How often do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed? I sometimes feel like I have at least a hundred things going on. Work, family, my social life, my daily responsibilities, goals, blogging- it’s easy to start feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. Next thing I know, the mail is piling up because I was distracted when I got home and instead of putting it away, I just threw it on my kitchen counter, I have at least 10 emails to reply to, laundry to do and two blog posts to write. It’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed.
I never considered myself a very organized person. I do love to clean, de-clutter and organize, but I always felt like things went back to being messy in no time. I call it an “organized mess”- it’s also something that I’m constantly working on changing. Getting rid of everything that you no longer have use for, things just sit and collect dust, things that maybe could be of some use to someone else- these are all things that make life so much easier.
CLEAN AS YOU GO
Wash your mug right after you finish your coffee- don’t let the dishes pile up. Do your bed right after you get up in the morning. Open the mail as soon as you get home. If you do these things “as you go” you will notice that you won’t have to spend a lot of time constantly cleaning and throwing things away, looking for things.
RE-EVALUATE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Don’t waste your time for people who aren’t good for you or people whose company you don’t enjoy. Don’t be afraid to cut ties if you feel that the relationship is toxic. Your time is precious, make sure to spend it with those you care about- not those you don’t.
UNSUBSCRIBE
I have a tendency to immediately subscribe to blogs and websites, if I happen to like them at a first glance. Truth is, there are very few of those newsletter emails that I actually read. Once I unsubscribed from a whole bunch of them, my inbox is much neater and a lot more pleasant to browse through.
DE-CLUTTER
Get rid of old things like clothes, dishes, electronics, magazines, furniture, old makeup– donate what you can. If there are some pieces in your closet that you’ve been keeping for years in hopes that you get to wear them some day- get rid of those, too.
WRITE DOWN YOUR SMALL GOALS
I’m talking about small goals like getting your workout in, finishing reading that book, organizing your pantry, etc. Writing things down can help you get them done, especially when you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start; write down a list of things and start with whatever task you dread the most.
SCHEDULE YOUR “EMAIL TIME”
I try to avoid replying to emails right away (unless it’s something urgent, of course)- it can be very distracting, especially when you get as many emails as I do. I try to schedule some time twice a day when I go through my inbox and respond to emails.
FORGET MULTITASKING
It’s stressful and most of the time you’re not as productive as you would be, if you were to focus on a single task.
CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE
This can be life changing. If you find yourself rushing out the door every morning, being in a hurry, getting an early start can give you more time to do things like sitting down and writing down your to-do list, preparing lunch and getting ready for the day.
RE-EVALUATE YOUR COMMITMENTS
Out of all your responsibilities and hobbies, which ones are of most importance to you? Home life, social life, work, side-work, family, any pastime activities- if there’s something that you don’t love doing or it doesn’t give you value, give it up- if you can. Pay close attention to what you do with your time.
Don’t feel obligated to say “yes” to things you don’t feel like doing. Don’t feel the need to explain yourself- if you don’t want to do it, just say no.
CLEAN UP YOUR DIGITAL MESS
Decluttering is also important when it comes to your digital life. Delete any apps you don’t use, any documents you don’t need, close those tabs. Old school papers, old photos; if you store anything important on your laptop, transfer it to an external drive.
STAY ORGANIZED
Have a place for everything, and put everything back where it belongs. This will make your life much easier.
PLAN YOUR DAY AHEAD
Know what to expect, plan ahead and you will feel more organized and will find time to do pretty much everything. Write to do- lists and set yourself small daily goals that will help you stay on track.
We live in times, where we’re constantly connected, we constantly have something to do and it’s important to know how to slow down. Keeping things simple is no longer… simple. It’s important that you value your time and spend it doing things you need to get done and doing things you love doing. De-cluttering, getting rid of anything that doesn’t serve you will help you simplify your life and feel more at peace. It’s hard to admit it, but sometimes you just can’t do it all. And that’s okay; focus on the things that matter the most.
