Simple Strategies to Help You Get More Organized

Do you find yourself struggling with getting organized and staying on top of things?  Do you find yourself spending more time than you like trying to get caught up on things you either forgot to do, or didn't do on time?  If that sounds familiar, you're not alone; many people find it difficult to get organized in their daily life.
 
While being organized may come more easily to some people than others, it's a skill that anyone can develop and improve.  Here are some simple organization strategies you can easily work into your daily routine, so you feel more organized and on top of things.

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Break your task down into smaller chunks.
 
It's tempting to ignore a task when it seems big and overwhelming.  It's not that you don't care about it, you simply don't know where to start.  The key when you're feeling this way is to break your task down into smaller chunks.  Don't focus on addressing the entire thing; focus on addressing just that first, small chunk.  This gives you a clear starting place, and you only need to deal with something small and manageable that you know you can handle.  Once you get that first chunk of the task completed, you'll have some momentum going to help carry you along, and you'll be feeling more confident, too. 
 

Schedule reminders in a calendar or day planner. 
 
There's no reason to try and keep everything in your head.  This makes it easy to forget things, especially when you get interrupted unexpectedly, or something urgent lands on your plate.  Instead, get into the habit of writing things down in a calendar or day planner, which you then check on a regular basis.  You won't have to worry about forgetting anything because you'll have it right there in front of you in writing.  Note:  if you prefer to use a reminder app on your smartphone and you find this to be equally effective, that's fine.  But for many people, the act of writing something down can be more effective than than recording it in a digitally, because  the former  allows for a greater "imprint" during the recording process.


Be specific and detailed in your task reminders.
 
If you're making a note in your calendar to pick up dry cleaning, be specific and detailed.  Don't just write down "Pick-up dry-cleaning this week," as more than likely, it will get pushed aside by other, more pressing concerns.  Instead, take a moment to think through the details in your mind, and then write down something specific, like "Pick-up dry-cleaning Tuesday on the way home from work."  This allows you to plan and prioritize far more effectively, since you have something fixed to work around.
 
Being disorganized can leave you feeling like you're playing a continual game of "pick-up and catch-up" from day to day.  These simple strategies will help you break out of that cycle, so you can be more on top of things and ultimately feel better about yourself.