There are two types of people in the world – the organised, and the not-quite-so-organised. Organised people don’t have better memories, or more hours in the day, but the good news is that they have a skill set that the rest of us can learn. Here are my top ten ways to start getting more organised – which you can start today!
How to be more organised:
1. Write it down
Grab a pen and paper, and write down everything you need to do. Everything. Today, next week, this month. In the words of productivity guru Dave Allen * “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them”! Worrying about things you need to do is wasted energy, so write it all down and you are already half way to getting organised.
2. Prioritise
You’ve mastered the to-do list, but a daily priority list is where the real magic happens. Each day, decide on your priorities and list three manageable tasks. Break large projects into bitesize, achievable activities. By focusing your time and energy in this way, you can say goodbye to overwhelm. You’ll be ticking those to-dos off your list in no time.
3. Diarise
Write down appointments as soon as they are made. Before you leave the salon, make your next appointment and pop it in your diary. Diarise plans with friends as soon as they are made, so you don’t double book yourself. Take time at the beginning of each month to review birthdays, deadlines and appointments – and add them to your to-do list for action.
4. Learn to say “No”
Coco Chanel famously taught us that when it comes to accessories, a woman should always look in the mirror before leaving the house and remove one piece. It’s the same with commitments. Review your diary and to-do list each week and cancel or delegate one thing. Nothing is more important than a bit of self care and “me time”.
5. Delegate
You don’t have to everything yourself, so learn to recognise your strengths and weaknesses, and delegate accordingly. There are plenty of services available to help save your precious time. Maid services for cleaning, laundries, online supermarkets, dog walkers, party planners, virtual assistants… and professional declutters and organisers (*waves*)… the list is endless. Look at your regular tasks, work out how much your own time is worth and compare. What tasks on your to-do list could you outsource?
6. Schedule routine tasks
It’s all about your routine. Set time for your regular errands and responsibilities. Menu plan and shop for your groceries at the same time each week. Fill your car with petrol on the way home from work each Thursday. Pop a load of laundry in the machine each morning when you wake up, and hang it up before you leave the house. Regular routines become habits, which save you time and energy. And you’ll never run out of petrol again.
7. Declutter
You’ve heard it all before, but it really is much easier to keep organised if you have less stuff. Donate or recycle items that you don’t love (that don’t “spark joy”, in the words of tidying guru Marie Kondo*), until you are left with only the items that you treasure.
8. Dress for success
We feel good when we look good, and when we feel good we are more productive. Yet how many times have you scanned your wardrobe in despair, running late, declaring that you “have nothing to wear”? Imagine how it would feel to open your closet to find only clothes that make you look your best. Ruthlessly purge your closet, getting rid of anything that doesn’t fit or doesn’t suit you. Then plan for a capsule wardrobe that you can use as a basis to update with a few on-trend pieces each season. Start thinking about quality, rather than quantity.
9. A place for everything and everything in its place
It’s hard to lose things if you always return them to their proper place after use. Get into the habit of returning items to their home as soon as you have finished with them. It takes seconds, and you’ll be grateful when your keys and purse are ready and waiting for you by the door. A more organised start in the morning will lead to a more organised day ahead.
10. Weekly preparation
A few minutes of preparation will help you to run the week, and avoid the out of control feeling of the week running you. Each weekend, take 30 minutes to check your diary and to-do list. Choose your outfits for the week (and make sure they’re clean/ironed), menu plan and confirm appointments. By taking the guesswork out of each day, you will set yourself up for success.
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Saying “no” resonated with me…and Coco Channel’s advice about removing one accessory before leaving the house. I have to admit that I tend to err on the side of extra bling. I love a bit of sparkle. However, the idea of “no” is so important because without being judicious, we’ll end up overwhelmed, overscheduled and focused on other people’s priorities instead of defining our own.
Yes! I have always loved the Chanel advice about accessories – and it fits so well with commitments too.
I love that quote by Dave Allen, “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them!” I find that part of client’s feeling of overwhelm is because they have so much swimming in their head, they can’t move forward because of it. Putting those ideas on paper in an organized fashion is the perfect way to begin a client’s ‘lightening up’ process.
I love it too! A great reminder to get everything down onto a list – whatever that means for you – and use your energy for doing, rather than remembering! I don’t go anywhere without my bullet journal for exactly that reason – my lists remember so I don’t have to!
I had a few warm winter tops that weren’t all that comfortable, but I’d hesitated to get rid of them until I bought replacements. At the beginning of the winter, I decided to just donate them. Other than a new sweater I received for Christmas, I didn’t replace them, and I haven’t once felt that I was lacking – which just goes to show that we don’t need nearly as much clothing as we think we do!
We really don’t! I have a very minimal wardrobe now, and it makes life so much easier.
I find when I suggest writing the tasks they have to do down on paper to my kids, they get even more overwhelmed. But, writing things down BEFORE you feel overwhelmed really does help. Giving yourself as much time as possible to plan and execute the tasks allows you to see the steps and how it will unfold. Thanks for the reminder.
It’s a tricky one to learn for children, but by helping them build the habit you are giving them such a core skill for later life. I agree – write things down as soon as you know about them, and schedule straight away.
These are all core truths that definitely keep you organized. The more complex life gets, the more important it is to write things down, as to write them down in a place that you rely on and use (as opposed to random scraps of paper.) I was just talking with a client about this last week. When she was single, she didn’t need to write things down as much. I pointed out that life just gets increasingly complex as we age: more players, more tasks, more appointments. Writing things down is not a sign of weakness, but an act of wisdom!
Somehow things tend to stay in my head too if I write them down – but I don’t go anywhere without my trusty bullet journal. If I don’t write things down, they don’t get done.
Excellent advice and nothing that we can’t build into our daily/weekly routines! I’m on it – fingers crossed it works as I need some serious help!
Exactly – it’s all about building new habits. Good luck – and let me know how you get on!