The Beginner’s Guide to Organizing Your Life: Part 1
by: Crystal Manning
If you have found this post WELCOME! Likely you are like so
many of us. Trying to figure out how to balance life and keep the chaos at bay.
Trying to figure out the formula to solve the problem of organizing and
maintaining every aspect of life.
Isn’t life chaotic enough without trying to figure out how
to manage it all?
People always say,
Well, shouldn’t there be? We sure think there should!
SO, NOW THERE IS!
We will discuss organizing
your home, your day, your finances, your mind and your body.
Let this post serve as a reference for all things organized. Finally, a
true guide to a more organized life. So, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s
begin!
Organizing Your Home
We at Creating Centered Chaos believe your home is a
reflection of yourself. We usually start and end our days at home and in doing
so take on the "vibe" of our homes 1st thing in our waking hours and
last thing before we drift to sleep. So, if our homes are disorderly and
cluttered so shall our minds be. Therefore, it is important to take care of
organizing your home as the 1st step to organizing your life.
Who better to advise us of how to tackle this daunting task
than Marie Kondo bestselling author,
tidying expert and star of Netflix’s hit show, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.”
Marie is so good at tidying that she has created her own notable technique, the
KonMari Method? The reason we love her is because her method is easy to follow
and implement. After all, we have enough going on without trying to adopt
another difficult method to simplify our lives (that would literally be a
contradiction).
Watch this short video by MsMojo for a thorough breakdown of
the KonMari Method. Be sure to take notes and even tune in to Netflix for a
more in-depth look at how to organize your home and promote joy in your life.
The Six Basic Rules of Tidying by Marie Kondo
Rule 01: Commit yourself to tidying up.
Rule 02: Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
Rule 03: Finish discarding first.
Rule 04: Tidy by category, not by location.
Rule 05: Follow the right order.
Rule 06: Ask yourself if it sparks joy.
Organizing Your Day
Once you have completed organizing your domain it’s time to
take on the task of organizing your schedule. With your home in its most
manageable and non-distracting state ever, now you can sit down and peacefully
look into how to make your days manageable. While you can’t always predict
obstacles, you can plan in a way that allows for obstacles without always
ruining all of your plans of being productive and studious.
Tools to Help Organize Your Day
·
Get a planner: Phones
are great but If you are anything like us, we have more luck of remembering
something if we physically write it down. Especially since we have about 200
Apps and operate in an out-of-sight-out-of-mind sort of way. Make a habit of
carrying your planner with you daily and The Happy Planner® makes the
process all the more memorable with tons of amazing planner designs and
awesomely cute stickers for all your planning needs.
· Get
a calendar: Much like the planner, a calendar will allow you to better
remember the information you have physically written down. Find a large wall
calendar and place it in a central area of your home, somewhere you walk past
often and is in your natural line of sight. If you write it in your planner be
sure to write it on the calendar as well. The process of keeping records over
multiple devices will reinforce the importance in your mind.
5 Tips to Help Schedule and Prioritize
·
Write your To-Do list the night before.
This will allow you to have a clear understanding of what you want to get done
so you can better plan your day.
· Make
a mental note of why the tasks are important. If you have valid reasons for
each task and if they connect to a larger goal you will be more apt to complete
the tasks on your To-Do list with pride and care.
·
Understand you won't always finish your entire
list every day. Life is still happening around you and sometimes that means
you won’t get to everything, but that’s okay.
·
Set tasks in order of urgency. If waiting
to pay a bill will warrant a costly late fee (more on this in the next section:
Organizing Your Finances), don’t put
that off until tomorrow. If skipping a grocery store run due to rain won’t
leave you starving, then put it off for tomorrow.
·
Cross off the tasks as you complete them.
This will give you a sense of accomplishment as you see your daily goals being
completed. It will also keep you motivated to do it the next day.
Visual aids will help you stay
the course and give you concrete evidence of your productivity. This is why
much of this blog support the act of writing things down. Check out this
article on
by Henrik Edberg.
Now that your home and daily schedule are in order, let’s
take a quick look at how to easily get a hold of our finances. Many people find
this to be a daunting task. In all honesty, this is where I Uncle ben turns to
you with his stern yet loving demeanor and tells you the most sobering and
genius thing you have ever heard. “Remember, with great power comes great
responsibility.”
That famous line from Spiderman is exactly the truth
surrounding finances. The more you have the more responsibility you will have
to maintain it. But it doesn’t have to be daunting. Finances should be
controlled by you and not the other way around.
WELCOME TO OUR NEXT SECTION
Organizing Your Finances
Budgeting is your best friend!
·
Dedicate 1 full month to monitoring your
cashflow.
o
Monitor every penny coming in and going out.
Track all ATM fees, and every nickel you pick up off the ground.
o
Monitor what your money is being spent on.
·
Group expenses into categories such as bills, food, gas, clothing, entertainment…
There’s an App for that: There are many financial apps that help keep track of spending. Most banks and credit unions also offer easy expense tracking software built into their online or mobile banking.
·
Take note of your highest expenses
·
Do an assessment of your income vs expenses to
be sure you are living within your means.
·
Figure out where you can cut spending.
o
An easy expense to cut is the cost of eating
out. On average the cost of buying a meal from a restaurant is equal to the
cost of ingredients to prepare a meal that will last a minimum of 2
meals/person.
·
Write down bills and monthly expense
obligations.
o
These should be written in your planner and on
your large wall calendar so they can be seen often.
o
Write the company name and amount under the corresponding
due date so you never forget when a bill is due.
o
Note if a bill is auto drafted from your account
to be sure the money is present in your account at the time of the draft.
·
If behind on bills
o
Be sure to prioritize delinquent expenses in
order of priority.
§
Having electricity is more important than having
cable TV.
·
Paying off debts
o
Pay debts in an order that will cost you the
least amount in interest rates.
§
Pay high-interest debts first.
§
Then move to the lower and easier balances and
work up to the higher balances (Again this builds a sense of accomplishment and
motivates you to continue this process).
There are many financial planning experts and many ways to
complete the task of budgeting to gain control of your finances. You can do a
quick search on google to find a way that works best for you.
PRO TIP: Look for websites and advise that does not cost
money. If you are struggling to get control of finances don’t spend money to do
it. There are lots of free financial planning recourses. The best place to
begin is your banking/financial institute.
Disclaimer:
Creating Centered Chaos is not in any way affiliated with any product or
service featured on this post. We do not stand to gain monetarily or otherwise
and are only offering personal opinions for products and services. In no way
are we liable for your personal gain or loss in lieu of your decision to use
any product or service featured here.
Up Next: The Beginner's Guide to Organizing Your Life - Part 2 →
We would love to hear your thoughts, be sure to leave a comment below. What are your thoughts on Life Organization? Please share your tips and resources!
Comments
Post a Comment