How to Organize your Life
Does it seem like there aren't enough hours in the day, or dollars in the bank? Is your car usually running on empty, and your trash can full? You’re suffering from a common affliction of being too busy — you have no time to spare, and no time to unwind. The good news is that there’s a cure: organization! Follow these simple steps below, and you’ll be enjoying regular bouts of relaxation and peace of mind
Laziness?
No time?
Procastination?
....?
1 Determine the cause of your lack of organization. Why do you feel cluttered? For some people, busy schedules get in the way, making organization difficult. For others, simply lack of motivation or know-how is the culprit. To start organizing your life, you need to acknowledge the cause and make a decision to change it
2 Consider what needs to be organized. Although it’s easy to say “everything,” chances are there are specific areas in your life that have more clutter than others. Where are you the most disorganized? Consider your skills in making plans, cleaning house, or running errands. Which of these is the most stressful for you to accomplish? Remember to consider your work life, friendships, and general thought processes as well.
- If you do think that everything in your life needs to be organized choose one thing to focus on. Than move on to another thing.
3 Fill out a calendar. If you have a busy schedule (or even if you don’t!) purchase or make a solid calendar and place it somewhere you will see it on a regular basis. This could be near your keys, on the fridge or in your home office. Take a few minutes to fill out the entire calendar with important dates and events coming up.
- Avoid filling out common activities that will clutter your calendar, but things that you have firm plans to actually do. This could include classes, your work schedule, doctors appointments, and major events such as weddings and funerals.
- Review your filled-out calendar and look at your typical weekly schedule. When are your breaks? Do you have short periods of time between events that you can use to your benefit? When are you busiest?
4 Create a to-do list. Sure, a to-do list sounds oddly similar to using a planner to schedule your days. However, think of your to-do list as breaking down your day into even smaller, more manageable pieces. Don’t list major, vague projects (such as clean the house or workout more). Give yourself some clear direction with short, easy tasks (like clean the kitchen, scrub the toilets, and run one mile).
- Add little check boxes next to each task, even if it seems silly. Ticking off the boxes as you work through your day will give you a visual reminder of your hard work, and leave you feeling fulfilled and proud of your work.
- Keep your to-do list someplace you will see it often, to remind you of the tasks you have to accomplish. You may even consider keeping it in your planner.
- Finish the biggest projects on your to do list before getting to smaller ones. For example, finish “scrub the fridge” before “sort the mail” to give you momentum and make yourself more productive
5 Stop procrastinating . Possibly the toughest item on the list, procrastinating is a major detriment to organizing your life. Instead of putting things off, get them done immediately. Force yourself to get things done without waiting to finish them. If it can be done in two minutes or less, always do it right away while breaking down larger tasks into smaller pieces to make them manageable.
- Set a timer for fifteen minutes and work like crazy during that time. Don’t get distracted, take any breaks, or stop for any reason but an emergency during the time your timer is going. Then, allow yourself to stop working on your tasks when the timer goes off. Likely though, you will continue working because you finally managed to make headway on a project you've been avoiding.
- Remove your distractions, whatever they are. Often it is the internet, your phone, sleep, or even a good book. No matter what distracts you, set a period of time where you work on projects without them.
6 Don’t overwhelm yourself. If you find that your time is short and schedule is full, consider dropping less important things from your daily plans. Is that coffee date with your friend really necessary today? How about your plans to work on your work assignment outside of your work hours? If you are doing too many things at once, you will feel unorganized and anxiety-prone. Cancel plans when necessary to give your head a little more thinking space.
- Learn to delegate projects to others. If you know you have to go grocery shopping but are much too busy to consider the idea, ask a family member or close friend to run the errand for you. As long as you aren't putting off major tasks or giving things that are important for you personally to do to others, delegating can be healthy.
- Don’t agree to everything you are asked to do if you know you don’t have time for it. Your friends won’t hate you, your boss won’t think you slack, and your significant other will understand if you need your free time to get some personal work and organization done.
7 Don’t be a perfectionist. If you only feel that you've completed a task when it is “perfect,” you will be leaving a lot of tasks unfinished to clutter up your life. On a similar note, if you wait to start tasks until you’re in the “perfect” decluttering mindset, you will be waiting a very long time.
- Don’t put off projects any longer, and know when a project is adequately finished and can be left alone. When you reach a point where it is “good enough,” settle for less and move on to your next item.
- If you have certain projects that you can’t seem to perfect, try taking a break from them and come back after you've finished a few other smaller tasks. You will accomplish more in the same amount of time, rather than getting bored and wasting time on a single unperfected task
To be continued tomorrow don't miss out!!
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