Getting Organized To Be Organized In 2013

That's The Plan

For the last few years I have stayed away from making New Year's Resolutions.  Usually I just want to be supportive of the goals of others. I am still happy to do that, but I have always wanted to accomplish the goal of being more organized.  I think I manage my time well, but when there is a time crunch involved I tend to focus on only one thing which leaves everything else in disarray. That results in a lot of catch up later or leave it for a rainy day instances.  It gets to be quite a workload when you have to do everything at once. 

So for 2013 I really want to get back to basics and find ways to make things run more smoothly.  I know being more organized will make everyday tasks much easier, so while I will not strive for perfection, I plan on giving it a valiant effort.

According to Wikipedia's definition of organizing

Anything is commonly considered organized when it looks like everything has a correct order or placement. But it's only ultimately organized if any element has no difference on time taken to find it.

The second part of that definition is what rang true to me.  I tend to often forget where I've put things, what page I'm on in a book I'm reading,  and what I need to grab at the grocery store.  This is where the unravelling begins for me.  This is how my time management becomes a big rush to the finish.  I need to find ways to keep my plans on track instead of throwing it out the window and starting back at square one.

This year I plan to make a plan.  It's one thing to say you'll do something but another to take action and make it happen. I know I need to get some things in order so that I can take the steps to creating organized systems that work for me.

Implementing My Plan

I know that I procrastinate on things that I dread doing. I also know that when the tasks are done I feel a sense of accomplishment and relief.  I'm going to base my plans and goals around that.  Here are some of the ways I am going to grab 2013 by the organizing bins!

• Always start with the task I dread doing to get it out of the way and leaving more time for things I enjoy (like blogging!)
• Don't be afraid to get rid of stuff.  If it doesn't have a purpose, take a picture of it for the memory and say adios to it
• Put things in writing. I read this in a book once, write down 6 things you need to do that day, if you only get 3 done, then the additional 3 tasks are the first 3 things on the next day's list
• There's an app for that.  I've found the Lift app to be very interesting and plan on putting it to good use
• Train my brain.  I've started playing around with Lumosity.com and while I am only using the free version I am enjoying seeing the results and will look for more free brain trainers
• Freshen up and fix it up.  You know that great feeling you get when you come back from the hairdresser? I get the same feeling when I get around to changing light bulbs and sprucing things up. I need to do more of that
• Know that it will be all okay.  This might be the most important point of the list.

Do you have an organizing strategy or helpful hints? Please leave them in the comments, because I can use all the help I can get!

Happy New Year Everyone!