I have tried so many things to stay organized. I am a numbers/spreadsheets/calendar type gal. So, I am always on the search for the best planner/software/app to make my life easier.
I am currently running two businesses, starting a third, managing my husband's freelance jobs, and also just keeping up with life. There have often been times that I would miss or forget various things: forgetting to email a bride, loosing track of meetings or calls, etc. I have tried so many business planners, specific planners for photographers, awesome/detailed workflow sheets, different apps, etc. But, every solution fell short. It was always so difficult to keep up with it. I would forget to mark something off my workflow sheet or I would forget to add a wedding to my family calendar on my phone but had it written in my "photography calendar." It just became a convoluted mess.
At the beginning of 2016, I tried bullet journaling. I used a dotted (or grid) Leuchtturm1917 journal for my calendar. It comes completely blank. For more ideas, search for "Bullet Journal" on Pinterest or Google.
When I first started my bullet journal, I used different colored pencils, had pages for so many different things, and drew every line with a ruler, etc. By May, I had quit keeping up with it. I was trying to simplify my life and ended up making it that much more complicated.
But this past fall, I decided to try something new. Because, my current system wasn't working. I just wasn't able to keep up with all of the *things* I was using to keep my life on schedule. I couldn't remember when client's invoices were due, or I would forget to send their questionnaire six weeks before their wedding (which resulted in me sending it a few weeks before or when they asked questions about their day).
Now, all I use is iCalendar and my journal (and 17Hats for invoicing/contracts).
That's it, friends. I have never felt more in control of my days than I have these past months.
Simplicity. It has been a game changer for me.
Let me give you a glimpse into my week:
Every Sunday evening or Monday morning, I sit down and draw/plan out my week.
I decided to go uber simple. I only write with one pen and haven't picked up a ruler in six months. My week is laid out across the spread. At the bottom of each day, I plan out my social media posts for Stitched & Found and our wedding photography page. I then have a check list for the different goals I have set for myself. In 2017, I want to read, walk the dogs, diffuse my oils, and make our bed everyday. It is gratifying to check those boxes each day. Above that, I plan out our meals for the week. I typically make my grocery list on a separate page. The rest of the page is full of the tasks I will complete each day.
A completed task gets a check mark. A task that will be completed the following day receives a vertical arrow and a task that didn't get done (and never will) gets an X. I am a very OCD person, but the crooked lines don't bother me. I would rather have crooked lines than spend an hour with my ruler (because then I just wouldn't do any of it!). If it is crooked, I only have to look at it for one week anyway!
*flips page*
At the back of my journal, I have a leads list and a list of my wedding clients. My leads list contains their name and the dates I contacted them (super simple). My list of wedding clients give the main points I need to remember for each couple. Mainly the dates that payments are due and when I need to email them with different information.
I map out when I need to email my clients about their upcoming payments, when I discuss timeline, when I send their questionnaire, and when it's their wedding week. *Every* date I need to know for each couple is written here in *one* spot.
Since this is only a weekly view and a list of random/out-of-order wedding dates, I use my iCalendar on my computer and phone to keep track of monthly and yearly tasks and events.
Each week, I can look at my calendar and see what emails are due. Whenever I book a client, the moment they sign their contract, I add their "profile" to my journal, and add the dates I wrote down in my digital calendar. With this system, I should *never* miss sending an email to a client. I can not tell you how many times I was in 17 hats, pulling up their invoice, searching for dates, realizing I am two weeks late asking for their timeline, etc. I was also always living in fear that I was forgetting something about one of my brides. So, when I see blue in my calendar, I know it is an email task for that day.
The other positive side to bullet journals is that each page is blank and open to whatever you want it to be. In between my weekly spreads, you will find pages full of notes from business meetings or a spread where I am planning out our San Francisco trip.
I have pages where I have written down goals for the year and month. I keep all of my social media numbers on their own page (I love looking at numbers over the year!). I used to keep track of *everything* (movies to watch, restaurants to visit, items I wanted, weight trackers, cleaning schedules, etc) but cut back when I started over. So, yes, you can put whatever you desire in your journal, but make sure you have the will power to keep up with it all (because I didn't)!
This entire system has been life changing for my business and for my life. I *literally* don't forget important tasks anymore. My journal is small enough to fit in my purse, and my phone is always with me. I no longer worry about what planner is best for me (because, they are all missing something!) or whatever app I am missing. It's simple. It's cheap. And it works. For me, at least! :)
If you have more questions, I would love to talk with you! I love discussing this, and I may have left you more confused than I intended! Email me at hannah@stitchedandfound.com
