Life Organization Hacks

Contents The Benefits of a More Organized Life.......................... 3 Top 5 Habits of Organized People............................... 8 5 Ways to Organize Your Life.................................. 13 Avoid These Organization Mistakes............................. 17 Great Apps to Help You Organize Your Life..................... 22 P a g e 2 | 26

The Benefits of a More Organized Life Life is full of ups and downs and twists and turns. However, one thing that can make it surprisingly easier is organization. Leading a more organized life comes with a lot of awesome benefits. Whether it’s organizing the home, your mind or simply the way you live – having a more organized routine can help you to live a more peaceful and healthier life. Not convinced? Here, you’ll discover just some of the benefits a more organized life can deliver. You’ll feel more energized If you tend to spend the majority of your time feeling tired, drained and overwhelmed, it could be down to poor organization. You may have heard of the saying “a messy home equals a messy mind” and according to numerous studies there’s actually some truth behind this. P a g e 3 | 26

When you start to de-clutter and become more organized, it can provide an awesome energy boost. Experiment now. Tidy up your work desk or your counter tops and see just how much of a difference it makes to your energy levels! You’ll be much more productive Another benefit of becoming more organized is that you’ll become a lot more productive. Clutter, whether it be physical or mental clutter, really zaps your motivation as well as your energy levels. So, when you become more organized, you automatically start to become more productive. Your sleep will improve By far one of the biggest benefits of life organization, is its ability to help you sleep. Millions of adults suffer with some kind of sleep troubles and it can drastically impact your life. If your bedroom is cluttered for example, it has a direct effect on your stress levels, even if you don’t realize it. This increased stress can play havoc with your sleep routine. P a g e 4 | 26

Removing the clutter on the other hand removes that additional stress, making it easier to both fall and stay asleep. It can lead to healthier choices Researchers have discovered a link between organization and lifestyle choices. Studies have shown that those who do lead a more organized life, tend to have a healthier diet and a better exercise regime. It’s thought that the reduced stress and increased energy that organization can give you, frees up the mind, helping you to make much better, clearer life choices. Your risk of a heart attack will decrease Perhaps one of the most surprising benefits life organization can have, is the reduced risk of a heart attack. So, how exactly can being more organized make you physically healthier? Well, it’s all down to increased activity. P a g e 5 | 26

In order to be organized in the home for example, you need to consistently carry out numerous tasks. This includes cleaning and putting things away. Obviously, the more time you spend being active, the better it is for your health. Organized people are much more likely to be on the go than they are to be sat binge watching television. It reduces stress Anything that reduces stress in your life is worth doing and being more organized can absolutely lower your stress levels! You won’t even realize it, but when there’s clutter and you can’t find anything, it can increase your stress levels dramatically. Did you also know that when your life lacks organization, it can lead you to spend more too? This in turn can lead to financial worries, adding further to your stress. When you become more organized, even if it’s just clearing your work desk, you’ll quickly see how much stress is eliminated from your life. P a g e 6 | 26

As you can see, there’s some pretty compelling benefits which come from being more organized. However, knowing that life organization is beneficial and actually becoming more organized are two very different things. If you want to become more organized, it can help to discover some of the top habits organized people have. What exactly do people do in order to become and stay organized? Don’t miss our next blog which reveals the top 5 habits all organized people have. P a g e 7 | 26

Top 5 Habits of Organized People Ever wondered how some people stay a lot more organized than others? Well, the secret is habit! Those who appear to have it all together tend to follow the same habits day after day. They aren’t born super-organized, it’s a skill that can be learned by absolutely anyone. So, what are these habits you should be doing to make your life more organized? Below, you’ll discover the top 5 habits of organized people you can adopt today. P a g e 8 | 26

1. Write everything down In order to be organized, you either need to have an extremely good memory, or you need to start writing things down! You’ll notice one of the main traits of an organized person, is that they appear to remember everything. They never miss sending out greeting cards on time, they’re always early and they know exactly what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. So, do these people just have a better memory than you? No! They simply make sure they write everything down. So, start making lists for your shopping and always mark down important times and dates. It’s also better to write them down physically, rather than saving them as a note on your smartphone or tablet. While it may be more convenient to digitally make a note of things, it’s actually not as effective as having physical notes. P a g e 9 | 26

2. They have a set routine Another habit organized people have is a set routine. If you’re a parent, you’ll know just how important routine is when it comes to setting good habits for your kids. It’s exactly the same with adults too. Just because we’re older, it doesn’t mean we don’t need a regular routine to keep ourselves happy and healthy. Organized people know this, and they use it to their advantage. They have a routine for everything, not just for bedtime or exercise. For example, they’ll also set aside 10 minutes each day to carry out specific chores or tasks. So, if you’re looking to become more organized, getting into a routine is going to prove crucial to your success. 3. They create schedules and goals Those who are organized don’t waste any time at all. They schedule their time and set goals to work towards. What’s more, they don’t stop until they achieve them. P a g e 10 | 26

