I actually really like going grocery shopping. Every week I sit down and make a list of what I’m going to eat that week. I try to make sure I have a variety of meals included:
- Including all the food groups
- Using ingredients already in my house, so I don’t have to buy unnecessary items or let stuff I already have go to waste
- Accounting for the amount of time I have; if there’s an evening activity I need to have something quick and preferably already made, so I can just eat it after a few moments in the microwave (if I even have to do that)
- Appropriate to the season; of course, everything is available at the grocery store year-round, but I at least try to buy fresh fruit and vegetables in their regular growing season
So after taking all that into account I have a list of food items to shop for. I write them all down — yes, on paper, with a pen — then I take that pen and list with me to the store, so I can cross the items off, one by one. There always seems to be one or two things that I can’t get at that moment… but there’s also always another shopping trip coming up. So I just write what I didn’t get on next week’s list.
I guess it takes a kind of discipline to keep a grocery list organized like this: thinking of meals, internally editing the list to make sure it meets the requirements I listed above (and others), and sticking to the list once I’m in the grocery store — I usually travel on the outside edge of the store, where the produce, dairy, and meat can be found, though of course sometimes I travel down the aisles where packaged cookies and chips and the like can be found!
I find it easy to stay organized, though. It helps to have the structure of a list at hand so I don’t spend extra time wandering the store, spending money on whatever I see that looks good (it is interesting to look at food packaging to see how things are being advertised, though). I enjoy crossing things off the list, too; it’s evidence that I have accomplished the task I have set for myself.
The marketing field isn’t just about catchy slogans and arresting visuals. It’s also about staying organized: identifying the items that need to be created or updated to support a promotional campaign, then making sure to follow through until they are complete.
A simple paper to-do list, an Excel spreadsheet, or a complex app that automatically generates reminders of project statuses — project management is a straightforward activity, one that calls for just a little attention to detail, the way that I do it.