How to Be More Organised

If you’ve previously read articles on how to be more organised you know they basically suggest things like writing everything down, setting deadlines, putting things back where you found them and so on. This is all great advice and I will expand on some of those ideas later, but I also think you sometimes need to take a more holistic approach. What do I mean? I think being organised has more to do with your attitude than your actions. Being organised means being prepared, basically you have to adopt a mindset so you are always prepared for the future. That means you have to give up the habit of leaving things to the last minute.

To have an organised mindset you have to start arriving at appointments on time, you have to feel like you are in control, you have to know you are prepared. Being organised also means you know where your possessions are, and they are not scattered between your home, car and workplace.

I will get through some basic concepts to help you organise your life – like writing everything down – but first I want to again define what it means to have an organised mindset. To be truly organised you need to have order in every facet of your life. For example, what does your wallet, purse or handbag look like right now? Does it contain only the essentials or are there receipts everywhere, empty food wrappers, and even trinkets you can’t identify, lodged in there? If that is the case, organise your purse or wallet or handbag today. File the important receipts and throw out the others. Organise your plastic cards. Don’t carry around reward cards for shops you never visit, and put your loose change in a jar every night. By the end of the week, you’ll find that change has turned into dollars!

Spread organisation to all areas of your life!

Don’t just aim to be organised at work, but apply your organised outlook to all areas of your life. Why not have a meal plan for the week? Shop ahead and buy the key ingredients. If you live with others, work out who is cooking in advance. What about your clothes? I can guarantee that the best dressed people at work don’t just get up in the morning and throw on anything. They would work out their wardrobe at the start of each week. Try lying a few different outfits on your bed – even if you are a guy, it doesn’t hurt to audit your clothes. Think about new combinations of tops or shirts and pants or skirts. Aim to do your ironing the night before. Organised people also tend to live in organised environments. Do you have a clear path to your front door or do you fall over several obstacles before getting out the door every morning? Being organised needs to encompass all facets of your life, because they are interlinked, and if your home life is messy it will impact your work life! Okay, now let’s consider some basic steps toward organisation.

1. Write everything down or put notes into your phone

If you want to be one of those super organised people, do not rely on your memory. You will need to become a list maker with a long to-do list. Either carry pen and paper with you to write down what you need to do, put your lists into notes on your mobile phone or invest in an organiser app!

Life will get too complicated and messy if you try to keep lots of important dates and meetings in your head. You could also try writing down the names of new people and even some notes about them so you remember them in the future. Just writing stuff down helps commit it to memory.

2. Make a schedule

It can be challenging to make good use of our time. What do you want to achieve this week? What is a realistic time frame to achieve it? Write down a schedule and then aim to keep it. Be specific about the tasks you need to complete to meet your goals. Give yourself deadlines, maybe you could even outline some rewards if you meet your deadlines and achieve your goals.

3. Organise your living and working spaces

I mentioned before if you have order around you, you will likely be more organised. Try to allocate spaces for all of your possessions and keep them in their proper place. Label boxes and jars for quick identification. Also, you can never have too much storage space. Put things away at home and work. Regularly tidy up your desk area and also the desktop on your computer.

A weekly clean-up will save you time in the long run. Also remember to de-clutter. Throw away what you do not need. It is impossible to be organised and also be a hoarder. Travel light through this world – do not hang onto regrets and do not hang onto possessions. We will only end up feeling bogged down if we hang on to possessions. One day, write down what you actually need and what you own. We have all become too materialistic and it doesn’t do us any good. Donate what you do not need to charity. Every so often you should audit all of your possessions in a room and aim to throw out what you do not need. And please stay away from bargains and avoid wathing late night shopping channels when you are feeling down. Possessions are not a source of happiness!

4. Put in the work to be organised

Getting organised and staying organised is no walk in the park. It requires a lot of energy and hard work but in the long term it saves you time and effort. You need to arrive early, have your wardrobe and meals planned out, your home and workplace decluttered and your goals and weekly schedule established.

You need to keep at it and on top of it, but if you adopt a holistic approach to organisation you will soon find you are on top of the world.