Easy Habits That Keep You More Organized

Implementing new habits can seem like such a big endeavour sometimes because, lets be honest, they require a certain amount of time, planning and preparation.

So its always fun to learn about little habits that you can start right away with little to none of that AND that have a big impact.

So here are 3 easy habits to keep you organized you can start doing today to help you stay more organized, both physically and mentally.

Do it now.

If it takes less than 1 minute, do it right away. Hang the shirt back up, wipe down the counter, add the link to your post. Its the little things you leave all day long that add up to lots of clutter and tasks that don’t get done.

Never leave a room empty handed.

Every time you leave a room, look around and see if there is something you can put away on your way to where you are going. I didn’t even realize not everyone does this until I moved in with my husband! I watched my mom do this all my life and I picked up on it and do it too. Its also the reason why my home is generally tidy and uncluttered. This one might take a little more thought to implement, but its super easy to do because you’re already getting up!

Write it down in the moment.

The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we will remember something later. Unfortunately, we often think of things when we are in the middle of something else, so whenever that happens, take 15 seconds to write it in your planner or create a note/reminder on your phone. Relying on your memory is not a good strategy, but I’m guessing you probably already know this.

The best place to write these reminders down is in your planner, so if you are not using one, start now! I personally thing that paper works better (and well, to be honest, science has shown paper works best) but if you are a digital person through and through, then do whats best for you. I created the Life Book planner for the ambitious entrepreneur with big dreams and a full life, just like you, so I know you’ll love it. To find out more head on over here.

Or, test out the free mini one month version here first.

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

5 Habits That No One Talks About That Make You More Productive

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

You probably have heard about a lot of productivity habits that help you to get more done. Ways to manage your time and be organized that help you to work smarter so that you can be productive without burning yourself out.

But there are also some seemingly unrelated habits that have a big impact on your productivity and they don’t have anything to do with time management.

Self centering habits like meditating or journaling

Anything that calms your nervous system, reduces anxiety and helps you to process your thoughts, will aid you to be more productive on a daily basis.

Exercise

Energy begets energy. Daily movement will boost your energy and ability to concentrate.

Cooking

This one may seem weird but hear me out; Cooking is actually the most common habit you see among people who are the healthiest. Not exercise, but cooking. When you cook your own meals you have control over the quality of your food which means you are likely to be healthier and have more energy. That translates into increased cognition and that means you get more done in less time.

Reading

Again, this one may seem strange but reading is like exercise for the brain so it helps with cognition on a long term basis. Plus, all the information you take in is inevitably going to help you along the way to make smarter decisions and work more efficiently.

Socializing (with the right people)

This one probably even seems counter productive, but we are social creatures (yes, even us introverts) and being around people who lift us up, hold us accountable, encourage us to be better people and provide us with strong emotional connection, has a direct impact on our happiness and fulfillment. And if you have ever tried to get stuff done in a time in your life when you felt depressed or unfulfilled, you know how this impacts your productivity.

As you might have noticed, there’s a common theme with these habits: They make you a healthier, happier person.

And healthier and happier people tend to get more done.

So if you are struggling with getting things done or have found that all the time management and productivity tips in the world are not really working, its likely because one or more of these things are off for you.

Focus on being a overall healthier, happier person and your ability to be productive is going to improve for sure.

Of course, things like using a planner daily are also important and if you are not currently using one, I recommend you check out the Life Book Planner. This planner is like no other and with its unique features and layouts, its bound to get your more organized and productive so you can get things done without burning yourself out and still have time for rest, fun and family!

Want to give it a test run first? Try the free one month version here.

Jennifer

How To Avoid Decision Fatigue

If you are human, you have experienced decision fatigue.

Every tiny piece of information or data our senses pick up on throughout the day becomes a decision. Your brain has to decide what to do with each one, even if that’s to ignore it.

And in today’s world, where we are bombarded with hundreds of thousands of bits of information daily, most of us experience decision fatigue every day.

Consciously we might not realize why it is that it can be so hard to decide what to eat for supper but often it’s because your brain is simply tapped out.

And if you’re an enneagram 9, this happens even faster, amaright fellow 9s?

So how do we get around it with the seemingly unavoidable stream of data coming our way?

Like this: by doing the following to reduce the amount of decisions we need to make each day.

1-Protect your focus

Remove or reduce the amount of technology around you when you are working. Constant dings and notifications are not only tiny decisions you have to make, they are a huge distraction.

Wait until later in the day to catch up on news and scroll social media. Delay taking in new information as much as possible until the bulk of your work is done.

2-Plan in advance.

Planning is simply making decisions in advance. Plan out your months, weeks and days in advance so that the amount of decisions you have to make in the moment are greatly reduced. Its also far easier to make decisions in advance then it is in the moment because the pressure is off. With a solid plan you can move through your day smoothly, simply following what you mapped out.

The absolute easiest way of doing this is by using a great planner. Check out the one I use here. You can also get a free mini copy here to test it out first!.

3-Habits.

You never have to decide to do something that is already a habit because its automatic and that’s why habits are so powerful. Create habits of things you do regularly so they are one less decision to be made.

