The most successful people on the planet will tell you that one of the major keys to their successes is organisation.
Organisation is one of, if not, the most crucial component of the path to living a rewarding life. Unfortunately, many people don't learn this until it's a bit too late to curb their bad habits. So, it's best to start as early as possible and the best time is NOW!
Here are some quick tips on becoming organised and setting yourself up to WIN...
Rather than thinking of everything that you have to do as one big clump of tasks, divide them into streams like: academic, fitness, personal, career, extracurricular, household chores, etc.
This will help to create a SYSTEM for keeping tabs on everything that you need to get done. You want to also keep an open mind as you go through your task list. It's okay to rearrange as you go along to avoid excessive overlap and stress.
2. DECLUTTER YOUR WORKSPACE
A cluttered workspace makes for a cluttered mind. One of the biggest opponents to organisation and success is overwhelm... and having a cluttered workspace surely encourages those feelings of anxiety and stress, leading to procrastination.
Ensure your workspace is clutter free at all times. In fact, it's best to only have the material related to the specific task in front of you at any given time. A cluttered workspace also allows for distraction. Rather than focusing on the task at hand, your eyes and mind wander to something else in your workspace and your focus shifts away from what needs to get done. The human brain was never made to multi-task (it's actually not good at it at all... no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that it is). So create a space that allows for that tunnel vision focus. This is especially crucial for achieving academic goals and other tasks that require a high level of focus and discipline.
Remember too that your workspace involves your browser! Make a habit of CLOSING tabs that are not in use so that you can focus on getting what you need to get done, done!
It has been scientifically proven that to do lists help to curb feelings of chaos and overwhelm, and encourage productivity.
Psychologist and author Dr David Cohen believes in the power of to-do lists for three reasons: they dampen anxiety about the chaos of life; they give us a structure, a plan that we can stick to; and they are proof of what we have achieved that day, week or month.
To do lists and task breakouts are simultaneous systems of planning and reward. Having a clear plan provides you with structure to getting tasks done, and crossing each task off sends a surge of dopamine that relieves stress!
Utilise productivity tools like "Clickup" (this is a little complex) or "Todoist" to create your to do lists and monitor your progress on your different project streams. Breakout your tasks and projects into smaller parts and tick them off as they are completed.
4. ROUTINE & DISCIPLINE ARE CRUCIAL
There's no guarantee that you'll always be motivated to complete your tasks and stick to your deadlines. As a matter of fact, it's a guarantee that you won't. There's not a single person on this earth who always wants to do the things they need to. How do overcome these periods of simply just not wanting to? Discipline.
You have to force yourself to do the things that you've committed to doing, even when you're simply not feeling the 'vibe' for it. Especially when it comes on to studying, it's wise to establish a routine for the completion of assignments and meeting study goals.
Note taking doesn't only apply to school and the classroom. Get in the habit of writing things down! So much happens in our brains every day, don't burden it with the task of trying to remember every single upcoming event, assignment and commitment. Write everything down.
As for school, read up on the
Cornell and
Mind-Mapping methods of note taking and find which one suits you best.
Organisation is not a skill that everyone was born to be naturally good at... but it is a skill that you NEED if you want to be the best that you can possibly be. The good thing is that you don't have to figure it out all by yourself. There are so many tools now that are available at your fingertips to help you get organised and strategize your best life!
One of those tools is the Teen Success Club.
It's a space just for teens that's dedicated to building the soft skills needed to be truly successful in this world... because let's face it, book smarts is not all there is to being a successful human!
