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Organising

13 Time Management Tips to Get Organised

Cathryn Lavery

Time is a resource that seems to be hard to come by, I rarely hear anyone say I have too much time on my hands. There are only 24 hours in a day, with one-third of them spent sleeping and the other third or more working, which doesn’t leave much of the day to get things you want or need to do done. Our to-do list can be a useful tool to get organised, but sometimes even that can overwhelm us and quickly resemble a never-ending list of unachievable tasks.

For most of us with our family and work commitments, hobbies chores, and everything else it can seem impossible to balance those tasks on top of day-to-day activities and remain productive.

Here are 13 Time Management Tips To Get Organised that have helped me to get and stay organised and accomplish a lot in a limited amount of time.

13 Time Management Tips To Get Organised

1. Write Your To-do List Down.

Whether your to-do list is on your phone, calendar, or notebook, the important thing is to get it written down in some form. If it is all in your head you are putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself to remember what you have to do. Writing it down has the benefit of helping you clear your head and reduce some of that overwhelm. Get that list out of your head and on paper.

Using apps such as Colour Note, Trello, and Google Keep (just a few of my favourites) can be quick, easy tools to jot down your important tasks as you think of them. Besides, there is nothing more satisfying and motivating than ticking off a completed task. Having them in digital form on your phone means that you’ll always have access to them and can update your list as you go.

2. Set Realistic Goals.

If you look at your to-do list and feel overwhelmed by tasks such as ‘paint house’ or ‘write a book’ you’re probably never going to get around to doing those more ambitious goals. Goals like these are too vague and don’t really set out any actionable steps to get you started.

It’s important to break the tasks down and create more manageable, bite-sized tasks that can be achieved in smaller blocks of time to help make your to-do list or project seem less daunting.

Writing more bite-sized tasks on your to-do list like ‘brainstorm book topics’, ‘start first chapter outline’, or ‘research white paint colour options’ will give you some more achievable steps to get you started on your goal.

Once you start setting more realistic, actionable tasks, you’ll avoid staring at your blank page or putting off your dream indefinitely. Every day you can slowly work towards your to-dos and goals.

3. Set a Timer.

If you don’t set time limits on tasks, they can end up taking much longer than you’d initially hoped. This is called Parkinson’s Law, where your work will adapt to fill up the time you set to achieve it in. So if you give yourself a whole day to work on a project that might only require 2 hours, you will likely end up taking the whole day to get it done.

By setting time limits we can help to ensure we are focused and avoid distraction and can mentally commit to starting a task.

Going up against the clock can be a motivating tool to make us want to do our best work, knowing that in an hour or whatever time you have set that you won’t have any more time. It could be as simple as setting a timer for a 10-minute workout and seeing how many exercises you can fit in that time, folding as much washing as you can in twenty minutes, or seeing how many items of paperwork you can file in just 5 minutes.

4. Utilise Small Pockets Of Time.

Most people struggle for time to get what they want and need done. Life is busy and there is always so much to get done in such little time. For this reason, sometimes it can help to step back and reconsider our time and how we can use it better.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Could you utilise one of your lunch breaks a week to tackle some of those calls you have been meaning to make?
  • At the end of the night can you do a quick fifteen-minute tidy up so the next day you wake up to a clean home?
  • Could you turn the TV off twenty minutes earlier to squeeze in a chapter of your book you haven’t touched in weeks? Or use Audible to listen to a book on your commute?
  • Whislt you are waiting 5 minutes for your lunch to cook, can you book the tickets to the show you are excited to see? Or quickly fill the dishwasher?

When you start to look for small pockets of time you will find them easier to find and they”ll help you to get more done in your day.

5. Make The Most Of Time Spent Commuting.

The commute to work in my car used to frustrate me. I realised that I was throwing away ninety or more minutes a day, five days a week listening to advertising and radio segments that weren’t really adding any value to my life other than an occasional laugh or news topic.

I decided to find a way to utilise my commute time so the drive to work was less of a chore and I could learn or do something enjoyable.

Here are some of the things I have done over the years to utilise this time.

