You need to be organised!

Life is busy and it keeps getting busier. The past few days I have been adjusting and tweaking my plans because life just seems to get busier and busier.

That is the reason why I need good organisational habits. A solid routine is essential in helping me to be organised daily, and feel in control of everything I need to cross off my To Do List.

If disorganisation is congesting your life and you’re feeling scattered and frustrated as a result, it’s time to get organised.

Organise your space. Whether it’s your home, bedroom, kitchen, home office, computer, closet, desk, or locker, you need to see what’s in there, throw away anything you don’t often use and give everything else a convenient and clearly designated space.

Put it back. Right now. Once you establish where everything belongs, you need to get in the habit of putting it back there as soon as you’re finished using it. Put whatever tool, item, clothing, bag, hairbrush etc., away immediately after using it. I always know where everything and anything is so I never waste time looking for something.

Use a calendar for your To Do List. Get a calendar and put it in a place where you see it every day, preferably in the morning. For most people, that’s on the refrigerator, on their desk, or on their computer desktop. Wherever you put it, make it part of your routine to refer to it every day.

Also try a smartphone. A smartphone, particularly synchronised with network-based personal information manager software running on other computers, is even better than paper calendars and notes because the data is searchable, it can easily be entered into phone or Web-based tasks that need to be done, and reminders of urgent information and purges of unneeded information are automatic.

Color-coding. Divide the work you have to do into red for urgent things, yellow for not so urgent and blue for the things you can do next day. I’m a visual person, and I find that color-coding my various lists and calendars minimises the time I have to spend looking at them.

Make it a habit – If you can’t find your sunglasses or you don’t remember where you left your cell phone. Establish a designated area – a basket, a table, or a corner of the counter – where you put your daily essentials (keys, cell phone, day planner)

Misplacing things - Find a purse that has a few small built-in pockets and get in the habit of putting certain items in specific pockets – keys in a zippered pocket, eyeglasses in a front pocket, wallet in the middle – then routinely check those pockets before you move from one place to another.

Recycle Mail Right Away – Get in the habit of tossing catalogs, store flyers and other unimportant mail in the recycling bin immediately. Do the same with your email inbox, deleting the junk emails daily. Remember: “Organised minds make successful people.” 

Have a blessed week!

Miss Marcia Paulo