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Tips to Stay Organised: Mastering the Art for a Clutter-Free Life
If you would like to read part one first, you can find it here: Part 1 – Being On Time And Organised
Maybe you consider yourself an organised person with plans and schedules but sometimes life happens. Things can occur that you were not expecting and suddenly everything turns into chaos. There are things you can do to prevent the chaos from settling in. Oddly enough, it does mean that you need to get organised enough to plan ahead for these eventualities!
Maybe you consider yourself an unorganised person, and you are searching for ways to be more organised, then the tips below can really help in bringing order to your days.
So, what can you do when things aren’t going as planned so that you can stay in control and on top of everything?
7 TIPS TO STAY ORGANISED
Preparation
This really is the key to everything. By planning ahead, you will know what to do when you’re snowed under with work and the children have after school activities, your cat gets ill, grandma needs driving to the doctors, the boiler broke down and you have unexpected guests etc.
Get as much ready as you can for the next day before you go to bed. That includes clothes, work and school bags, your to do list and, if possible, breakfast and lunch. Visualise everything you need to do the following morning, run through it in your head for a few moments. If you have a real busy day ahead, shower the night before if you can.
Plan for the week ahead on a Sunday, and if you have, discuss it with your partner and children so that you know what the schedule is and also have a meal plan in place. A great tool is a shared calendar online, blocking out time of who is doing what, when and where.
Meal Planning
Meal planning may sound boring but it will save you time, stress and money. By planning meals ahead and doing as much prep work as possible in advance you’ll be less likely to head for the takeaway menu too.
Meal prepping is great and can save even more time and money, but here we are just talking about planning your meals. It saves you having to think about what you want in the moment, this is especially important if you are looking to eat more healthy meals, spend more time together as a family round the table or budget better for your shopping. An added bonus, once you get the hang of it, is less food wastage.
You can also keep a selection of pre-prepared meals in your freezer. Freezer cooking doesn’t have to be a chore, you can always make extra twice a week and save that for when you are really busy. There are plenty of dishes that can be frozen ready to just pop in the oven or slow cooker.
You can always have a free day, like a Friday night or a Saturday, leaving it open to whatever takes your fancy.
Grab a piece of paper, draw out a calendar and start planning. You can also add the meal plan to your shared calendar, so that everyone knows what is happening. This is great if you have a partner or older children, so that everyone can contribute to making meals, especially if the unexpected happens.
Turn off the Tech
If you have an insurmountable list of things to get done then don’t allow yourself to be distracted by technology. Great distractors are the television, browsing the internet, social media, email, or any messaging apps.
Put everything in Do Not Disturb mode (most smart phones have a great function to block all callers, except those on the bypass list) or close it down. I use this when I have a lot of work to get done and know that I really need to focus. Most of the time, what seems urgent is not actually and can be replied to later.
Once you’ve completed everything that needs to be done then you can go back to watching that show you wanted to, chat with friends or check your social media.
Prioritising
Don’t exhaust yourself trying to be a superhero and getting it all done in one go. Instead take a look at your to do list and prioritise each item. Cross off or move to another day anything that isn’t essential and delegate whatever tasks you can. Only do the things that need to be done and you’ll find you’ll feel more in control. Anything else you can do later.
REMEMBER: if it’s not important then ignore it for now. Thinking about it won’t get it done, by putting it on your list or calendar, you can forget about it and address it when the time comes.
De-Clutter
Clutter is easy to create. Don’t let it become a problem. Instead take a few minutes each day to put things away and throw away junk. Put the dishes into the dishwasher immediately instead of leaving them on the counter or wash them right after eating. Once the clothing washing is done, pack it away. Deal with the mail immediately instead of leaving it piling up on the side, prioritise which can be dealt with later, what needs addressing immediately and what can be filed away (you can do it as it comes in, it saves so much time in the long run), it also makes it easy to find important documents. If it is not something you need to physically keep, scan it or photograph it and back it up online or on your computer, this is a great way to save space and to get digitally organised – less clutter.
You can buy the book here: Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home – by Joshua S Becker
You can read more about clearing clutter here, with a handy checklist: Let’s Get Organised – 10 Steps to clear clutter today!
Get Up Early
Getting up early may seem pointless but it can provide a focused way to start the day if you can create a morning routine that includes power habits such as exercise, meditation, or visualisations, planning and a healthy breakfast.
By getting up earlier you can start your day feeling both energised and organised by completing any essential tasks to make sure that you and your family are ready for the day ahead, especially if you have planned everything the night before. If you go to bed with a tidy house, when you wake up, everything is ready to go. It does not have to be hours earlier; it can literally be 30 minutes earlier than you wake up currently. If you are like me, I like to be awake before everyone else in the house, to take a few moments to appreciate the stillness and reflect before my day begins.
Looking After You
When things don’t go to plan or life spirals out of control if you take care of your mental, physical, and emotional health by exercising regularly, eating healthily and practising prayer or meditation, and mindfulness you will feel more able to cope. Do remember to get enough sleep, even if that is having a nap in the afternoon, if you are able to.
No matter how organised and well planned you are, there will be times when life gets busy and you start to worry that you won’t get everything done. Following these tips will help you to stay organised and in control.
Remember that it is also okay to step back at times, not everything can always run like clockwork. The more you practice integrating these simple tips, the easier it shall become. Time Management is key for organising.
If you would like to read part three, you can find it here: Part 3 – Creating Your Time Management System
Related Article: 10 Methods for Dealing with Life’s Disruptions