It’s the mission of every person: be more organized. There are those who like to create endless lists, those who like to set reminders, and then there are those who wing it and hope for the best.
Whatever type of person you are, there’s something you can do to be better organised – even those of you who religiously create lists. Just because it’s on a piece of paper with a tick box next to it, it doesn’t make you an organised person, because in the event the list got lost, chaos would ensue.
A big part of being organised is being prepared for all eventualities and being able to remain calm should a problematic scenario arise, and that is something no handwritten list stuck on your fridge or flapping in the bottom of your handbag can solve.
If this sounds familiar, keep reading to learn seven ways you can be more organised and prepared.
-
Monetary Autonomy
Do you have to remember to transfer money and pay your bills every month? Even though you have a planned day for it, unless those transactions are automatic, this is a very risky way of doing things because there could come a time when something happens that distracts you or prevents you from remembering to make those payments. This could result in a late payment, and late payments often incur extra charges and all kinds of frustrating phone calls and correspondence to fix. Whether it’s a bill, loans or making charity donations (e.g. sponsorships or obligations like paying in advance), set up standing orders so that all your money is automatically diverted to the right place at the right time. One less thing to worry about!
-
Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind
Many of us have a policy that if clutter is out of sight, it’s out of mind. This means many stray belongings get pushed under beds, into cupboards, and behind big pieces of furniture. This is not the way forward. It might make your immediate space look better, but at one time or another you’re going to need to retrieve said items, and you’re going to wish you had undertaken a proper clear-out and imparted sensible storage when all your belongings come tumbling out of the spare room.
-
Top Three is Key
Humans now lead very busy lives and have hundreds of tasks to do a week. This is something we all have to battle with, and whilst there will always be tasks that can be pushed back to next week, there will be others that can’t. For this reason, decide on the top three tasks you absolutely have to do every day. Whether it’s doing the weekly shop, signing off an important work project or taking the car to the mechanic, failure to complete a big task will result in the inability to do multiple smaller tasks and will throw everything into disarray. Select the tasks that have the most implications if they’re not done and make a conscious effort to do these first; it just might save your skin later on!
-
The Night Before the Morning After
Have you ever been late because you couldn’t find your work shirt or a pair of socks and spent 10 minutes that you really didn’t have to spare trying to rectify the problem? Of course, you have, we all have. A key step to being organized is being prepared, and this means taking 10 minutes out of every evening to get your clothes ready for the next day and to put your bag/must-have belongings by the door so you don’t forget them on your way out. This is a great habit to get into, least of all because it saves you a job in the morning which means you can snooze for that bit longer.
-
Back it Up
Having that important presentation saved on your computer is one thing, but what if your computer breaks the day before your presentation is due and you lose access to your files? An organised person always has multiple copies, so it’s high time you got into the habit of saving your work, and then saving it again (and maybe even a third time for good luck). Make us of online storage programs and of memory sticks, they’re there to stop you from having a catastrophic meltdown when technology goes wrong – and technology goes wrong a lot.
-
Declutter Your Inbox
Do you frequently have 50 unread emails? You’ve probably become accustomed to marking them as read as part of your morning routine, but this is actually incredibly disorganized. Go through your inbox and unsubscribe to any mailing lists that you do not actively take part in. If you don’t open the email, you don’t need to receive the email, so get it gone! It’s one less chore to deal with on a daily basis and will keep your email space free for the important stuff (which you’re less likely to miss if you don’t have to sift through so many messages).
-
Routine
This is probably extremely obvious, but having a routine is essential. Whether it’s a bedtime routine, a cleaning routine or a relaxation routine – setting time aside for specific things and making a habit of doing so is the bread and butter of staying organised. It might take some time to set in, but the rewards of it are so worth it.
If you’re struggling to stay on top of life, try implementing a few of these seven tips and see how you get on. They might just change your life!
About post Author
