This article talks about tips on how to stay organized in life.
Many people do not know that the effects of being disorganized is more serious than what is perceived.
You are most probably already experiencing the effects of being organized yourself to be reading this article.
When you are disorganized, you are all over the place and maybe, never get anything done.
Even if you managed to get something done, you are most probably not as productive as you should and feeling stressed.
All these reduce your motivation. If you do not know where to start, you have come to the right place.
The following are practical tips to help you stay organized in different aspects of your life.
Identify The Different Aspects of Your Life & Tasks Associated With These Aspects.
Our life can be complicated and disorganized as each of us has more than one aspect in life.
For instance, at the very least, almost everyone of us have a personal aspect in life which involves our friends and family members.
Tasks in this aspect can be buying a gift for a friend’s birthday or even as simple as sending a message to wish a friend ‘Happy Birthday’.
It can also be an appointment to meet a friend on a specific date and time which you do not want to forget.
Another personal aspect in life could be tasks related to our parents.
It could be your parent’s wedding anniversary or bringing them to a doctor’s appointment.
For those who are married, personal aspect in life also includes tasks related to your spouse and children, if any.
It can also be planning to celebrate your own wedding anniversary – something which we definitely will not want to forget.
It can also be purchasing the necessary stationaries or stuff to prepare your children to go back to school, or blocking your calendar off to go to your children’s school for some activities or just for a routine parents – teacher meeting.
For those of us who are working, we also have to handle the work aspect which includes all long-term and short-term work related commitments.
No matter how many aspects you have in life, make a list of all the tasks that you need to handle.
Have A Clear Idea of Your Tasks – Categorize These Tasks & Transfer Them To Your Calendar.
Having a clear idea of what needs to be done in the near future is vital to being organized.
We can have a clear idea by putting tasks in their respective places in a calendar, whether it is a digital calendar or physical planner.
Begin by putting in tasks with fixed date and time. For instance, if you have a doctor’s appointment or meet a friend on a particular date, put this into your calendar so that you can block of the timing under the respective date.
You definitely do not want to forget these aapointments and ended up disrupting the schedule of both yourself as well as the other party.
For tasks which require certain amount of planning or steps, make a clear list of subtasks and allocate a deadline for each subtask.
For instance, if a close friend’s birthday is approaching and you are planning to buy a gift and treat your friend to a meal, one of the subtask will be to shop for a gift. You might want to block off your calendar to do some shopping, maybe three days before.
You might also want to set a date and time to do some research and book a restaurant to bring your friend to before his/her birthday.
For tasks which are not date/time specific but you need to get them done within a particular month, do set aside a dedicated section in your calendar under the respective month for you to constantly refer to.
I always have a additional list which is attached under the monthly section of my calendar which I always make it a point to refer to everytime I open my calendar.
Never Lose Track – Develop Routines and Habits.
By now, you should have recognised that certain tasks are repetitive. For instance, you have to water the plant every three days, clean the toilet daily or have to attend a certain work meeting every Wednesday.
Do identify all these routine tasks and make sure to set aside time in your calendar when planning your day.
By doing this, you can automate tasks which are mundane and do not require thinking, which in turn, will provide you more time and energy to think about more important or challenging tasks.
It is also useful to establish a habit to jot down any tasks and appointments along the way and put them into the calendar as soon as you can.
For instance, when you are on the go and confirmed an appointment with a client, do find a common place to jot this down first.
This can be a specific note in your mobile phone or a portable notebook which you always carry with you.
Once you are in a more convenient place, always make it a habit to put these tasks which have been accumulating over the day into your main calendar.
This consistent habit will provide structure into your life to help you not to lose track of future tasks.
Most importantly, I can never emphasize enough the importance of referring to your calendar daily.
It is really no point in keeping an updated calendar without referring to it.
Constantly referring to the calendar provides us with a clear view of what tasks we have completed and most importantly, what needs to be done.
This routine forces us to be on track with what is happening in our life without fail.
Plan and Perform Your Tasks Ahead of Time.
In order to be organized in life, planning ahead is everything!
Do try to map out your calendar for at least the whole of the following week. Some people like to map out for the whole month or even three months in advance!
Planning ahead gives you an overview of what needs to be done for the following week or next month. It gives you an idea of how busy you will be and this brings along with it many advantages.
It provides us with better control as we have a clear idea of what we will be facing. Having better control will keep our stress level down drastically.
Eventually, we will be better equipped mentally and this will increase the possibiity of passing through the week or month more smoothly.
Besides planning in advance, it is also crucial to make it a habit not to leave tasks to the very last minute. Do always make an effort to perform tasks earlier than the deadline.
This is because we can never predict what is going to happen last minute.
For instance, we might suddenly fall ill or something else which needs more urgent attention surfaces out of a sudden. All of which will prevent us from completing a task on time.
In these situations, if we leave tasks to the very last minute, we will unable to complete the tasks on time, which might cause a disruption or delay to what was being planned.
Of course, things do happen suddenly but what we want to make sure is to keep such disruptions to the minimal so that the effects of such disruptions are manageable.
Review and Adjust Regularly.
Checking off tasks after you have completed them is important.
This is because not only does this provide us with a sense of accomlishment, it also gives us with an overview of which tasks are completed and which ones are not completed.
This enables us to review if we are spending an excessive amount of time on a certain aspect of our life, and that we have neglected another aspect of our life.
For instance, if most of the tasks being checked off are personal tasks and very few tasks related to work are checked off, it could mean that we have neglected the work aspect of our life.
In this case, we should make some adjustments to our plans for the following week to reduce personal tasks and spend more time on work related tasks.
Being organized in life is all about seeking a balance with the different aspects of our life.
Conclusion
Staying organized is an on-going process. In order to stay organized, it is important to perform the above mentioned on a regular basis.
Do apply the above-mentioned to eliminate chaos and inject more productivity into your life!
If you have any questions or personal tips to share, do let us know in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.