Trying to get organised? Here’s a guide on how to get organised. Check it out!
We all wish, more often than we realise, that we were a bit more organised at some point of the day. It’s usually when the keys go missing (only to be promptly found in your handbag) or when your charger is tangled around your little feline’s leg. This spurt of anxiety, albeit short-lived, takes you back to all the times this has happened before and you slowly sigh at yourself.
Here are a few ways you can reduce the frequency of these quotidian scares and start getting organised. Edited for brevity and because we love a little organisation ourselves, here is a categorised list of habits, routines and decluttering activities that you can adopt, to have a little more time on your hands.
Post brought to you by Craving Yellow
How to Get Organised
Organise Your Kitchen
Louis Parrish really said ‘If you can organise your kitchen, you can organise your life’. Your day starts and ends at the kitchen; it is where the best of your dreams come true.
Prepare for your day and Batch cook meals
Spend at least five minutes on your meal plan. This includes deciding what you’re going to cook that day, checking if you have the ingredients for it, and scheduling some time to cook. Add and cross out items on your shopping list. Pick up recipes which are time-friendly and can be cooked in bulks whilst retaining the nutrition of the ingredients. While you don’t necessarily need to plan your meals every day, it’s always good to have a routine in place.
Clean your kitchen before you hit the bed
No, we don’t mean mopping, scrubbing and swabbing the kitchen area. But tidying up, throwing away vegetable and fruit peels, and cleaning the counter will save your time the next morning. It also plays a significant role in how willing you are to cook that day, and consequently your mood the entire day. We also recommend washing the dishes the same night (listening to a podcast while at it always helps). A clean kitchen is equally spoken about too much and too little, but it is what it is – a sign for a good day to come.
Invest in smart storage (and not only in the kitchen)
We all have (a lot of) things – most of which we can’t, or don’t want to, discard. Things we believe will come in use next year (but never do), trinkets we are emotionally attached to, things that don’t work but look good, clothes that don’t fit us waiting to be thrifted away, and finally, the things that we actually need to get through the day. While discarding the unnecessary stuff is the reasonable thing to do, we don’t see ourselves doing that anytime soon. Hence, invest in smart storage. Categorise your things based on need and type, and store them along a range of accessible to inaccessible spots in your apartment depending on how often you use them.
Discarding, however, is non-negotiable when it comes to your kitchen. Regularly check the expiry dates and un-hesitantly throw away anything that is spoilt.
Organise Your Work Space
How to avoid faux-pas at work, and spend a little less time working.
Organise and backup your data
You can get through your career just by following this single tip. Make sure you have a separate folder (with further sub-folders) which contains all your work-related data. Also have one folder where you have all your important documents – academic certificates, identity proofs, and the likes. And finally, make sure all of this data is not saved in just one single place. Meaning, back them up on the cloud, or invest in a personal hard disk, or both. Acquiring lost documents and data can be extremely exhausting, and can often have serious consequences.
Take breaks
Take a nap break, get back to your amateur painting or dig into your book. Nothing spells unproductivity like a lethargic mind. Breaks will not only clear your head and ensure that you are not burnt out by the end of the day, but you’ll also end up completing tasks more efficiently.
Delete and Unsubscribe To Keep Inbox Organised
Yes, we are talking about the popularly feared inbox. Once you’ve read an email and have decided you won’t be going back to it, delete it instantly. Create separate folder for work, personal, and legal. Regularly unsubscribe from promotions and ads from places you know you won’t end up shopping from. Inbox zero is a long way ahead, but you’ll get there; someday.
Keep the phone calls brief
With work from home becoming the new normal – pandemic or not – it is important to acknowledge how much time we spend on idle chit chat. Treat your phone calls like meetings. Always go prepared – have an agenda, note down points to discuss, and briskly get to the topic. Calls often distract you from the task at hand, and unnecessarily long calls can be extremely exhausting – hence throwing you off your day’s plan.
Go Paperless To Declutter Your Space
Not only does paper take up a significant amount of space, but it also takes up serious amounts of effort to categorise, organise, file, store and discard. You can redeem time spent of this laborious activity by going paperless whenever possible.
Set out your outfit for the next day
We know this sounds like ancient advice, but it works like a charm! Not only do you tend to look forward to the next day, but you also don’t have to frantically iron your shirt or look for those pants that are out for washing.
Use Your Audio Recorded To Organise Your Thoughts For Later
Especially if you work in the creative industry, you’re almost always thinking. We often tend to quickly scribble our thoughts down on the nearest piece of paper, only to spend hours looking for the precious note much later. Next time, speak into the recorder. It is even believed that when you say it out loud, the idea takes better shape.
How To Keep Your Personal Life Organised
Few tips to manage your time and get your personal routine in order, which would also aid your professional life.
Prioritise and have an achievable plan for the day
Make schedules and set deadlines for yourself. Make a mental (or physical) note of the top three tasks that you intend on accomplishing that day. Manage your time wisely by making time for everything – right from naps and snacks, to work and exercise. While a strict charted out routine isn’t for everyone, having a rough one always helps.
Do not overcommit
Do not agree to do more than you are capable of or have the time for, be it a personal or a professional setting. Learn to say no. Stick to your word and deliver what you have promise.
Know what works for you
While some of us prefer to note down every single detail in our journal, some of us prefer quick post-it notes or even just our memory. There is no hard-and-fast rule to keep track of things, but some self-awareness makes the process a lot simpler.
Easy visibility checklist
Make sure your to-do list or checklist is easily visible to you at all times. It could be pinned to your fridge or in front of your work desk, or saved on the lock screen of your phone. This will ensure a higher tendency to stay focussed and a lower tendency to forget an important task.
Know what you own
While minimalism isn’t for everyone, it is important that you know what you own. Only shop for things you need. If you want to upgrade an appliance, discard or donate the one you own first. When it comes to your wardrobe, make sure you have the basics, and regularly donate clothes as and when you purchase new ones. This way, you can keep a track of everything you have and won’t be surprised every time you open your wardrobe.
Know where to find them
Declutter regularly – be it your wardrobe, wallet, kitchen or your work desk. Have a place for everything, and make sure everything is in its place.
Be smart about discarding
As we edge towards a concerning climate situation, it is important to be smart about throwing things away. Recycle what you can, reuse them, or donate to be reused by someone in need. A sustainable lifestyle is a surprisingly easy goal to achieve.
Have a launch pad
Have a spot next in your house where all the significant smalls are kept – your keys, wallet, phone, and charger. This way, when you’re rushing to the office (and you will be), you don’t have to spend additional time looking for these essentials. An additional tip is to carry a bigger bag (a tote or a grocery bag) in your handbag. Purchasing bags every time you shop merely increases disposables in your space.
Have one tidy haven or a ‘me-time space’
Decorate and redecorate this space to your taste, and go back to it when you feel like rewarding yourself or to merely bask in the day.
Finally, and most importantly, make it fun! Make a playlist, sway to the music, and enjoy the process.