9 Practical Tips for Taking Control, Getting Organised and Stress Free Living
Do you feel overwhelmed by the growing clutter around your home or office? Getting organized can be a huge undertaking and a massive time sacrifice only to find yourself three months down the road with the same mounting problem.
Following below practical tips as part of your regular routine will not only keep you organized but will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Let 2010 be your year of organization, de-cluttering and stress free living!
Practical Tip 1 – Clear all working surfaces of clutter. Keep only the items that you are using for a particular project or activity, giving yourself space to focus without any distractions. Mementos and reminders can be hung on walls or placed on shelves.
Practical Tip 2 – Plan ahead! Write it down! Keep one (and only one) master task list. Note everything you think you need to do as soon as you think it. You may want to divide the list into personal and business sections, or combine them together. Writing things down will save time and frustration, and only takes couple of seconds at a time.
Practical Tip 3 – Use one calendar. Having one calendar to keep track of all your work and personal dates will eliminate conflicts and disappointments. It really doesn’t matter what calendar system you use as long as it is readily accessible and suites your scheduling requirements.
Practical Tip 4 – Schedule block times to work on similar tasks and priorities. For instance, reading and answering email can consume your whole day if you let it. Instead, set a limit of one or two hours a day for this task and stick to it. Pay bills & update your money management program while the information is on your desk and fresh in your mind. Work in the order of the most important to the least important, as you do this you will find yourself letting go of tasks that really didn’t need to be done at that time.
Practical Tip 5 – Learn to delegate and/or outsource. No matter how small your household or business practice, there’s no need for you to be a one-person show and if you try, some aspect of your personal or professional life is likely to suffer. For effective time management, you need to let other people carry some of the load.
Practical Tip 6 – Keep a simple and organised filing system. The more complicated the system the less likely you are to use it. The speed at which you can access information is a great measure of how effective your technique is. Electronic filing system is an excellent way to save space and increase accessibility.
Practical Tip 7 – Simplify a big project by breaking it down into smaller tasks to avoid feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated. Set up a timeline and schedule your tasks accordingly.
Practical Tip 8 – Make organising a habit. Practice by putting a few minutes aside each week to stay on top of organising around your home and office. This way you won’t have to worry about losing control, you’ll have less stress and more time to devote to things most important in your life.
Practical Tip 9 – REWARD YOURSELF. Even for small successes remember to celebrate achievement of goals. Promise yourself a reward for completing each task or a finished project. Then keep your promise and indulge in your reward. Doing so will help you maintain a healthy work-play balance and motivate you for all future endeavours.
Julia Lane, owner of Admin Lane provides business management and administration support to a variety of clients. Julia can take the time consuming tasks off your desk, allowing you focus on what you do best. www.adminlane.com.au
Great tips, things I seem to forget, but like to be reminded of – Thanks!
Great post, all makes sense, just have to implement these Tips.