  • I bought a set of Pimsleur German and Japanese CDs and started listening to them on the way to work. Each lesson goes for twenty minutes so was the perfect length for the commute.
  • Being in a band, it was often a struggle to make time to practice my vocals, so I started fitting my vocal practice into my commute. Other times I will do my vocal practice on the way to band prac.
  • I started listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and Youtube on things that interested me so I could learn as I drove. I recently bought a course that had video lessons so I would listen (no screens, safety first!) to these numerous times whilst driving so that when I had free time, I could focus on getting my “homework” done after completing the video earlier that day during my commute.

Now have a think, what could you do to utilise your commuting time (Of course, that is safe to do so!)?

6. Do Things You Are Passionate About So Being Productive Comes Easier.

When we are procrastinating it’s good to assess what we are doing with our time and ask ourselves if it is something we are really passionate about.

Of course, there are some tasks in life, like cleaning, where we are just not going to be passionate enough to enjoy doing them. But if we can make some tasks in line with our passion, that is always going to be helpful.

If work isn’t something that you look forward to, find out what you need to do to get into your dream job or to get a promotion into a more exciting or challenging role and make a start.

If you hate running but really enjoy aerobics, don’t force yourself to go running each day, substitute that exercise for one you are more passionate about.

If your partner loves cooking but you hate it – have a chat and distribute those household tasks in a way that seems more appealing to you both! My husband is a really good cook , whereas I am an okay cook, but find cooking more overwhelming and I am therefore slower at it, but faster at cleaning so we try and align our tasks around the house with what our strengths are.

Look for areas in life where you can make small or maybe even big changes so you can get more done and maybe even enjoy those tasks a little more.

7. Prioritise Your Tasks

Some years back I read the book ‘Eat The Frog’ by Brian Tracy and loved his advice on tackling the hardest, most important tasks first thing in your day.

Often with a fresh mind at the start of the day, we are better able to focus and make more progress. The last thing you want to do is get to the afternoon and still not have tackled the biggest to-do list item and have that weighing on your shoulders all day.

If the hardest project is also the most important and you have left it to 3pm for a 5pm deadline, you are putting yourself under unnecessary stress and making that task even more difficult to achieve when you are trying to rush through it under immense pressure.

Once the most difficult task is complete, the smaller tasks will seem like a breeze and be easier to knock down with your current momentum.

8. Learn To Say No.

If you are struggling to stay productive and keep up with your goals, you might have too much on your plate. If that is the case, it might be time to start learning how to say no, so you can have more time to prioritise what is important to you.

When we take on too much, over time we can find ourselves neglecting important things such as our health, relationships, or sleep.

It’s important, to be honest with yourself about what you can fit into your schedule. There is only so much time in a day and we can’t help everyone. If something comes up that is just going to add too much stress to your already-packed diary, it’s time to bring out the word ‘No’.

Start with scheduling time for the things that are important to you. Only then should you add any other commitments to your calendar. Some important things that should be at the top of your list to schedule are:

  • Sleep
  • Exercise
  • Self-care
  • Family time
  • Hobbies
  • Holidays
  • Work (the hours required to do your job until it is home time)
  • Projects that are important to you

Sometimes you might want to help our a friend or family member, just make sure it doesn’t become a habit in your schedule where you run out of time for what’s important to you.

9. Take Regular Breaks.

If you’re really stuck and have hit a productivity brick wall, it’s time to stop what you’re doing and take a break.

Clearing the mind can do wonders for productivity and help kick-start the creativity flow.

If you’re lost for ideas or an answer sometimes after a small break, or even a good night’s sleep the answer pops out at you.

Trying to force your way through something isn’t going to add much. You’ll be surprised how much a 10 minute break can make all the difference.

10. Plan Ahead.

I used to be a bit of a last-minute person and seemed to be constantly stressed because I’d left it to the day to write in a birthday card, wrap a gift or iron my dress for a wedding.

I have learned over time that planning ahead makes life so much easier.

Of course this is something you can work at improving over time and we may always be a work in progress when it comes to planning ahead, but there are ways to get ourselves more organised to reduce the stress associated with life.

If you need a gift for an upcoming event, don’t wait until the day before or day of to look for something. Plan ahead. Buying the gift a couple of weeks out or even months out if that gives you peace of mind, will save you a massive headache running around the shops on a day when you really don’t have the time. It might even help you find the perfect gift as you’ll have the time to research a gift or order something the person will love.

