Being disorganized feels a bit like playing Donkey Kong. Youâre constantly running and jumping from one platform to the next in pursuit of your goals while dodging all the barrels being thrown at you.
Your stress levels are through the roof and youâre also missing deadlines, forgetting to answer emails, and dropping the ball on important tasks.
And itâs affecting your personal life, too. Perhaps you forgot to pick your kids up from soccer practice, or your roommates are fed up with the constant chaos at home.
With so many competing priorities, you need to learn how to organize your day. This article will show you how in nine easy steps.
Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, stressed and always playing catch-up? Do days fly by and you’re not sure where the time went? You’re not alone. In our busy modern lives, it’s crucial to have systems to stay focused and productive throughout each day.
With some planning, prioritizing, and time management strategies, you can take control of your hours and organize your days to reach your full potential. Let’s explore some proven techniques to build structure, focus, and achieve more each day.
Set Realistic Goals
The first step to an organized, productive day is defining what you actually want to accomplish. Setting SMART goals gives you clarity and focus:
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Specific – Be precise about the end result you want
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Measurable – Quantify your goals so progress is trackable.
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Achievable – Make sure goals are within your skillset and resources
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Relevant – Align goals to larger objectives.
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Time-bound – Assign a deadline to create accountability.
Avoid vague goals like “work hard today” and get specific instead: “Finish client report by 3 PM”. This focuses your effort.
Eliminate Distractions
Distractions like social media, emails, slack messages and co-workers interrupt productivity. Set boundaries:
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Turn off notifications – Mute non-essential apps on your devices to avoid side-tracking.
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Designate “focus time” – Block off 1-2 hour periods for heads-down work.
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Use noise cancelling headphones – Listen to white noise or music to tune out ambient sounds.
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Work from home – Avoid the office chatter and interruptions when you need to concentrate.
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Limit meetings – Decline non-essential meetings and calls. Consolidate discussions when possible.
Prioritize Your Time
Not all tasks deserve equal time and energy. Use frameworks like:
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The Eisenhower Matrix – Sort tasks into “Important/Urgent”, “Important/Not Urgent”, “Not Important/Urgent” and “Not Important/Not Urgent” to focus time on top priorities.
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The 80/20 Rule – Identify and spend time on the 20% of tasks that drive 80% of outcomes.
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ABCDE Method – Assign each task a letter denoting priority level so you can act accordingly.
Stop wasting time on low-impact activities. Tackle high-value efforts first.
Practice Time Blocking
Batch similar tasks and schedule focused blocks of time to work on them without interruptions. Examples:
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Block 1 hour for checking emails at 9 AM rather than constantly throughout the day.
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Block 2 hours for creative writing every morning before taking meetings.
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Block Friday afternoons for analyzing weekly data and preparing reports.
Grouping tasks builds momentum and prevents day fragmentation.
Take Regular Breaks
Rest and recharge to boost productivity. Consider techniques like:
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Pomodoro Method – Work for 25 minute bursts then take 5 minute breaks.
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20-20-20 Rule – Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to reduce eye strain.
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Lunchtime walks – Get outside for 30 minutes of movement to refresh.
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Power naps – Nap for 10-30 minutes to restore focus, especially in the afternoon.
Don’t just work through lunch. Change of pace and scenery sparks creativity too.
Leverage Tools and Templates
Technology and templates can provide efficiency boosts:
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Task management apps like Asana, Trello, Todoist and Microsoft To Do help organize, prioritize and track tasks.
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Calendar apps like Google Calendar or Outlook build structure through appointing time to specific tasks and activities.
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Email templates streamline communications with standardized messages you can quickly customize.
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Productivity timers like Focusmate keep you accountable during work blocks.
Work smarter by utilizing tools designed to optimize organization and time management.
Reflect and Review
Take time at the end of each day to optimize:
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Review your goals – Determine what you accomplished and what remains. Re-prioritize as needed.
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Note lessons learned – Reflect on what went well and where you can improve workflow.
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Plan ahead – Spend 5-10 minutes visualizing priorities for the following day.
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Clear your mind – Leave any remaining thoughts about work behind so you can relax.
Daily assessment spotlights achievements, allows course correction, and empowers preparation for each new day.
Organizing your days strategically enables you to control your time, instead of letting time control you. Test out techniques like blocking time for priority work, minimizing distractions, taking breaks, leveraging productivity tools, and building end-of-day reflection into your routine. With some effort and discipline, you can achieve dramatically improved productivity and results. Give it a try!
Break big tasks down
Sometimes, we procrastinate over tasks because they seem too big and overwhelming. For example, letâs say you have to write a presentation for your companyâs annual meeting.
It requires gathering data from various sources and putting it together in a way thatâs going to impress the leadership team, and you know itâs going to take a day or two.
If you put âwrite presentationâ as an item on your to-do list, youâll probably feel overwhelmed and procrastinate.
But if you break it down into bite-sized, actionable tasks, such as âget data from the finance departmentâ or âget quarterly sales numbers from the sales team,â it will be easier to get started.
Start with the hardest task
Similarly, weâll often procrastinate over our most difficult tasks, preferring to tick quick wins like answering emails off the list for a little hit of dopamine.
But this isnât an efficient approach. Instead, many time management experts recommend the ârocks, pebbles, and sandâ technique.
Imagine your time is a large glass jar, and your tasks are represented by a pile of rocks, pebbles, and sand that you need to fit into the jar.
The rocks are your big, urgent tasks, the pebbles are the semi-urgent tasks, and the sand represents the non-urgent tasks.
If you fill the jar with sand first, thereâll be no room for the rocks or pebbles. But if you start by putting in the rocks first, you can fit the pebbles on top and, finally, fill the gaps with the sand.
How to Organize Your Day for Maximum Results | Jim Kwik
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Why is organization important?
Organizing is an important means of creating coordination and communication among the various departments of the organization. Different jobs and positions are interrelated by structural relationship. It specifies the channel and mode of communication among different members. What are types of Organization?
What is a collaborative calendar?
Using a collaborative calendar is an effective way to organize schedules and tasks with other staff members. These are applications that allow you to create a digital calendar and share it with your coworkers. Everyone in your group can add or remove items from the calendar like meetings, deadlines and reminders.
