Life is complicated, but getting organized is one way for it to run smoothly. The following are steps you should do for an organized life: sort out the clutter, make use of a calendar and a planner, wear a watch, streamline, jot it down, assign responsibilities, allocate time to de-stress, and be disciplined.
What most of us are not aware of is that visual clutter is a big factor of disorder in the mental aspect of an individual. So, to avoid inefficient confusion and turmoil every now and then, follow these simple steps to organize your life:
Sort out the clutter
The secret to keeping things in an orderly manner is to never put unnecessary things on flat surfaces such as your computer desk, a side table or the couch, whether it be clothes, books or important papers. To sort out the clutter, you need plastic bags, zip-lock bags, boxes, transparent containers to name a few and keep in mind that you have to label each for efficiency. After using a certain thing, directly place it back where it belongs. Thinking of returning later on is a big no-no in the process of establishing an organized life. If ever spending precious minutes looking for your keys or your cell phone, you have to decide on one area to place them and always set it down in that one place.
Make use of a calendar and a planner
Write down your schedule so you won’t forget anything. Always have it handy and nearby so as to avoid locating it over and over again.
Wear a watch
True to say, time flies by while having fun. This isn’t a bad thing as long as you have a lot of free time in your hands. But getting behind your schedule will only cause commotion up in your head. To avoid this, wear a watch because it makes you conscious of time.
Streamline
Combine similar tasks together and do it consecutively. For instance, you need to shop. Don’t just shop for one thing but as much as possible, buy groceries at one time to lessen the time spent. It is not to be forgotten that while you streamline, your work should be done correctly or a something uneventful will just rise up.
Jot it down
Wherever you go, especially at work, have a notepad and pen within your reach. A written reminder is better than a not-so dependable memory. Another modern alternative to a notepad is a PDA, a Blackberry or a palm Pilot.
Assign responsibilities
You don’t have to do everything on your own. It’s not a feeble thing to ask for help to others and it is definitely not to be ashamed of. Appoint somebody else to do this and that and make sure that that somebody is trustworthy and capable of the given task.
Allocate time to de-stress
A mentally sound mind brings forth a healthy lifestyle. Every now and then, take a time off and have some alone time. For those who are constantly busy, just stop and breathe. That may give a bit of relaxation.
Be disciplined
Lastly, always carry with you your discipline. Without it nothing will be accomplished. Stick to what you decided and make sure you are not wandering away from the path to an organized life. Remember: no shortcuts.
Being the busy bees that we are now, we have to constantly juggle responsibilities and unfortunately, we can’t catch everything that we are responsible of. When you feel like the whole world is on your shoulders, take time to start with the least and advance to an organized way of living.
My Thoughts
I struggle with a couple of these tasks myself. Like assigning responsibilities to other family members when it comes to completing household tasks. Sometimes, I feel it is easier to accomplish them myself than to hear the constant complaint from the other person/child. LOL. It is one step I am continuously at need to practice. The other is discipline. Just like having the discipline to keep within our budget, we also need to apply discipline in our daily lives; to ensure we are utilizing our time/effort with the best intentions.
I am good at ‘allocating time to de-stress’ step. If I feel like I am focusing on one subject too long (like tweeking my blog), then I will step away to read a book, crochet that baby blanket I have been working on forever, or to spend time with my family.
Do these steps work for you in having an organized life? Why or why not? Do you have any great tips, of your own, that work wonders for keeping an organized life? (I can use them all!)
My biggest issue here is the calendar…. oh and de-stressing. I get a bit obsessive with my work and I never know what date it is 🙂
LOL. Then you have a problem there. I think Austin, from Foreigner’s Finance is real good at using the Google Calendar, if I recall correctly. Might benefit asking him for advice. 😉
I get a bit OCD, too. Then when I come to that realization, I close the laptop and walk away to do something elso.
He he, I will go check him out and get some advice from him :), thanks.
Hi Christine. You know I like to be organised {too much lol} however I’ve started to use the 3 MIT (most important tasks – Zen Habits) system.
Before I go to bed I list the three things I’d most like to get accomplished the next day, I complete then as soon as possible the next morning; it gives me such a feeling of ‘being organised’
Oh, I like that… the 3 MIT. And 3 is perfect.
I had a problem when I used a day planner, back in the day, in that I would write so much down and bond my self to time & schedules. It became a big stress hinderance. 3 is perfect. Then the rest of the day is free?? 😉
Man, everyone on that list is something I struggle with! My biggest one is organization and keeping my living environment clean. You’d think after every cleaning session, we’d learn. But no!
It all boils down to putting things where they belong right after you’re done. I need to have a voice saying that in my head.
