How I Stay Organized

January 6, 2025

Let me start by saying that I almost feel a little guilty because of my title—it makes me sound quite put together, doesn’t it? I get distracted and overwhelmed at times just like the best of them, but I’ve found a few little secrets for taming the inner child in me.

In the last year or so, I’ve grown greatly in my skills at staying organized, and though I have not arrived, I’m excited to share a few truths that I’ve learned with you.

At the outset, I will tell you that this article is NOT about how many activities you can pack into your schedule and still be a living, breathing human being. This article is also not meant to turn you into a super-mom or super-somebody, ready to conquer the world. Nope. This article is meant to encourage the very average, ordinary people (like me!) who are trying to serve their families and people around them one day at a time, sometimes even moment by moment.

This is not a dreamy post, filled with hazy, unrealistic, filtered pictures. This post is real life nuts and bolts and how to get things done. I share some real shots of my day timer, complete with scratchy writing.

Last year, I came very close to signing up for a rather expensive “homemaker bundle” by a well-known blogger. It was a beautiful collection of monthly planners, lists, and lists, and more lists. Do you get my drift? Lots of lists! I tried her sample for a about a month, but I felt like one of Cinderella’s stepsisters trying to squeeze my big foot into this dainty shoe of an organizer.

Without even reading articles or searching social media, I grabbed a plain Jane notebook from our office filing cabinet, filled it with some notebook paper, printed off some free monthly calendars from an insurance site, and started doing my own thing. I also made up a cheesy-looking weekly printable planner that works great for me (which I’m sharing for free at the end of this post!). And you know what? It’s working! It’s not fancy. It’s not hard. But I can use it! And it’s helping me to focus on what I really need to do each day.

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How I Stay Organized with My Weekly Printables

In today’s post, I want to focus on how I use my weekly printable to stay organized. Hopefully, in future posts, I will share more about my plain Jane notebook: how I use it, different categories, weekly planning sessions, and daily planning sessions.

For me at this stage of my life, it’s hard for me to think much beyond a week at a time. So I focus on weekly planning and what I really need to get done that week. When a necessary task isn’t completed one week, it then rolls into the next week.

My weekly printable planners focus my mind on the important. At the top of the printable, I have a blank space for writing down everything I hope to accomplish in the week (my “Weekly To-Do List”). I try very hard to be realistic and write down about 8-10 tasks that I hope to accomplish that week. It’s kind of like a brain dump for everything I hope to get done that week.

Underneath of my “Weekly To-Do List”, I have created a section with 4 boxes that describe responsibilities in my life right now. Like a busy home cook keeping pots going on the stove, I have found that I can really only keep about 4 simple areas going in my life (outside of all my home duties). In these boxes, I write down what I hope to accomplish in each specific area for the week. I do not always finish the tasks, but at least I’m mentally engaging with each area. Sometimes I do not write down my responsibilities for the week, but I have still planned in my head and followed through on my duties. (Note to self: it really is best to write down my duties!)

As you can see from my printable, I’m pretty involved in our church: hosting a Sunday lunch and directing the music program. Obviously, your life looks quite different from mine, but I would guess that you probably have at least 4 areas of activity/focus that you consistently participate in on a routine basis. Perhaps you work outside of the home. Perhaps you or your kids are on a sports team. Perhaps you lead a volunteer group. The possibilities are endless, but for most folks, we can only successfully contribute to a limited number of opportunities.

(In my free weekly printable, I have left the 4 boxes blank giving you the flexibility to create your own boxes and design them accordingly. You may find that you just focus on the weekly to do list, and that is certainly understandable!)

From the top “Weekly To Do List” section, I then pull down tasks into specific days. I try to focus on what I ought to be doing each day, not just what I want to be doing. Generally, I have found that I can accomplish about 3 tasks a day.

On homeschooling days, I actually write down “school” as one of my tasks because I need to remember that school does take time and I should not cram too many other tasks into the day. Schooling my children is top priority in my life right now, and I need to remind myself daily of its importance. With school as one of my tasks during most days, that only leaves space for about 2 other tasks per day (from my Weekly To Do List). This is reality, folks! I purposefully try not to cram my days too full because then nothing gets done well.

This pretty much wraps up how I use my printable. The main idea I want to share is that writing down responsibilities relieves my brain of tracking too many details. By writing down tasks, I can organize my mind before my hands get going.

You may not like my printable but perhaps it will inspire you to create your own printable that works for you! By using something consistently that is simple and not complex, I have had the most success in my planning.

In case you are wondering, underneath each day, I have created space for meal-planning: B is breakfast, L is lunch, and D is dinner.

If you read this far, kudos to you for hanging with me. I realize this post was a little longer than my norm, but I wanted to convey a complete thought—how I use my weekly printables.

Happy organizing, friends!

-Ashley

Printing tip--I "print on both sides" for a front and back sheet of paper. I punch with a 3-ring hole puncher and clip it into a 3-ring binder for an easy, customizable experience.

Weekly Printable

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Download PDF • 45KB

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Personal Disclosure

As the author of Ashley Qurollo Blog, all opinions are my own. Any possible applications are universal in nature, not directed at any one individual or people group. My sincere desire is to help others by sharing what I am learning. Nothing stated on this blog is ever intended to hurt others. Ashley Qurollo, owner of Ashley Qurollo Blog and Website, is not held liable in any way for any application of the ideas and thoughts stated here.