Functional Organizational Skills for Daily Living

In a world that moves at increasing speed, mastering the use of time, materials and talent are crucial skills for successful living. The more organized we are, the sharper our focus and stronger the momentum for achieving both short- and long-term goals. Here are some suggestions to help you make the most of your time.

Structure

• Structure starts with having your personal environment clutter free, with everything stored in a specific place so that it can be easily retrieved. Knowing where your stuff is saves you time. Little increments of time saved add up to hours, even weeks saved that you can use for other activities. Mastering small organizational feats in your home, office, and garden will give you confidence and peace of mind that will filter into all other aspects of your life, making your day run more smoothly.

Time

• Achieve mastery over your time and activities by making a daily list of objectives to be accomplished. Prioritize your list, putting the most important things first. When you finish a task, cross it off the list. This will give you a sense of confidence that you are achieving your goals. Revise your list daily. Reduce long-term goals and larger projects to a series of smaller goals. By achieving each successive smaller step, you will be well on the way to mastering larger ambitions.

Set a Time

• Decide what needs to be done first and then set an appropriate time to do it. Part of efficiency is correctly estimating the time it takes to complete something. Communicate clearly and succinctly when making a schedule. Simplify your needs and get rid of what you don't want, to make room for what you do want.

Prepare and Execute

• Procrastination, the continual putting off of things, slows production, clouds vision, and wastes time and energy. It is the antithesis of organization. Lack of organization results in lost opportunities due to lack of preparation. Organization is the conservation of natural resources. Organization saves time, reduces stress, builds self-confidence, increases work efficiency and creates balance and composure in daily living.