Oh that last comment.. I am trying to imbed it into my daughter’s head! She doesn’t learn either. And then we get into a big drama match when it is time to clean. LOL.
I got my very, VERY expensive watch stolen the other day… waaaah! Good thing I have insurance. Post upcoming!
I think many of us try and do too many things at once. Best to just focus on 3 things that one must absolutely get right day in and day out, and then go from there if one has capacity.
What? How did that happen? Didn’t take it off to play tennis, did you?
Since you and Laura have commented about focusing on 3 things… it must work. I’ll have to give that a try. I have become good at not checking and following up on work emails until the end of the day. It allows me to get the hefty part of my work done in the morning.
I just can’t live without my huge wall calendar. I put all my appointments, kid’s lessons, meetings, etc. on it so I can keep track of everything. I also found that I have to be vigilant about keeping clutter under control or it just seems to multiply like rabbits…
LOL. That’s awesome… a huge wall calendar.
Oh and the clutter… it multiplies like instantly. You declutter & make room… the clutter just wants to inhabit the space quickly (my magazines, kids drawings/homework, bills, junk mail…). LOL. Good ones!
I don’t think “Multitasking” is exactly what you mean. It’s more like being efficient in the tasks you do and planning ahead.
Maybe I should update it to say, “Streamlining”? You’re right. Let’s change it. 🙂
Great post. I still struggle sometimes with the allocating time to destress suggestion. It’s somewhat a new concept to me. LOL. BTW, I also RT this post.
Thanks, Roshawn. Struggle some more and make that time! I think its an ultra important factor. This day and age with so much multimedia to take up our time… we need to recenter and destress! Time to find the hobby. 😉
Great tips….really timely for me.
I waste way too much time.
Thanks!
You and me both! I really need to start implementing a schedule for my blogging. When I spend more time on the computer than I need to, I actually get less done than when I schedule an alloted time (run on sentence?). 🙂
I completely agree with “jotting it downâ€. I’ve gone from keeping a pen and paper everywhere to instead using the voice recorder on my iphone.
I know that one! I’ve gotten use to using my BB voice recorder to “jot” down my thoughts.
Love these tips!
I use my iPhone for everything. I enter appointments, work stuff, and set alarms for everything. It’s really handy.
Anything to help us mom’s keep the family life in order! LOL. Jealous I don’t have the iPhone. Will have to wait until its released to Verizon (soon, please!). And with you be so entrepreneurially (is that a word? ;)) busy…gotta be a life saver!
I like the idea of delegating. Our daughter is almost 3, think she can handle it? 🙂
Question for you: do you use your phone or any electronic device to set alarm reminder’s for things? Or do you find it better to just check the calendar to know what is coming up?
Yes! When my daughter was around that age, she would follow my roomate around with a polish cloth and help her dust. Now, why that habit didn’t continue into her older age… 😉
Well, I do use my phone for the alarm. But, I try not to use electronic calendars because I will unindate it with way too much stuff to do. I have a calendar in my kitchen, hanging on the wall, its usually only encompassed with birthdays. As for work, I only check my email and catch up in the last 2-3 hours of my job per day. If there is an email that needs my attention, I will set a reminder flag/alarm. But, it seldom happens.
I figure if people need me at a whim they can call me on the phone or visit me in person. Plus I have my coworkers/friends keep in line with whats due or going on in life. 😉 Calendars, not my style.
This is an area that I constantly struggle with. A lot of my posts at my site are done at midnight because of my lack of time management…
I just started using a journal last year, and it has helped me tremendously!
Nice job! Thanks!!!
Oh, I know that one! 😀 But for those of us who have a family, work a full time job, and blog… where is there time!
I envy journals. They may not only help with physical organization, but mental centering, too. Great to hear that is working for you.
all great tips, being a Virgo (very organized) at least in my case allows me to be very clean. it can be hard for me at times to see others who are very disorganized and then hear them complain about losing items, or forgetting to pay bills, etc.
Just like life is all about balance so is staying organized and having a plan to much planning and you will be spending all your time re-scheduling and not enough discipline and you might never get anything done.
find a balance and enjoy the ride.
He he, I will go check him out and get some advice from him :), thanks.
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I do really good at work by using Outlook to set up reminders. But at home, I’m horrible. I also have too many piles on my desk beside my computer monitor. Every once in a while I have to clear the desk and dump everything into a box and then I never find the time to go through it. I need a maid!!
Right! I am the Same way! Totally need a personal assistant. 🙂
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Now that I got my life organization it’s much easier for me. I don’t have to think as much!
I like just having 3 things to do every day. If I can get the 3 things done at least, I’m happy. If I can do 10 more things, great, but it’s about focus for me.
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