Do you have piles of paper scattered on your desk? Do you consistently miss deadlines or regularly feel overwhelmed and overworked? Do you run late for meetings or miss appointments?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, organization may be an issue. Being well organized is essential for maximizing productivity and achieving a well-balanced lifestyle. Organization can be broken into two categories:

1)    Physical (i.e. clutter free home and workspace)
2)    Mental (i.e. knowing priorities and objectives)

Clutter is chaos. If you live or work in an environment overrun with physical clutter, mental clutter is sure to follow. This will cost you more than you think. Living a cluttered life will drain your energy, lead to poor time management and decrease your overall efficiency and effectiveness.  Over time, the wear and tear of living a disorganized life will result in increased stress and anxiety, strained relationships and issues at work.

The good news is, unlike many other aspects of life, you have total control of your organization. All of the negative consequences associated with poor organization can be managed and avoided through your actions.

How do you become more organized? Consider the following strategies:

  • Use a planner: Planning your day can help you get more accomplished. Schedule your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last minute rushes.
  • Prioritize your tasks: Time consuming, yet unimportant tasks can monopolize your day. Prioritizing tasks will ensure you are spending your time and energy on what is most important.
  • Write it down: Do not try to store too much information in your head. Write down key points of conversations so you can refer back to them.
  • Eliminate the clutter: It is easier to think with a clear mind when you are not in a cluttered environment. Throw away junk mail as soon as you get it and put things away immediately after you are done with them. Start with a small area to de-clutter and work from there.
  • Practice time management skills: Time management and organization are closely intertwined. Don’t over commit, limit distractions, take the time to do a quality job the first time around, and delegate your work.

For this week and moving forward, identify areas where you can improve with your organization and use the above strategies to get started. Take control and do not allow poor organization to sabotage your health and fitness efforts or create additional stress in your life!