How have you managed to get on with implementing some of the tips from part 1?
In part 2 I will be telling you about some more great organisation tips, so you can get super organised!
Being organised is about saving time so that you have time for all the important things in your life. In this article, I will cover productivity and focus as well to help you get the most out of your days.
6/ Knowing how you work best
How, when, where do you work best? When it comes to writing I know I can’t sit and focus for more than an hour, and really 30 minutes works best before it is best I change to do something else. I am also not good at writing in the evening, although planning or editing is fine. 10am – 12pm works best for me for writing. Later in the day is better for tasks like finances, website maintenance, researching etc.
Not everyone has the luxury of when to work but there may be other areas that you have a choice over.
- Do you work best varying tasks throughout the day or finishing each one no matter how long it takes?
- Or do you work best with music on or not?
- Is a tidy desk important or is that not?
- Do you need plan/structure when sitting down to start a project or tasks or do you work best starting with a completely blank sheet of paper?
Being aware of how you work best will mean you that you can adjust, where you can, to increase focus and productivity and thus reducing the chances of you getting distracted.
7/ Deal with distractions
For me the worst distraction is the electronic kind, the phone and all the other places you could be browsing instead of getting on with that important piece of work.
I made vast improvements to by focus by turning off notifications and closing tabs on my computer. Read all my other tips on a blog post here
8/ Managing procrastination
Procrastinating is emotional. We are not putting off doing something we are putting off feeling something. Even just realising this fact has helped me.
Here are also a few tips that I have found have helped. I break the task down into manageable chunks and schedule them into my calendar. Making each chunk of the task specific also helps. Putting into your calendar “Do some more of the tax return” is likely to increase procrastination. “Do section 1 of tax return” is more likely to get it done.
You are more likely to procrastinate in a negative mood so starting the day with something positive even if it is just dancing to your favourite tune while making breakfast.
9/ Simplicity is best
You don’t need complicated systems or even complicated apps to be organised. I use simple folders to organise my paperwork at home and I definitely don’t use a complicated To-do app. They can take more time than they save.
I use Notion for organising future thoughts, plans and actions, and calendar for regular tasks and planning the next week. Do what works for you, but apps are just tools and not an indication of how organised you are!
10/ It takes time
You cannot get organised in a weekend. Sure you can organise your wardrobe or filing system but that isn’t being organised that is just being less cluttered. It can take time to refine systems, set up habits that work for you, and to find the right level of scheduling. Discipline also takes time, it takes practice to be able to focus on tasks rather than picking up the phone every 5 minutes.
If you have great plans for becoming more organised, don’t be disheartened if miracles don’t happen instantly. Take it one step at a time.
I have covered a lot in this article. In future articles I will be looking at some of these tips in greater depth. Showing you how to the most of your time. But why not take 5 minutes now and think about how you can make small changes now to get more organised.
