6 Simple Habits to Organize Your Life

One of the challenges of adulthood is the difficulty of keeping track of everything going on. It seems impossible to organize your life. If you combine that with the increased burden of responsibility, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like your life is in a disorderly mess. In high school, I developed certain habits to help me monitor my assignments, study efficiently, and maintain overall organization. These simple yet effective habits also helped me stay organized throughout university and post-grad, and they’ve been life-savers for me since working full time. 

How to Organize Your Life

If you want assistance in getting your life together, incorporate these six simple habits to your routine.

1. Set aside an administrative day

If you haven’t done so already, scheduling an administrative day is one of the best things you can do to organize your life. Dedicate one day of the week to running errands, completing miscellaneous tasks, and updating your planner or calendar. By setting a day aside each week to focus on your obligations, you take control of your life and alleviate a lot of pressure. This could be a whole day, a half-day, or even a few consecutive hours. If possible, try to schedule the same day and time every week to build consistency. 

2. Declutter your living space

If your mind is in disarray, chances are your living space is a reflection of that. A messy household, apartment, or room hinders productivity and organization. On the other hand, maintaining a tidy and well-organized space promotes a clear and focused mind. So grab your headphones or speaker, turn on energizing music or your favourite podcast, and start tidying up your living area. I suggest doing this on a weekly basis to prevent clutter from accumulating, but if you prefer, you can begin with a bi-weekly schedule to establish the routine.

3. Use a planner or calendar

Incorporating a daily planner and calendar into your routine is an amazing way to organize your life. I know it’s been essential for organizing mine. I love planners because they come in a variety of eye-catching templates to suit a range of organizational needs. Planners and calendars provide a comprehensive overview of your life’s events and commitments. By using a planner or calendar that’s updated daily, you can avoid the stress of remembering numerous important dates, meetings, and other commitments.

4. Create a checklist

Whenever I’m overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things I have to do, writing each task down and creating a checklist always makes me feel better. A checklist illustrates your responsibilities in a structured and straightforward manner. You may opt to create a checklist physically in a notebook or digitally on your Notes app. Over time, as you accomplish each task, you experience the satisfaction of checking off every item on your list.

5. Get out of bed before 10AM

When I was younger, my mum would always ensure my brother and I were awake and out of bed before 10AM, even on weekends. While this seemed like cruel and unusual punishment at the time, I eventually grew to appreciate this routine. It’s tempting to sleep in and lounge around on weekends, especially after a demanding week. However, based on my experience, productivity levels decline when most of the morning is spent in bed. You may find it helpful to do some stretches, drink a cup of coffee or tea, or step outside for a few minutes. If you still feel sleepy, consider using the morning for productive activities and then reward yourself with a nap.

6. Stop procrastinating

Procrastination is the biggest killer of organization and productivity there is. Many times, the easier option is to postpone the completion of a task because you don’t feel like it, or “the timing isn’t right.” But doing this just delays the inevitable and your future self ends up paying the price. If you struggle with procrastination, I highly recommend getting an accountability partner to help keep you on track. Additionally, consider setting up a reward and consequence system to motivate yourself to steer clear of procrastination.

If you struggle with staying organized, or constantly feel stressed about getting your affairs in order, you may discover that adopting any of these simple habits can greatly improve your quality of life. 

We all face challenges with organization and responsibility. What strategies work for you? Share your experiences and insights in the comments.