Putting it Together

Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared a few steps you can take to a more organized you

• Make the longest to-do list ever

• Group together like items

• Determine your top priorities

• Build out task lists for each project

• Find a tool that can house all of your project lists

You are ready to start tackling your projects! While the project work begins, you need to acknowledge the mental shift of operating out of a new system.

Have you ever used a different keyboard and realized your sentence was complete gibberish because your hand placement was off by just one key? Have you ever walked into the women’s section at Lord & Taylor only to find they moved it—again? Do you instinctively call a new dog by the name of an old one? (Sorry, Logan—we know you’re not Sylar!)

Old habits die hard, so if you started using a new tool, you may still find yourself reaching for that post-it to write something down or creating an all-caps Google calendar event to shout at yourself .

Here are some tips for getting acquainted with your new tool:

• Make sure you’ve optimized its accessibility. If your tool has a mobile app, which honestly it should if you’ve gone digital, put it somewhere on your home screen that you will see! My Asana app is in the coveted static bottom row. I also have the desktop app on my computer and the iPad app. If your tool is analog, like a planner or whiteboard, have all of the paper, markers, and stickers you need.

• Share your tool usage with your network. Someone else probably uses it and can offer feature tips and top hacks. For example, I would share with you that I have a travel template in Asana. The template has obvious tasks like book hotels, flights, and pack, but also has checklists with links to my favorite travel sites. I always check Somebody Feed Phil, Unesco World Heritage, Lonely Planet, Two Blue Passports, World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and so many more sites! This template lists all of those sites so I can run through my research plan with ease.

• Give each tool a purpose. Your new tool can’t do everything. Honor its strengths but know that other tools will come into play. I use Asana for all of my projects and Google Calendar for all of my meetings. I don’t put meetings in Asana and I don’t put to-dos in Asana. Each tool has its own purpose.

Start today - get to know your tool better. Know what it does well. Know where you will need supplements. And find a cool hack!