Everyone seems to have “too much” going on in his or her lives these days. People are constantly going, working, moving, talking, living and rarely taking a minute to stop and breathe.
Like Personal Growth on Facebook
This can be a struggle for many reasons, but one of the biggest issues is that it leads to disorganization and chaos that will just fuel your stress even further. There’s not a magic solution for getting organized and staying that way, but there are definitely little steps that you can take that make a big effect on your daily life.
The Hacks
1. Organizational Systems
If you don’t have one, create one. If yours isn’t working, rethink it. The only way you can benefit from an organizing system or method is if it actually works. By works, I mean it increases your productivity and helps you to stay organized.
2. Have One Notebook Or Pad And Stick With It
It can be appealing to have different notes or agendas for different projects, areas of your life or interests. That, however, can become impossible to carry around comfortably and keep track of. If you get a subject notebook instead, you can keep everything divided by topic and only have one book to carry. Plus, then you have everything in one place.
3. Put Things Where They Belong
If you are cleaning up your office, you’re not going to stick the stapler that you use every day in the bottom drawer just because there is room. It needs to be on the desktop, within reach, so that you can access it easily. If you put things where they are going to be used, you’ll be able to do things faster and spend less time searching for items that you need.
4. Set Daily Goals
Whether you make a physical list or just a mental one, you need to set a number of tasks or goals that you want to accomplish for the day. You could also pick the important items that you need to focus on. Whatever you do, just make sure that you have a plan of action before you start so that you can stay organized and prepared.
5. Schedule Maintenance And Upkeep For Your Systems
Take advantage of the time that you have to review the way you do things and consider revising your methods if they aren’t efficient enough or are no longer working. If you keep tabs on your organization, you’ll be able to fix it before there is a problem and avoid a giant mess.
6. Split Projects Into Small Tasks
It doesn’t matter if you need to do yard work or write your thesis on integrative medicine. Every project can be split into smaller tasks so that it is more manageable. It also helps with motivation and tracking progress so that you don’t miss deadlines.
7. Write Opening Dates On The Products That You Buy
This cool hack will allow you to gauge how quickly you go through things like office supplies, toiletries, food and so forth. It will also help you see what foods are good, which ones don’t agree with you and help you get into the habit of having backups. When you know how much of something you need, it’s easier to budget for the expense.
8. Make Your Fun As Functional As Your Obligations
You have to go all the way here, and if you don’t want your fun and free time to go by the wayside, you need to put reminders in your phone for shows you watch, friend dates and other events. Use the same serious organizational mindset in your fun planning as you do in the rest of your life. You’ll have more fun as a result.
9. Ask Yourself “Why Do I Need To Improve My Organization?”
There might be a simple element you are missing or it may be that you have problematic parts of your life because you are disorganized. Either way, when you honestly question why you need better organization, you’ll get the honest answer along with the most effective solution.
