Don’t struggle with your life, take back control with these 10 best organization techniques that you can do immediately
1. Have a Plan
You need to have a plan.
It’s no use trying to be organized if you don’t have a big-picture understanding of where you are going and what you want to achieve.
And this can be quite basic. It doesn’t have to be very detailed at all. Some examples of a plan can be:
- Clean and tidy the entire house
- Sort out paperwork including filing and actionable items
- Prepare all paperwork for taxes
- Write a packing and planning list for vacation
- Plan calendar for all kids activities
- Write a list for all actionable items for moving day
- Start a new eating plan: write a shopping list and plan meals
- Write out a yearly financial plan
- Write out yearly action plan (for all annual appointments)
So you can see, not difficult at all.
You just need to write down one main idea that you want to focus on.
2. Make lists or use a mindmap
For each main task you want to organize, start writing a list or create a mindmap.
Lists will go from top to bottom, sometimes in order of importance.
A mindmap will allow you to put all your thoughts down in a visual way on one page.
I use mind mapping to organize most things in my life, I’m a visual learner and I can remember and plan more easily when I see everything broken down under headings.
If you want to learn how to mindmap, I have a 10-minute super-quick course that will walk you through how to create one.
Click —>>> HERE to sign up for the course. It’s totally FREE.
I promise it will change your life! It is SO simple, yet SO effective.
3. Pinboard | Visual Cues
Create a command center where all your key information can be found.
This is especially important if you are a visual learner.
In my kitchen I have a command center for the kids and for shopping.
I have a giant board where I pin up all the kid’s school and activity information.
I also pin up my weekly meal plan and other info regarding shopping; coupons, products I want to buy etc
In my office I have a huge pinboard where I pin up lots of inspirational content (like powerful quotes) and my yearly goal plan.
This all provides a subconscious reminder of what I want to do and helps me stay on a positive track (even when things are not going so well, everybody has bad days!)
4. Everything in its place
I learned this at my kids pre-school!
Have you ever noticed how little kids know to pick up things when the teacher tells them to and they constantly reinforce where they need to go.
Well, the same applies to our own lives!
Make sure that everything has “a place”.
That way you know where to put things back easily.
Eg: kitchen cupboards, the more organized they are, the quicker you can put away the dishes.
The same for closets and filing cabinets.
Have a place for everything and everything in its place. An oldie but a goodie.
5. Free Printables
The internet is AWASH with free printables to help you be more organized.
Take full advantage of all of them!
These are all the free printables on Gorgeous With Grace and you can access them —>>> HERE (you need to put your email address in and the code will be sent to you)
All the printables in the GwG FREE library come in 3 sizes: Letter, A4 and A5 so you can choose whichever one suits you best.
- Daily Planner
- Monthly Planner
- Kids School Daily Planner
- Travel Planner
- Birthday Planner
- Weekly Meal Planner
- Password Organizer.
You can also check out the prettiest cleaning schedules to print out in THIS post:
Prettiest Cleaning Schedules To Print
6. Time Blocking
I’m not a time blocking guru but I think it’s a great way to work and I’ve listed some great resources that will help you understand what it is.
Essentially time blocking is:
At its core, time blocking is just scheduling your to-do list against your calendar. You block off the time you’ll be working on a specific thing ahead of time, and then during that time, you work on the thing.
Road Warrior Blog
Here are some resources that explain in more detail what to do with time blocking.
What is time blocking and does it work
Effective Time Blocking Techniques To Boost Your Productivity
7. Focus
This is my main, biggest problem, I don’t know if it is yours?
I really struggle to stay on task. I always like to think that I have “adult-onset ADHD”.
Which I’m not sure is a thing, but the reality is that I do like to jump around from one thing to another.
However, if you do want to be successful then you do need to focus on the tasks that you are trying to achieve in your “time block”.
8. Be Mindful | Alert | Hydrated
Work at the times that you feel the most energetic. Not everyone is a morning person or a night owl.
But when you do work always make sure you are hydrated which will make you feel more alert.
Sometimes working in small bursts of time is actually more productive than thinking “I’ve got the whole day to do this”.
Set yourself a goal of max an hour and get stuck into whatever you want to organize, you will find that you will get so much more done in a smaller amount of time.
9. Use Technology
There are so many apps out there that you can download on your phone or tablet to use and inspire you.
One of my favorite organizational apps is Google Suite.
I use most of the Google apps to organize my life and to sync with the rest of my family. They are all set up on Gmail and we can sync our calendars.
It’s really useful.
I also really like the “Keep Notes” which allows you to save from any program. It also populates with a picture so you can see easily what you have saved.
Google suite also allows you to switch easily between accounts. I have multiple, personal, business etc.
10. Be determined | Set Goals
Being organized is an ACTION. You have to commit to doing something, usually something that is not that pleasurable.
So you have to be determined that you want to achieve a goal.
And once you get started you will be amazed at how “into it” you really are! Because you know what you are doing is so valuable and will make such a difference in your life.
Go for it! You’ve got this!!
You may also like to read:
The Prettiest Cleaning Schedules To Print
5 Little Things You Can Do To Change Your Life
*Don’t forget to PIN for later*
