Write things down
Write down what you’re working on. Write down what you did yesterday. Write down what you owe. Getting things out of your head and onto paper will ensure you don’t need to worry about remembering everything.
Incorporate lists
While you’re writing things down, try writing lists. Lists are great for organizing action items. Organize to-dos, shopping needs, and whatever else you need and check each item off, one by one.
Use a calendar
Calendars are an amazing tool, particularly digital ones. Use your calendar to track events, location, attendees and objectives for each.
When combined with the built-in notifications, you’ll never need to worry about forgetting any of your events or double-booking yourself.
Identify themes
Consider organizing your journals, records and lists into themes. Having an overarching category will help capture the essence of the contents clearly.
For example, separating your lists and notes into “work” and “personal” will allow you to focus on one context when getting things done.
Learn to prioritize
Once you’ve got things written down, you can begin to prioritize. There will always be more to get done than you can do in a day, so prioritizing tasks is essential.
To help do this, try asking yourself these questions:
- Does this have to get done today?
- Is someone else waiting for me on this?
- Does this have a health impact on me?
- Does this have a financial impact on me?
- Do I have everything I need to get this done?
If the answer to all or most of these questions is yes, you have a top-priority item to address.
Let things go
While prioritization is essential, so is letting go. Learning to let go is one of the most powerful tools for organizing. Having less to do makes organizing easier.
Follow this process and you’ll be sure to find yourself more organized and less stressed.