When you have an organized plan for yourself you are more efficient. You get more done in less time. You know where everything is, allowing you to work faster. The key to getting organized is finding a routine that works for you, fits into your schedule, and helps you create more time rather than simply just creating more work for yourself.
To help you find the best way to get yourself organized, we’re sharing some of our favorite organizational tips that anyone can master.
Define What Organization Means To You
To begin with, consider what aspects of getting organized you believe you need help with. Be clear about that before you seek help. Start thinking about your strengths and weaknesses. Most people are not able to see specific organizational weaknesses in themselves. Seek out feedback. This can change your life. Here are just a few ways people define organization.
✔️Putting a plan together in a logical order.
✔️Creating a routine or a series of routines that help you stay focused throughout the day
✔️The ability to look at your projects and prioritize
✔️Creating processes for more efficiency
Pinpoint What Motivates You to Stay Organized
Some people need to dive right into their most challenging projects early to avoid procrastination, getting the hardest thing done first, and then glide into the rest of the day. Others like to start easy and warm up to the more challenging tasks.
Figuring out what works best for you is the key to staying motivated on a consistent basis.
✔️Consider how your energy ebbs and flows throughout the day. What’s your high energy time and how can you best use that?
✔️Read inspirational quotes to keep you motivated
✔️Following morning and evening routines to get a maximum amount of important things done
Leverage the Power of Playlists
Playlists are a fantastic way for some people to keep themselves motivated, focused, and productive. See if this may be the case for you. Start your day with a few of your favorite songs. When things get tough, change it up, and try something new. Music can be really helpful to help some people get through doing routine tasks.
Don’t have time to create your own playlist? Spotify has some great playlists that you can start with. Once you figure out what works best for you, you can start creating your own playlists.
Give Yourself Deadlines to Stay Organized
Deadlines provide accountability and motivation. Deadlines, no matter how trivial, are where the rubber hits the road. Remember to continually monitor your deadlines to focus to stay organized. Deadlines are like budgets, they are predictions and predictions can be wrong. In fact, they will be wrong sometimes, if you live in the real world. Staying on top of your deadlines will allow you to make adjustments as early as possible.
Here are a few tips to get you started with setting deadlines:
✔️Get a calendar and start using it religiously. This not only means putting tasks, meetings, and block scheduling project work. It also means checking through it at the beginning of the week, beginning of each day, and throughout the day
✔️Write all your deadlines down
✔️Create milestones and celebrate them
✔️Anticipate mistakes or delays. They happen all the time
✔️If you continue to struggle making deadlines, seek support.
Get Your Home in Order
In today’s WFA world, organizing your home is extremely important. One of the fastest ways to get your home organized is getting rid of things you no longer need. You will feel a lot better once your home is decluttered and you will have the bonus of more space for your stuff especially as you continue to stay organized.
Getting your house in order is not easy. When acquiring something new, deeply consider whether you are going to regularly use it? Can you rent it? Are you able to store and maintain it? Consider a rule that you will get rid of your old clothes before you buy new clothes just to keep your closet organized. If you manage your present, you will simplify your future.
Seek Assistance to Stay Organized
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Getting organized can be both difficult and frustrating. For many, seeking out help is the fastest way to get organized quickly. Find someone to keep you accountable. A co-worker, friend, or coach can be of great help but there has to be a two-way commitment. A weekly meeting is recommended.
Reward Yourself
Do something nice for yourself, something special, such as going to lunch with a friend, hosting others at your home, buying fresh flowers, or seeing a movie. You can think of something that will appeal to you as a reward. If you don’t, who will?
Want more advice on how to stay organized? The coaches at Ignite Your Potential are here to help. Reach out and take advantage of our complimentary 25-minute phone sessions.
Ready to shift into overdrive? Try our new Career Course, designed to help find an engaging, fun, and fulfilling career.