I am so excited to bring to you post 3 in our ‘Get Organized, Girl!’ Series. This is so exciting! Are you someone who wants to organize life with notion and planners but can’t see to find what works? Trust me, I’ve been there.
In series we learn how to make the most of our time and get things done! The first post we talked about the best way to boost productivity is by doing things you are passionate about. In the next post we talked about how motivation isn’t really lasting and what you need to create are systems in order to be disciplined. Now in this post we are going to talk about how I plan and organize all the things I do!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about productivity and balance, it’s that having the right organization system is everything.
I used to feel overwhelmed trying to juggle my fitness, content creation, career goals, reading, anime, and personal life all at once. But now? I have a system that works for me—one that helps me stay on track without feeling chaotic. I now organize life with Notion and planners!
My system is a mix of digital and analog tools:
✔ Notion → Long-form planning & systems
✔ Physical Planner → Daily & weekly tasks
✔ Notepad (physical & digital) → Quick thoughts & reminders
This combination keeps my life organized without feeling rigid. Everyone’s system will look different, but I encourage you to find what works best for you—and today, I’m sharing exactly how I organize my life!
1. How I Use Notion: My Digital Hub for Planning & Systems
I built my Notion setup from multiple templates, which I’ll link below so you can customize your own! I tweaked them to fit my workflow, and now my Notion serves as my master planning system.
My Notion Sections & How I Use Them
📝 Big Picture Planning
- Seven-Year Plan → My long-term vision for life & career
- 2025 Goals → My yearly goals broken down into focus areas
- Monthly Reflections → Recaps on progress, lessons, and adjustments
📊 Systems & Routines
- Brand Hub → Strategy, content planning, brand style guide, vision boards
- Skincare & Haircare Routines → Saved product lists, routine breakdowns
- Bookish Life → Books I’ve read & want to read
💰 Finances & Career
- Budget Tracker → Monthly budgeting & financial planning
- Travel Journal → (Don’t use much, because #broke lol, but it’s there)
- School Lesson Planner → Honestly, I don’t use this much since my school has set curriculums.
And so much more! I have a screenshot of what my dashboard looks like above! It took a couple weeks to initially set up and then I’ve made little tweaks to it since to help customize it further. The more personalized it is, the more you will use it!
How I Use Notion
Notion is where I keep all my systems and long-form data. I don’t use it for daily planning, but rather as a place to store my routines, track long-term goals, and keep my strategy organized.
Notion Templates I used:
- Free Book Template by Ellie Gons
- Main Template by Michelle Kanemitsu
- Maria Whitsett’s Template
- Budget Template by Planning Professor
I’m not going to lie, using Notion comes with a huge learning curve and isn’t always the best choice for some. If you find you don’t feel like doing the heavy lifting of learning another program, then I suggest using Google drive this. I did that initially but I really love the aesthetic of Notion so I switched, and who knows I may even switch back depending on how things go.
👉 Best for: Long-term vision, data storage, and structured planning.
2. My Physical Planner: Daily Execution & Scheduling
While Notion helps me keep track of big picture plans, my physical planner is where I actually get things done.
What Goes in My Planner
📅 Daily & Weekly Planning:
- Instagram & content schedule
- Work to-do list (grades due, lessons, meetings, etc.)
- Appointments & social plans
Unlike Notion, which is for long-term strategy, my planner is for daily execution. If I need to know what I have to do today, I check my planner—not Notion. I also keep my monthly goals in here, I like tracking it better in my planner.
My current planner is from TJ-Maxx, it was $8 and gets the job done. I did look at more expensive planners, but this one works and it’s pretty!
If you want to splurge on a planner then do so! I’m all about pouring into your hobbies! So much so that I wrote a post about it titled, How Hobbies Boost Self-Esteem: Embracing Passions for Personal Growth.
👉 Best for: Day-to-day scheduling and short-term planning.
3. My Notepad (Physical & Digital): Brain Dump & Quick Notes
Sometimes I just need to jot things down fast—that’s where my notepad (both physical and digital) comes in.
How I Use My Notepad
- Random thoughts or tasks that pop up throughout the day
- Quick to-dos that I transfer into my planner later
- Quick tips/advice I gleam from the internet
Extra: Phone Notes App:
- When I don’t have my physical notepad on me
- Saving random content ideas or things I need to remember
- Saving captions so I can quickly copy it over to my socials.
This is my catch-all space for anything that doesn’t need to be structured yet. Once I have time, I either act on it or move it into my planner/Notion.
And that’s pretty much how I organize life with Notion and planners.
👉 Best for: Quick notes, random thoughts, and capturing ideas on the go.
4. The Key to Organization: Prioritizing What Matters Most
Even with you trying to organize life with Notion and planners, if you don’t know what your priorities are, your system won’t work.
For me, my priority list looks like this:
1️⃣ Job (Money-Making Priority) – My job comes first because it pays the bills. If nothing else gets done, my work obligations do.
2️⃣ Content & Social Media Growth – This is my future career, so I prioritize it over other tasks when possible.
3️⃣ Fitness – While important, it’s flexible. If I miss a workout, I can still stay on track by eating healthy. Also if you are interested in how I got into fitness check out my post, My Fitness Transformation Journey: From Struggle to Strength.
4️⃣ Books, Anime, & Social Time – These are my passions, but I don’t build my schedule around them. Instead, I sneak them into my daily routine.
🔹 How I Sneak Hobbies Into My Day
- Audiobooks while driving, cleaning, or warming up at the gym
- Anime during dinner or while doing light tasks
- Quick check-ins with friends instead of long hangouts, also I love a good brunch and done by 4 pm.
💡 Key takeaway: Your organization system should support your personal priorities—not someone else’s. If you want a deeper dive into prioritization, check out the next blog post in this series, Effective Task Prioritization Techniques: How to Prioritize What Matters.
5. Final Thoughts: Organization is About Flexibility, Not Perfection
Being organized isn’t about doing everything perfectly—it’s about knowing what truly matters and making sure those things get done.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you’re “failing” at staying on top of everything, take a step back and ask:
✔ What’s my #1 priority today?
✔ If I only do one thing today, what should it be?
By focusing on what moves the needle the most, you can maintain progress without burnout or guilt.
How do you structure your priorities? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear how you balance everything!
The next post in this series is all about how to prioritize what matters and get things done! Stay tuned!
✨ Don’t Miss a Thing! ✨
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