So many people put off getting organised because it seems like such a mammoth, time consuming task.
If you strive for 100% ‘perfect’ organisation, it will keep getting pushed to the back of the list and will never happen.
Bite size chunks are key.
We’ve listed our top 6 quick tips, for getting organised, giving you the most impact on your working day/week:
1. Get tidy
“Messy bed, messy head”.
Before you start doing any work. Get tidy and clear your work space.
Clearing the following things can make such a difference to your headspace:
- Your desk and workspace
- Your bag/car/take your rubbish out etc. Get rid of anything that you don’t need
- Your desktop. If you need some files but don’t have time to go through them all. Move them onto a hard drive and remove them from your desktop/computer
- Delete/archive old WhatsApp/text messages/emails. Only have what you need to action in front of you
- Unsubscribe from any junk mail. Anything that’s not needed, delete
- Put your washing on/move your things/put them away
2. You do you
There is a reason why airlines ask you to put your mask on before helping others.
Get yourself ready and set up for the day, before you start work.
- Get your priorities straight for the day. Don’t check your emails or phone. Work out what you need to do before you look at what other people need from you
- Make sure you’re fed and watered before working, so you can be ready to go
- Take 20 mins out for you. Go for a short walk, do 10 mins of mindfulness, do a quick HIIT work out, whatever makes you feel better. There are loads free on YouTube and you can do without leaving the house!
Taking time out for yourself will make you feel better about giving yourself to work and will also clear your head, giving you better clarity for tasks and situations.
3. Write it down
Instead of capturing your typical to do list, write out the top things that are stressing you out and keeping you awake at night.
Number them 1-3, in order of the stress they’re causing you when you think about them (1 = level 10 anxiety, 3 = needs to be done, but can deal with it for another few days).
Then attack the number 1’s. No excuses, no “I’ll just respond to these quick emails first”. Even if you do 10 mins on each of your 1’s. It will make you feel so much better.
We often find that the things we put off or worry about are never as bad as we thought!
4. Turn off
Close apps ad emails etc that you don’t need and focus on one task at a time. It’s so easy to get distracted by WhatsApp messages, emails, Slack messages etc.
Turn off what you don’t need and get cracking on your most important tasks.
5. Get disciplined
With every single task you start, ask yourself if this should be the next priority. Often we start tasks because we want to do them and we are actually putting off what we should be doing
6. Delegate
What tasks can other people do or that you can eliminate all together?
There are plenty of people who can help you, from colleagues, to VA’s and people on PeoplePerHour, Gumtree etc.
If you don’t have time to work on certain tasks, get people to help you out!
We’d love to hear of any other quick tips that work for you.
Get in touch at emilia@emiliapowell.co.uk