Heyyy, I just discovered your blog and I wanted to say your photos are truly beautiful and inspiring. Btw I was wondering if you have any advice on how to stay organized. Have a great day🌹❤
Thank you so much for your kind message, you don’t know what a beautiful start to my day this was.
I am by nature quite an unorganised person, or a least have been in my past but I have found many things and ways that work very well for me. Today I can definitely say that I am organised and on top with things most of the time.
How to stay organised and productive
(as a naturally unorganised person)
Waking up with the right mindset and focus is detrimental to productivity and organisation. The first hour spent after my breakfast really sets the tone for the day.
Use and bring a To-Do List
I use my Leuchtturm Calendar as a To-Do List and always always bring it with me everywhere. To get a good nights sleep and rest well, I use my evenings to add tasks to my list that I have to do the next day. This way you make sure you don’t forget important tasks over night and it also keeps you from working too late.
Have a prioritisation system for your to-do list
I use the “ABC-Method”. Tasks that have to be done I mark with an A, Tasks that should be done I mark with a B and Tasks that could be done I mark with a C. You could replace the Letters by doing colour coding, too.
I always start with my A tasks and then do my B and C tasks. The only exception is tasks that will take me less than 5 minutes. These I will do instantly but never more than 3. You know when you just bring a cup to the kitchen and then just answer and email and then just message a friend and then an hour is gone? Don’t do that! Set rules for yourself :)
Choose a maximum for your to-dos
For me it’s something like six tasks but it always depends on how much time I will be having on that day or how big the tasks are
Be very very precise with your tasks
Try not to write “finish essay on aesthetics” but try splitting it up instead. E.g. “search and summarise literature”, “write discussion part”, “send essay to professor”, etc. This way you make sure your workload is clear and you can’t make any excuses :)
Have a clean desk in the morning
you really can’t expect yourself to be productive and organised when you wake up to a messy desk. Don’t expect yourself to clean it up in the morning. I know I often won’t do it. If you have enough time and energy even try to put all the things you will need the next day on your desk, ready to start :)
Have a place for everything
As a naturally very untidy person I have had a hard time keeping my flat somewhat clean and neat. Nowadays I would actually consider me as fairly tidy and this is simply due to routines and motivation. For me there was no magic tip or trick to keep my room tidy. One day I wrote down why a certain level of tidiness is important to me and pinned it over my desk. I bought drawers for under my desk and labeled them (uni, work, drawings, random, etc.) I took a picture of what I want my desk to look like and pinned it over my desk. There are many ways to get organised and tidy and I am by no means an expert on that. Try different techniques (maybe KonMari is for you) and see what works for you. Everybody is different. And most importantly: Don’t expect yourself to have a clean room all the time. Nobody has that and it sometimes just isn’t possible.
I use a paper calendar by Leuchtturm but it really doesn’t matter what you use and how much it is. Tumblr is definitely a dangerous place if you are prone to overbuying. You do not need a fancy calendar, you do not need an expensive calendar app. Just find one that works for you and use it. For me this is a calendar where I see one week per double page and have time stamps for every day. This way I block out time periods for different tasks every day. I colour code my calendar for the categories uni, uni tasks at home (like studying, preparation, …), friends/family/hobbies, important (like going to a doctor), work. Here’s an example week in my calendar from may :)
Most importantly: Don’t be too hard on yourself
Being organised is a nice things but it is not everything. Don’t blame yourself if you’re not much of an organised person. The best artists and authors are often quite chaotic. Being a little unorganised is who you are and it makes you special. As long as it doesn’t get in your way, don’t worry too much. You don’t have to be super organised to do well. I was the most unorganised kid in school and still did very well :)