This might be as easy to do as setting yourself a habit of shopping for gifts for the month ahead on the 1st of the month. Or planning on a Sunday night for the week ahead so you can go into the week knowing what you have coming up and can plan accordingly to most suit your schedule.

11. Get Off Your Phone.

There’s nothing more distracting than a text notification going off or flashing in the corner of your eye. Once you see or hear it, it is hard to resist. Before you know it, you’re just having a quick look and the willpower is lost and more often than not you’ve lost all momentum and focus. And the tech industry is just getting better and better at sucking us in (Tik Tok/Reels anyone?)

I can’t count the number of times I unlocked my phone to do something only to hit the Facebook or Instagram app out of habit and realise minutes later that I’d completely forgotten to look at what I’d set out to do.

We can probably all admit to spending a little too much time on social media. It’s fine in moderation, however, if you’re spending hours a day on social media sites without a specific goal, you might be able to reallocate some of that time to doing something more productive.

When you have a deadline or something that requires you to focus, put your phone away, turn it on airplane mode, or on silent and ideally stick it in a drawer somewhere so you aren’t tempted to look at it if you need to help reduce any potential distractions.

12. Delegate.

If your schedule is overloaded and you just can’t seem to get on top of things it might be time to consider delegating. This strategy can work in all areas of our life.

If you are snowed under with housework ask your kids and partner to help out. Even if they all chip in for just 15 minutes a day – or every now and then, it could free up some much-needed time in your schedule. If this becomes a family habit, to all help out that will go a long way to freeing up your valuable time so you can have some free time to enjoy as well.

When you can’t get to the grocery store, do an online shop and get it delivered. Save yourself the time driving to the shop, finding parking, walking down the aisles and waiting in a que! I personally love the option ‘Direct to Boot’ so I don’t have to pay a delivery fee, but just pick up my shopping from the carpark on my way home from work.

If you are completely swamped at work, can you ask a collegue to help you out? Maybe you can offer them the same in return the next time they are swamped.

Consider delegating by getting outside help. If you just don’t have time to clean as often as you’d like or need to, consider hiring a cleaner to come in once a week or fortnight. Or hire someone to mow the lawns once a month so you can have a beach day instead.

Outside help might not be something in your budget that you can afford, but if not, ask ‘How can I afford this’?

Maybe you just need to cut out dining out once a month to fund this additional help. Or maybe you can take up meal planning and use the savings on your grocery budget to fund some outside help.

13. Consider Deleting Things Off Your To-Do List

If you seem to be carrying to-do list tasks forward repeatedly ask yourself if that item is really all that important.

Maybe in the grand scheme of things, it’s just not as pressing to your life at this immediate time. Perhaps you really just don’t have the time to even think about it right now.

You could always come back to it at a later time when you are less busy and more able to dedicate your time to that task. Or, as Joshua Fields-Millburn from The Minimalists recommends, put those things on a ‘Some Day’ list in your To-Do list App or notebook. That way they aren’t staring you in the face day to day, but you know they are there somewhere when you are ready to get to them.

How do you stay organised and productive? Comment with any tips you have found that’s worked for you below.

Organising

5 Tips to a More Organised Life

Cathryn Lavery

I’ve always been a keen organiser and lover of to-do lists. Some time back my organisation systems needed an overhaul…

You see, I was an avid post-it-note user. As you can imagine, this wasn’t the most effective means of staying organised, no matter how well-intentioned my efforts were. Most of the time my post-it notes would end up at the bottom of my handbag, scrunched up, or would just disappear off the face of the Earth. Worst case, I’d end up with something leaking in my handbag ruining my organisation attempts. (Just a quick disclaimer, I am more organised these days, but after spilling 20% of my coke zero in my handbag earlier today I am definitely still working on that side of things ;))  

I still use a mix of handwritten and digital methods to keep myself organised.

I find a balance of both helps. There’s no greater satisfaction than ticking off completed tasks on paper but I also enjoy the convenience of having 24-hour access to my digital organisation systems.

Here are 5 Tips to a More Organised Life I recommend to help you on your journey to kick-ass at organisation!   

Disclaimer: Please note these recommendations are not sponsored in any way, they are just things I love and highly recommend!

