How to Actually Stay Organized (Without Losing Your Mind)

We’ve all been there. You grab a cute new planner, convinced it’ll be the key to turning your life around. It has space to track your water intake, list 16 things you’re grateful for, and even plan out your day by the hour. But two days later? The planner’s collecting dust in a drawer, right next to the others you threw out months ago.

Especially if you have trouble focusing, those planners often set you up for failure. The truth is that staying organized doesn’t need to be that complicated. All you really need is simplicity; something that helps, not overwhelms. My secret weapon? Notion.

Let me tell you, setting up a simple digital planner on Notion or any other customizable platform will change your life. And no, I’m not exaggerating. It takes about 30 minutes to set up, and then it’s all in one place: your tasks, deadlines, and even a spot for those random ideas that pop into your head at the worst possible times. It’s called cognitive offloading, and it works like magic. When I write my tasks down, it feels like I’m literally clearing space in my brain. Suddenly, I’m not overstimulated anymore, and the chaos in my head is manageable.

Here’s the thing, once you get your thoughts out of your head and onto something tangible and real, the weight of all those overwhelming tasks just disappears. It’s like, “Oh, right, I

can do this.” That feeling of being totally overwhelmed? Gone.

How to Set Up a Simple Planner on Notion:

1. Skip the fluff: Just focus on what really matters. Create a daily list for things like assignments, due dates, and upcoming exams. No need to track every sip of water.

2. Keep it chill: Make sure your planner can adapt to you. If your energy dips at random times, don’t box yourself into a strict schedule. Move tasks around if you need to, your planner should work with you, not against you.

3. Sneak in a reward: Let’s be real, staying motivated can be tough. Add something fun to your list; whether it’s a 15-minute Netflix break or a snack session. It helps more than you’d think!

Remember, the goal here isn’t to overwhelm yourself with a million little details. The goal is to make your life easier. You don’t need to track everything under the sun; just focus on keeping your tasks manageable. Once you start offloading those scattered thoughts, you’ll notice your stress melt away, and things won’t seem nearly as impossible.

So, if you’re drowning in tasks and deadlines, stop. Breathe. Set up a system that works for you. I promise, it’ll feel like a game-changer. Ready to get started?