There are two types of people this time of year – those who love buying school supplies and those who don’t! No matter what camp you fall into the start of the school year is a great time of year to get organized. How can you get organized and free up more time? School is in session with these tips:
- Manage Your Calendar. There are multiple ways to manage your calendar but start the school year by implementing a color-coded system. You can color code your calendar based on importance (red, yellow, green) or by areas of your life work, family, fitness or even some people suggest organizing your calendar based on your chakras. Start out with a minimum of three categories and code all your activities. Don’t be afraid to break out that new box of Crayola crayons and use all the colors of the rainbow if needed. You can then see what is monopolizing your time and you can work throughout the year to better balance your efforts.
- Tackle Your To-Do List. Even if you do not write it down, we all have a to-do list. In order to tackle your list, try writing it down at the end of every day. When you write it, think about tackling your tough tasks first instead of saving them for later in the day. Every office has a silent saboteur that can derail your list in mere minutes – email. Email is a to-do list that anyone can add to, so think about not checking your email first thing in the morning and start on your to-do list instead. Your newly color-coded calendar will tell you when it’s time for email. At the end of every day, throw out your list and start anew. This will keep you feeling fresh and moving forward.
- Declutter Your Work Space. Whether you have a cube at work or an entire office, chances are your space could stand to be cleaned up a bit. Use the deals on school supplies to pick up some new folders and storage boxes to tidy up your space. Next, organize your workspace in zones. For example, put work that you need to complete to the left of your computer and put completed items to the right. And once you have your work space neat and tidy, take a moment to run a disinfecting wipe over your desk to wipe out any germs.
Try some of these tips this fall and by spring break you’ll feel like you are ready to go to the head of the class. Let us know what works for you – we love to learn!
