Getting your home, your office, and your life organized can be frustrating when it seems like there is never enough time to just get the things done that you have to do. There are a few simple organizing tips and tricks you can use to help you get and stay organized.
Organization is a frame of mind, not a goal or destination. To change how your home, office and life look, you are going to have to change how you think. Sound like an impossible task? Not when you break it down into creating new habits. Try committing to following one or more of the following tips for at least 30 days and see if your life looks more organized.
Prioritize Your Day
One of the best organizing tips and tricks I ever learned was to prioritize my day. Write down what it is that you need to accomplish at home and at work. Then prioritize each item in order of importance. Some people use the A, B, C method. A is tasks that must get done. B is tasks that you’d like to get done and C is tasks that you want to accomplish but that can wait until a later date. Find a method that works for you and stick to it.
Distraction List
Have a “distraction” list or “to remember” list. We all get distracted as we go through our day. The trick is to not let that distraction get you off track from the task you are working on or the meeting that you are in. Keep a pad of paper and pen nearby and as things come into your head that distract you, like a task you need to remember to do later or something you need to pick up from the grocery store on the way home, write it down on the list and then go back to your task. This way it is written down so you can remember it later and you don’t have to stop what you are doing.
Create a Set Place
Have a set place for things at work and at home. For example, have a keyrack just inside the garage door where you always hang your keys when you get home. This way you will always know where your keys are so you never have to hunt for them when you need them. Have set places for current projects and upcoming projects on your desk at work. This way you know what you are working on right now and what you need to start thinking about. It will take some time to establish this as a habit so set up reminders for yourself or label areas to make it easier.
No matter how many organizing tips and tricks you learn, you need to be committed to getting organized before any of them will work. And in order to do that, you have to be willing to change.
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