In our busy day to day lives, we could say that the hours in a day are not enough to attend to everything we need to do. The harsh reality is that a lot of times, this is true. Thus, we start lagging behind on work, errands, chores, and other things.
The solution to this is simple—organizational skills. Highly organized people get to do what they need and what they want to do, earning quality time to just sit back and relax. Isn’t that amazing?
To get yourself on the way to an organized lifestyle, here are five tips to set you off:
1. Categorize:
Write down the things you need to do and the things you have to do in two separate lists. The challenge with people who cannot organize is that they do not know the difference between NEEDS and WANTS. Basically, needs are those that you cannot afford to miss, while wants are those that can be postponed, changed or removed altogether.
2. Grid it:
Once all your tasks have been listed, segregate them even further into the following groups:
• Urgent and important – These are things that require your utmost focus, such as those that involve looming deadlines and important clients, wherein you need to prepare your sales pitch and such.
• Important but not urgent – Accomplishing these things is a must, but not immediately. It includes settling bills that are due in two weeks, or planning a weekend get-together with friends, which does not really need to be done on a Monday or during office hours.
• Urgent but not important – So this weekend sale is about to end but you have household chores and your child’s Family Day at school to attend to. The weekend sale that urges you to go shopping right away but won’t really hurt to miss is a good example of this.
• Not urgent and not important – These are interruptions that happen like unofficial chatting with co-workers during business hours and computer games.
3. Plan it:
Map out the things on your list according to their importance and urgency. Make sure you always leave some room for unexpected things such as sudden conference cancellations or unplanned meetings.
4. Act on it:
Stick to your timeline and have the discipline to manage your time properly. Avoid procrastinating, as this is one cause of setbacks. If you can do it now, then don’t delay. Postponing activities makes your day longer but more unproductive. If an interruption comes along, assess its importance and learn how to say no when it is the best and most practical thing to do.
5. Check it:
Once a task is completed, check it off your list. This gives you the motivation to move further because you see your list clearing.
You might think like you’re always running out of time but more often than not, it’s just a matter of proper time management. Just learn to prioritize and have the discipline to stick to what’s most important, and you’re on your way to an organized and more balanced lifestyle.