The key here is for these things to be true habits. Meaning, you truly do them without thinking for the most part. If you still have to consciously get yourself to it, its not a habit yet. Building healthy habits can take some time and its important not to try creating too many at once. Start slowly, using habit stacking and one at a time, automate those things you do daily so they take less energy and mind power.

If you experience decision fatigue on a regular basis, you now know what to do to about it! Of course, its going to still happen from time to time because #life, but the goal is to avoid it occurring on a daily basis because its tiring and wastes a ton of time.

Jennifer

How To Be Consistent

You need consistency to be successful…but what do you need to be consistent?

We often talk about consistency as if it’s this singular thing you can ‘get’ or just start doing, but we don’t often talk about what helps you create consistency.

And if it’s the so-called key to success, it’s important to know what it is that actually helps us be consistent!

I believe these are the 3 most important things:

Mindset

Yup, mindset again. Your mind is your most powerful too. So first you need to make sure your beliefs support what you are working towards. If you don’t believe its possible for you to achieve this goal for whatever reason, you are not going to be able to stay consistent.

Organization

You can’t be surprised by this one, lol. It’s dang hard to do anything consistently if you are a hot mess day after day. Consistency requires having your life organized, so you actually have the time and space to do what you need to do.

Habits

This is the one that makes being consistent almost effortless. When something is a habit, it requires very little energy to do. Chances are you have been consistently brushing your teeth for years. Doesn’t require much energy or self discipline does it? That’s because it’s a habit. So create habits that either support what you want to be consistent in, or are actually the thing you want to do consistently.

Bonus tip

Use a planner to help with number 2. It’s such a simple and inexpensive, but massively powerful tool in helping you to have an organized life.

If you don’t have one you love check out the Life Book planner. This planner made for the multi passionate, family manager who has big goals and a full life.

Interested in more tips and tricks on how to stay organized and productive so you can reduce your stress and overwhelm while still achieving your goals? Follow me one IG or FB for daily free content!

Jennifer

How To Build Self Discipline

Having really strong discipline seems like the key to success, but while I do believe its a great skill to have and build on, its not the only key to success. In fact, most successful people do as much as they can to AVOID having to rely on self discipline or willpower in their day to day lives because it greatly increases their success. They do this by installing habits that help them live a healthy lifestyle and achieve their goals, by using outer accountability and by making sure their environment is conducive to their success (Like removing temptations or distractions)

But, of course, a certain amount of self discipline is necessary and more will never hurt!

So how do you build your self discipline?

The short answer:

By practicing.

Let me explain what this looks like.

Self discipline is like a muscle. So that means that you are not going to get any stronger by going to the gym and doing olympic lifts for 6 hours every single day without rest.

In fact, after a couple of days you will probably start feeling weaker and it will only be a matter of time before you give up and stop training altogether because it’s just way too hard and it feels like you are going backwards.

Self discipline is the same way.

You can’t just set a bunch of goals, decide to start several new healthy habits and then just force yourself through it, expecting your self discipline to grow and things to get easier.

You will burn out.

But you do need to practice.

And you do that by keeping small promises to yourself daily, as Mel Robbins puts it.

You need to start small. so maybe that’s the promise of doing 2 minutes of stretching every day.

Or 5 minutes of doing anything to work towards a goal you have. As time goes on, it will become easy to get yourself to do it.

The little promises don’t even need to be related to your goals. Just small things you won’t always feel like doing, but that are easy enough to increase your chances of following through long enough to build your self discipline.

Then you build on each little promise and make them a bit bigger.

Over time, this is how you will develop the self discipline you desire.

Of course, like I always say, it’s only 1 tool that you need to reach your goals. Habits, outer accountability (like a great planner, I recommend THIS one) and your environment are also an important part of the equation.

So what’s one small promise you are going to make to yourself today?

Love this content? Head on over to my IG (or search @organized_owl) to more great tips and tricks to help you stay organized, productive and achieve your goals.

Jennifer

How To Make Sure You Use Your Planner

Don’t waste your money on another planner you don’t use!

I heard someone say the other day that planners are like personal assistants and I couldn’t agree more.

Mine absolutely runs my life!

Of course, making sure you use it is the first step to making your planner your most important employee.

So here are 3 tips to making sure you actually use your new planner.

Make sure the planner is well designed

And I don’t mean pretty. I mean the layout is designed in a way that truly works AND it has the features you really need, like customizable spaces and planning pages. One whole page per day may give you lots of room each day, but its hard to organize your week and have a clear idea of whats going on when you can’t see it all out in front of you. Make sure the planner you choose lets you customize it to suit your unique life and personality.

Put all the things in it

Its not simply for your schedule. Your planners needs to contain things like habit tracking, planning, to-do lists, important dates to remember, reminders, deadlines and more. Having all these things organized in ONE place is the secret sauce of a planner that really makes your life easier. Having it all in once place gives you try clarity and helps you to avoid forgetting things and double booking.

Create a planner habit

Make sure to set up a new habit of using the planner. Otherwise, when the novelty wears off, you will stop. Not sure how to create a habit that sticks? Check out this blog post that explains how.

In other words, your planner has to deliver, otherwise you won’t keep using it and it will be hard to create a habit.

Can’t find one? The Life Book planner has the unique features and layout that will deliver big time!
Learn more at www.organizedowl.com (link in bio)

Jennifer