It's that time of year where we all hear “New year, new me”; but a whole new version of yourself seems really intimidating...right? We’re challenging ourselves and our followers to say “New year, same me- just a little more organized”. Organization doesn’t just mean decluttering, minimalism, or fancy clear bins. There are many types of organization, and so many ways you can make organization and productivity a part of your everyday life. Here are our top quick tips on small changes you can make to improve the life you are already living. These small changes can lead to BIG results- keep reading to find out more!
1. Meal plan for the week:
Planning a rough idea of what you plan to eat each day takes the stress out of dinner time AND grocery shopping. It can be as simple as:
Monday - pasta
Tuesday - tacos
Wednesday - breakfast for dinner
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - soup and sandwiches
Find a system that works for you, and see how easily dinner time and grocery shopping stress disappear.
2. Process mail daily:
Systems like processing your mail daily are a great practice to avoid paper becoming overwhelming. We suggest immediately throwing out junk mail. Don’t even bring it into your home if possible. This makes the mail you truly need to process a much smaller stack, and far more manageable. For remaining mail we suggest having an inbox for categories such as “take action” and “file”. Then you have the choice to immediately act on these categories, or devote 15 minutes at the end of each week to finish filing, responding, or taking action.
3. Review weekly calendar on Sunday:
Review your calendar on Sunday night to see what you have coming up in the week ahead.
4. Review calendar for next day at end of prior day:
Once you have an idea of what your week will look like, you can now devote a moment each evening to looking at a more detailed view of your next day. Take a quick look at your calendar to see what meetings, appointments, or errands you have, and you will wake up feeling prepared for your day!
5. Maintain appointments in your calendar:
Reviewing your calendar won’t work if there is nothing in it! We suggest entering and maintaining all of your appointments-even personal appointments- in a calendar or planner. This includes meetings, errands, important phone calls, workout plans, clubs, etc.
6. Lay out your clothing the night before:
Laying out/choosing your clothing the night before makes mornings run extra smoothly! Bonus tip: laying out workout clothes can make you extra motivated to get your workouts in as well!
7. To do lists:
Daily to do lists help you set clear goals for your day. We suggest making your to do list, but prioritizing the top five items that are most important for you to complete. If you complete your entire list- fantastic, but if you only achieve your top five priorities you can still feel accomplished, and then roll the remaining items over to the next day’s list.
8. Grocery list categories:
This is a small tip that makes grocery shopping so much more efficient- categorize your list! List produce, meat, dairy, dry goods, freezer items, etc. together. This will help you make one easy sweep through the store instead of weaving through the same aisles repeatedly as you make your way through a mixed-order list!
9. Create a laundry system:
Laundry can get out of control fast, but no more! Commit to finding a system that works for you. Here are some options that could take the stress out of that constant stream of laundry:
Pick one “laundry day” and complete and put away all laundry on this single day.
Have “adult laundry” and “kid laundry” days. Choose one day to complete and put away all adult laundry, and another day to complete and put away all kid laundry.
Compile all the laundry tasks you have, and choose a day for each task. For example: wash all laundry on Mondays, fold all laundry on Tuesdays, put away on Wednesday, iron on Thursdays.
10. Evening reset:
Set a timer each evening for 10 minutes, and use this time to reset your home for the day ahead. Do whatever it is that would make your home feel good for you for the next day ahead. We like to use this time to wipe down kitchen counters, load the dishwasher, put away shoes from the day, and roughly pick up the living room. Ten minutes tonight can mean a huge difference for the flow of tomorrow!