Contrary to the popular belief, being organised doesn’t come naturally to me. I can be a bit scatterbrained and you all know my flat can get very messy very quickly, having said that, throughout the years I have picked up some skills and turned them into habits that now help me be ultra-productive. If one of your new year’s resolutions was to organise your personal and work life, look no further, because I have some fool-proof hacks for you today!
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WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS
Trying to memorise my to-do list and random thoughts of inspiration going through my head a million miles per minute never does me any good – it makes me feel all over the place and utterly stressed out thinking I’ll forget something, but when I write things down, I know that I have a point of reference to look back on later and can easily go about my day with a crystal clear mind. Whilst on-the-go I just use the notes app on my phone that conveniently syncs with my laptop as well (yay for modern technology), but when I’m jotting down my final throughs of the day before bed time (such a great hack for better sleep), I prefer to opt for the traditional method of pen and paper.
MAKE SCHEDULES & TO-DO LISTS
My planner and I are practically conjoined twins and I have to admit I would be completely lost without it – keeping a schedule and structuring out my day are the top two solutions to keep my life in order. What I like to do is create myself a monthly overview of important events and deadlines, and then break things down into smaller chunks by creating more specific weekly and daily to-do lists. If you haven’t yet, download yourself an app called Wunderlist. If you’re working on project with other people (or even have a family grocery shopping list to keep on track with), you’ll love it, as several people can access the same to-do list and tick tasks off when completed. You can thank me later…
DON’T GET DISTRACTED BY SOCIAL MEDIA
I know, I know – way easier said that done, especially if your job revolves around it, but just think how often you grab your phone and aimlessly scroll down your Twitter or Instagram feed – I read a study the other day saying we pick it up 200 times a day! Instead of checking what’s new every 15 minutes and finding yourself knee-deep into watching videos of adorable puppies an hour later, try limit yourself to 10 minutes, three times a day – morning, lunch and evening. What I’ve found helps is setting a timer and singing out of your account after the time’s up, as that will keep the notifications at bay and make it less tempting for you to use the app, or even putting your phone on airplane mode.
DEVELOP ROUTINES
Routine may be the most boring word in the dictionary, but I find that putting repetitive mundane tasks into my daily schedule and following them through day by day or week by week gives my life structure and helps me develop positive habits that keep my space and my brain in check. It can be anything from making your bed in the morning or having a Sunday afternoon dedicated to cleaning to blocking out a whole day to concentrate on one major job – in my case filming and editing. No matter how big or small the task is, once you keep repeating it for a longer period of time, it becomes a way of life you can structure your other to-dos around, instead of keep pushing it back and never getting around to it, but constantly having it in the back of your mind stressing you out.
LEARN HOW TO SAY NO
Being a people-pleaser can be tough. You know that thing someone asks you to do and you immediately say yes to despite your heart (or your schedule) is saying no? I know it’s a difficult mindset to overcome (been there, done that), but putting your goals and wishes first truly helps you not waste time on insignificant, non-beneficial tasks and gives you more time to work on your own priorities. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t help anyone ever again, but you don’t have to say yes to absolutely everything you’re asked to do to the point of being completely and utterly overwhelmed – if you have to think about it, it’s probably a no.
** Was shooting this post in the rain so excuse the frizzy hair, haha!**
