Becoming an organized person can be life-changing! By including these 10 simple life tips into your everyday life, you will continue on your organization journey.

Write Everything Down

By writing things down, you will never forget anyone’s birthday or any important events ever again! When you try to remember a bunch of different things without writing them down, it will just make your life even more difficult than necessary. So now that I have your attention, get a pen and paper and write everything down: birthdays, grocery lists, checklists, and key dates. Do not rely on your memory, it will just become gibberish.

Plan And Prioritize

It is crucial to determine what is important to you and get it down on paper. By prioritizing what parts of your life you want to pay the most attention to, you will have a better chance of achieving success. Having direct goals set will make your life a lot easier because you will be able to stay in control of your future. If you do not plan ahead of time, you will not be productive in both your work life and your personal life.

Utilize The Power Of Color-Coding

If you are a go-getter, highlighters and colored post-it notes will become your best friend. But make sure you do not go color-code crazy so you are unable to differentiate what goes with what class. At the start of the semester, give one class a particular color. This helps with better memory and will give you a quick refresher of what material you need to focus on. This especially helps when you look back at your planner because you will know what classes are going to need more of your attention based on what color is used the most for that week.

Keep A Calendar

Although most people use daily agendas, monthly or weekly calendars are the most effective way to keep track of your assignments because you will be able to physically see future dates. This will give you a better idea of all of your assignments and plan the best time to get everything done efficiently. Also, for all of my tech people, you can use a digital calendar on your phone, iPad, or laptop so you can have all of your assignments and important dates in one place.

Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Start your day by establishing three key checkpoints for that particular day. That way you do not take on too many tasks that you are unable to complete. When you figure out your three required must-dos for the day, write those three things and ONLY those three things in your agenda so that they are not buried in a long list of other assignments or tasks. By doing this, you will be able to categorize what three tasks need to get done that day, and when you complete those tasks you will get that feeling of accomplishment (which I think we can all agree is a pretty great feeling to have, right?).

Create A Resume Portfolio

It is crucial to save every single scholarship letter, make a list of all of the clubs you have been a part of (as well as the leadership positions you have had, if any), awards and scholarships you have received, how much money you have been given, and copies of every recommendation letter that has been written for you (do not forget to ask for permission from the person who wrote it!). You can use all of these things in the future to showcase examples of your work along with the usual information about your work experience.

Stay Ahead Of The Game

Procrastination only leads to an excessive amount of stress, and that is never good for someone who wants to become an organized person. It is helpful to give yourself a 2-week time frame to learn the test material or begin a project instead of waiting until the last minute. By doing this, it will allow your brain to break down the information and feel less overwhelmed about other things that may be distracting you at that particular moment.

Avoid Doing Work In Your Bed

Your bed is meant to be a safe place free from distractions and clutter. If you can get work done in your bed, more power to you, but for the majority of us that can not, this tip is reserved for you and only you. If you have a desk in your room and do not feel like going out, a desk is a perfect place to do your work. But if you can get out of your room and be in a place where you can truly immerse yourself in your work, 100% free from anything that could distract you, the library is a great place to do just that. Being surrounded by other people that are also doing work and being productive is a great motivator and will help you be organized and stay on task.

Do Not Multitask

Multitasking may seem like an efficient way to get things done (more completed work in a smaller amount of time, sounds good to me!). However, going back and forth from one task to another has a bad effect on your productivity. Multitasking makes it a lot more difficult to ignore distractions and stay organized when doing your work. So basically multitasking is a huge no-no and instead, you should put all of your energy into one assignment at a time and when you are finished with one assignment, move on to the next one.

Clean Up Once A Week

Cleaning up is a vital part of the journey to an organized life. You must have a clean space for you to have a clear mentality. Tidying and cleaning up is the best way to feel organized and in control of your life. Diligently cleaning up your workspace for 15-30 minutes every week will allow you to just begin your week in a relaxed way. Once you get into the habit of cleaning up once a week, it will feel less like a chore and more like a pleasant activity.

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