The 5 Rules of Organisation

Hi I thought that this would be a useful stategy for those people who have trouble getting organised in their personal lives


5 Rules of Organization

In today’s world, it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by all our responsibilities. Being organized is a great way to keep stress levels low and stay on top of things.

Here are the 5 rules of getting, and staying, organized.

1. Write everything down. Whether you use a planner, a steno notebook, a plain old spiral notebook, your computer, or whatever, write everything down. Just because it’s written down doesn’t mean it has to get done.

But, if you write everything down, you don’t have to remember it anymore. Another key component of this is that your note-taking place has to be bound so you are not driven by a stack of loose papers.

2. Break projects down into manageable tasks. Be sure, in your planning, that you separate projects from tasks. A project is anything that requires more than one action to complete. Even changing a light bulb can be a project if you don’t know if you have light bulbs hiding in the laundry room. A task is a one action job. Projects are made up of these and these are what you fill your day with. Even homeschooling and ritual planning can be broken down this way.

3. Set aside time everyday to plan. Some people like to plan their day when they get up in the morning. Some people like to plan at night so they don’t have to think about it while they’re trying to sleep. The important thing is that you take time everyday to plan your activities.

4. Learn to use a calendar. Calendars aren’t just for birthdays, holidays, and doctor’s appointments. Anything that is date specific should be on your calendar. Are you planning a family celebration? Put it on the calendar. In charge of your company’s Annual Dinner? Put it on the calendar. Use the calendar for deadlines.

Set deadlines for your projects and put those on the calendar, too. You can also set milestones for your projects and put those on the calendar. Oh, and be sure to only use one calendar. I suggest that you could hang a desk-pad sized calendar on the wall and use it for everything.

5. Make a weekly appointment to check-up on yourself. It’s also important to set aside time each weekend to review what worked for you over the past week and plan what projects you need to tackle in the coming week.

Start by writing down everything you can think of that needs to be addressed. Next, check the calendar for any deadlines coming up, and add any related tasks to your list. Then, review your list and decide what needs to be addressed, and what can wait.

Finally, come up with a general plan of what you want to accomplish this week. Don’t feel overwhelmed from the start. Be confident that you are taking actions to improve.

You might want to start your organization process by writing some affirmations or meditating on what it means to be organized. As you start to get these little pesky thoughts out of your head and into your organizational system, you will feel better and be able to address the things that bug you.

Also, learn to trust your system. You have been trusting your memory for a long time, so it will take some practice for your brain to catch up and trust that you have included everything in your notebook. If you religiously write things down and review your lists at least once a day, your brain will eventually be able to let go and focus on bigger things.

So take care, enjoy working towards the new you and remember

Don't predict the future - CREATE IT!

DAve