Toss Or Recycle At Least 25 Items In Your Home

You can’t begin organising your things when there’s too much of it to manage. You’ll always be playing catch up if the odds of staying organised are against you. Start with a clean slate, whether it’s your calendar, closet, or thoughts. Global organisation sensation Marie Kondo has shown that de-cluttering your life can have a detox effect on our bodies because purging yourself of things you don’t need is an empowering process.

Clear Your Schedule Of One Unnecessary Commitment

One overriding trait of successful people is the ability to say no to commitments that don’t add value to them. When you clear your schedule of tasks that don’t fulfil you, you’re more able to spend quality time on what matters. Having free time also allows your mind to be more open to creativity, and is conducive for positive thinking.

Set Aside A Place For Everything 

Following from the previous point, once you’ve streamlined your space, the next challenge is to keep it in tip-top shape. Know there’s a place for everything, and make sure that it’s always returned to that location. Putting it off momentarily due to laziness will only waste more of your time down the road, when you’re unable to find what you’re looking for.

Keep A Pen & Paper On You At All Times

Clutter isn’t only relevant in the physical realm, as our minds can also be cluttered with information. When you’re working a high-stress job, it’s all too common to forget important details or tasks. Get into the habit of writing everything down, and you can start by keeping a pen and paper on you, at your desk, in your car, and anywhere else you can think of. Whether it’s using your phone, or another tool like Evernote, it’s important to fully maximise the utility of the ones have at your disposal to record information.

Setup A New System

As we learned in science class, everything that can go wrong will go wrong, but that doesn’t mean you have to allow life to be overtaken by this chaos. Developing systems and procedures for everyday tasks decreases the chance of your schedule going off the rails. Whether it’s labelling all incoming mail in your inbox or setting aside 15 minutes everyday to tidy your home, the important thing is setting goals you can stick to and committing to them. Getting organised is one thing, and maintaining a tidy state is another.

Establish Parameters For Your Priorities

We all have a hierarchy of tasks that make up what we need to accomplish in a day, and what we see as a bonus. Understanding which commitments are important to you is a first step to be on your way to accomplishing your goals. Sticking to these parameters is a sure fire way to achieve the high-priority tasks, even when you need to make adjustments. You’re more able to establish this hierarchy when you understand your goals, and are able to project them onto your future self.

Keep Track Of Where Your Money Is Going

Being financially aware, and staying organised in that regard is an essential trait for successful people. Start with a spreadsheet, and keep track of all our expenses down to the penny. This not only affects how you live your life, but also allows you to plan for the future.

Have A Place For Limbo Tasks

There’s always that one thing or one task you can’t deal with right away. Instead of filing it in some obscure place you’ll never find again, have a folder or space in your home to place these tasks. This way, they don’t distract you from more pressing things, but will also be taken care of in due course.