The Ultimate Guide To Get Your Life Sorted Day + Plan A Successful Week
I used to over-book myself then get so overwhelmed with all of the tasks I procrastinated from. I’d start the week feeling motivated and inspired to get shit done only to have lost my mojo by Wednesday. By the weekend, I was absolutely fried! All I’d want to do is crawl into a blanket burrito, throw Netflix on as ambient sound, and nap all day long.
4 years ago, I adapted Kalyn Nicholson’s “GYST Day” practice to accommodate a generally busy, average person’s lifestyle and shared it on my old blog, Lattes & Lifestyle.
To my surprise, it absolutely popped off - with over 149,000 views! Insane.
I just couldn’t believe how many people could resonate with how I like to organize my Get Your Life Together Day.
So, today, I’ve finally decided to make minor changes to the original post and share with you all my weekly ritual - how I get my life sorted and plan for a successful week.
I also added some pro-tips at the end of this post to help you stay on task, get more done, and feel accomplished at the end of the day for getting your life together!
What Is A GYST Day?
If you are unfamiliar with Kalyn's "GYST Day" strategy, it is basically the act of putting aside a day of the week to Get Your Sh*t Together. She breaks her day down into three categories: chores, beauty, and goals; then gets tasks done within those categories as the day goes on. To learn more about it, watch her YouTube video here.
Who Are GYST Days For?
Anyone who gets overwhelmed with adulting
Anyone who loves to procrastinate and has fallen behind
Anyone who has too much on their plate and just needs a day to collect themselves and get back on track
Anyone who struggles to stay organized
Anyone who is excited to create a more productive lifestyle
If you fit any (or all) of these, I definitely recommend you giving a GYST Day a try. I feel like, unless you have your life 100% together (which is almost nobody, because nobody is perfect), you could benefit from trying a GYST Day at least once in your life. No matter your intention, implementing a GYST Day into your week definitely will have you feeling more organized, underwhelmed, and ready for what the next week holds.
How To Organize Your GYST Day
Similar to Kalyn, I also like to break my day up into categories. Although I have a couple of extra categories I have created to help me be more productive and get more done throughout the day.
Chores
Projects
Self-Care
Planning Ahead
Relax
Chores
I always like to start my GYST Day by doing chores. They are the quickest to complete and having a clean workspace always makes me want to be more productive. These are typically chores that have been piling up while I have been trying to do other tasks, chores I only need to do on a weekly basis, or tasks I have been avoiding doing
Projects
After finishing all of my chores, I usually take some time to complete some projects I've been procrastinating from doing. Whether these are projects from my business, creating social media content, finishing up programs or products I’ll be launching soon, or freelance work.
If this does not resonate with you, you could also use this portion of your GYST day to work on school assignments, work projects, small home projects you’ve been procrastinating from, gardening, a side-hustle, etc.
While these are on-going projects, I try to set a “completion goal” for my GYST day. The goal isn’t necessarily to finish big projects; rather, it’s to complete the projects that have deadlines this week or push me forward in progress in projects that need continuous work.
Self-Care
After I complete all of the projects I needed to get done for the day, I begin some self-care. These are things I can't do on a daily basis that give myself the good ol' pampering I've been lacking from working so hard on other tasks and commitments throughout the week.
Plan Ahead
I think it is most important to use your GYST Day is to plan ahead to so that you can continue to have your sh*t together. I like to spend some time filling in my planner with upcoming dates, tasks, and projects for the upcoming week that are noted inside of my calendar app.
I also use this time for meal planning, grocery shopping, meal prepping, washing my workout clothes, creating my workout plan for the week, etc.
Relax
Finally, after a long productive day of getting stuff done, I like to just relax! Here, you can do whatever makes you feel happy and relaxed. You worked hard, so you deserve to play hard too! Fill that cup, Sis!
Pro-Tips For GYST Day
Keep your planner/calendar up-to-date throughout the week so that it will be super easy to identify what you need to get done during your GYST Day. You don't want to waste your day away just trying to figure out what needs to get done.
For each category of your GYST Day, write a list of things you MUST get done that day.
Schedule time-frames in your calendar/planner to do tasks. This will create pressure on you to complete everything in its designated time frame--allowing you to do more throughout the day.
Do all of the things you hate or take the longest time doing first. When you have completed them, you will feel so much more motivated because they are finally out of the way.
Try to have fun and keep a positive attitude during your GYST Day. When you are enjoying yourself, more gets done.
Pick a day of the week that typically seems to be free every week. This will help you create a routine. The more implemented a GYST Day is in your routine, the more likely you are to continue doing them and staying on track with your life.
