How to Stay Organized When Life Isn't
With school, extracurriculars, and life kicking up, it’s become harder and harder to stay organized. We are constantly rushing around and going from task to task with no rhyme or reason. Unfortunately, life will always feel messy. There is always some task to be done, some event to attend, or some problem to be solved. The key isn’t avoiding the chaos, it’s learning how to stay organized amidst it.
Write it Down
The first step to becoming organized is writing everything down. When you are constantly thinking of things you need to do while doing other things, you will never be able to focus enough to finish. At the beginning or end of each day, take a piece of paper and write down everything. Tasks, dates, future opportunities, etc. This “brain dump” will immediately make you more focused and more able to do your work. Once everything is written down, you can start breaking it into steps.
2. Breaking Big Goals into Small Steps
After you have your list of to-dos, it is time to break it down. (You might want to grab a calendar for this one! Check out my new custom ones: www.study-strong.com/shop) Your larger goals, such as lab reports, essays, or reading, can be broken down across days. For example, if you have an essay due in two weeks, write one paragraph a night. This reduces the overwhelm of a big project and allows you to tackle it day-by-day. Now that your tasks are manageable, it’s time to schedule them.
3. Time Blocking and Scheduling
We have our goals broken down, now we need to find time to complete them. (You really do need a calendar for this: www.study-strong.com/shop) Having a to-do list is one thing, but making time to complete your to-do list is everything. Start off by finding the time that you work best. For example, I work best extremely early in the morning. (I am actually writing this at 5:00 am…) For others, they might work best late at night, around noon, or in the evening. Find the time that you are the most efficient, and schedule your hardest tasks during that time. This helps decrease procrastination because you are completing your hardest tasks when you are the most productive, which will send you into a more productive workflow later. Next, you need to find the right tools.
4. Tools That Work
After writing your tasks down, breaking them up, and finding time to do them, you need to compile it in one place. This is where my new custom calendars can come in handy. They are structured for each month with space on each day to write down all of your tasks. (They also come in an array of cute colors and patterns!) If you are more of a day-to-day calendar person, I have that too! The “Ultimate Customizable Study Schedule” is perfect for you! With these calendars and schedules, you can become exceptionally organized in life, school, and more!
5. Give Yourself Grace
Remember, organization does not equal perfection. There will be days that life gets in the way and you won’t be able to complete everything. That is okay. When life doesn't go as planned, breathe, reschedule your tasks, and embrace flexibility. The goal is not to be perfect, it’s to feel more in control.
Life may not be organized, but you can be. I definitely encourage you to check out my new calendars and study schedules – they will make a huge difference: www.study-strong.com/shop. If you found any part of this post inspiring or worthwhile, please share it to someone who needs it! If you have any more organization tips, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
RISE. LEAD. SUCCEED.
Love,
Juliet and Study Strong