The links to some items are from my Etsy store so I will receive payment for these purchases.

  1. Start a Bullet Journal

I discovered bullet journals a few years back and found they helped me to keep all my thoughts in one place and have a plan for action. Even better you can personalise it to suit your needs and schedule. I like to do a week to a page as well as a page for the monthly calendar and monthly goals. In the week’s plan I include the following:

  • To-do list
  • Weekly Meal plan
  • House tasks/chores I need to do
  • Monday to Friday Weekly schedule with dates for plans and appointments
  • A ‘To buy’ list for any items I need to buy that week such as birthday gifts
  • Exercise plan to mark in gym days and other exercises

On my monthly page, I mark in any upcoming appointments or scheduled plans for the month ahead so I can see my month at a glance. I also make note of my goals for the month on the page to the right. It certainly beats my old post-it note system and I find it extremely satisfying ticking things off my list as they are done. Is there any greater joy? 

You can make your bullet journal as simple or creative as you like it’s totally up to you! If you love drawing or are artistically creative I’m sure yours will look a lot better than mine 😛 

For anyone else a bit stuck on what to include in their bullet journal or how to get started, there are many “Bullet Journal” Pins on Pinterest to help you get some cool ideas and inspiration.

And of course the organisation doesn’t end here. There are a myriad of things you can use your bullet journal for:

  • Tracking your debt journey
  • A habit journal to record your achievements e.g. exercise daily, water intake, taking your vitamins, eat fruit
  • A list such as books to read, books I’ve read, documentaries to watch
  • A record of things you want to do around the house
  • Keeping track of your savings balances
  • Weight goals
  • Recipe ideas
  • Cleaning schedules
  • Favourite quotes

The greatest thing about the bullet journal is you can tailor it to suit your life and sometimes it feels nice to crack out texters and coloured pens and get your art vibes on (stationery lovers I’m looking at you!).

2. Use A Weekly Planner

If you aren’t keen on lugging around a notebook everywhere you go, I’ve got your covered. After a year or so of bullet journaling, I thought can’t I just make this process easier and save myself time each month ruling up new pages? Yes, yes you can!

So I came up with a Weekly Planner to help you stay organised without the need to manually prepare pages in your bullet journal or the need to carry around a notebook wherever you go.

Insread I would print out my planner each week which allows me to track all of my important To Dos, Schedules and Appointments, Meal Plan and so on in one place without the bulk! Every time I think of something I need to do that week, or if I need to buy something I quickly jot it down on my list which I carry in my handbag and tick off things as I go. You can even just paste it into your bullet journal to save yourself some time on ruling up new pages.

It will make it easy for you to keep track of:
> Your To Dos by how much time they will take
> Daily Appointments
> Goals, including Exercise and Cleaning Goals for the week
> Your Meal Plan
> To Call list
> Items you need To Buy
> Any Notes you need to jot down

If you like a more simplified planner without all the excess bulk in your handbag you can order your Weekly Planner here.

3. Three Item Task List

I first heard of the Three Item Task List from Joshua Becker and loved the concept of tackling three small to-dos a day, rather than trying to overwhelm myself with one large list.

If you are anything like me, you’ve tried the latter and sometimes our to-do lists can look so overwhelming that we don’t know where to start. Looking at a list of ten things might make it hard to prioritise what is the most important task and can be an extremely unrealistic goal. Let’s be honest, trying to do a large number of things in a small space of time can and getting overwhelmed can often mean we make no progress on anything.

The key to achieving our goals is to set realistic ones. If you try and attempt 10 things on your to-do list today you are more than likely going to fail. A good tip to limit the overwhelm of your to-do list is stick to a list for each day of the 3 most important tasks.

Pick the three things that you feel are the most important to be done today. The ones that if left incomplete have the most consequences. Once you have completed those three most important tasks, you will feel a great sense of achievement that you met your days goals.

If you feel like you’re on a roll and could do more than three go for it, but only do this once you have done your top three items. By the end of the week you could have up to 21 tasks on your to-do list cleared off and that deserves a huge pat on the back!

To help you get started you can grab a free copy of my Three Item To Do List worksheet here.

