It’s that time of the year where most people are setting up new year resolutions that will help them to achieve their goals. These resolutions can vary over changes in the work routine or cultivating some new personal habits that will result in increased productivity. It’s all about the new you; a better version of yourself!
These goals can range anywhere from waking up early to getting more organized in the coming year through the use of different apps, or reading productivity articles at our website.
If you want more motivation for sticking to your goal of getting more organized, then you would be happy to know that all of our research has shown that at least one trait that all successful people share is being organized regardless of the field they belong to.
So far, we have established that personal organization is the ultimate key that helps to benefit everyone in managing their time and keeping them at the top of their game when they set out to attain their goals, regardless of what they might be.
With all of that discussion in mind, here are some very simple techniques to improve personal organization and make this year the most productive one you have had in a very long time.
1. Effective Organization of Space
If you don’t have a fetish to keeping your space whether it’s an office space or even a kitchen counter, congratulations you’re just a normal human being because that’s basically 90% of us.
But if you want to become more organized and remain focused on work rather than focusing on all of the clutter you have around you, becoming a neat freak is not a bad option.
Modern Psychology has proved time and time again that all the mess and clutter around you has a very negative effect on brain functionality. These negative effects can be depression, fatigue or increased stress on a daily basis.
New research at Princeton has also shown that visual clutter even if it’s on your computer desktop screen can be very distracting and can inhibit focus quite severely.
That’s why it is highly recommended that you should clear any clutter or mess from your environment, no matter how small the quantity. This will help you improve brain functionality and help you stay focused on the tasks at hand and staying productive throughout the day.
2. Fix a Proper Place for Everything
Most of the time, the mess and clutter we have on our desk or anywhere around us is because we don’t put everything in their proper place. Whether it’s file folders, water bottles, drawer dividers, color-coded baskets or stationary roaming around on your desks, you should put them where they belong.
We know that this activity would take time away from other work or personal stuff but if we take the necessary time out for this activity, we can have a clear desk or environment around us which will help us be more attentive to our work later on.
Find a closet or a storage space for the bigger items and put away the smaller items in different designated spots all over your desk, so that the next time you need to clear away anything, you would know where to put it.
3. Find the trouble spots and Declutter them Everyday
When we work or spend time regularly at a particular place, we know where all of the trouble spots are. What are the trouble spots? Well, these are the areas where regular clutter is bound to happen, and this clutter will form a mess later on.
Once you have located your trouble spots, you should declutter them regularly. What will that do? Well, it would keep your workspace or environment remain clean and free your mind to focus on work rather than cleaning chores.
Set aside 15 minutes or whatever time you have to spare and conduct this activity.
4. Keep the Number of things you Bring in, to the point where You can Manage them Easily
Whether it’s at home or work, we want a lot of stuff around us. It can be because buying in bulk can actually save us money, but what’s the point of doing that if we lack the storage space to put everything away.
So, for every new item, you buy for your home or workplace, you should first donate something or recycle something so that your environment doesn’t get crowded and you can have the new stuff you want.
This process of buying and donating will create a sort of equilibrium that will help you declutter the extra items and not get emotionally attached to them.
5. Organize your Technology Effectively
We all know what a procrastinator a person can become by following the current trends of technology nowadays. That doesn’t mean that technology effectively is a bad thing but if you are not using technology cleverly, it will consume you and never let go.
So, if you want to be more organized and not waste your time all day, organize all of the technology around you.
Impose restrictions on yourself so that you stay focused on worked rather than watching Instagram Pictures and whatnot. Manage the technology around you to support you not the other way around.
6. Gain Control over your Email
Nowadays, we all have our inboxes cluttered with numerous promotional and irrelevant emails that actually cause mental stress just by looking at the subjects. We know it sounds tiresome, but you have to get rid of that clutter from your inbox.
Spend a good hour of your day and unsubscribe from all of the newsletters and any other content that you don’t read, so that they don’t form clutter in your inbox, and you remain stress-free.
If you find the process of sorting your email too cumbersome, use an app like Flow-e so that you can have all of your projects tracked, sorted and prioritized automatically and not doing it yourself.
7. Zen Your Desktop
In the digital age, we have many things to distract us from our work and make our lives more stressful. One of the most important things that fall into this category is our Computer Desktop. Yes, you read that correctly, your Desktop.
How? Well, this screen is something that you watch every day for at least 6 hours and if it is cluttered with different file shortcuts or has a depressing wallpaper, you are bound to get stressed out little by little every day.
You should spice it up by clearing away all of the shortcuts or removing icons altogether and set a new wallpaper that will bring you happiness.
How does that work? Well, if you see a black picture with nothing in it, you are bound to get gloomy and sad. But if you set a wallpaper that has a baby or a puppy in it, or a picture of a sunset or a mountainside, you are bound to be happy and in a good mood all day.
8. Drown the Notification Noises
Depending on the device you are using, silencing notifications can be a pain in the behind, but it is a necessary activity nowadays where we are bombarded with hundreds of notifications all day. We know that some of those notifications are important and they are not supposed to be ignored but we have a solution.
Set up the Do Not Disturb mode on your phone. Every device has one. In that mode, you can select the contacts from which you don’t want to get disturbed in your work hours. And you can also select your favorite contacts that are whitelisted from the blocklist and they can contact you even when you have DND mode on.
9. Gather and Organize your Thoughts
If you are a professional or just a normal human being, you must have a billion thoughts in your head every day that you want to remember for a long time. And if you don’t cherish them, there is a chance that you will lose them forever.
That’s why you need to organize your thoughts either by using a productivity app or file them accordingly in your mind by using any effective mind technique you find on the internet. This activity will actually help you increase brain capacity and protect you from any mental health diseases heading your way.
10. Never Procrastinate
One of the worst habits to develop either in your work life or personal life is procrastination. It is a serious infection that can harm a person’s life and they won’t be able to do anything to fix the damage later.
Develop your mind and body to react instantly. Perform tasks quickly and develop a reward system for yourself that will motivate you into doing stuff quickly. This will help you be more productive and manage time more effectively.
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Conclusion
A Personal organization System is an amazing way to be more productive in a person’s personal life and even in the workplace. It is a surefire technique that will provide a way to get rid of all of the mess and clutter in your daily life and help you focus on more important tasks.
So, use any productivity app that you like or follow the instructions in this article to design a Personal Organization System and GET ORGANIZED.
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