What are your keys to a more organized life?

I always carry a small planner around with me, the same size as a check book. Each two pages covers a week which gives me lots of room to write things down in. Today I checked my planner at a stop sign on the way to school and saw I had an assignment due today and I had known about since Wednesday, and as you can guess I hadn't done it. Despite my attempt at staying organized I have the horrible habbit of rarely going back in my planner to read what is coming up in the future.

I am going to start making out a list of things that need accomplished each day, not just stuff from the planner but more mundane stuff, example, laundry and buy groceries. Along with that a list of things I need to be aware of that are on the horizon.

So what strategies does everyone here use to stay ontop of things and not get overwhelmed? I realize a big part of it is just doing it.

For me its an orginized workspace helps (also a orginized brew space and household) I'm not much of a calender/planner user, But i do use it sparely. I'm more mental and i also make a few lists. However i find once i make a list it is engrained in my brain. I'never had a problem with deadlines or being late. I guess i'm just lucky.

plus my wfie is super orginized and super on top of things she keeps me up to speed when I fall behind. Eventually the mundane become routine.

i find a list in a visible place that you see every day. Like using a dry erase marker on the bathroom mirror or on the fridge helps

My personal life is not that complicated so things along those lines I can keep in my head pretty well. My problem is going to the supermarket or Lowes and Home Depot to get specific items. I know what I want in my head until I walk in the door and then when I see all that stuff my mind goes blank. I HAVE to write that stuff down.

I use a planner also - the electronic kind. I find myself putting items (reminders) on my calendar for things to do when I get home in the evening or vice-versa, putting things on my calendar over the weekend to check on when I get to work in the morning.

By having it on the computer, it pops up on my phone, on my home computer and my office computer. (I use Outlook/Exchange, but Gmail and others can give you the same reminder capability).

If I just wrote it down on a piece of paper, I'd still forget about it - I need the computer to be my reminder.