How To: Organize Your Life
But all things should be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40)
1. Clean your room and keep it that way
I know, I know, you've heard this one before, but I seriously cannot work in a messy environment. There are too many distractions! Every 2-4 weeks I do a massive deep clean on my room. I wipe down the surfaces, throw away things I don't need, clean all my bedding like my duvet, pillow cases etc. and mop/vacuum the floors. Once I've got a super tidy space, the challenge is to keep it that way. I'm very prone to just chucking everything on the floor when I get dressed and as a result, I have an extremely messy space. To combat this, every morning when I wake up, I make my bed and walk around picking up anything I threw on the floor the night before. I know you don't want to do it, but if you don't do it now, the mess will only get harder and harder to clean up. It's a great way to ensure your space is always tidy and easy to work in.
2. Plan, plan, plan
Figure out how you prefer to plan and stick to it. You can buy a planner (I use my Plum Paper Planner which I love), make a bullet journal, write lists, use google calendar or a regular calendar, make a timetable... anything that works for you. I have a planner which I write my weekly tasks in like assignments and their due dates, dance classes and their times, as well as what I need to do in the day which can be anything from events to errands I need to run. I also have a bullet journal which I use mainly as a creative outlet, and a calendar on my wall for birthdays and major events. I make a million lists in every notebook I own and as well as notebooks, I make lists on Evernote which I 100% recommend for list makers like myself. Just make sure you find a way to plan your day, week, month, anything you need to plan.
3. Learn to say no
Sometimes you have to say no to things you really want to do! For example, I don't have much of a social life because I'm constantly doing work and going to dance classes. It's super annoying, but I know I'll be kicking myself if I end up going out with my friends and not completing something by it's due date. Make sure though, that you do have time to do your extra activities like watching your favourite shows, and hanging out with your friends. This is why we plan!
4. Organize your desk
When my desk is clean and everything is in it's place, my life seems to follow. My desk only needs to have certain things on it. I hate when it's crowded with unnecessary bits of stuff that I haven't used for years. Make sure that your desk only has the essentials on it like your stationary, books or planners and other organisational tools. I have a small fern in the corner of my desk to make it feel more lively and nice to sit at, so I recommend personalizing your desk to make it a space that you like to be in. Sitting at a desk is much better for your posture as well, because you're not so hunched over like you are when sitting on a bed. Having an organized desk also makes me feel more productive, which is great for being organized in general.
5. Wake up earlier
I wake up at 5:30am every weekday and 7:30am every weekend. I know people say to have a schedule but I physically cannot force myself out of bed on a weekend if I don't have to be anywhere. Of course, if you need to have a sleep schedule, you can do that as well! I'm not a morning person, but waking up super early helps me to get a head start on my day and feel much more organized. Every morning I do yoga, read, plan my day, clean my room, make my lunch etc. and this is before anyone is even up at around 7:00am! I love waking up earlier than everyone. You have time adjust to the morning and everything is so quiet and peaceful. I find I can really focus myself on my goals and get myself into a productive, organized mindset. Waking up earlier is something I think everyone should try for a week or two.
6. Have a place for everything
Make sure that everything you own has it's place. In my room, no space is wasted. I don't have anything that I don't use in my room because it ends up cluttering my area and giving me great procrastination material. My drawers all contain things I need or constantly put to use like pens, notebooks, clothes, makeup etc.. I don't have any drawers for random stuff. That either goes to a different room or gets thrown out. I can't stand not having a specific drawer for all my things, or not having an exact place for everything on my shelves or my desk. I think it's very important to have a place for everything in order to get things done quickly, thoroughly and efficiently as well as keeping organized.
7. Loose papers?
Files, files, files. If you have loose papers and sheets everywhere like I used to, files and folders are your new best friend. Go out and buy some clear slip folders, ring binders and dividers, then sort all of your papers into categories. School, newsletters, mail, work, random things, bills etc. and chuck out the papers that you don't need anymore. I have an entire folder that's full of sheets of paper that I want to keep but don't have any particular use. These are things like concert tickets, signs from shows I've been to, timetables I refer to occasionally and things like that. If you don't want to put your papers into files and folders, at least make them into an organized pile and put them in a drawer somewhere.
2. Plan, plan, plan
Figure out how you prefer to plan and stick to it. You can buy a planner (I use my Plum Paper Planner which I love), make a bullet journal, write lists, use google calendar or a regular calendar, make a timetable... anything that works for you. I have a planner which I write my weekly tasks in like assignments and their due dates, dance classes and their times, as well as what I need to do in the day which can be anything from events to errands I need to run. I also have a bullet journal which I use mainly as a creative outlet, and a calendar on my wall for birthdays and major events. I make a million lists in every notebook I own and as well as notebooks, I make lists on Evernote which I 100% recommend for list makers like myself. Just make sure you find a way to plan your day, week, month, anything you need to plan.
3. Learn to say no
Sometimes you have to say no to things you really want to do! For example, I don't have much of a social life because I'm constantly doing work and going to dance classes. It's super annoying, but I know I'll be kicking myself if I end up going out with my friends and not completing something by it's due date. Make sure though, that you do have time to do your extra activities like watching your favourite shows, and hanging out with your friends. This is why we plan!
4. Organize your desk
When my desk is clean and everything is in it's place, my life seems to follow. My desk only needs to have certain things on it. I hate when it's crowded with unnecessary bits of stuff that I haven't used for years. Make sure that your desk only has the essentials on it like your stationary, books or planners and other organisational tools. I have a small fern in the corner of my desk to make it feel more lively and nice to sit at, so I recommend personalizing your desk to make it a space that you like to be in. Sitting at a desk is much better for your posture as well, because you're not so hunched over like you are when sitting on a bed. Having an organized desk also makes me feel more productive, which is great for being organized in general.
5. Wake up earlier
I wake up at 5:30am every weekday and 7:30am every weekend. I know people say to have a schedule but I physically cannot force myself out of bed on a weekend if I don't have to be anywhere. Of course, if you need to have a sleep schedule, you can do that as well! I'm not a morning person, but waking up super early helps me to get a head start on my day and feel much more organized. Every morning I do yoga, read, plan my day, clean my room, make my lunch etc. and this is before anyone is even up at around 7:00am! I love waking up earlier than everyone. You have time adjust to the morning and everything is so quiet and peaceful. I find I can really focus myself on my goals and get myself into a productive, organized mindset. Waking up earlier is something I think everyone should try for a week or two.
6. Have a place for everything
Make sure that everything you own has it's place. In my room, no space is wasted. I don't have anything that I don't use in my room because it ends up cluttering my area and giving me great procrastination material. My drawers all contain things I need or constantly put to use like pens, notebooks, clothes, makeup etc.. I don't have any drawers for random stuff. That either goes to a different room or gets thrown out. I can't stand not having a specific drawer for all my things, or not having an exact place for everything on my shelves or my desk. I think it's very important to have a place for everything in order to get things done quickly, thoroughly and efficiently as well as keeping organized.
7. Loose papers?
Files, files, files. If you have loose papers and sheets everywhere like I used to, files and folders are your new best friend. Go out and buy some clear slip folders, ring binders and dividers, then sort all of your papers into categories. School, newsletters, mail, work, random things, bills etc. and chuck out the papers that you don't need anymore. I have an entire folder that's full of sheets of paper that I want to keep but don't have any particular use. These are things like concert tickets, signs from shows I've been to, timetables I refer to occasionally and things like that. If you don't want to put your papers into files and folders, at least make them into an organized pile and put them in a drawer somewhere.
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