7 Ways to organize and improve your daily routine
We all have this vision in our heads to be a better person than we were yesterday. Everyone’s goal in life is different. Getting organized is a fundamental building block to reach your goal. Getting organized is easier said than done. Taking a slow and steady step will help you get there. Sometimes keeping things systematic is therapeutic for many.
Don’t we all like to find our car keys immediately when we are looking for them? Rather than searching for the keys all over the place? The idea of putting things in designated places helps avoids confusion. This holds good for storing and sorting information as well. Good organization can lead to better thinking. With a clear mind, one can start with small goals and reach for higher ones in the process. Some simple hacks will save time. This will relieve you from the burden of remembering and keeping track of everything.
Checklists:
Do you know that successful people don’t store everything in their brain? They use the tools available to jot down their ideas. Write a to-do list every day and cross off completed items, this gives a sense of accomplishment. Even if you are not into making checklists, start simple and you will enjoy the benefits. Go through the list of tasks and start with one task and as you finish it, go for the next. By doing this, you enter a world where things are sorted, uncluttered, and organized.
Fun fact: Do you know when you write down tasks and strike off , your body generated happy harmones called “Dopamine“.
If you don’t write down the to-dos, certain tasks can fall apart. You can use any media to make checklists. You can use as simple as paper and pen, to complex productivity tools out there in the market. Some tools that you can use are:
- Sticky Notes
- Paper Diaries
- Whiteboard
- To-do note
- Web tools
- Scribbling pads
Plan ahead:
The next important step towards getting organized is planning. Planning saves time and saves us from chaos. Writing what needs to be done and sticking to the routine will make us feel happy and create good habits. Rewarding oneself in the process will help to motivate. We all have so many goals like Staying healthy, eating healthy, meditating, or even waking up early. Without a proper plan and schedule, it is impossible to achieve these goals. One of the best habits to cultivate is to workout. By planning, we can push ourselves to achieve this goal. So how do you plan?
- Place your workout clothes and shoes
- Pack your gym bag the previous night
- set an alarm for gym time
- As soon as alarm rings step out of the house
Now with consistency this becomes an habit. So planning is important part to becoming organized.
Use online scheduling apps :
Thanks to science and technology we have so many interesting apps and scheduling software, which makes our life very simple. You can use one of many online scheduling apps including Google calendar, to set reminders about due dates, birthdays, anniversaries, project completion dates, etc. You can also share calendars across different people, so it is easier to manage all your schedules and your kids’ schedules all in one place. Using color-coded tasks to differentiate between different tasks or giving priority to different tasks is now possible with technology.
- Mobile apps
- Calendars
- Electronic calendar
Decluttering:
Cupboards, kitchens, and all things at home should have proper storage. Organize your workspace using separate bins for different items. You don’t need to invest a lot for organizing, you can use simple plastic boxes to get things done. Practice putting unwanted things away immediately after using them. When the space is clean there is more energy and you feel fresh to use that space.
If you have everything within your reach and the same place, you can find it later. They help you keep all the files, documents, papers in one place. Also managing to schedule is very important to stay organized. Several great tools help you manage your time. Scheduling different tasks for different days makes planning easier.
- Mondays – Laundry
- Tuesdays – Emptying the trash
- Wednesdays – Office cabin dusting
- Thursdays – Menu Prep
- Fridays – Gardening
Procrastination:
Why we procrastinate? – Fear of failure
- No motivation for completing a task
- The task itself is boring and mundane
Sometimes getting things done is easier than thinking about doing it. Taking smaller steps in completing a task helps too. Also scheduling and setting aside time to do tasks will be helpful. Reduce the distractions from your work environment. This helps you focus more on the task at hand. For a mundane task like cleaning the house, you can listen to music or call your friends to remove the burden from doing the task.
Delegating work:
You don’t have to do all by yourself. Delegating work makes you a good team player. Create a list of things-to-do for each member of the family. It’s easier to plan and execute things when it’s a team effort. Go through the list of things every week and find tasks that you can delegate to your family. Distributing the tasks and having accomplished them at the end of the day or week will be satisfying.
Having a disorganized place can be very frustrating. Even getting simple housekeeping responsibilities right, like keeping the remote in its place, can have a major impact on your mood. By teaching your kids how to get organized, you are making them independent in their actions and work. Getting kids to help around your house is the best lesson you can teach them.
Understand the priority:
After you identify your tasks, now go ahead and rank the tasks based on priority/urgency. Pick the task based on priority and finish it to closure. This way you are on top of your schedule and have some time to reward yourself with a glass of wine or chocolate. The amount of information available continues to grow as do the demands on our time. So when we delay our work, we lose time. It’s like searching for a needle in the haystack.
Good organizational skills take time, but it is not impossible with the right set of tools and mindset. Use these ideas in your life and be more productive.
