I am very, very organized.
I’ve just realized this about myself (umm.. that, and my friends keep telling me how scarily organized I am).
I am the type of person that when faced with going back to Ontario (or travelling anywhere, like oh.. say.. NY) I need to do the following:
- Booked all of my MUST-DO appointments (Doctor, Dentist, Pick up Mail) before the Train Ticket
- Booked Train Ticket keeping in mind I wanted to get there early, and arrive home in the early evening
- Booked Car Rental pick up around the timing of appointments & arrivals
- Planned when to see sister & best friend, on a schedule
- Kept the weekend free to do “whatever” with random errands to run (Optometrist)
But the key to all my planning is that I actually plan in “whatever” time.
I have the whole Saturday and Sunday to be “WHATEVER” so that I don’t feel like we have to be anywhere, go to any specific restaurant, and switch up the schedule to decide on having chips for dinner instead of a proper restaurant or meal at home.
But my Friday arrival and Monday leaving is scheduled to the “T” to factor in traffic and the fact that I have appointments and a train schedule to meet.
So I guess.. I am scarily organized.
But I do like to leave SOME things up to chance. I don’t like having to plan everything by the hour if I don’t have to, like “At 3 p.m. say goodbye and leave for next event”, and then get mad when I end up exiting at 4 p.m.
I like having what I call a loose schedule, planned ‘whatever’ time so that I don’t feel constrained, and making sure that I meet all of my obligations without being late (I am a stickler for being on time for appointments).
I just feel more in control about making sure I meets what I need to get done as the main priority of the trip (sister, doctor, dentist, mail) while leaving the schedule open to changes.
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
When I was in college, I was organized when it came to school assignments and work, but I was not organized at home. I was not a total slob, but my bedroom was not organized. After graduation and over the years (10 yrs this yr) I've managed to have all aspects of my life organized which feels great! The benefit of being organized and efficient time management outweigh being unorganized. It takes a little more time to be organized, but it saves a lot more time. Being a minimalist is great, because the less furniture/stuff I own, the less time to maintain and organize, and I have a lot of free time to socialize and work out etc. . . 🙂
i’m scarily organized but a complete slob. for example: in grad school i’d be the first one to finish all their homework but my bedroom would look like a tornado blew through it. i keep a moleskine notebook to write down everything i spend in a month (including a .85 can of soda) but frequently can’t find my car keys. sigh. i drive my family crazy…
I would define myself as being loosley organized. I am fairly punctual and always pay bills on time. I also really try to follow through when other people are depending on me, like at my job or carrying out duties like sitting on the board of my friend’s non-profit.
But, I can be a huge procrastinator on things I do that I know won’t affect others say like waiting until the last minute to write a paper or finish a homework assignment. Or not doing laundry until just about every piece of clothing I own is in the laundry bin.
Uber-organization just means you get more out of your day. I am the same way, I love making lists, especially schedules. For my vacation last month I had it planned to the quarter hour, and it made me feel much more organized even though I didn’t use it for more than a rough guide. And I’m a freak for punctuality, I sometimes wake up at night and think I’ve missed a class or was dreadfully late for work. Great post!
i’m a list manager. as long as the daily priorities are met and checked off the list, i don’t care how and when they get done.
i make sure that at least one of my priorities for the day is for fun and enjoyment. 😀
-Steve @ fluxlie
I like to-do lists without time schedules. I just cross stuff out and wander over to the next thing. Luckily my life is pretty relaxed right now 🙂
I wish i was as organized as you!! Ha! i can never find my keyes and hpone .. and they are always in my hand!
This is like the GTD idea of not planning to do anything versus planning to do nothing. Some people don’t plan to do anything, so they don’t use their time effectively, and don’t have enough time to get everything else done. Others plan for their downtimes: “I will take this time to do whatever I feel like doing, so that I can commit 100% to doing it and not have to worry that it’s ‘wasted’ time.”
Personally I’m loosely organized with a rough idea of what I need to accomplish and when. I’m getting better about putting it all in a single place (currently a paper-based calendar, as well as a sticky note of running tasks that marks the current day). I definitely don’t like to plan my weekends or vacations to the nines, but like most people, build in some unstructured time.
I used to be super organized and planned everything down to the ‘T,’ including bathroom breaks. But, it was no way to live…actually, it wasn’t living at all. I was constantly anxious and always worried. I’ve done away with that. I like to-do lists because I like to see the things I’ve gotten done, but I don’t always use them.
Lately I’ve been feeling a little off, so I may need to find a better organizational system than I currently have. But, I like the idea of scheduling whatever time. I tend to stick this in whenever I can.
Kristy
http://www.masteryourcard.com/blog
Free. Somewhat carefree, with a loose plan. I write down things i want done and do them.
Although I’m always ON TIME!
Oh and I pack the night before a trip. I usually do everything last minute. Ask me how my trip to DC went and i’ll say I booked my Atlantic City Hotel the morning we arrived!
I’m definitely organized. I’ve learned the hard way where disorganization just stresses you and makes you physically ill. I ended up in the doctor’s office with a severe case of hives from not having any order in my life. Since then I’m very strict with my schedule. I do make sure plan in time for ME, and it’s easier knowing that if I don’t get a project done that day I may be able to squish it in somewhere else.
I never plan whatever time because once I get home from the gym after work I usually only do a couple of things on my to-do list and then I relax!
I’m so happy to see that someone else plans their days! I schedule every hour (wake-up, shower, travel time), but I also schedule relax or free time. Relax time should be spent at home or doing something low key. Fun time includes going out with friends.
I didn’t used to be so ridiculous with my time, but I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with school…so I’m clearly in relax time right now.
I’m definitely not organized… at all. I make lists all the time but for some reason, I can’t seem to stick with them. Somehow though, thankfully, my technique of “mayhem” is working for me.
I would say that I am loosely organized. But I love the idea of planning in whatever time. i kind of did this last weekend. I had some things I wanted to do – fun things, like artwork, painting, cooking, reading and blogging. But no real schedule, just open space. It felt great!
I like to be organized. I’m very ‘listy’ and feel better when I know what I have to accomplish. But…I don’t like to be SO structured that I get panicky if I’m, like you said, exiting somewhere half an hour after I was SUPPOSED to.
I’m organized in that I love to plan and outline my days and weekends. However more often than not I don’t follow through with those plans. =[
I guess I’m not that organized, am I? lol
I am hyper-organized, list-obsessed, agenda-oriented.
I don’t get how people who aren’t organized get anything done. I panic if I am not organized, checking items off a list and operating according to schedule.
Basically the same as you: there can be unscheduled time, but it has to be scheduled….. so lazy days must be pre-designated as such.
I am not organized, but I am such a planner! I have already started my packing list for a vacation I’m taking in June. I don’t schedule a million things or anything like that, but if I don’t have a plan I get so stressed that I will give myself a panic attack.
I am organized to the point of insanity. I NEED travel itineraries listing EVERYTHING when I go anywhere. I am generally 1/2 an hour early to all my appointments and have anxiety attacks when Im close to getting late. I think its a great trait. I can keep my life in perfect order and make sure I am never charged late fees, etc, etc. Its a great thing…a little freaky at times, but great nonetheless.
scarily organized, thanks to my dad.
lay out everything i need the night before; plan out the whole week on sundays, all about efficiency…i need no time in airport security because i have an order i have my bags and coat and laptop and everything so get through the most efficiency. timing is impeccable, never late, usually on time or within 2 minutes early.
thats only half of it. i cant even begin to go over how ridiculously efficient and organized my dad “trained” me to be. lol