Don’t forget to check out “12 Simple Bedroom Organisation Tips!” for more organisation tips!

4. Google Calendar to keep track of your schedule

I have been using my google calendar for years and would be lost without it. Although the bullet journal is great for writing down your tasks and plans, there is nothing quite like having access to your calendar no matter where you are. I don’t carry my bullet journal out with me on nights out and there is the chance you could leave it at home one day. A wall calendar just never worked for me as you can only view it when you are home and it’s not ideal for making plans or appointments on the go.

Typically you will always have your phone or access to a PC, laptop or tablet at work so there will be very few occasions where you aren’t able to check your calendar. Each time I make any plans it goes straight into my Google Calendar to make sure I don’t lose track of it and forget. There is so much to remember day-to-day and we should utilise what tools we have to make our life easier.

Another advantage of the Google Calendar is you can share it with whomever you need – your spouse, team, colleagues. It can help everyone stay on the same page as to what is happening and when. I’m sure there are other digital calendars out there but I have found this one the easiest and most reliable.

5. Utilise Organisation Apps 

There is a whole range of organisation apps out there to help you get organised. Apps such as Google Keep, Wunderlist and Colour Note are great for organising your notes and to do lists.

Colournote App

One of my personal favourites I love to use to keep track of notes is Colour Note app. There is an option for notes or checklists. You can make as many notes as you need and copy and paste information easily. It’s great for those times when you want to make a quick note like a movie recommendation, or if you come across a book you’d like to read. I like to make notes in mine such as what I have planned for the day, my shopping list and where I am going to shop, recipe ideas, travel packing lists, and so on. Even better, it syncs with your phone so you can back-up your notes – no fear of losing your phone and your important notes. You can easily send the notes to your email or share it with others.

Trello

I’ve also moved on to using Trello more recently which uses boards and cards which allows me to do all of the above and more. Boards can be things like ‘My to-do List’ or ‘favourite recipes’ and the cards under can contain your tasks or favourite recipes plus ingredients or other notes. You can add notes or due dates to your items/tasks.

I love that I can make a quick note in my list and move it where it needs to be later by selecting, move, board and card.

Google Drive

Another organisation app I love is Google Drive templates. It offers a to-do-list where you can list your to-dos by category, record the due date, enter a description and mark them as completed when done. Simply open up your Google Drive account, click+New, Google Sheets, From a template, To Do List and start organising! 

Try a few out, research your own and find what works best for you!

For more tips on getting organised check out  13 Time Management Tips to Get Organised for more tips on getting on top of your to do list and tools and techniques to become an organisation master.

This weeks questions: What are your favourite ways to stay organised? Do you have any apps to recommend? Please Comment below with your tips.

Freebies

Three Item Task List

Do you find yourself constantly getting overwhelmed by your to-do list and getting nowhere? If you’re stressed out looking at your list of To Dos that never seems to end you’re not alone. I’ve sure been there before many times. When we get overwhelmed it’s important to pause and ask ourselves what is truly important and prioritise.

Here is a system I first heard about from Joshua Becker at Becoming Minimalist to help keep you productive whilst taking out the stress of your to do list. Instead of writing a huge to do list with no structure or real plan, give this Three Item Task List Planner a go. See how to use this worksheet to manage your time and achieve your goals without the overwhelm.

How to Use the Three Item Task List

Simply save a copy of the file and print a copy of your Three Item Task List.

Pick up to three tasks that you need to do for each day of the week. The most important tasks that if you did them you would feel like you got ahead today and feel slightly less under the thumb. Write in what week you are in at the top and fill in the three tasks you need to do each day for the week ahead. You can mark in a rough time to get them done in the box to help you spread them out over the course of the day.

Of course if you get your three tasks done that day and feel like you could tackle more go ahead, the idea of this worksheet is to help you prioritise your task and tackle a small number each day so over time you make progress.

Grab your Free Three Item Task List Printable below!

And that’s it. Nice and easy, hey 🙂

Let me know in the comments below, if this system helps you to get on top of your to do list and what other organisational tolls help you to stay organised?

For more tips on how to get organised check out 4 Tips to a More Organised Life and 13 Time Management Tips to Get Organised

If you found value in this post I would be super appreciative if you could share it with others who might also find value in it 🙂