When you have a schedule, you know exactly what you need to do and when it needs to be done by. This reduces the risk you’ll miss anything important. It’s important to remember that when you are making goals, you’ll need to make them as short as possible to ensure they’re achievable. For example, you want to become more organized, so that’s your main goal. However, there’s a lot of smaller goals you need to reach before you can achieve the overall goal. So, start by writing your main goals, then work on splitting them down so you have a clear idea of the smaller tasks you need to work on in order to achieve them. 4. They don’t put anything off Do you tend to put things off for as long as possible? Organized people don’t! To an organized person, their motto is “Why put off something until tomorrow when it can be done today”. This simple rule can help you to become so much more organized. P a g e 11 | 26

If you want your life to be much less stressful, getting things done as quickly as possible is sure to help. So, stop procrastinating and start getting things done. 5. They know when to seek help Finally, out of the many habits organized people have, knowing when to ask for help is a crucial one. These days, it’s common to feel like you need to do everything by yourself. Social media has played a large role in making people feel like they need to be super human. You should be able to easily juggle your work, family, financial and social life without any help from anyone else. It’s a myth! Organized people know when to ask for help in order to maximize their time. These are just 5 habits organized people have. While there’s many more, if you focus on developing the habits above, it’s going to help you become a lot more organized. P a g e 12 | 26

5 Ways to Organize Your Life Now you’ve learnt the benefits and the kind of habits that can help you to stay organized, it’s time to look at actual ways to start doing it. How can you organize your life and where on earth do you start? It may seem overwhelming, but here you’ll discover 5 ways to organize your life that you can start doing today. 1. Adopt the “one-minute” rule The one-minute rule, made famous by Gretchen Rubin in her Happiness podcast, is genius. It’s largely designed to make cleaning the house easier, though it could also be used to help in other areas too. It basically involves looking for tasks which can be completed in one minute or less. If we use housework as an example, it could be emptying the bin, putting a load of laundry in or cleaning a worktop. They’re small tasks which take very little time to complete. P a g e 13 | 26

Generally speaking, most of us put things off because we feel we don’t have the time. However, by splitting tasks down and following the one-minute rule, it gets things done without it feeling like too much effort. You could have your keys in your hand, ready to head out of the door, and take one minute to do something small before you go. Try it – you’ll be surprised how much more you get done with this great one-minute rule. 2. Start using a money management app Of course, life organization isn’t all about cleaning! It involves every aspect of your life, including money management. If you tend to have trouble looking after your finances, a money management app could be just what you need. It will help you track your incomings and outgoings, as well as everything you spend. You can then use this to determine where you need to make changes. Tackling your finances and becoming more organized can help to save you a significant amount of stress. P a g e 14 | 26

3. Focus on 3 important tasks each day A great tip to becoming more organized is to focus on 3 important tasks every day. That is, the 3 things you absolutely want or need to achieve in that day. You’ll typically find, once you’ve completed these tasks, everything else falls into place too. It helps because it keeps the number of tasks you need to achieve small, making it much easier to actually tick them off. As you do so, you’ll feel much better about your day and it will start to become a habit which leads you to a more organized life. 4. Make sure everything has a place It’s pretty tough to become organized if nothing has a place. So, take a walk around your home or office and see whether there’s a place for everything. You’ll want to make sure that similar items are kept together. If you currently have numerous types of items in the same drawer for example, it’s going to prove tough to find what you actually need. So, creating set places for everything you own is one of the first things you should do before you can even attempt to lead an organized life. P a g e 15 | 26

5. Stop neglecting your mental health Finally, even the best organizational tips aren’t going to help you if you neglect your mental health. Developing a more organized life means also addressing any mental health issues you might have. Sif you’re prone to depression, it’s going to be hard to stay organized. So, you’ll need to try and manage your depression beforehand. You can find all kinds of apps which can help with mental health issues. Exercise is also great so adding exercise into your life if you don’t currently do any, is going to go a long way to helping you become a more organized person. You could also take up a new hobby to keep the mind distracted. Once you get on top of your mental health, you’ll find it easier to develop healthier, more organized habits. There are so many ways to organize your life and the above are just 5 to get you started. You’ll find that once you’ve managed to get into one habit, you’ll find it easier to get into another. P a g e 16 | 26

Avoid These Organization Mistakes There’s a lot of helpful tips you can use to become more organized. However, did you know there’s also a lot of mistakes you could potentially make along the way too? Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to make mistakes when you’re learning to become more organized. So, to help ensure you avoid them, below you’ll discover some of the most common organization mistakes. Not having a clear starting point Once you’ve made the decision to become a more organized person, the first obstacle you’re going to face is knowing where to start. If your whole life is unorganized then it can quickly become overwhelming deciding where to start your new organization techniques. P a g e 17 | 26

