Have you ever found yourself wishing that you were one of those naturally organised people? You know the type: the students or workers with meticulously curated planners, diaries and calendars. They always seem to be ahead of schedule, and what’s more, they make it look so easy!
The truth is that no one becomes that organised without a little bit of effort. In fact, you can become an organisational superstar with the right tips too! Read on for Explore Careers’ comprehensive guide to getting organised and unlock a more productive, stress-free version of you.
Why is Staying Organised so Important?
While organisation can be a tricky skill to master, effectively managing your tasks can reduce stress levels and increase productivity. In short, it’ll make you feel like you’re in control of your life and allow you to reach your full potential at work, school, or in your personal life!
However, it’s important to understand that there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all approach to organisation. Rather, we should be curating our unique organisational strategies with our own strengths and weaknesses in mind.
The first step to figuring out where to start is determining how effective your organisation abilities already are. To do so, figure out if you resonate more with our organisation red flags or green flags:
Red Flags for Organisation
- You always feel like you’re in ‘catch-up mode.’
When you aren’t acing organisation, it can feel like you’re always a few steps behind. Instead of working on tasks in a timely manner, you’re constantly behind schedule and desperately scrambling to get on top of your workload.
- You haven’t implemented any work boundaries.
While it can feel productive to always be switched on, it’s important to set aside some time for yourself! If you haven’t set any boundaries that separate your designated work time from your personal time, you’re putting yourself at risk of burnout.
- Missed deadlines and last-minute scrambles are standard parts of your week.
Red flag #3 is closely related to being in ‘catch-up mode.’ If your organisation skills are lacking, your performance at school will likely suffer, and you’ll end up missing deadlines. Remember, people who are on top of their workload don’t need tonnes of extensions and midnight study/work sessions.
- Your workspace is a mess.
Having a messy workspace results in a tonne of disorganisation across the board. If your desk needs a Marie Kondo-style makeover, you’ll likely be losing important documents, misplacing planners and, essentially, minimising your productive capacity.
- You don’t differentiate between relaxing zones and work zones.
Are you the type to do all your work in bed? Or maybe you’re using your personal phone to respond to work emails (outside of working hours). If you are, you’re removing the distinction between relaxing time and work time. Like a lack of work boundaries, this red flag can lead to burnout and a lack of productivity.
Green Flags for Organisation
- You have your weekly to-do list down pat.
A telltale sign of a highly organised person is an obsession with either stationary or digital to-do lists. If you’re a fan of both, that’s all the better! Maintaining a detailed to-do list is a great organisation strategy (and a great excuse for stationary shopping).
- You try to stay a few days (up to a week) ahead of deadlines.
When you ensure that you’re staying ahead of due dates, you effectively avoid any last-minute scrambles or missed deadlines; with this in mind, thinking ahead is one of our top organisation tips of all time! Trust us, thinking that your due dates can also be your ‘do-dates’ won’t serve you.
- You maintain a super-tidy workspace.
A tidy workspace doesn’t just help you stay organised, it’s also super aesthetically pleasing. If you jump on Pinterest, there are a tonne of desk ideas for maximising your workspace’s efficiency. What’s more, it’s a pretty fun organisation tip to dive into, too!
- You’re conscious of keeping a healthy work-life balance.
By keeping your work separate from your personal life and making plenty of time for yourself, you’ll be able to maximise productivity by avoiding burnout. After all, it’s nearly impossible to stay organised when you’re super stressed!
- Work and school-related freak-outs are rare occurrences.
If you’re not feeling overwhelmed by work or school very often, you’re likely doing a pretty good job of staying organised. However, it’s important to remember that even the most organised workers go through stressful times every now and then; it’s just important to keep them to a minimum!
Minimise Your Stress and Maximise Productivity
If you mostly relate to the red flags for organisation, it might be time to put some new healthy habits into action. This might sound like a tall order, but don’t worry too much; regardless of whether you’re studying or working, we’ve got you covered with organisational tips and tricks to get you feeling great and doing great work too!
Organisation Tips for High School Students
- List out all of your important assessment dates
- Pick essay/assessment topics early
- Consider using a platform like Notion to organise notes and to-do lists
- Maintain a healthy study-life balance
- Establish a solid routine
Organisation Tips for Work
- If you have a work phone and computer, use them to their full potential
- Never let your emails pile up
- Make the most of diaries, calendars and planners
- Dedicate some time to making daily and weekly plans
- Set boundaries
How To Stay Organised When You Lack Motivation
With all our top tips in your arsenal, the only thing left to do is to put them into practice (which can be a little tricky when you’re lacking motivation). So, if you want to get on top of your workload but can’t bring yourself to start, try reminding yourself of how grateful future-you will be for any efforts you make right now!
Ultimately, staying unorganised is unsustainable, whereas implementing organisational habits will result in lower stress, increased productivity, and an overall happier life! If you keep reminding yourself of this (and treat yourself to a stationary shopping spree), we’re sure you’ll be able to overcome any resistance!
Start Your Organisation Journey Today
While it’s a bit of a cliche, it’s time to ask yourself why you’d put off until tomorrow what can be done today. By getting on the organisation train, you’re setting yourself up for a bright, stress-free future. What’s more, future you will absolutely thank you for it!
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