How to stay organised
- Carly Morton
- May 13, 2018
- 4 min read
People have been asking me to write this blog for a while now...
Perhaps I may come across as slightly obsessive compulsive. Maybe even a smidge neurotic. Some may even go so far as to call me a control freak. But the one thing that I think we can all agree on, is that I'm damn well organised.
Yes, I'll admit, part of my organisation has to do with the fact that I like to control things. Looking around me, I see so many people whose lives, homes and work spaces are in utter chaos. Maybe you're like me and thrive in an environment of order and careful planning or perhaps you're one of those carefree types who like to live life on the edge, wondering where the day will take you? Or maybe your that nice and cozy place somewhere in the middle.
This blog is merely a small glimpse into how I stay organised to ensure that I'm getting sh*t done, making the most of my time off, being effective at work and wise with my money.
Tip number one- Write it down
At the moment, I'm working out of four books and virtually my whole life is stored there. All four books help me to stay organised in different ways. Not all of these would apply to you, but I would certainly recommend adding either a diary or bullet journal to your daily/weekly routine to help organise aspects of your life.
Book One- My teacher's diary. I write down every lesson in here and like to be one week ahead in my planning. That way, I'm never walking to a lesson not knowing what I'm doing. I also know where each lesson fit's into my program and can remind the students of where we've been and where we are going.
Book Two- My bullet journal. I'm no expert in bullet journaling but it's certainly something I enjoy as I dig deeper into that creative part of myself. Each month is laid out over a double page and key features include; a monthly overview, goals, inspiring quotes, books I've read, wish list and a habit tracker. This book keeps me organised in terms of maintaining good habits and achieving my goals but more than that, it inspires me to live a passionate and exciting life.
Book Three- My regular journal. Less artistic and more free-form than my bullet journal, I use this one primarily to plan out future blogs.
Book Four- My dairy. This one is used only for day-to-day planning outside of school. In my diary, I write down birthdays, to-do lists and appointments. Because I don't use it very often, I have a tendency to forget things and am thinking that I will try to find a way to blend my diary and bullet journal together, making this book redundant.
Tip number Two- Less is best
Every couple of months I go through each room in my house and get rid of stuff. It either goes in my scrapbook, the bin/recycle or to my nan to sell at a garage sale. Clearing out unnecessary stuff allows me to see the things I do have. When I see them, I'm more likely to use them.
Also having less allows me to keep my house, dark drawers and random cupboards organised. Everything has a place and if I'm looking for something, it is easily found.
The same thing goes for my desk at school. I have monitoring folders for each year group and if the papers don't fall into any of the categories within my monitoring folders, they go straight in the recycle. I give things back to my students straight away to reduce the amount of random stuff littering my desk and I keep things digital to limit the need for unnecessary printing. Which bring me to...
Tip number Three- Go digital
Instead of a photo album I have Instagram and Facebook.
Instead of printing worksheets, I put them on OneNote.
Instead of having folders of school work, I keep it on a USB or OneDrive.
Instead of getting letters, I get emails.
Instead of going to the bank, I use Netbank.
Instead of calling, I text which helps me to remember dates/times.
Instead of making invites, I create a Facebook event and then get a reminder.
Whether we like it or not, technology is the way of the future. And as much as I hate technology in certain situations, it certainly has allowed me to be more organised. Not only that, it's also helped me to ditch the paper, which tends to either get lost or overflow fridges, baskets and folders.
Tip number Four- create a routine
I have a routine for my weekday mornings, evenings and Saturday mornings. These routines help me to achieve the things that I HAVE to do, so that I have more time for the things that I WANT to do.
If you don't yet have a routine but would like to create one, first think about what you would like that aspect of your day/week to look like. Write it down or watch some YouTube videos for inspiration (I just created a weekend morning routine and cleaning routine video). These types of videos are highly popular and I think the reason for this is that people want to get their lives organised, but many just don't know how.
If you've thought about what you want your routine to look like, now start implementing it. But remember it takes 21 days to create a habit. Adjust along the way if things aren't working for you but stick with it.
A disclaimer:
Yeah my life, home and desk at work are super organised. This makes ME feel better about my life, but that doesn't mean that everyone else needs to do the same. If you feel out of control, perhaps your life would benefit from more organisation, but what that looks like is totally up to you. There are many days where I want a little bit more spontaneity and add random or different things to my day or week to keep things feeling fresh.
Comments