While it can be tough finding a starting point, it is crucial that you do so. This is because if you just start randomly organizing things, you’re not going to see much progress and it’s also going to cause you quite a lot of stress. So, say you’re trying to organize the home. If all of the rooms are a mess, you’re going to want to start by focusing on the rooms you spend the most time in. Then, once they are organized, you can move on to the rooms you use less often. Having a starting point really helps to keep you motivated, as well as more organized. Over-categorizing everything A common mistake people make when they do try to organize the home or office, is over-categorizing everything. This means, making your organization a little too specific. It may seem like a good idea having as many categories as possible. However, what this actually does is make it much more difficult to keep up with the system. This means at some point in the not too distant future, you’re going to revert back to throwing items in any old category. So, do categorize things, but don’t over-categorize them! P a g e 18 | 26

Failing to declutter before organizing things If you’re trying to clean up and create a more organized space, it’s vital you first spend time de-cluttering everything. This is because, if you don’t de-clutter, you could end up organizing things which actually need to be thrown out. This is just a waste of time and effort. So, before you start, do a sweep of the room and decide what needs to be kept and what needs to be thrown away. Once you’re left with only the things you’re keeping, it’s then you can start organizing them into appropriate spaces. Adopting the “Just for now” mindset When you first start to become more organized, you have a powerful motivation. This ensures you stick to it for a set time period. However, like everything, that motivation can waiver. This is especially true if you’ve been living in an unorganized manner for many years! P a g e 19 | 26

When that motivation does go, you’re going to find it really tempting to adopt the “just for now” mindset. This means, failing to keep up with your organization by telling yourself something along the lines of “just for now, this will be ok here”. It’s like a loophole where you tell yourself you’ll put something in its right place in a little while. The reality is, you won’t! So, if you catch yourself adopting this mindset, stop it! To be organized, you have to be consistent. Not maintaining the system This one follows on from the mistake above. Once you’ve got everything more organized, you’re going to need to maintain it. This means setting aside time to repeat the steps you’ve taken. P a g e 20 | 26

It could be setting 10 minutes aside in the morning or the evening to ensure things are in their appropriate places. The key is to find a system which works for you and to stick to it. You can’t expect to get everything organized and then it magically stays that way. As with everything in life, you get out of organization what you put in. There are a lot of mistakes you can make along the way. However, as you can see, there are ways to avoid these common organizational mistakes. The above are just some of the ones you’re likely to come across when you make a start. P a g e 21 | 26

Great Apps to Help You Organize Your Life Let’s face it, trying to become more organized isn’t easy. Even with all of the tips you’ve learnt so far, it’s still much harder to organize your life than it seems. If you’re struggling, the good news is there’s some great apps out there which can help. Whichever type of smartphone you own, you’ll find a huge list of organization apps available to download. So, to make it easier, here you’ll discover some of the top apps currently available to help you organize your life. Trello Trello is commonly used by work teams, but it can also prove useful for families and individuals too. It’s a flexible app which helps you to basically keep track of anything in your life that needs to be tracked. P a g e 22 | 26

It basically consists of cards, with each card representing something you need to do. For example, one card could be used for household chores, while another could be used to track appointments and family activities. You can add deadlines and tag people into the cards, so they can keep track and add their own comments too. Available for both iOS and Android devices, it’s free to download and use, though there are some paid plans on offer too which include additional useful features. Hootsuite If like most of us, you’re addicted to social media, Hootsuite could be a great app to use. It allows you to schedule posts in advance, so you don’t need to actually be online when they get posted. This is especially great for those trying to run their own business. It can be tough finding the time to post to all of your social channels, so apps like this can make a huge difference. P a g e 23 | 26

As an additional benefit, Hootsuite also looks at your follower’s data to help you establish which days and times your posts receive the most engagement. So, if you’re a busy work from home mom for example, this app is going to help to make your digital marketing much more streamlined and organized. Smarter Time It’s pretty difficult to organize your time when you have no idea how it’s being spent. That’s where the Smarter Time app comes in. It works by tracking your daily activities to see where you’re spending the most time. It even has the ability to do this automatically. When you start inputting data, the app provides reports on how you’re spending your time, including which apps you use the most which could be draining your time. It can also show you how much time you’re spending exercising and carrying out other activities. P a g e 24 | 26

There is no better time tracking app than Smarter Time. So, if you’re looking to make the best use of your time and become more productive, this is the app you’re going to want to download. It’s worth noting that this app is only currently available on Android devices. However, you’ll find there’s lots of similar time tracking apps on iOS too. Cozi If you’re solely looking for an app which can keep track of your family’s activities, Cozi is just what you need. The app can provide real time updates, allowing members of the family to input any appointments and events they have coming up. If you’re worried you’ll forget to log in to the app, you can also choose to receive reminders. So, you’ll never miss another appointment again! P a g e 25 | 26

Habit List You already know that part of becoming more organized, is learning to develop good habits. If this is something you struggle with, Habit List can help. The aim of the app is to encourage you to develop good habits. You simply mark down any habits you want to start doing on a recurring basis on the apps calendar. It will then send you reminders and also keep a progress report which shows how well you’re doing. It’s a fantastic app that’s free to use, though there are some additional paid features you can unlock too. These are just some of the many great organization apps you should absolutely download. With so many available, it makes sense to utilize them to help with your goals. So, if you’re still struggling to become more organized, the apps above can absolutely help. P a g e 26 | 26