5 Guides to Being more Organized and Productive

I just discovered am not that spontaneous! Adulting demands that I have to be organized and Productive.

As am juggling my current job and starting an online business. I found myself working more hours than I did before and unfortunately taking up time I set aside for my family and my fun. The only way I can resolve this issue is by being more organized and productive with my time and energy.

I have always thought of myself as being a spontaneous person. I go on unplanned trips, am always ready to go out and have fun with friends. I like to take advantage of the moment and experience what has fallen on my plate. However, I now know this is a short term.

In the long run, I discovered I like to know what am going to do, where am going to do it, how am going to do it, and what it looks like when am done. I know this can squeeze the fun out of anything, right? But it is better than the cost of the unexpected at every turn.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” -Walt Disney

So I have taken a journey to get organized and productive.

Why should I be Organized? 

After all, being organized depends on the personality, some people are neat-flicks others thrive in organized chaos.

This may be for you but to be effective and productive it’s better to be organized in the way that works for you.

It also ensures that you

• Achieve desired Goals. When you are organized, you have a higher chance of achieving your goals more effectively.
• Save time, which is the most valuable resource.  
• You are not overwhelmed and stressed all the time. Therefore, making you more mentally healthy
• Allows creativity. Being organized gives you time to be more creative. One day my boss told us “if you lift your noses from your desks you might just come up with good ideas.” (She was a mean boss).

How to Be More Organized

A person will always be thinking ahead to what will be required and soon. Since I don’t have the power to tell the future, all you can do is always think of different scenarios.

With the below steps, I intend to be the most organized person

1. Start your day well.

Start your day the same way every day, even if you are just staying home that day. 

This is a lesson I learned this covid period. Working from home means we woke up and stayed at home. I notice I was more productive on the days I woke up, exercised, brushed my teeth, showered, and dressed up. Then started my day in an organized manner.

2. Don’t rely on your Brain

The brain is a marvelous system but it’s too complex to keep everything you would like to remember. Don’t trust your brain to remember all your good ideas.

Organized and productive people always write things down, if not on paper on your device. 

If you use technology, ensure you use a system that you can access easily, anywhere, and on multiple devices. Some app that does this is Evernote, google drive 

“Short-term memory can hold up to 7 pieces of information at the same time… But only for around 20 seconds!”

3. Always looking ahead:

Planning is the process of thinking and listing down the activities required to achieve the desired goal. 

Always looking ahead and knowing what will happen in the future that you need to be prepared.

When you plan, you will have a backup for any scenario you may encounter on your journey to achieving your goals. 

This will reduce destruction.

4. Simplify everything you do.

Just focus on a few things that you can achieve. Pick just 3 tasks a day that you have to finish, you will notice that you will do these things well and will be really stressed or overwhelmed. 

“Don’t be superman, he was not human.”

Prioritize and streamline tasks by asking. 

• What are the low-value tasks that I don’t need to do? Drop them
• What can I automate? Get Apps that will help you automate tasks like posting on emails, social media, like ClickUp, Trello
• What can I delegate? Get help from people around you in the office your colleagues or outsource. If at home your family members.You don’t have to do everything. These days you can even get a virtual assistant to sort  https://elitevirtualassist.com/your emails, payroll, and other mandarin tasks. 

Only do things that give you results financially and emotionally

5. Evaluate your progress and Celebrate the wins:

Evaluate your tasks at the end of the day or week, note the progress and how far you are to reaching the desired result. 

If you have achieved the desired result at the end of the day or week, start the next day, week, or stage by celebrating the win.

This will help you build momentum and continue being productive on a more regular and consistent basis.

You will also note what is working and what is not so that you can be able to change and improve your progress. 

6. List your stop doing list:

To be more productive we should stop doing some of the habits that are getting in the way of your organization and productivity. Procrastinating, distractions, multitasking, stop giving excuses, stop over-analysis. 

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” -Norman Vincent Peale

 Conclusion

Multitasking is my biggest problem and distraction. One of the things am trying is to browse the internet with only one tab (or phone app) open at once. I noticed I open too many tabs, so my attention is split in a different direction, and eventually, I never finish the thing I start or it takes too long.

Disorganized people are always being caught off guard by one thing or another. This cost money and time. This causes you to procrastinate, never achieve your goals and disappoint the people who are depending on you. 

Being organized and productive makes me feel like I can tell the future because I have a plan and when am organized am ready for the world. It’s like a superpower.

 

Do you find this productivity hacks useful for your daily workflow? Feel free to share your comments.