Life can be pretty hectic for most of us - how are we supposed to juggle work, family, studies, have a social life and run a blog? All that on top of remembering to eat healthily, exercise and get enough sleep? Doesn't sound possible, does it?
I've always been a pretty organised person. I can become easily overwhelmed so I like having order and feeling as though everything's under control. Whether I'm planning a holiday, rearranging my kitchen cupboards or catching up on general life admin, I enjoy the process of creating order and seeing everything come together; it gives me a feeling of accomplishment and helps me feel calmer.
Here are some ways I handle everything life throws at me:
Plan ahead
I think the easiest way to stay organised is to plan things in advance. I like to have a rough idea of what I'll be doing from week to week so on a Sunday I'll have a think about what I want to get done, what I want to achieve and how this will fit around what's already in my schedule for the next seven days.
Write everything down
I always have a million and one things going around in my head so if I didn't write things down, I'd definitely forget them. I have a diary where I write all my appointments, plans and deadlines - I prefer writing in a physical diary rather than using a digital one, but that's just my preference. You might prefer to use the calendar on your phone.
I'm also a big fan of to-do lists and make a new one every day with the tasks I want to accomplish. A list helps me organise my thoughts and I love crossing things off once I've achieved them.
Prioritise
When I have a lot of things to get done, I make sure the most important tasks are at at the top of my list. Anything less essential or less time-critical can wait. Leaving important things until the last minute is a recipe for disaster and is sure to make me stressed.
I also make sure to set aside time for things that are important to me, such as date night with my husband, coffee with a friend or a day out with my family. It can be easy to take these relationships for granted but at the end of your life you're not going to think "I wish I'd worked more", you're probably going to wish you'd spent more time with the people you love.
Make use of any spare time
If I've got something I need to get done, say a blog post to finish, I'll grab any spare moment I can find and work on it. Even if it's just 20 minutes in the morning to edit a post before I have to get ready for work or an hour at night before bed writing content instead of watching TV. Instead of saying I don't have time to do things, I either find the time or make the time. I often find I get more accomplished when I'm short on time as I'm more focused on the task at hand and determined to get it finished - if I have a whole day to get something done I'll often procrastinate.
Plan your meals
Having a meal plan for the week can help you cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen. I don't go as far as making entire meals for the week, but I do like to have an idea of what we'll be eating so I can buy the ingredients and prep some food to keep in the fridge, which we can grab when we're short on time.
Not sure how to meal prep? I wrote a post called Meal Planning Tips for Busy People to help you.
Have a cleaning routine
Having a clean house and tidy workspace helps me to be more productive. I can't concentrate if my immediate surroundings are a mess, so to tackle this I like to keep everything clean and tidy in the first place and not let things pile up.
I didn't have a cleaning routine for the longest time and would just wait until things were dirty to clean them (which seemed logical) but over the years I've developed a routine which ensures my house doesn't actually get dirty and means I never have to scrub anything or spend an entire weekend cleaning when I could be doing more fun things.
Check out my post Six Ways to Have an Eternally Clean House (Without Paying a Professional) for more help on this.
Don't waste (too much) time on social media
I'm terrible for this - I'll often catch myself on one of the social networks when I'm supposed to be doing something more productive. I tell myself I'm 'working' by showing up on Twitter and Instagram since they're linked to my blog, but most of the time I'm just scrolling mindlessly and liking photos of dogs rather than posting my own content or doing anything blog-related on there. Sometimes I just have to be strict and tell myself I can have some Twitter time as soon as I've finished my current task.
It's really important to me to have some time to myself every day so I don't get burnt out. A good way for me to wind down is either to read a book or watch a show on Netflix - preferably one that I already know I enjoy or something I can really get into and forget about reality for a while.
Don't feel like you constantly have to be doing something. Scheduling time for self care and things you enjoy is just as important as work - you don't have to be hustling all the time.
How organised are you? Do you meticulously plan everything out or just go with the flow? Leave a comment and let me know!
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