How To Become More Organised

Organisation is a key skill to have but it’s something us men often shy away from.

Shifting responsibility to our partners or trying to blame science for our lack of organisation doesn’t cut it anymore, and a lack of organisation can have a huge impact on your life and work.

Successful people are organised, and there’s no doubt that being organised creates less stress in the long run.

But I was never really an organised person…

I just took things as they came, and relied on others to keep me organised.

I missed important meetings, deadlines, I misplaced my car keys more than once and I often lost important documents and files that I needed.

You can probably relate?

Once I shifted my attention to becoming more organised my life/work balance started to improve.

I got more done, and I achieved more in the process.

Of course it took time to re-adjust, but now it seems silly to me that I didn’t get organised quicker…

Here’s a few things I now do to keep me organised.

1. Plan Ahead

One of the best things you can do is plan ahead. Get things in place ready for the next day, week or month and this will prompt you to stay on track.

One thing I do every day is write my tasks/goals for the following day. I tend to do this in the evening, so when I awaken I’m ready with a to do list to get going with.

I also write what I want to do/achieve by the end of the week. I typically do this on a Monday. This helps me plan the tasks for my daily to do lists.

I also prepare a lot of my meals ahead of time as well, so it saves me time in the week (I don’t have to cook) and it also keeps me on track to eat healthy. I’ll normally cook 8 meals on a Sunday which are 4 days worth. I keep things pretty much the same, separate into tupperware and then store in the Fridge.

2. Bulk Process Tasks

Is there a task you do daily which you can manage in bulk?

A good example of this is emails. I used to constantly check and reply to my emails, probably once every 30 minutes to an hour. I wasted a lot of time in my inbox.

Now I’ve outsourced the delegation of the emails that come in (point number 3) to someone, who also replies to advertising emails, general enquiries etc. I have my own folder, which are emails which only I need to reply too. I go in, once a day (normally late morning) and reply to as many emails as I possibly can.

Sure I might jump in later on in the day and do the same, but I try to stay out of my inbox and process my emails in bulk.

As mentioned I also cook my meals in bulk too. I’ll cook 3-5 meals in one go, and then separate out once cooked. Cooking in bulk saves me hours of cooking and preparation time in the week.

Social media is another thing I try to do in bulk. Instead of updating social media every day I’ll often schedule up as many updates as I can on a Monday which last the whole week. Sure it takes some time, but then for the rest of the week I don’t have to be as active on social media.

What tasks can you do in bulk to save you time in the long run?

3. Outsource When You Can

Outsourcing is one of the best things you can do, and it’s something a lot of us shy away from.

What don’t you like doing? Or what aren’t you good at?

These typically are the tasks you want to outsource.

I found myself helping my partner clean on a weekend, so I decided to hire a cleaner.

I found myself struggling to write weekly articles for my magazine, so I decided to hire a writer.

I didn’t enjoy coding things on my website, so I hired a developer.

Spend some time analysing your daily and weekly tasks and the things you don’t enjoy/you’re not good at. Then look to outsource them.

The time I free up by outsourcing these tasks allows me to concentrate on what I’m good at and what I enjoy yielding results in the process.

If you really can’t get on the organisation bandwagon maybe it’s time to hire an assistant to keep you organised.

I talk more about it in this video here…

4. Analyse (Journal)

Journalling is one of the best things you can do, and self analysing often is key to becoming organised.

It’s as simple as writing down the following…

– What 3 things would make today great? (Write this in the morning)

– 3 things you’re grateful for… (Again write this in the morning – this shifts your mindset)

– 3 things you did well today… (Write this in the evening)

– If you could have done 1 thing better, what would it be? (Again write this in the evening)

Answering the above questions daily will help you keep on track and stay organised.

The 3 things that would make today great acts as a to do list. Go ahead and make them happen in your day.

The 3 things you’re grateful for really shift your mindset, and set you up positively for the day. (More on the power of gratitude here)

Writing down 3 things you did well in the evening allow you to analyse your day and reward yourself for your successes and then writing down one thing you could do better prompts you to focus on it tomorrow.

It’s a simple but powerful strategy I (and many others) do daily.

5. Declutter Often

Tidy desk = tidy thoughts.

Cluttered desk = cluttered thoughts.

Simple right?

Make sure your workspace is clear of clutter and you’ll find yourself in a more positive, organised mindset.

Your desktop, files, documents, emails… make as many things as clutter free as possible.

Tim Ferris said making his bed first thing in the morning is one of the best things he does. Why? Because it makes him more organised throughout the day.

Before you start working, make sure your workspace is tidy.

6. Create A Checklist

Do you write daily to-do lists? You should.

Simple prompts to what tasks you should be doing and what meetings you have will help you have a more organised, productive day.

Keep your checklist minimal and don’t overdo it.

Nothing is worse than a long checklist which takes way more than a day to complete and has you feeling stressed when you only complete 50% of it.

Keep it short, prioritise the tasks and stick to it.

You can also plan your day by the hour (or minute if you wish). This is something I’ve been experimenting with recently and had great results.

I’ll plan my day the night before, and schedule in time for tasks.

For example, from 6am – 7am I’ll workout and read. From 7am – 8am I’ll meditate and get showered. 8am – 9am I’ll work on an important task. From 9am – 11am I’ll work on another important task…

The list goes on.

Schedule in your down time, your eating schedule, your meetings and more.

Creating a checklist/to do list will help you keep organised throughout the day.