Thoughts on staying organized

I am a person who keeps making new plans all the time. Every now and then, I have an idea that lures me into converting it into a project, and I usually give in. While this is not a bad thing, there is a caveat- I struggle to stay organized. I constantly get distracted with new projects that demand my attention, new ideas that seek instant gratification, and unexpected emergencies that we all encounter now and then.  I was recently having a feeling of not being on top of things, and finally out of exasperation, I decided to make a list of all projects that I was trying to execute, and believe it not, I had 43 items on my list, many of which need several weeks of work  to accompolish!! 

With 43 projects crying for attention, planning is useless, and failing to plan is suicidal:-). So, I abandoned all projects at once, and immediately set out to figure out ways to get myself more organized and productive. Here are some tips that I’ve put together from varied sources, and from observing what works for me. . If you have tips that work for you, please share them, and I could add them to the collection here. By no means are these meant to be pieces of advice that I’m handing out to my kind readers ; rather, these are things that I aspire to follow.

• Do , defer, delegate or ditch it – Since I am not in a position to delegate most tasks , the idea is – Do some, defer few, ditch most ! Resolve to handle each piece of paper or email just once. For years I’ve had a strange habit – Whenever I would find an interesting article online but lacked the time to read it right then, I would mail myself the link to that article, in the blind hope that I would get back to it ‘someday’. Hundreds of such mails lie in my inbox-unread.  I now try to be ruthless when it comes to ditching things.
• Eliminate clutter – Having a clean desk clears your mind. Have no more on things on your desk than are essential.   
•  Prioritize – Make a list of 5 most important tasks that you need to get done today, and make sure you follow up on them.
• Google calendar – Use this to set reminders. You can configure it to mail/message you about a task you need to complete. A friend introduced this to me, and I can’t thank him enough! Some use techniques from the book “Getting things done’ to keep themselves organized. 
• Seek help – If you are like me, you have friends who are brilliant at some things that you suck at. Pick their brains, and ask them for ideas to better execute your plans !   
•  Get the basics in place – Sleep well, don’t miss your breakfast, and exercise ! Investing time in these will lead to a dramatic improvement in your productivity that will more than make up for the time that you ’wasted’ doing them. 
• Set tiny tasks for yourself, and accomplish them – and then have the pleasure of striking them off your list. It is essential to have some things on your list that you ‘know’ you can accomplish. You can’t stay motivated if you can’t get at least a few of the tasks done. 
• Question – Do you really need to do this task? Is there a simpler/better way to do it?
• Discover your time –hoggers – I’ve noticed that I sometimes waste a lot of time surfing the net mindlessly.  Become aware of your own patterns, and stay determined to beat them !
• Fix your habits before chasing your goals – A goal is usually a very specific one-time thing that we want to accomplish. A habit, on the other hand defines our way of life, and over a period of time, can dramatically improve our success or failure rate. For instance, staying organized is a habit that would aid you in achieving any goal.
• Practise mindfulness –This is one skill at which children are natural experts. Pay attention to what you’re doing right now, to the person you are talking to right now, the food you are eating right now .... Learn to live in the moment.
• Set aside a worry-hour – If you have to worry, set aside a specific time in the day when you will spend your time doing so.    
• Get into action – Don’t spend so much time planning that you have little left over for execution. Do something !
• Get out of your comfort zone – Try some crazy ideas occasionally to see if they actually work for you. A little bit of eccentricity can make life interesting.
• Laugh – There is always time to get things done :-) There is no evidence whatsoever to believe that life was meant to be serious. I’m not joking. 
• Embrace chaos – At times, no matter how organized you get, life will be chaotic. Do the best you can, crib a little, and get on with it:-)
• Take charge of your life – Accept responsibilities for your decisions. This is a way of life that you’ve chosen. If you can’t accept it, then change it. 
• Learn to say no – in as many languages as possible.