3 tips on having an organized space & boosting productivity
Does the chaos in your space sometimes affect your ability to focus and be productive?
You’re not alone. We’ve all been there–maybe you’ve had a busy week and haven’t found time to re-organize your space. Now, you find yourself losing focus on other tasks and struggling to be productive because you’re worried about when and how you will reorganize.
We’ve learned a few tricks over the years that can help you keep your space organized and keep you productive. They’ll also help you maintain productivity, even when your space is out of order.
Make a List
We’ve all had times where our space gets out of order and we start to panic. It can feel like there isn’t enough time to keep your space looking the way you want it to or there is something more important to do than organizing.
Try not to get lost in your thoughts. Instead take a moment to write a list of the tasks you need to get through for each room, and focus on checking things off your list. A list will show you how doable all of your tasks are, including your organizing and cleaning tasks. It will also help you stay focused on other areas where you need to be productive.
Focus on Quick Tasks
It’s natural to think that once our space is organized and decluttered, it will stay that way. In reality, you still have to actively maintain it. One big strategy for maintaining organization and productivity is handling the small tasks right away. If you make a habit of ignoring the small organizing tasks, eventually they pile up.
Instead, take care of these mini tasks as they come up. If you remove a few books from your bookshelf to find something new to read, return the ones you aren’t reading as soon as you make your choice. Probably the most challenging (but extremely rewarding) quick task is folding laundry as soon as it’s dry–it’s hard to do consistently, but it will make all the difference.
Some organization tasks can be tedious, but they help you keep your space organized throughout the week as you try to be productive on other tasks too.
Prioritize the Areas that Help You Focus
On some days you might not be able to keep your space organized, and that’s okay. You might need to prioritize. We’ve found that it’s best to focus on the areas that will help you be productive.
Do you lose concentration when you see dishes out of place, but don’t mind seeing a pile of laundry out? Then work on keeping your kitchen organized when you’re low on time, and take care of the laundy later! Prioritizing is key, because at some point we all have more to do than we have time for.
It can be hard to balance staying organized and maintaining productivity. You won’t always have time for everything, but you can find ways to make it work and maintain a space where you can be your most productive self!
