Did you cook the family dinner tonight? Did you guys sit at the dining table, or was there some other project covering the dining table? Do you do what you say you’re going to do? When was the last time you achieved a big goal that you set for yourself? Does it often take you half an hour or more to find, your car keys, sunglasses. bills that need paying or even remembering to watch a television program that you saw advertised? If this sounds like you, read on. There are a few things, you need to learn here and now. It won’t mean doing any more than you already do. In the long run, it will probably be less.
How to be organized and making it a habit
There is a way to learn how to be organized. It takes little extra work on your behalf. Firstly working out the area that you want to become organized in.
For example, you might decide you want to be organized at carrying out an exercise routine every afternoon, so that you get fit. That’s the first thing. You’ve made a decision, on the area of your life that you are going to become organized in.
- You must stick to it, until you’ve achieved it.
- Your only to focus on organizing one area of your life at a time.
- You must make the plans to do it, as set out below.
- You must write the plans down, what you need to do, and if you need anything to help you achieve your new organized behaviour, eg: gym shoes, running shorts and shirt.
- You must check your plan each night as part of your evening routine, last thing before you go to bed for example, and have your stuff all ready to go for the next day, the night before.
What is being organized?
Being organized simply means that you make plans in advance of your actions. Life always happens twice. You think about doing the particular activity, then you carry out the activity. The harder the activity is for you to accomplish the more plans you need to make.
You must change your old habits and start developing some new routines and habits. How to be organized on the inside includes working out what your main objectives are. You need to make sure you have a clear understanding in your mind about the person you want to be. That is in regards to how you want to be organized on the inside.
The first step in how to be organized
Asking yourself a few important questions. The answers will serve as your motivation in how to be organized. Grab some paper and a pen and write out a one sentence line at the top of the page explaining the sort of organized person you want to be. eg: I want to be punctual or I want to take more pride in my appearance for work each day or I want to speak in a more articulate way.
Step 2: under your sentence (it’s most important to work on only one new organized behavioral trait at a time) brainstorm all the ways you can go about accomplishing your new trait.
Eg: you might want to be organized in the way you think about punctuality. You brainstorm idea s like add 15 extra minutes to your normal, how long it takes to get ready to go somewhere routine, add 15 minutes to how long you think it takes to get somewhere, try getting up 15 min earlier each day and going to sleep 15 min earlier each night. Use the alarm on your smart phone to remind you of your times.
Step 3. Commit to yourself to give it your 100% effort in changing, however only commit to trying your new way of how to be organized for a trial period of 30 days. That way your not going to feel it’s such a big ordeal. If your not happy at the end of that time you can go back to your old ways.
Step 4. Because our internal organizing ourselves traits, mostly work on auto pilot it’s important to be in the moment when anything comes up to do with your new trait.
In the case of the example, punctuality, whenever you are getting ready to work out with yourself what time you have to do something eg: wake up in the morning or go to a 10am appointment tomorrow (and here s the hack part that you must deeply on all levels understand) you say to yourself “there it is”. I’m working out what time I must leave home etc for my 10 o’clock appointment tomorrow, and I have to add 15 minutes to my regular time, that I would normally allow for.
Step 5: use a diary for the next 30 days and be sure to make a note of whether you were successful in your new how to be organized trait. If you were, great it’s working, if not think about why and adjust your new way accordingly.
Step 6: the idea here is to get your new way of how to be organized on the inside, successful for 30 days straight and actually have the trait become a new great habit.
Creating new habits to become organized
When it comes to creating a habit, it’s said the norm is around 60 days, but that’s all dependant upon how difficult the new behaviour actually is.
In the case of starting a new exercise routine, it may take longer, to get it all happening on autopilot. It depends on how well you stick to carrying out the activity.
Do the activity daily to make the habit stick quickly
It’s much easier to develop a habit, out of an activity that you do on a daily basis. Exercising, for example, three times a week, is more difficult to make into a habit, because it’s stop and start. You’d be better off to do the new action, everyday, even if it’s only for ten minutes. The repetitiveness of doing the action, each and every day at the same time, will help you, form the habit and have the task become automatic. And that’s what you really want when it comes to doing things that we may not be over shook on doing.
Make it automatic, have it become a habit, and before you know it, you’ll have finished your exercise, before you even thought about having to start it.
Why do I make grand plans only to give up?
If you can’t make a set time each day, to do your new productive action, for being organized, hitch it to a definite.
