This blog reboot is all about organization and tightening up our routines ahead of the holiday madness. Here are a few minor routine changes to help you be less of a superhero and more of the enjoyable, stress-free person you were meant to be.
Happy organized life!
Before we begin, this is a judgment-free zone. I know that life is a different experience for everyone. Whether you are already organized and highly task-oriented, a train wreck waiting to happen, or somewhere in between. I hope you find value in the habits I've adopted over the years.
1. Write it down (Get it out of your head!) – I don't think people are afraid to be organized. They are afraid of the unknown. They don't know what or how considerable the effort will be or if they will fail and create more of a mess than they began with. The first thing I suggest anyone does, whether you are organizing a pantry, your luggage, or a project, is write it down. Write everything you can think of related to the task. Don't worry about the order. Just get it out of your head and on paper. This does two things:
1. It removes that energy from your mind and body and puts it somewhere you can process and manage it.
2. Allows you to see the task ahead so you can plan the execution.
2. Define the priorities – I define priorities as anything that blocks you from doing or getting to something else. It is important to recognize the things in your schedule that prevent you from moving forward. I recommend limiting your schedule to 10 priorities each week. You can take on more things, but only after completing the first ten things planned. The intent is to focus on what can be accomplished within a week. To help identify priorities, ask yourself a few questions:
a. Does this need to be done before something else?
b. What makes this urgent? If I don't complete it now, does it put other items in jeopardy?
c. Do I have everything I need to complete this, or is part of this out of my control?
d. Do I have the time to finish this week?
3. Find the easy wins - Completing short, manageable tasks early in your planning cycle can be motivating. When working through your list, consider focusing on lighter tasks that can be completed in no more than a few hours. It's okay to divide large tasks into smaller efforts and spread them over time. If some work takes longer, stop and figure out why. The job may be too big or out of your control. If that is the case, first handle what you can. Then, identify where the roadblock is and go from there.
4. BREATHE – pace yourself. If you are new to organizing and managing your time, the first pass will feel like a lot. I promise it will get easier. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it certainly makes you better.
Learning to manage your time is a process. Creating a system that works for you and your schedule is the key to creating a routine that you can sustain. Time management and organization are not about competing with anyone else or creating an Instagramable story. It's about creating a space that allows you to make the most of the time you have without overwhelming your schedule or your capacity. Planning routines should help you create healthy boundaries by showing you where you are wasting time or running out of time and where you can regain your time by removing unnecessary activities. If you are looking for a great resource to help you get started down a path to better time management. We can help. The Weekly Top 10 was developed to help you create sustainable planning routines. Use this code 15OFF and save on any of our Performance Workbooks.
Cheers to more calm and less chaos. xoxo