Having a busy schedule, unable to manage or tick off all the tasks from the to-do list, and wishing there was more time available in a day. Phew! Sounds familiar, right?
Well, you aren’t alone if you feel that you aren’t able to be at your best productivity-wise and your personal-professional balance has gone for a toss.
But what do you do? How do you get back control? Practising simple habits and replacing the chaos with systematic and clutter-free organisational skills will help you find your peace and focus back. And guess what, it will also help you feel calmer and energised at work.
These are five tried and tested easy-to-apply habits that will transform your life for the better and make you sharper with organisational skills for increased productivity and focus at work.
P.S.: I have tested these skills and can guarantee that these work if applied with the best intentions.
1. Be ready for the next day as early as you can
Yes, even though it may sound impossible with the existing time crunch that seems to be eating you up, it is actually a realistic goal to achieve.
To achieve success in life, planning is super important, and once you learn to do it right, it generally works wonders for improving your organisational skills. Of the many things you can do, planning your day in advance is actually the simplest yet most beneficial habit to introduce to your life.
There’s a famous saying that “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”, and if you understand the true meaning, you will realise how important being prepared is. Plan your day the night before and find more time on hand to get through the next day.
Now, you might want to know how to do it. Before sleeping, take 5-10 minutes to think and then list all your tasks to do the next day. Write your top 3-5 important tasks, prioritise them, and plan your work the next day accordingly. This will not only declutter your mind but also help you clarify what topic you need to focus on more and how you can have a better start to the next day.
Why does this work?
- You are more prepared for the next day and mentally a lot calmer.
- It creates the least possible confusion and reduces decision fatigue, ultimately helping improve your decision-making and organisational skills.
2. Start the day with a clean space
Sometimes, we ignore and take for granted the magic in the simplest and tiniest changes that randomly enter our lives. Of course, you might think about what magic having a clean space at the office or your home can have, right? How is it even related to an organised life, and how would it help to improve your organisational skills?
But just close your eyes and picture this: You have woken up in the morning, all set for a fresh new day, and the first thing you notice is a messy floor or a cluttered dining table. How did it feel? Annoying right? Now picture yourself entering the office and the first thing you notice is a cluttered work station. Again, what did you feel?
I know I don’t have to remind you about the irritation that comes with mess, but you also cannot deny the fact that having a clean space can work wonders.
Just like that, a simple change in our habits can affect us in such a positive way that it can transform our entire lives. And to change our lives, it’s important to start our day with a clean space. Remove everything unnecessary from the workspace and keep only the essentials so that any form of clutter does not invade your mind and energy.
Why does this work for your organisational skills?
- You can start your day with a fresh and productive mind.
- Focusing on work would be easy for you.
- Clean space would invite positivity and clarity.
3. Create a dedicated place for everything
If you pause and pay a little attention, you will notice that you waste a lot of time searching for different things (both useful and otherwise). The funny thing is that this time can easily be saved if we fix a place for everything.
For example, having a dedicated box for all the chargers or keeping different types of documents in coloured folders inside a designated drawer will save a great deal of time, which otherwise would be lost in finding them.
At the workplace, this does two things specifically: one, it saves time by reducing the mental load of finding those things, and two, it helps focus our energy and time on the things that matter more. The thing is, we have limited attention span and energy, so we should be very careful where we spend it. Having a dedicated place for everything may seem childish at first, but if you really think about it, it’s actually like a little trick that works great for improving our organisational skills.
Why does this work in favour of organisational skills?
When everything is in the right place, it saves our energy and helps us spend quality time on the tasks that matter. The biggest benefit of an organised environment is that it also helps declutter your mind and direct all your energy towards mindful and focused work.
4. Make a habit of making a daily planning routine
There is magic in planning, and when you write it down and create a list of to-dos with all the planning done to the last details, then what you have is a masterpiece.
There is this constant rush of doing so many things, and having a routine can make it feel less overwhelming. By breaking down your work into smaller, manageable tasks, it feels less daunting, and you are more likely to tackle them. When you know what you need to do and when you are going to do it, you naturally become more productive.
What you can do is:
Make a to-do list: Write down all the tasks you need to accomplish.
Prioritising tasks: Decide which tasks are most important and need to be done first. Scheduling time blocks: Allocate specific times for certain tasks in your day.
How does this help improve organisational skills?
- Having a clear plan helps you stay focused on what needs to be done.
- It minimises distractions and helps you focus more.
- It helps you manage your time more effectively and ensures the right work gets the right amount of attention.
5. Take 10 minutes daily to reflect and reset
Feeling tired after work or having that “hard day, bad day” feeling isn’t uncommon, thanks to the endless pressure we all face. Whether it’s work or societal obligations, we are constantly forced to meet certain levels, without which we are labelled lazy or not ambitious enough. At the end of the day, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed and want a little time to relax and be alone with our thoughts.
In fact, a few minutes of self-reflection is sometimes all we need for that feeling of recharge and getting started again. It can actually be a life-changing habit for boosting your organisational skills and helping you be professionally and personally successful.
Just give yourself 10 minutes before you fall asleep and think about everything that happened. Note down all the good things, the things you learned, or anything that made you happy, and feel grateful for them. Once you are done with this, write down the challenges or negative things you had to go through and allow yourself to breathe in and out deeply. It’s okay if these bad things happen because they are actually helping you grow.
Thank God that it wasn’t worse, and give yourself a little pat for making it through the day. And now that you have let it all out tell yourself you will do it again and reset your body, mind, and soul for the next day.
How is this a good productivity hack that can improve your organisational skills?
- You are ready to take on any challenge, no matter how tricky they are.
- You will feel more positive from within.
- You would get more clarity about your tasks and how to focus better.
- You would be stress-free and, thus, find more energy to be organised.
Organisational skills are something which cannot be built in a day and takes a long time to get into our system, but adopting simple habits like this and making it a part of our daily life, can make a lot of difference.
Try these and see the difference for yourself!
