How to be more organized (at home and at work)!
June 20, 2020
Organization is more than just having your stuff looking tidy - it's also about creating space for more focus, more productivity and efficiency.
I've always been an organized person. When I start accumulating stuff somewhere (like on top of a desk), I feel like I can't function properly and I get anxious when I'm trying to use that space.
For me, organization isn't only about having a tidy-looking space. It's also about having efficient ways to do things. You can have an organized space and an organized life.
Not everyone is a naturally organized person but I think everyone can learn some strategies that will help them become more focused, as well as living stress-free.
Below are a few simple things you can do to become more organized.
HOW TO BE MORE ORGANIZED AT HOME
Everything has its place
The easiest way to have your stuff more organized is to tidy it up and organize it ONCE and make sure you set up a designated place for everything.
Then, all you need to do is maintain the system. When things are looking a little messier, you just have to put them back in their place.
This will soon become automatic since you know where everything goes and you can quickly get back to your daily life - it's that simple!
Always tidy things up after using them
The best way to make sure you stay organized and your spaces don't get messy is to get into the habit of cleaning things up or tidying them up after you use them.
I'd say the most important area where you should adopt this habit is the kitchen because it gets dirty and messy very easily.
If you get into the habit of dealing with your dirty dishes right away and quickly wiping down the counters, you'll always have a clean and organized kitchen, whereas if you let things pile up, it will become much harder to clean.
Make to-do lists or set reminders on your phone
If you want to be that person who doesn't forget their tasks, their appointments and has their life together, a good place to start is using to-do lists or setting up reminders on your phone.
To-do lists are great for things you need to list down like chores you need to accomplish, whereas reminders are most useful for things you need to remember to do at a particular time of a day.
You can also try using a bullet journal. You can read more about bullet journals here if you want to learn how you can use one to organize your life.
Use these aids to your advantage and never forget anything again!
Make a weekly planner for your weekly chores
We all have chores to do. If you think about all the stuff you have to do, you will probably become overwhelmed and just want to put things off.
But if you plan what you will do on each day of the week, it will become more manageable, you will know what to focus on and won't be stressing so much about the many things you need to do because you really only need to accomplish what you set for that day.
This will help you stay on top of things while reducing your stress about chores so it's a win-win!
Check out my weekly planner below - it's free!
Organize your bills and paperwork
Paper stacks that don't get attended to are just the devil. No one wants to forget to pay their bills on time or not know where an important document is.
So make sure you organize your paperwork. Throw out anything that is unnecessary like publicity and file your important paperwork in an organized folder.
You should probably also set a day of the month to pay your bills so you never forget. Make sure you set reminders for that day, too!
Declutter
Reducing the amount of stuff you own will make it easier to organize or tidy it and to find places for everything.
It will also ease with reducing the messiness because things won't pile up as much.
HOW TO BE MORE ORGANIZED AT WORK
Keep your desk clear
Keeping your desk clear of piles of paperwork equals more productivity and the ability to focus.
Sitting down at a messy desk can make you become confused and anxious as you will probably have a hard time finding the things you need. It also becomes harder to concentrate when there's a lot of stuff around you and no space to write or read.
So make sure you use folders and archives and keep documents in their respective files on a shelf so you can keep your desk clear and always know where to find the documents you need. It will also help keep those documents more organized!
Set your priorities
Before you start working everyday, you should make sure to list your priorities of what needs to get done on that day.
Figure out what you need to finish or accomplish first (if a task is time-sensitive or the deadline is close, then that's clearly the one you will have to get done first) and list things from most to least important so you work through them in order.
If the order in which you do things doesn't really matter on a certain day, then it usually is a good rule of thumb to always start with the hardest task so you won't spend the whole day worrying about it. This also ensures that you will work on it when you're most productive and focused - which, for most people, is usually the beginning of the day.
Put systems in place to stay organized
Set reminders on a calendar app - that way, you'll never forget anything!
You can also use a workflow app to stay on top of your tasks and any deadlines you have or things you have to follow up on.
These can even allow you to share with your work colleagues and organize work projects together.
Note down your work
If your job requires you to bill clients by either taking note of services you're providing them or the hours you spend working for them, you should absolutely make sure you jot those hours or services down throughout the day.
This will make it easier to bill the clients later and your estimates will be more accurate, too. That's because we tend to underestimate the time we spend on things and if you just do an estimate after a few days have passed or even at the end of the day, you're likely to underestimate the time you actually spent.
You can use a regular notebook to note these things down or you can also use a draft email or a word or notepad document on your computer.
That is it! I guarantee that these tips will help you be more organized and stay on top of things.
Do you have any other tricks that you use to stay organized? Go ahead and share with everyone on the comments below!
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