Tips for staying organised even when your life feels super chaotic

Hey there everyone and how are you all doing today? 

Personally, I’m exhausted! 

I’ve been up to my eyeballs in research that I need to get done for one of my university assignments, I still have some work I need to get done for my job, and the term is about to commence on Monday. There are so many things to do, and dates and deadlines to keep track of – honestly it feels like I’m drowning in one of those colourful ball pits. Every time I think I’ve organised some of my thoughts, I move, and suddenly the balls have all shifted, and I’m back to square one. 

How can things already feel this chaotic and 2021 has barely begun?? 

Okay, in all honesty, I’m probably being a bit dramatic about the drowning thing. Still, it does certainly feel like there are already a million things to get done and staying organised has never been more critical, especially since the next wave of covid has sent so many countries into much stricter restrictions. I think the last thing we all need is the stress that comes from disorganised chaos and not feeling on top of things. So today, I’m going to be sharing a few tips for staying organised and keeping things vaguely together even when it feels like your life has descended into chaos. 

Remember the big picture. 

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt over the years is the value of stepping back and remembering the bigger picture. When it feels like things are so overwhelming and stressful, the best thing to do is to take a step back and try to zoom out a little. For instance, I already feel like I’m falling behind on work for my one project, but then I take a step back and remember that it’s only due at the end of the month and I deliberately started all my work early, so I didn’t have to rush myself. Reminding yourself of things like that, or how important something really is, is the first step to reigning in the chaos because then you realise if you actually need to stress about it or if you just need to reshuffle things. 

Daily to-do list

In my mind, having a daily to-do list is the key to staying organised. Ask anyone close to me – I absolutely adore lists. I make them all the time, and my most sacred is my to-do list. If things are feeling hectic and you think you need to get things more structured, write yourself a list of things to accomplish for today. Now the critical thing here is not to set the bar too high. Be realistic of what you think you can achieve in a day so that you rather end up doing extra things that weren’t on your list as opposed to only finishing half your list (which can be incredibly disheartening). 

Also, an important thing to remember is to make your list on the day because you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Maybe you have tasks from yesterday you need to complete, or something comes up that takes precedence, so while it might feel nice to make lists ahead of time, for a daily to-do list I’d recommend writing it on the day, maybe as the first thing you do after you get out of bed in the morning? Or am I the only one who loves lists enough to start making them that early? 

Compartmentalise 

When you’re organising material things, be it clothes, stationery, or anything, the best way to organise them is to sort and separate correct? You’ll put all your shirts in one pile and jeans in another. Pens get put in the mug on your desk, and highlighters and markers are arranged by colour in your drawer. One of the easiest ways to organise is to compartmentalise, and the same can be said for organising your life. If you have tasks to do, sort them in terms of what is most urgent or the most challenging to complete. Keeping things separate (much like work and relax time) make completing them far easier, and things will feel less chaotic in general. 

Pace yourself 

OH, this is a big one and one I am still struggling with. Sometimes it takes every fibre of my being to do this, and sometimes I’m not entirely successful … 

When it comes to staying organised, it is so important to pace yourself. This ties up with the point about remembering the big picture because if you’re looking at the big picture, you can divvy up your tasks into small, manageable chunks and know that you won’t feel rushed or overwhelmed. Remember – Rome wasn’t built in a day and most tasks can’t be done all in one go either (at least for me). With whatever you need to do, divide it up into manageable bits (think back to how you’re structuring your daily to-do list) and go one step at a time. That way, not only will you get things done to the best of your ability, but you also won’t feel exhausted by the time you’re finished or overwhelmed by how big the task is. 

Hit pause 

Part of pacing yourself includes this essential, last tip … HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON!! 

Even if our life is very chaotic at the moment and it feels like we need to get everything done as soon as possible so that the universe doesn’t implode and we end up a sad puddle of melted ice cream and leftover confetti, it is so vital to hit the pause button every now and then. We all need to take a break to allow our mental batteries a chance to recharge. Only by taking a little time off and away from all those tasks or organisation, can we come back fresh and able to do it with the zealous it needs. Nothing can go forever without needing a pause to recharge or refuel, and we are no exception so promise me that no matter how crazy things seem, you take a break every now and again okay? I promise it will actually make you more efficient when you come back – you just need to trust me on that. 

Think about staying organised like doing the dishes – it’s far easier to just get it done as it comes than to let it all pile up into a mountain of mess. Sometimes a plate might get broken, it may take you longer than you think, but at the end of the day it’s just dishes, but you still need them to be clean, so you can eat off them. 

Sometimes staying organised feels like a Herculean task and you wouldn’t be wrong there, but there are some things we can do to make it slightly easier and I hope that this blog post has done that for any of you who may be feeling particularly overwhelmed right now. It’s hard to get organised, and sometimes even harder to stay organised, but if you stick with it and do everything as it comes, I promise that you will get through it without becoming that melted ice cream and confetti puddle. I sincerely hope that for anyone who needed this post, it was helpful, and for all those who are already organised that you are having a great start to 2021! Right, now that this is off my daily to-do list it is off to my next task … 

See you all next week! 

Lots of Love

Blondey on a Mission xxx