Tip#1: EVERYTHING can be compartmentalized – For me, this is the most important step to the organization of anything. Make categories & sub-categories. My wife teases me about this one because I’m a bit obsessive about it. Distinctions and differentiations can be made in every area of your life. Here are some basic category examples with some sub-category ideas. The PURPOSES for compartmentalizing can vary from time management, to document management, and from project completion to portion control:
- Spouse (Date night, shared duties, intimacy, communication, individual time, etc…)
- Children (one-on-one time, outdoor play, reading together, listening, eating together, etc...)
- Extended family (Parents, siblings, cousins, etc…)
- Finances (Day-to-day spending, Bills & Debt, Retirement, Emergency plan, etc...)
- Employment (Running log of past employments / Updating your resume, etc...)
- Spirituality (Duties, Meetings & Service, Study & Prayer, etc...)
- Hobbies & Recreation (Friends, outings, schedules, etc...)
- Business (Book keeping, invoiceing, marketing, accounting, calendaring, etc...)
- Home (chores, groceries, repairs, home & yard, etc...)
Tip#2: Make Lists – Without lists, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I make a new daily list every day, and then get as much done during the day as possible. I usually can't get to everything, so I just roll tasks onto the next day. Lists give me the ability to free up my conscious mind for other important things to remember. Einstein once said that he typically didn't memorize facts that he could easily look up. I like this idea. Writing things down in lists is like having a never-ending supply of virtual RAM on a computer. I can endlessly process more. Lists can be on-growing or finite, and made for ANYTHING:
- Daily “To-Do’s”
- Ideas
- Wants & needs (wish list)
- Movies you want to see (eventually)
- Interesting websites to explore
- Groceries
Tip#3: Prioritize – Once you've got a list made, it is helpful to know in which order things SHOULD be done. There are two strategies to this. One is the Monster strategy which states: "Kill your ugliest monsters FIRST." This gets the tough tasks out of the way first, leaving only simple chores to remain. The second strategy is based on a value system which states: "Decide which of the things on your list are important and which are urgent, and then do the important things FIRST." This method makes sure that you're not just concentrating on putting out fires, but that you are focusing on what really matters. The good news is that YOU are the only one that can correctly prioritize YOUR list. Use the Boulder, then rock, then pebble, then sand, then water method of filling your day with "stuff" to do.
Tip#4: Simplify –
- Stop “re-inventing the wheel” by creating spreadsheets & templates for things you do often (to do lists, EQ agendas, housework, etc…)
- Pre-establish your own protocols for life ("if this happens, I'll react in this way")… in other words decide ONCE.
- If you don't use it regularly, box it up and store it. If you store it for more than a year, consider throwing it a way.
- Learn to appropriately say "NO" to things that just stress you out
- Keep digital copies of things so you don't have papers stacking up on your work surfaces creating a mess.
- Live the "less is more" rule religiously.
Tip#5: Create Routines – It's easier to remember where your keys are when you always put them in the same place. Likewise, it's easier to remember to do anything at the appropriate time if you always to that thing at that same time. Simple habits of consistency can greatly improve your desire and ability to be organized. It also creates a perception of dependability to others.
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