Are you organised for your year ahead?

We’re almost half way through January and many of you will have completed your first couple of ‘proper’ working weeks and will be getting back into the swing of things by now.

It can be a hard slog if you’ve had time off with family over Christmas & New Year, but by now I would hope that the 2014 diary is in full use, filling up nicely with all manner of events including a holiday or two to look forward to… or is that just me?!  After all, having something to look forward to – a goal where you can say “by that date I’ll have done x” – is what should keep us focussed each day.  And whether that’s a personal goal such as to lose weight, stop smoking, clear the spare room, or a business focussed goal such as to gain more Clients, set up a proper filing system, or to create a more efficient process, then by setting a target date or a state of being, you’ll be more motivated to achieve that goal.

With every Client I work with, I always ask them to think about what they’ll do once they are more organised.   It spurs them on no end!

However, you might be sitting there thinking that there’s just too much to do and not enough time.  That feeling of overwhelm can have you ignoring and putting off those important things which isn’t good!  Living or working in a clear space will help you to focus on what needs doing – ‘tidy desk, tidy mind’ and all number of sayings like that.  But it’s true.  Just as a cluttered desk space can stop you from producing, so can a cluttered head.

So, to get things going for you try this;

• Get all of those niggling ‘to do’ tasks out of your head and onto paper.
• Group them; household tasks, family paperwork, clients, marketing, finances, and so on.
• Decide if you really need to deal with each item.  Can you get someone else to to do it for you, or can you forget about it altogether?
• Take stock of what remains.  Prioritise which tasks are most important to you or your business – whether that’s in terms of bringing you more time, revenue or personal satisfaction.
• Break tasks down into small chunks; reports could be split by research/ideas/content/structure, or decluttering a child’s room could be split by cupboard/desk/boxes and so on.
• Schedule time into your week to start, work on, and finish your tasks.
• Use your time wisely. Set a timer, work in short bursts – for however long suits you.
• Think about outsourcing the things that end up costing you more in terms of your time & effort or time for yourself to someone more suited – whether that’s the ironing, your business admin, household handyman jobs.  It’s likely to be money well spent and will give you back the time to live your life!

So it’s over to you.  Go from overwhelmed to calm.  Choose just 2 things that you WILL do today and get cracking!

Good luck & I wish you well for the rest of January and beyond!

If you are struggling to manage your cluttered home or office space, then why not come along to the workshop I’m running this Saturday 18^th January ’14 – Why Mess Causes Stress, or contact me for a consultation.

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