7 Productive Habits Of Highly Organized People
Originally published at lmt-lss.com on October 6, 2015.
In a poll conducted by Office Depot in 2010 on workplace organization, 82 percent said they feel being organized improves their performance. We all know people in our work or personal spheres who always have a to-do list and love to check things off. They know exactly where everything is in their house or office and though they are on a mission, they’re never in a hurry or stressed. They know what they’re supposed to do and just go about doing it. If you are wondering how they manage to be so organized, you’re not alone. Organized people have some habits they stick to, no matter what. While some are naturally better at being organized, others can cultivate these habits to experience how things can actually fall into place quite smoothly. So here are 7 habits that almost all highly organized people share.
Highly organized people have set morning and evening routines.
Routines are a part of life for organized people and they rarely deviate from these routines. They wake up and go to bed at the same time every day; even including a relaxing wind-down routine in the evening. Another reason they are more productive is because they know when to disconnect from the work world and take time off to recharge. They don’t wait for a big vacation to unwind, but rather set time aside for daily ‘me’ moments such as a leisurely hot bath at night, a cup of tea early in the morning, or a quick walk around the block during lunch time.
Highly organized people have a place for everything.
If you put your keys and wallet in the same place every single day, then it’s much harder for those things to get lost. By designating specific locations for specific items, you can save a lot of time spent searching for those items and reduce your stress in the process. Highly organized people also tend to file, not pile when faced with incoming documents. It’s about having a pre-established system. Know where bills, letters, school papers, newspapers and magazines go and take a minute to sort them immediately, instead of relegating them to a generic, confusing pile.
Highly organized people have a plan.
You may be really fast and good at what you do, but without a plan, even the easiest of tasks will take more time than they normally do. Organized people like to know how their day would look like. Whether it’s a menu plan for the week, an ongoing grocery list, a cleaning checklist, a family calendar, or a personal planner, a highly organized person always knows what’s going on. They take the time to think in advance about the next day’s obligations and to plan them out mentally by estimating roughly how much time they will need to fulfil each of the necessary tasks.
They give themselves deadlines.
The most organized individuals know that it’s more than just having a to-do list. It’s about having a specific deadline assigned to each task you want to complete. By checking tasks off by a certain time and date, you will avoid leaving anything important until the last minute. Organized people also tend to write down tasks either in an organizer or through an app. That way they can always go back and look at their task-list and reshuffle priorities if necessary.
They tackle one task at a time.
No matter what you might think about your ability to ‘multitask,’ there is no such thing. Your brain might fool you into thinking it’s multitasking, but in reality it’s just switching rapidly back and forth between tasks, while costing you depth of focus and quality of output. Trying to do too many things at once can lead to chaos. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, try taking a step back and focusing on one thing at a time. The most effective people check their email at regular times each day, keep unnecessary notifications turned off, and know when to silence distractions in order to get a job done.
Highly organized people know how and when to delegate tasks.
Highly successful people have a ‘do-it-now’ attitude for certain kinds of tasks. Most understand their personal ability to perform tasks and don’t try to overstretch it. If a particular task is going to take longer than the time it’s worth, highly successful people know it’s better to delegate than do it themselves. They also tend to deal with tough, uncomfortable tasks first thing in the morning, so they don’t hang over you all day long. Also, they also know when to ask for help.
They have less stuff.
Organized people strive to keep what they consider to be truly beautiful and/or useful and regularly purge items they no longer need. As far as your closet is concerned, it’s better to purchase one investment piece you really love than five so-so pieces you found on sale. They follow the ‘One In, One Out Rule’. If they buy something new or receive a gift, they make it a point to eliminate a similar item they already own. They know that that more stuff they have, the more likely it is to become disorganized.
