Here is the best organizational life hacks to be productive and stress-free!
To say that organization and planning is a skill of mine is an understatement. In fact, some might say that I am too much a planner and organizer.
Any little idea or task that I need to accomplish is automatically written down and documented. That’s anything from painting my nails to having lunch with the president. (okay, not really)
But I think you get the point: I plan EVERYTHING.
Although you don’t have to be quite as intense as me, having some organization and structure to your day greatly affects how smooth and productive your day can go.
That is why I have compiled a list of 8 genius organizational life hacks that I use to be productive and stress-free even when I have the longest agenda.
You are stressed and overwhelmed with your work load? Check out this post, 8 Effective Tips to Manage a Lot Of Things at Once.
Recommended Reads:
7 Things To Do Every Morning Before 9A.M.
How to Mentally Recharge After a Stressful Day: Feel-Good Guide
The 18 Powerful Journaling Techniques To Make Your Life Better
8 Organizational Life Hacks to be Productive and Stress-free
1. Use a planner
The #1 most useful organization life hack that I live by is to use a planner.
Plan your days, weeks, and life!
At the beginning of each week, take 5-10 minutes to plan your week. Include meetings, events, daily tasks, home chores, etc.
Include timeframes to complete each task. Make sure your completion times are realistic to avoid getting overwhelmed and burnt out. If you have to break up a longer task into two different timeframes, do so.
Use a planner that you can access easily and that you carry with you during the day.
I have spoken about this before but I love to use the Pocket Planner iPhone app. It is simple and allows me to fill in each week as I need.
However, there are so many paper and digital planners out there. Find one that works for you!
2. Set goals
Setting goals is an important organizational tip because it gives purpose to the things you have to do.
Whether they are small daily goals or goals for 5 years in the future, they can help you stay organized with the steps you need to take in your everyday life.
Setting goals gives you clear focus, motivation and result planning.
3. Track Progress
Tracking your progress allows you to see how far you have come and how close you are to reaching your goals. It can also be really good for motivation.
Having some organization around your goals and progress is important for success and productivity. It may also reduce stress.
4. Create To-Do lists
Keeping a to-do list is important to ensure that all of your tasks are written down in one place and that you do not forget anything important.
When your list keeps getting longer and longer, being able to visually see the list can help you organize the items and make you feel less overwhelmed.
If your list gets extremely long, that’s when prioritization really comes in handy. You will learn more about that below.
5. Prioritize your tasks
Pick 3 tasks each day to prioritize.
Your top priority tasks should be one of the following:
- Longest amount of time to complete
- Hardest to complete
- Soonest deadline
- Involves the most thinking, planning, and collaboration
You are going to want to complete these top priority tasks whenever your most productive and active time of the day is; For most, this will be at the start of the day.
Doing these tasks before any others will ensure you are actually completely these tasks.
6. Stick to your schedule
It is easy to get distraction, bored or unmotivated during the day which may lead to an unproductive day and cause more stress in the future.
Stick to the schedule you already mapped out; this is why is it important to allow reasonable time when scheduling tasks.
It is easy to get carried away with little, unimportant tasks and responsibilities throughout the day. However, sticking to your schedule to ensure a successful day focusing on the real important tasks at hand.
7. Declutter and Clean Regularly
A cluttered home or workspace can lead to distractions and decrease productivity.
Take a few minutes each day to tidy up and keep it organized. This will not only help you stay focused, but it will also make it easier to find what you need when you need it. Plus, a clean and organized environment can help reduce stress and improve your overall mood.
8. Plan your meals
Food is a necessity in your life and having balanced, healthy meals is important for your health.
Having organization also means planning your meals to avoid frantically running to the grocery store everyday or spending excessive amounts of money eating out all the time.
When you have your meals planned out, your day should run a lot smoother and you will be in a better mood with more energy.
Following a ‘meal template‘ can make meal planning a lot easier.
My meal template goes as follows: I start my day with a simple high protein breakfast. Then, I eat a salad such as this Strawberry balsamic Salad for lunch. And finally, end the day with a balanced dinner containing a protein, carbohydrate and veggie.
And that is it!
Staying organized doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Incorporating just one or two of these organizational life hacks can save you a bunch of time and stress.
Feel free to reach out or comment below what your favorite organizational hack is. I’d love to hear!
Good list of hacks for staying organized. Being organized is so important. I can’t tell you how many times I couldn’t find something because I wasn’t keeping up with the clutter that accumulated and the thing was lost in the mess. Thanks for sharing this post!