Organization is such a not fun word, especially if your a person who’s very nature goes against it. However, this is important to your mental health because it will give you a sense of peace. Here are 12 organizational ways to get your life together!
Get a legit planner.
Seriously, do this if you haven’t already. It changed my life ever since. You can get one as fancy and amazing as Emily Ley’s or just as practical from CVS (like me). Some people like keeping things digital in their phones or programs like Evernote but having tasks visually laid out and open beside me through the day keeps me on agenda because it’s just a glance away. If you have a lot going on in your brain and can be fairly forgetful, writing everything down and planning out your tasks for the week or events in advance will help keep you responsible and punctual.
Determine your priorities at the beginning of each week.
These are tasks that must must be carried out and can no longer be put off another week. Put these priorities on a bright colored sticky-note right next to your computer or schedule them into your planner first thing. I usually do this on Sunday or Monday. Since I work from home it’s very important that I hold myself accountable for my time, but it’s also important for anyone no matter who you are or what you do. It only makes life easier when we know we’re taking care of business and not carrying the shaming weight of looming responsibilities.
Set solid monthly goals.
Goals keep us progressive. Goals help us move forward mentally, spiritually and practically. I tend to do better with monthly resolutions than yearly resolutions. At the beginning of each month think of some solid things you’d like to have accomplished by the end of the month. Is it reading the Word on a consistent basis? Is it improving your work performance in some area? Is it getting a counselor to help sort through your life because it’s been in a serious rut lately? Is it to launch an idea you’ve been having for some time? Make it a goal and hold yourself to it! Imagine how much you’ll have grown and where you’ll be in a year if you fulfilled your goals each month.
My desk on any given day.
Establish a morning routine.
Never underestimate the power of the morning! These sacred hours set the tone for your entire day- include the thoughts you wake up with. A steady morning routine can help set the pace and get your mind centered. Whether it be going on a morning run, starting with a devotional, prepping to a morning playlist, etc- find your kick-starter place and let it become a habit that helps you get into gear each day. Mornings wont always be perfect but a good routine can help bring some motivation and order to your day.
Organize something for 10 minutes each day.
Literally pick an area or corner of your room or workspace and give it 10 minutes of de-cluttering each day. This is a non overwhelming way to prevent stressful build up and keep your mind and your space tidy through maintenance.
Map out your thoughts.
Journaling is helpful for the decluttering of your mind. Writing can help you organize your thoughts and sort through them instead of letting it snowball into stress or anxiety in your brain. It’s a release. And when your mind is able to release some of those thoughts it makes room to process things from a place of clarity instead of anxiety.
Do it or write it down.
This is a big one for me. If something important comes to your attention that needs to be done either do it RIGHT NOW while it’s fresh in your mind or write it down in your planner or set a reminder on your phone at a certain time. It’s sooooo easy for things to take backburner in our minds when a million things are demanding our attention. So my motto is, do it now, in that present moment, or write it down and set aside a real time to get it done. Like 11:00 or 2:00 or 5:00 not later because later rarely comes.
Get rid of things you don’t need weekly.
Clothes, papers, mail, receipts, old food in the fridge, the junk at the bottom of your purse, you name it. Pick a day, weekly, to simplify by getting rid of all the stuff you really have no more use for.
Get a “dump it” bin.
I mostly use this for mail, handouts (a ticket) and other papers I might not get to read right in that second so that it doesn’t completely go ignored. It’s literally a tray or bin where you can temporarily stow away loose paper items to look through at some point in the day when you have a free moment- so you don’t miss something important!
Get on a budget tracker like Mint.com.
There’s wisdom in knowledge; especially when it comes to the knowledge of where your money is going. We could think we’re spending little amounts here and there but those small amount every day add up to big amounts and then you wonder why you’re short at the end of every month for the things you need! Run your money and don’t let your money run you. Decide where all your money is going before you spend it by organizing a budget. Mint.com is a free and helpful app/website just for this.
Set reminders for reoccurring bills.
This really goes in hand with the last point. Don’t you hate when some company takes out x-amount of dollars without your knowledge and your account balance was totally unprepared? Well it might not be that you didn’t know, but that you didn’t remember it was reoccurring on that day- oops! I’m a stickler about adding these automatic withdrawals to the date in my calendar so I don’t spend those funds somewhere else and get left short- especially if your money’s tight.
Set up banking text alerts.
This is just another finance tip to help become more responsible and organized with your money. Many major banks now allow the option to have your current account balance sent in a text to you every morning. This is a great feature because it, again, will hold you accountable to your spending for the day. There are so many times I thought twice about buying that thing or that meal and made something at home instead because that text balance was on my mind! Ha!
I hope these tips were as helpful to you as they continually are for me. If you have any others tips or ideas that work for you, sharing is caring! Be sure to add it in the comments below.
Your sister,
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