Be your best self.
Productivity

5 Things Organised People Do Every Day

Organised people are usually quite fascinating to the dis-organised. I know this because I’m an annoyingly organised person. When I worked in an office, I’d show up at the lunch table with a perfectly packed nutritious lunch every day and there would always be a few people who couldn’t quite figure out how I managed to function so efficiently.

5 things organised people do every day

It was like they thought I was a wizard or something. As illusive as organisation can be, I can assure you that most organised people, organise their lives in the same way and they’re consistent with their routines. It might sound boring as hell to chaotic types, but there’s merit in the mundane, I promise. Here are 5 things organised people do every day.

They plan the night before

Organised people do everything they can the night before to prepare for the next day. This might mean packing your bag, laying out your gym clothes, packing your lunch or charging your laptop. You should do anything you can tonight to make tomorrow better.

They embrace the concept of ‘good enough’

Organised people aren’t perfect and the reason why is because they know that done is better than perfect. You obviously want to do everything to the best of your ability but sometimes we use that an excuse to never finish anything. Nothing will ever be perfect so be a grown up and get it done instead.

They have morning and evening rituals

Most organised people do the same thing every morning and every evening. If you wake up in the morning, have a shower, eat breakfast, get dressed, read the paper and have a coffee, this ritual will become a habit and so will the managing of small tasks that stress you out daily. If you create a routine of putting your keys in the same spot everyday, you will always know where your keys are.

They do an evening tidy up

Clutter and mess are the enemy of organisation. Organised people do a tidy up at night because they know this will help them the next day. Crashing around the house trying to find your shoes is a really shit house way to start the day. It takes just ten minutes before you go to bed and it might just change your whole attitude for the coming day.

They completely finish a task before starting another one

Organised people love to complete tasks. There are few things I love more in life more than ticking off my to-do list for the day. Try to fall in love with task completion. You know that amazing rush of endorphins you get when you finish a run on the treadmill, hand in an assignment or finally empty your inbox? Why wouldn’t you try to have that feeling as many times in a day that you can manage?

How are you organisation skills? Good? Average? What are you orgaisatiom tips?

Research has shown that people who subscribe to the Smaggle newsletter and like Smags on Facebook are more likely to win the lottery. That’s probably not true but why take the risk?

27 Comments

  1. I Spy Plum Pie 9 years ago

    You’ve just described me to a tee – I love my rituals!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      It’s lovely isn’t it? I love being all tucked in bed with my bag packed, the dishwasher whirring and my gym gear all laid out… sigh!

  2. Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid 9 years ago

    I love my rituals. My mum would never go to bed unless the house looked tidy and I’ve inherited that. Preparing the night before is my favourite thing. I haven’t quite nailed the finishing one task before starting another though, because short concentration span and all that!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh totally! My mum too. I even tidy hotel rooms before I go to sleep. Woog’s sister calls it ‘making it fresh.’

  3. Kathryn 9 years ago

    I’m a naturally disorganised (or maybe lazy) person and I’ve had to work at being organised. Getting things ready the night before or preplanning stuff is so important. Putting your keys in the same spot is one of those tiny things that becomes life changing!

    One thing I’ve made myself do is not put something on the ‘to-do’ list if I can do it now. Lists are great for some things but they can also be a way to procrastinate. Instead of writing ‘call the bank’, pick up the phone and actually do it.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      That’s a huge one! If I get an email where I have to pay a bill, I do right then and there, otherwise I forget!

  4. Claire 9 years ago

    I love a good list!! In fact, I’ve been known to write something on a list that I’ve already done just so I can tick it off!! I don’t get that organised the night before, but know exactly the amount of time I need in the morning to get everything done 🙂
    And the day I said goodbye to perfection was the day I really started living!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I do that too! I love writing ‘done’ lists. They make me feel so accomplished!

  5. CWan 9 years ago

    Spot on! Lists and routines help me get through our busy lives

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I couldn’t function without my morning routine!

  6. 100% YES! x

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I knew you’d like this one! Forever friends in organisation!

  7. Fantastic Chaos 9 years ago

    I think I’m half and half. I do tend to plan the night before and most evenings do a clean up before bed. In saying that though, I’ll quite often walk out the door without getting my lunch that I’d planned the night before. Terrible, I know.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh that’s easy to do! I even sometimes do that… not often but sometimes! 🙂

  8. Dee 9 years ago

    Haha, so true. I do every one of these – except I’m a bit 50/50 on the last one. Sometimes I’m good at that and other times I start a lot of things at once. 🙂

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I’m a huge finisher! I started crocheting earlier this year and I actually finish everything I start – even giant blankets!

  9. sonya291 9 years ago

    Loved this post Carly and find I’m a huge list maker and get a thrill crossing it off as I go. I still need help to be consistent in being organised as a daily part of my life. But I’m getting there…….

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I just don’t understand people who don’t do lists. It makes me so sad.

  10. I am not at all an organised person but boy do I want to be. Sigh. Tidying the house at night will be hard but ill try!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Just give it a try! I tend to do little tidy ups in the ads of TV shows! Works a treat!

  11. Karyn 9 years ago

    I do all of those things. After spending the last 2 months living with my boyfriend for the first time, I’ve come to the realization that he is not one of those people. I find it annoying doing those things while he’s sitting on the couch watching TV, but I need to do it for my sanity!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I’m really lucky because Mr Smaggle likes to keep our house tidy too. I don’t know how I’d cope living with a messy person!

  12. Brett 9 years ago

    Further, Organisational tips for the masses: keep a whiteboard in the house in a high traffic area, its easy to wipe tasks off as they are completed and always in the forefront of your mind, like seeing a billboard every time you pass it. Also, set realistic, manageable goals, then chunk them down into smaller sub-steps, you will get a frequent sense of achievement. One more, keep a basic, accessible three phase activity station i.e. An “in tray”, an “out tray”, and one for “pending tasks” or “to-do”, then structure an audit time for it. Being organised in your personal affairs can be as simple as treating it like the “small business of you”. Enjoy.

  13. Toni 9 years ago

    I’m an Organised Person, and yes, you know all the secrets..well researched ??

  14. Toni 9 years ago

    I’m an Organised Person, and yes, you know all the secrets..well researched ??

  15. Julie Maher 2 years ago

    I, as a disorganised person, hereby claim permission to ignore the Beyonce meme on grammatical/language grounds. She doesn’t have ‘an amount of hours’, she has ‘a number of hours’.
    Now, where are my keys again? Oh, in my glass house?
    From a new subscriber, thanks for all the great info – I feel both ashamed of my laziness and inspired to write a to-do list now to begin an orderly life, one more time. Wish me luck!
    Jules

Pingbacks

  1. […] 5 Things Organised People Do Every Day  […]

Leave a Reply