We’ve all got that one organised friend, don’t we? Let’s call her Susie. Susie had already completed her Christmas shopping by the end of Summer, and had her Halloween decorations bought and stored ready for the party she’s hosting by mid-September. She’s always ten minutes early for every event, and never comes to a party empty handed – usually with something homemade. Ah, Susie, how do you do it?
We’re exaggerating – no one’s life is THAT well planned, is it? But we do always tend to have that one person in our lives who seems to be incredibly on the ball at all times. Being organised can be extremely difficult when you’re busy – life just seems to run away with us – however it IS possible to be that bit more organised simply by adopting a few simple habits. Here are some tips on how to become more like the organised Susie in your life.
Avoid Procrastination
Procrastinating is all too tempting at times – but is the thief of organisation. The more you put something off, the less likely you are to do it and the less time you have to do it – thus making you more stressed, and less organised.
Say you were looking for a quick and cost-effective way to sell your home. If you were to procrastinate, chances are you’d end up giving up and turning to the traditional route which tends to be more expensive.
If you avoided procrastinating, and immediately got online to do some research, you’d find websites such as www.readysteadysell.co.uk who will value your house for free, sell it for cash and have it all done in as little as seven days. If you’d put off the task of doing some research and ended up going down the traditional route of using estate agent companies, then chances are you’d have had to spend hundreds more, AND play the waiting game until your property was taken off the market.
Of course, that’s just an example we’re making, but the point is that by not procrastinating in this scenario, and therefore being more organised, you’d save yourself time AND money. Put your phone down, stop scrolling mindlessly through Twitter, and get things done!
Write Everything Down
In life, there’s a lot to remember, isn’t there? Whether it’s your friends’ birthday, or that family meal you promised you’d attend months ago, if you don’t note it down somewhere, you’re going to forget until someone reminds you – it’s just human nature. This is why it’s never a bad idea to start writing things down.
It could be that you get yourself a calendar to hang somewhere in the house where you can see it, or you invest in a diary or organiser. These things don’t just have to be used in the office for work purposes but can also help to keep your own personal life in check too. Dentists and doctors’ appointments, social events and any other sort of organised interaction you have. You’ll never forget anything again if you’ve got it in note form in front of you.
Schedule and Designate
A lot of people think that being able to multi-task is the key to being more organised, but they couldn’t actually be more wrong. Multi-tasking has been proven to make you less productive, more stressed, and damage your brain. After all, how can you be truly organised if you’re focusing on several things at once?
This is why scheduling and designating time is the key in becoming more organised. Instead of trying to do everything at once, or becoming stressed at the fact you have loads to do but don’t know where to start, make a schedule. Much like writing things down, when you’ve got them in front of you, they seem easier to tackle head on. Likewise, designate a set amount of time to each individual task you do. This will be time efficient, and will help you to complete all of the tasks you need to in a sensible timeframe.
Declutter
Last of all, but certainly not least, if there’s one thing that the organised person cannot stand – it’s clutter.
If your desk, home, car – or just about anywhere – is cluttered, then have a clear out. Being surrounded by clutter is proven to make your mind more chaotic, not to mention that it makes it more difficult to find what you’re looking for. Finding a place for everything will make your life a lot easier, and will help you in your quest to becoming more organised – trust us.