What this means is, we’ll use the example of exercise again, say you decide you’ll do your exercise, each afternoon, sometime after you’ve gotten home from work. You get home, go inside, make yourself a snack and a cold drink, and go and flop in front of the television. You begin to wind down from your busy day at work, and before you know it, you’re making every excuse under the sun, as to why you don’t really need to bother about doing your exercise today.
“Just too tired, feeling relaxed now, love this show on TV, well I was only going to do four days a week, and I’ve already done three so I’ll leave it till tomorrow.” Later that night, you have a fitting for a friends wedding. Dam you think to yourself, I’m so hopeless, when it comes to will power and doing what I say I’m going to do. Why do I always make grand plans, only to get lazy and give up before I ever get any benefit from the activity. I’m a failure, you wrongly think to yourself.
You’re not a failure you’re just doing it wrong
In the case of above, there are four things, that have just sabotaged your plans, of getting fit, and starting an exercise routine habit.
This will work in the same way for creating any new habit, whether it’s getting organized, starting a new house cleaning routine, getting your home organized, sticking to an exercise plan or even starting on a new eating regime.
1. Your plan was wishy washy. Sometime after work, is not a firm decision, of what you’ll do.
Make a plan and stick to it.
2. Make an appointment with yourself, don’t break it or put it off, if something else comes up.
Set a time, written down in your planner as an appointment with yourself. Even if you decide you don’t feel like doing it today, persevere By following through, even if it’s a lighter , easier, shorter, version. Following through, your setting up the pattern of the routine, and making it easier and faster, to form a good habit. (Remember, people are either guided by decisions or emotions. Decide how you want to live your life, and make it happen, no matter what. If you keep pandering to your emotions, you’ll never achieve anything. When it comes to stepping outside of your comfort zone, and making yourself do things you don’t want to do, but decided while planning, is best for you to do, then do it. Don’t be a victim, suck it up and stay true to your word. By doing this, you’ll strengthen your willpower, confidence, self esteem, and become the person you were always meant to be.)
3. Don’t get distracted by other things, example television, it will just zap your motivation.
In order to carry out your plan, in the easiest way, as far as using your willpower is concerned. It’s important to look at the things, and the excuses that you would normally make, and come up with solutions to all the scenarios. In the case of exercising after work for example, or doing the vacuum and changing the beds on housekeeping day, don’t give yourself the chance to be distracted and break your plans. Hitch the plan to one that already works for example, exercising after work. Have your work out gear, right at the front door, ready to go the minute you get home. Every day, you drive in the drive, collect the mail, and head for the door. This is a plan that always works. Hitch your exercising or housework routine onto that routine and you set yourself up for success. Do nothing other than get changed and turn around and walk straight back out the door again. Or walk in the door, go straight to your vacuum and start immediately. The only thing to remember in using this approach, is to have your gear organized before you leave for work. Do it the night before, as part of your evening routine. This approach really is much easier than planning to do, …………… at a particular time.
4. You must start to live by putting first things first (read more on first things first here), in order to be organized.
Looking after and loving yourself, must be a first thing. The habits you need to put in place, to get you organized, are as important as every other number one thing in your life. Especially if you’re just starting to form your new habit. That is the time that you must be most vigilant. Remember, by just going through the motions, for five minutes, at the regular time that you’ve made, your racking up another straight day of performing the new habit. In the long run, this will help your form your new habit, 100% easier, than if you have a day off, break the pattern, and then start again the following day or following week. (This isn’t to say, if for some reason, another number one reason, you have to miss a day, while working on building your new habit, don’t worry. Don’t spend time stressing over it. Be mindful that you missed your ……………… session, and the next day, jump straight back into it.
With these tips, you will learn to become an organized person, in no time. You now know how to go about setting up your routines and habits, the rest now is up to you.
How to be organized at anything
diary is the tool for being organized
Remember life always happens twice. Make sure to plan yours properly the first time.
x
Blog Challenge Day 86
For our blog challenge today, blogging while angels sleep, 90 posts in about 90 days, your to make a decision on an area of your life that you need to become more organized at. It may be running your blog. Planning your articles and your marketing and promotion in advance rather than working by last minute thoughts and decisions. It may be getting organized with your fitness. Whichever it is. Use the advice in this post, and make a start. Who knows what your really capable of achieving until your organized enough, to be able to focus on working that out.
For more about our blog challenge, check out this post here.
Do you already know where you need to be more organized in your life? We’d love to know in the comments below.
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As always, thanks for reading.
by Sharon.