings with my manager.

I also use a separate “project” to function as my personal master task list where I follow a similar format. I use another “project” called “Reference Materials” to keep favorite recipes, gift ideas, books to read, etc. on hand. I have a couple projects (such as this blog, and future business ideas) that are big enough to be their own projects outside of that.

Personal “projects.” The “To-do” project opens the layout below

If want to learn more, you can check out the Asana website here. One tip, the website is promoting a free trial for the premium version. You can actually pass on that and just use their most basic membership which is completely free forever.

If you’re looking for more order in your life, I hope this tool can become your very own personal assistant. Good luck on your journey to Zen, and as always, thanks for reading! ❤

In the Leafy Treetops Planner

Leave a comment

The most valuable activity I do to set myself up for a productive and successful week is… weekly planning! Each Sunday I sit down with my planner and identify commitments, chores, key objectives, and time with my little family for the week ahead. To organize the chaos, I have tried a multitude of different planners: outlook, online check-lists, and more paper planners than I can count. This one is my absolute favorite and actually infuses joy into a sometimes mundane task.

What I Love:

  • This planner is specifically tailored towards bustling mamas, but anyone can use it. This is my world right now so it fits my mama needs perfectly.
  • The standard calendar view and day by day view are included, but there is so much more that you don’t typically see such as:
    • a whole section dedicated to home and family information (emergency prep, vacation plans, chore chart, birthday lists, needs/wants, clothes sizes, etc. for yourself, spouse, and all the kiddos)
    • A monthly reflection page
    • A budget sheet for each month
    • Pages geared towards planning certain holidays (New Year’s, Easter, Thanksgiving,etc.
    • A whole section for Christmas planning!😍
    • Blank lists and calendar layouts after the standard calendar pages each month for further customization
    • Important & Handy Information page & a whole lot more!

For a page by page view, visit the site here.

Important & Handy Information page
One of the many Christmas planning pages 😍
A weekly layout page from my planner. I get a little crazy with the stickers. It’s too fun! 😃

There are multiple versions of the planner, depending on if you want to be on an academic schedule, just want the planner for personal use, or if you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The “Mormon Mom Planner” as it’s called, is pretty unique as it is tailored to moms trying to prioritize their relationship with God, as well as fulfill church responsibilities. This version adds pages with places for notes from church/ spiritual impressions, Family Home Evening plans, ministering assignments, Family Council topics, scripture study tracking, and more. This is the version I own and I find it such fun that there is a planner that fits so intimately with my core beliefs and lifestyle.

Family Home Evening & Family Council pages

For me, the real charm is in the details. Each page is beautiful. Each month has a new and lovely illustration and quote. Each list makes you feel inspired. If you decide to give this planner a whirl, I hope you love it as much as I do. For more information, visit the official website here. And hey, thanks for reading! ❤

If you would like to stay updated on new posts, please subscribe. Thanks!