7 Top Tips to Get Organised for 2015
We may be over a week into the New Year by now, but do you feel as though 2015 snuck up on you as quick as ever and that you're still stuck in that festive season state of mind? It's hard to get motivated and return to your daily routine after having time off over the Christmas and New Year period, so I've rounded up some simple tips that you can put into progress today to feel more organised than ever.
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Buy a weekly desk pad planner: I've always been someone who writes a to-do list each morning before starting work and while this works well most of the time to keep me on track, I realized that it wasn't the most effective method I could be using. You see, my problem was that I wasn't prioritizing tasks, nor was I thinking further ahead than the day I had in front of me. This is where a weekly desk pad planner comes in handy, such as the pink one featured above which I bought from Kikki K a few days ago. By seeing my whole week planned out in front of me, I find that I am able to prioritize the most important tasks for today, while allocating the less urgent ones for the next day (and actually sticking to that because I write the task under a specific day, rather than just saying "I'll do it tomorrow" for a week straight!). On the planner I've started using, there's even a box titled 'Next week' so I can keep on top of anything that needs preparing for or that I need to be reminded about over the coming days.
Use a 'year-at-a-glance' wall calendar: When I was still a student, I found that having a large poster that featured the entire year at eye-level was super effective! This is the easiest way to keep on top of looming deadlines, assessment due-dates and exam periods. Although I won't be using one of these calendars this year because I am no longer needing to keep on top of urgent assessments etc., it is definitely a method I would recommend to anyone who wants to feel extra prepared and on top of things this year.
Equip yourself with the necessary tools: There's nothing worse than sitting down to write or plan something, only to find that you don't have a pen that works or are scrambling to locate a clean sheet of paper. When you have what you need right in front of you, it makes it so much easier to do your work and it also stops you from procrastinating! How many times have you gone off to look for a pen / paper / highlighter only to get distracted and put off the task until later? (I know I have, haha!)
Make it pretty: Functionality and practicality is very important, but so is aesthetics. Perhaps this applies to girls more, but I know when my friends or I are looking for a new diary, planner, notebook etc. we want it to be aesthetically pleasing so that it's not such a chore to use it! When I place a pretty notebook in front of myself that I love, the ideas can't help but flow and I look forward to filling each and every page with my work, thoughts or creative plans. I could have bought a simple yet practical diary this year for only a few dollars, however each year I look forward to splurging on a Frankie Diary and receiving it in the post because of how beautiful its pages are. As a result, I enjoy looking at it all the time, and beneficially, I find that I am able to keep up-to-date with whatever I've written in there :) Look for planners, pens, notebooks (or just about anything organisation related) that you genuinely love the look of and I can guarantee it will make using them that much more fun.
There's an app for that (or several): In a society that's now glued to their smart phones, at least you can be assured that there's plenty of apps available to download to help you with your to-do list, reminders or planning your schedule. There's heaps for free too! I find that a combination of written reminders placed on your desk (such as on post-it notes or on a notepad etc.) teamed with scheduling reminders to appear on your phone is quite effective because we sometimes have a tendency to miss / ignore one or the other.
Treat your computer like a filing cabinet: If your computer's 'My Documents' folder looks anything like mine (hundreds of files due to downloading images from numerous submissions each week or working on multiple blog posts at a time), then you'll want to make sure that you have a correct 'filing' system in order - Keep related files in the same folder and be sure to name your folders appropriately. For example, "Garden Photoshoot" might make sense to me at the time, however I can guarantee within a few days I will have seen or downloaded heaps of pretty garden shoots! "[Title of Photoshoot] by [insert photographer's full name here] on [insert date here]" would help me out way more! Don't forget to also regularly delete all of the stuff you no longer need from your computer so that you're not overwhelmed with files everywhere.
Keep your space clean: It's probably a no-brainer but it needs to be said in a post all about keeping organized...if your desk or office has mess everywhere, then you're not going to want to work there. Or worst, you'll feel snowed under by work and misplace things - Not fun at all!
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Photo credits: Image 2: SS Print Shop // Image 3: Miss Poppy Design // Image 4: Style Me Pretty
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What are your best organisation tips? Will you be putting any of the above suggestions into practice? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
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- Melanie D