Do you know or have met those types of people who have their files inside folders that are inside folders inside of folders and more folders inside of folders?
That’s me. I’m that type of person.
And I’m not saying that doing this habit automatically makes someone an organized person (well, it kind of does), but based on some of my other habits, I’d like to say I’m a pretty organized person – maybe.
-Disclaimer- I’m not a psychologist nor am I claiming to be one. Like most of my other posts, everything on this post is based on personal experiences, reflections, and opinions.
How to Stay Organized
Use a bullet journal, and/or planner
Even with all of the digital apps and organizers, I’ll always love the traditional way of writing things down. A classmate of mine would often use a planner in high school, and I began using one too in college. I’ve been using one up until last year when I stumbled upon bullet journals and fell in love with the creative freedom of building a planner that’s personally suited to my growth.
The journals and planners are useful tools for keeping track of important events, holidays, meetings, habits, moods, due dates, tasks, and a lot more.
Do specific rituals throughout the day, every day
I try not to set time limits to my daily routines because I would just feel like a robot, and I’ve learned that that does me more harm than good. Instead, I set out similar daily goals to do each day, and do them whenever I have the motivation to do so within the day. By doing this, it’s allowed me to still enjoy the task and not have it feel like a chore.
FOLLOW LISTS
I love lists. I have lists of all sorts – task lists, grocery lists, things to check out lists, things to remember lists, quotes lists, goal lists, etc. My Keep Notes is full of lists that are placed into their respective categories. It’s especially invigorating crossing off items on the list that I’ve accomplished.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS
I read that many people deem organized people as having to complete certain tasks before moving on to the next. Psychologically, I don’t know how accurate this is. I used to need to get things done before tackling the next set of tasks, but I’ve learned that, at least for me, I need to know when to pause (or stop) and complete my tasks. The more force I place upon my work, the less motivation goes into them; therefore, making them less stellar than what I expected them to be.
Being organized means giving yourself a break once in a while to recharge. It also means to know when to ask for help when you need it. The world doesn’t have to weigh on your shoulders and there are people who would love to share their knowledge and experience with you.
PRIORITIZE
It took me a while to adjust to this concept, but I think I’m doing a pretty good job with it so far. When I prioritize, I focus on due dates first. The closer the due date, the more important it is for me to finish. I also try to keep my tasks in blocks – meaning that I don’t work for hours on end on one specific task. At most, I’d spend two hours on one task, the next two on another, and so on. If I don’t have many tasks to work on, I’d work on them in intervals. And whenever I’d switch, I’d make sure to take at least a 10-minute refresher break, like looking outside my window at the scenery.
When I’m prioritizing my tasks for the day, I often switch my targets. Sometimes I’d complete the easy ones first because I feel like I’d get more time to work on the difficult ones. Other times, I’d work on the more challenging tasks first and sneak in the easy ones later or in between tasks when I need a change of pace or brainpower.
PLAN YOUR WEEK IN ADVANCE
I often plan the next week on Saturdays when I design my weekly bullet journal pages. I don’t necessarily have to know every exact thing I plan to do throughout the week. If there’s already a task or event pre-planned for the following week, I’d already include them at their designated date. Other than that, since I’m in charge of most of my schedule, I’d already know where things go and what I need to do on certain days.
By doing this, I’m able to see what days I’m estimated to be the busiest or the days where I have more free time. This gives me the ability to add other last-minute tasks or meetings where necessary.
Set alarms, deadlines, and reminders
I feel like by doing this, I’m more motivated to get many things done beforehand because a slot of my day is taken up by something normally out of schedule, therefore it’s challenging me with my time management skills.
Alarms, deadlines, and reminders are lifesavers. With the hundreds of thoughts that fill my mind every minute, I often forget many things, including the important ones. If something that needs reminding is happening, I’d set reminders at least 2 hours before they happen, and I’d set alarms in blocks to keep me on track of preparing and getting things done. I need deadlines to help me stay on top of my work. If not, I would just keep pushing them until the very last minute.
DECLUTTER OFTEN
If you’ve read a couple of my other goals posts, you’d see that I love including decluttering. It’s such an excitement for me at the end of every school year to fix all of my school files and physical papers. I began expanding my habit of decluttering my school files every year to practically all of my digital files and physical items at the end of every season. It’s refreshing entering the upcoming season with a sense of starting anew and being organized.
Keep essentials within touching distance.
Oh, yes. This has been *chef’s kiss* for me, and one that I kept in mind when I finally got my work desk at home. All of my ‘often-used’ items are literally within arm’s reach – bujo, lamp, stationery, disinfectant wipes, etc. This habit comes in handy especially when I’m literally in the zone and I can’t be distracted by having to look or reach for something that I have to bend down or stand up for.
Follow a system that works for you
Everyone keeps things organized in their own way. I don’t think there’s truly a right way of being organized. Of course, there are those who are organized and those who are extremely organized.
Let’s take a look at the clothes between me and my mother. My mom organizes her clothes based on type – jeans in one section, tees in another, and undergarments in another. I’m practically the same, except that within my jeans section, I have them organized by length of jeans; in my tees, they are by color; my undergarments are further organized by batches of when I bought them. My mom’s system works for her, and mine works for me.
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE
I often follow my mother’s words of advice for this one: “it doesn’t matter if…as long as…” Sometimes it’s not about thinking outside the box, sometimes solutions can be staring at you right on the face and it’s easy to catch and make it work.
There are many times when I make things harder than they need to be. It’s always after a couple of debates with friends or family when it hits me how simple a solution things can be and that has made accomplishing tasks much easier.
It doesn’t matter if my printer is at the very bottom of my desk. I don’t really use it and as long as it’s easy to access and use, it still has a safe space within reach and I can use it whenever I need to.
CARRY A SMALL NOTEPAD
I originally began carrying a mini sketchpad for school when we were advised to do so in case we get inspiration while we’re out and we need to jot them down right away. I began incorporating that into my everyday lifestyle.
Whenever I go out, I do often bring a mini notepad with me in case there’s something I see that I want to remember, or if I’m given a task that I needed to complete when I get home, etc. This is very beneficial for forgetful people like me.
WORK LIKE A LION
I think this will be my second motto from now on. (Quite frankly, I don’t really know what’s my first, but I’m sure there is one once I remember or come across one.) This is similar to knowing your limits, whereas this one puts into perspective to push yourself once the motivation strikes you, take a break, and then push yourself again when you’ve been struck again.
For me, being struck can happen once a day to multiple times a day, or even a day and a half of full break before motivation strikes again. I used to really be upset with myself for not being able to push myself every day, but I learned that it’s okay and that I don’t need to feel bad for having an extended amount of break. Within my breaks, I often watch light-hearted movies or work on simple tasks that aren’t too demanding.
DO THE BEST YOU CAN
Being an organized person isn’t about being a master at your tasks. It’s about being a master of your strengths, your weaknesses, and your lifestyle.
It’s not about being perfect or creating the embodiment of perfection. It’s about setting boundaries and trusting your values and beliefs.
Do you. Be You. For you.
Let's Chat!
What habits do you do to stay organized with school, work, or personal tasks?
