Five Tips for an Organized Life

I’ve always been shocked at how often people compliment me on my organization and time management skills. I never thought that I was super organized and deserving of all this praise, but when I think more about where my organizational and planning habits stem from it all makes sense. 

When I was a sophomore in high school, I transferred to a school far more challenging and demanding than my first one. At the time I was not using any organizational or planning tools, and it cost me. I remember it like it was yesterday: I was in English II and we had an assignment due that I completely forgot to turn in. It was due online, which was a completely new concept to me, because my previous high school didn’t use turnitin.com or any technology outside of the classroom. It was at that moment that I knew I HAD to buy a planner. The perfectionist inside of me was aching because I had completed the assignment, but lost credit for it because I forgot to turn it in online. After school, I went to the store and bought a planner. I haven’t looked back since. 

It pained me to have missed that assignment. It sounds so silly that I was stressed about such an insignificant assignment, but it truly changed the way I organized and lived my life. For that reason, I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks to stay organized and make the most out of your time. I want to preface this with stating that I am FAR from perfect. I have many unproductive days (now more so than ever, thanks COVID-19). However, as my last semester of undergraduate is starting I think that I have compiled many tips and tricks over the years that I should share with the world. 

1. Planner

I can not stress using a planner enough! There are a variety of planners offered out there. In the past I have used brands such as Erin Condren, The Happy Planner, and Recollections from Micheal’s. I don’t think there is a superior planner brand, but I think it’s important for you to analyze yourself and your needs in a planner. Do you need to plan your schedule hourly? Do you prefer a vertical or horizontal layout? Do you like color or neutral tones? Do you want to decorate your planner? What will motivate you to complete the tasks on the planner? Do you need separate planners for different things (working out, eating, school, etc.)? All of these questions are things you must ask yourself before buying a planner. 

2. Daily To-Do List

A daily to-do list is really helpful to maintain productivity throughout the day. At night I think about the next day and everything that I desire to accomplish during that day. Based on what I need to accomplish, I will create a to-do list so that when I wake up the next morning I stay on track and complete the tasks at hand.

Natasha Lee Creative just released a super cute and useful daily to-do list notepad and I've been using it everyday for a few days and I love it! One of my favorite features of the daily to-do list is the gratitude section. As a society, I think we often over look the small things we should be grateful for. Every morning I wake up and think about a few things I am grateful for because this daily to-do list notepad includes a section all about gratitude. She was generous enough to give me a code to share with you all. Use the code 'SIMPLYSTASS15' to save 15% on your order with Natasha Lee Creative. Click HERE to shop!

3. Learn to Say No

In college it can be difficult to balance academics and social life (I think this can apply to every stage of life because there are always pressures of jobs, families, friends, etc.). I learned very quickly how to say no. I always put academics first. If I didn’t have time to hang out with friends and/or go out, I was not afraid to say no. I’m not saying you shouldn’t hang out with your friends, but when you map out your time and get things done, you will eventually have time for your friends. If I had a busy week, I would have to map out time specifically to hang out with friends. I constantly reminded myself that I was in college to learn. I think saying no to things you don’t have time for can be difficult to learn. Prioritize what is important to you. If academics is not important to you, then you most likely won’t say no to hanging out with friends. That leads me to my next point.

4. Prioritize

What test or assignment is due the soonest? Can you work on something in advance so you don’t have to wait until the last minute? What is important to you? What is your motivation? What is your desired end result? If it’s not a priority, it won’t happen. Nothing changes if nothing changes. It’s impossible to change people, actions, habits, etc. if there is no desire for change. Something has to be a driving factor to accomplish a task. Mindset is everything in planning and organizing. 

5. Set Goals

Lastly and most importantly, SET GOALS. One of the biggest reasons why I love a daily to-do list is that I can set short term achievable goals. I absolutely love crossing off tasks I’ve completed on my to-do list. Crossing off tasks on my to-do list motivates me to keep working. Setting goals keeps me focused on what’s important. I consider myself very goal oriented. If I set a goal for myself, I feel horrible letting myself down if I don’t accomplish it. Goal setting allows me to have the proper mindset to go into each day. Goals set the expectations of the day, week, month, year, lifetime, etc. Without goals, I don’t believe there is a purpose in being organized. 

Consider the following questions when creating goals. What are your goals for the semester? What are your long term goals? What are your short term goals? What do you want to accomplish? 

You have what it takes to be successful! It can be an adjustment to add these things to your daily life, but I have noticed a huge increase in my productivity and feeling of purpose when I map out my days.

xoxo,

simply stass