This is better than buying more time

Want to Buy More Time? Here's How...

Hey everyone, It’s Ren here…

Have you ever seen that movie "In Time" where time is literally currency?

People can buy and sell minutes of their lives, and the wealthy have centuries while others live day-to-day.

Well, the other morning I had one of those moments that made me think about that movie...

I was juggling three different projects, had a zoom meeting in 20 minutes, and realized I needed to prep for a workshop later that day…

Instead of panicking (okay, maybe I panicked a little 😅), I checked my planner and realized everything was already mapped out.

Each task had its time slot, and my notes were exactly where they needed to be.

That's when it hit me – being organized is basically like buying time. No, we can't add more hours to the day (I wish!), but we can make the most of every minute we have.

…And if you’re wondering whether this is some ingrained personality trait? Absolutely not as it can be learned.

Even a tiny bit more organization in our lives can have a MASSIVE impact on how productive we are, how much headway towards our goals we can make and how satisfied we are with what we do get done..

Just ask my hubby! (He is a typically messy person - arguably a genius of sorts, but not a very organized human by any measure, until we he started implementing some of the below)

(Ole William clearly never had a good planner system!)

🤔 The Modern Time Crunch

Let's be honest: between running multiple businesses from home, maintaining relationships, staying healthy, and keeping our households in order, it sometimes feels like we need 48 hours in a day just to keep up!

Here's something most people don't talk about: the more "convenient" modern life becomes, the more things we seem to need to juggle.

Between digital calendars, physical planners, to-do lists, and sticky notes everywhere, sometimes it feels like we need a system just to organize our organizing systems.

Trust me, I've been there – running multiple businesses while trying to keep our household from descending into complete chaos. But here's the thing I've discovered...

💡 Organization Isn't About Perfection

It's about creating systems that work for YOUR life. And sometimes, those systems look different than what you might expect!

Take my husband and I, for example. He's all about his Kanban board (imagine a fancy-looking whiteboard with Post-its moving from "To Do" to "Done"), while I'm more of a physical planner girl.

The key? Both systems work because they match our individual styles.

✅ Our Household Organization Game Plan

Let me break down how we keep our two-entrepreneur household running (mostly) smoothly:

1. The Command Center

Every organized household needs one! Ours includes:

• A shared digital calendar for appointments (or failing that, yelling out when we have appointments through the day)
  

• A physical daily planner for big-picture planning (Yes this is a shameless plug to our awesome planners that I personally use daily!)
  

• A very loose and unwritten meal schedule
  

• An understanding of what household tasks are the responsibility of each person

2. The Time-Block Method

This has been an absolute game-changer for us:

• Morning blocks for deep work - My hubby has his best energy then, me, I’m more of a night owl. You do what works for you!
  

• Afternoon blocks for meetings, health, walks etc.
  

• Sacred blocks for health and relationship time - we have date night once a week which is a non-negotiable.

3. The Weekly Reset

Some weeks we don’t need this, but it pays to spend time optimising where and when you can…

• Plan meals for the week (even a rough guide is a massive help)
  

• Review upcoming appointments - is anything non-urgent or in conflict?
  

• Align our business schedules should we need to
  

• Set priorities for personal and professional goals

🎯 Simple Steps to Get Started

Now, I know what you're thinking – "Ren, this sounds great, but how do I actually start?" Well, let me share some super actionable steps you can implement today:

Start with One Area:

• Choose your biggest pain point (for us, it was cooking - hubby is a great cook but I don’t want to lump the burden solely on him)
  

• Create a simple system (we use a physical planner for this (deets below))
  

• Stick with it for at least 21 days to see how it sits. It will be uncomfortable at first
  

• Adjust as needed (our first system was WAY too complicated!)

Create Designated Spaces:

• Work zones for each person - people are amazed we’ve built our tiny empire from our wee home, but it works for us
  

• Rules such as ‘headphones on’ means focused work, don’t talk to me unless you’re about to have a conniption
  

• Relaxation times - yes, I know this sounds nerdy but it pays off

Implement Daily Habits:

• 5-minute pre-planning session the night before - knowing what you need to do before you do it can instantly increase how much you get done
  

• Quick mid-day check-in of your planner - are you on track?
  

• Weekly planning session - this is literally a quick overview to see where you can make up time

💫 The Ripple Effect

Here's something amazing I've noticed: when you get organized in one area of your life, it tends to spread to others. Since implementing our systems:

• Our businesses have grown more efficiently
  

• Our health habits have improved (planned workout times actually happen!)
  

• Our relationship has strengthened (scheduled date nights are non-negotiable)
  

• Our stress levels have decreased significantly as we know in advance what we need to get done and we’re not trapped in the ‘last minute effort’ cycle

🚫 Common Organization Pitfalls

Let's be real – I've made ALL these mistakes:

• Trying to implement too many systems at once
  

• Choosing complicated solutions for simple problems
  

• Forgetting to plan for downtime (burnout is real, folks!)

📱 Tools We Actually Use

While I'm all about my physical planners (you know I love them!), here's our full organization toolkit:

• Physical planners for daily tasks and goal-setting
  

• Digital calendar for appointments and deadlines - even alarms for certain things
  

• Physical Kanban board for project management

💭 Final Thoughts

Organization isn't about having a Pinterest-perfect home or a color-coded everything (though if that's your jam, go for it!).

It's about creating systems that help you live your best life while juggling all the balls modern life throws at you.

Remember: You don't need to organize everything at once. Start with what causes you the most stress, and build from there. Small steps lead to big changes!

To your organized success,

Ren

P.S. Speaking of organization, have you checked out our new line of physical planners? They're designed specifically for detailed note-takers who need room to map out their daily schedules and organize their daily tasks. Click here to explore the collection!