Every elegant person male or female have their life together, or at least fake it enough to convince everyone around them. When it comes to the community of the wealthy, an assistant usually helps with that image aspect. To come across as a hot mess to your friends, family, co-workers, and especially bosses is not a good idea if you want to be taken seriously and open wonderful opportunities to upgrade your life. Lack of organization can cause you to feel overwhelmed and create depression, anxiety, and tends to make you want to procrastinate. It also portrays that you do not have any ambition, are lazy, or simply do not care. To those who do not have the luxury of an assistant, here are some tips to help keep life as uncomplicated as possible.
- Write everything down.
It may seem silly, but it helps immensely. Its not just writing down appointments, a schedule or to-do list. It means to write almost everything down. From ordering food or groceries, its advantageous to pay attention to the details. For example, when going shopping for items for the home or family members do not just write down that your partner needs deodorant. Write down the brand, fragrance, and gel or solid. That way you do not accidently get the wrong one and need to exchange it for the correct one. Attention to detail should be a high priority when it comes to organization. You do not have to literally “write” everything down. You can utilize your smart phone or a handheld recording device. Whatever works best for your needs is best for you. Do not be afraid to experiment to find the best strategy for your lifestyle
- Create a routine.
Routines are beneficial since it creates some stability in everyday life. Knowing the time the kids go to school, or the work schedule of you or your partner allows you to work around time. You can create a specified time to get dinner started, or even a time frame for house cleaning. Routines can also assist family members to know when its time to address their own responsibilities. If you have kids, they will know what you want. In the mornings, they are up at a specified time, they make their bed, wash up, and sit down for breakfast. Then, they brush their teeth, get dressed and prepare to go to school. They automatically know what to do and you do not have to remind/nag them to get the necessities done. Its automatically taken care of.
- Time Management
One of the hardest organization tips is managing your time. At work, if you know how long it takes to go through you messages and return emails or phone calls, block off that time on your schedule. The same goes for home responsibilities. You can also give yourself a time limit which will influence you to block out distractions and truly focus on the task at hand. Sometimes, giving your full attention to the task can actually shorten the time normally need to complete it. This can give you a chance to take a short break or start on the next task ahead of time.
- Create a plan.
Efficiency is key to organization. Having a plan will help with that efficiency. You can create an outline of how you want to go about completing your tasks. If you have to run errands weather its for home or work it’s a good idea to start from the destination the furthest away. That way you can work your way back to the beginning. When grocery shopping, write down your items according to where they are in the store. Start with the items furthest from the registers and make your way back. This saves time from back tracking and lessens the chance of forgetting something. It’s advantageous to plan according to the locations of your tasks and the estimated time it will take to complete said tasks.
- Auto Pay your bills.
Its no question that setting up auto pay for utilities, cable, and phone relieves the need to remember when to pay them. But, even if you use autopay or not it’s a good idea to write down on your calendar when to pay which bill and how much it is. You can keep track of your expanses much more easily.
- Always have a plan B.
No matter how much we plan and organize life will always throw something at you to mess things up. Therefore, have a backup plan. Obviously, the pandemic forced us to make back up plans for things such as toilet paper, milk, and even wipes. Back up plans can also be utilized for such things as business dinners. If there are no reservations at the restaurant you originally planned be sure you already know which restaurants you can contact to claim any openings they may have.
- Use only 1 organizer.
While it may seem logical to multiple organizers, one for work, one for home, one for special occasions, its actually a better idea to consolidate to one organizer. The reason for this is because there is a tendency to use only one or two and neglect the rest. This can also lead to over extending yourself if you schedule multiple things at the same time. You don’t want to be at the gym when you need to be at that meeting with an important client. Using one organizer allows you to see everything at a glance and efficiently set up your to-do list to a schedule that is much more doable.
- Keep it Simple.
Us hard working people have a tendency to overthink and complicate the organization method. Simplify your format and it will relieve much of the day to day stress. Experiment with the process and find what works best for you.
Being organized is helpful to maintain our daily life weather for the career oriented or the stay-at-home parent. Keep in mind you will not get it right away. It’s a trial and error process and takes practice to perfect. Don’t give up. Stay positive and with time you will definitely see the elegant and sophisticated fruits of your labor.
Cultivating Elegance 