Life in the 21st century is very demanding. We all have bills to pay, jobs to do, children to look after, pets to feed and all the other tasks that we are required to complete on a daily basis. From the minute we wake up, we are required to do certain things in order to live a comfortable and structured life. But, what if we are the type of people who just cannot seem to get everything done, in the time we have available?
There is no reason for you to feel like you are the only person who has this problem. Many of us tend to worry about everything at once and not focus on the task at hand. The best way to decrease your stress levels is to be organized. Becoming more organized will bring balance into your life. You will be surprised to see how much free time you end up with, time you can spend with your family or time that you can allocate to yourself.
The first thing that you will want to do is to make sure that your mornings run smoothly. Take a few minutes every evening to get your clothes ironed and hung on a coat hanger, ready for you to put on the next day. Let your children choose what they would like to wear the following day. There is nothing worse than waking up late and still having to rush around, trying to find something to wear, when your children are also demanding things from you.
If you have children, wait until they are asleep to pack in their lunches. Choose a day of the week, say a Sunday, when nobody is home and use this time to cook meals for the week ahead. Freeze these meals in portion sized containers. Taking one day to do this simple task will save you many hours during the week.
Storage bins can be used for everything. These bins are available in many different colors, sizes, shapes and designs, and can be purchased at one of your local stores. They are inexpensive, sturdy and make great space savers. Make sure that you label the bins correctly – this will make it very easy to find what you are looking for, when you are looking for it.
If there is one thing no person should be without, it is a diary. A diary is one of the most useful tools available to ensure that your day, week or month runs smoothly. Use your diary to help you organize your life better. Whether it is a doctor’s appointment, a business meeting or your child’s soccer schedule, make sure you diarize it. Write everything down and remember to keep your diary close by.
Pay your bills on time and on the same day if possible. Use internet banking to speed up the process. Online banking is simple to set up, simple to use and save you valuable time. Paying your bills online will save you gas money, the time it takes to drive to the various places you would need to go to and it will take away the stress that being in traffic causes.
Make lists before doing grocery shopping. If you arrive at the grocery store with a list of all the items you need, you are less likely to over spend, more likely to get the job done quicker and you will not end up frustrated because you forgot to buy something that you needed. Plan the meals that you intend making for the week and write down all the ingredients that you will need to buy, and only get the items on the list.
Christmas is one of the holidays that everyone looks forward to, but nobody looks forward to doing Christmas shopping. Most people end up leaving all the shopping until the last-minute. It would be great if you could avoid the hustle and bustle of malls over the festive season, and you can by doing a little bit of shopping each month. Start buying Christmas presents in January already. If you do this, you will save yourself a lot of money and frustration.
Keep important documents filed in alphabetical order. This will help you to find an important paper at a moment’s notice. Encourage your children employees to do the same, this will make their lives easier and more organized, and save you the stress of having to worry about them. Have a designated area for these documents and make sure to update your filing system regularly.
Nobody can do everything that is why there are so many different professions. If you do not know how to certain things, hire someone to do it for you. Sometimes you need to accept that you are human and need a little help. The internet is the perfect tool to use when you are searching for something or someone.
Get enough sleep. There are numerous studies that have proved that lack of sleep can have a very negative effect on your ability to concentrate. If you do not get enough rest at night, how do you expect to be able to be productive the following day? You will not be able to – you will more than likely find that you have less patience as well.
It is rather simple if you think about it. Spend a few hours a week doing these things and save yourself plenty of time at the end of the day. If you just focus on one thing at a time, and not worry about everything that is happening for the rest of the year, then you will become organized. Ask your friends if they have any time-saving tips and share yours with them.
And last, but not least – hang up your keys. I you have lost your keys somewhere in your house, then it will not be possible to do anything because you will be spending half the day looking for them. Attach a key holder to the back of your door, and put your keys there every day.