1. Keep your keys, wallet, or bag near the entrance
Does searching for your phone, car keys, umbrella, or wallet while you’re already running late to an appointment sound familiar? Few things are more annoying than that, but this specific inconvenience is also easily salvaged by a simple habit. Put a little decorative dish or tray near the entrance and store all of the above-listed things there.
Alternatively, you can mount a nice key organizer or a simple hook for your bag and other essentials near the entrance. It may take some adjustment, but in a matter of weeks, you’ll teach yourself to leave your keys, headphones, purse, ID, and other to-go necessities in that designated spot, and you won’t have to search for them ever again.
2. Clean the kitchen before you go to bed
Nothing makes you want to skip your breakfast more than waking to an untidy kitchen. All those dirty dishes in the sink, crumbs all over the counter, and half-empty boxes of food scattered all over the kitchen can really make you hangry! For this reason, we greatly recommend taking those 10 minutes in the evening to organize your kitchen a little.
No need for deep cleaning. Just like making your bed in the morning, doing basic things like the dishes, taking out the trash, putting away boxes and containers, and wiping down the kitchen counters will help you start the day on the right foot.
3. Declutter your purse or wallet
Knowing the exact location of everything you need is a key habit of an organized person. If you’re constantly rummaging in your bag or wallet to produce the item you need at the right time, your current organization system is clearly failing you.
First things first, declutter. Discard any unnecessary receipts, empty bags, wrappers - no need to carry all that trash around with you. Then take out the items you usually store in the wallet or bag and organize them in such a way that the items you use the most are always easily accessible. For example, the rewards cards you use the most should go in the front card compartment in the wallet, whereas those you seldomly use can be stored in the back.
That’s it. Don’t forget to repeat this decluttering process every now and again to stay organized.
Related Article: 9 Golden Rules For Higher Productivity
4. Planners and lists are your best friends
No one has a perfect memory. That’s why people have invented journals, notepads, to-do lists, timers, and alarm clocks to begin with. Learn to make use of these tools, and you’ll find yourself more productive in an instant. See what works best for you.
A notepad is a great way to write things down if you’re constantly on the go, but it’s not great if you tend to forget to open the notepad every day. A calendar or wall planner you can hang on the fridge works best for people who need a visual reminder to plan things out.
Whatever your medium of choice, make sure to look at your planner regularly, ideally every morning or evening. Doing so midday isn’t very productive because it will prevent you from accomplishing your goals on the same day, but it’s also too early to plan for the following day.
5. Keep your home clutter-free
Are you guilty of hanging onto old items “just in case?” You know, like when you see that your slippers are getting a bit too worn, so you buy a new pair but still don’t throw away the old ones. This kind of thinking breeds clutter in your home, and with too much stuff, you’ll never be able to keep track of everything.
In fact, you’ll end up spending time choosing between the items. And don’t get us started on all the space needed to store all that stuff that’s too old to be used but still too precious to be discarded. Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule. Maybe you want to have two or three pairs of slippers, but consider streamlining your home in the areas where you can.
6. Plan what you’ll wear the next day
This tip is for those who spend a lot of time getting dressed in the morning. Teach yourself to lay out the clothing you’ll want to wear in the morning beforehand, taking the weather forecast and your plans for the day into account. And it doesn’t matter if you need to be out of the door by 7:30, or you’ll be staying at home all day - this habit is guaranteed to make your mornings less rushed and stress-free.
7. Spend five minutes to make a meal plan for tomorrow
Hunger is one of the biggest pitfalls of any healthy diet. If your goal is to eat more vegetables, but you don’t have all the ingredients to make a recipe that contains veggies, you’ll probably never eat healthier. Instead, you’ll wait until you’re hungry and make yourself a sandwich or reach for snacks.
In order to prevent this scenario from happening, plan your meals weekly or daily - whichever fits your lifestyle the best - and make sure that you have the time and all the ingredients to accomplish that plan throughout the day or week.
Related Article: Brilliant home organization tips
8. Think of the top three tasks to accomplish every day
Not a checklist person? That’s fine, not everyone enjoys writing detailed to-do lists and savors checking off each task on the list. Instead of writing everything down, make a mental note of the top 3 tasks you need to do for the day. Do this in the morning while you’re having coffee or breakfast when your brain is still unpolluted by the stress of the day. It’s such a useful little mind trick, as it is setting an intention for success, organizing your thoughts, and reminding you of the goals you must accomplish.
9. Delegate tasks
A productive and fulfilling day is never overfilled with tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines. On the contrary - filling up your schedule with too much stuff is bound to overwhelm and stress you out. Take something off your plate by spreading out the tasks to others in your household or workplace, if you can. After all, the fact that you’re the only organized person in your family doesn’t mean that you have to do everything yourself.
10. Accomplish tasks in bite-sized chunks
Any intimidating task can become more tolerable if you break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. For example, do you need to call the electric company about a miscalculation in your bill, but just cannot do it? Putting off the task will make you feel even worse and more anxious.
In place of procrastination, break up the task into smaller pieces. Take a minute one day to find the problematic bill. The following day, search for the number of the company or write a note of the things you want to say or ask. Finally, on the third day, when you have everything ready, make yourself a warm beverage, take all the info you have read, and make the dreaded call.
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