5 ways to help keep you structured!

1. Make a schedule: You want to begin this process by sitting down and taking the time to make a schedule. It doesn’t have to be extremely rigid but you don’t want it to be chaotic either. Make one that is going to be the most efficient one for your personality. What happens when you create an agenda is that you are developing structure and regulation which will naturally become part of your daily routine if you stay consistent. You want your schedule to be organized and sensible meaning that it has to be thought out and formatted to fit what you can realistically accomplish. Don’t just throw something together and call it a day because all that will do is take you right back to square one.

Every one of us has the exact amount of hours in a day available to us. By becoming more structured, it allows you to maximize the moments that you have at your disposal. One primary thing that you can do is group your tasks together,

For instance:

·         Use the silent moments in the early morning before work or before the kids wake up to pray, read, meditate, and check e-mails. (All of the things that can be done that are most productive when it is quiet)

·         Use your lunch break to run errands, workout, set up appointments, and all the things that can be done that don’t necessitate a whole lot of time.

·         Link together things that need to be done that require a more significant amount of time like writing essays, creating reports, or finishing projects. (Pick a specific day out of the week devoted explicitly to these responsibilities and focus strictly on them).

By clustering some of your daily activities you will free up extra hours which in turn will allow more availability to keep your day effective. In the long run it will reduce your stress levels and produce a system that will work for you if you see it through. The bottom line is you have to make a schedule and stick to it!

2. Learn to Balance: It is most definitely true that too much of anything is never beneficial for anyone. You start one project and then midway through you decide to start another but never actually completing the first one leaving you multitasking between the two at the same time. Or, you volunteer for your child’s school activities, you are undertaking the position of head of the marketing committee, and all the while you are leader of the choir at your church. Trying to be ten places at once and do a million things at the same moment will do nothing but cause disorganization in your life.

Just like a juggler balances the objects that he has in his hands being mindful to spend equal amount of time on each thing so that one does not fall, you must do the same. You have to learn to balance what you have on your plate making sure that you find openings in your day to fulfill everything that needs to be done. Do not spend every second on one activity neglecting all others. Refrain from overwhelming yourself with so many obligations that now you are completely swamped. It is ok for you to say no if you know deep down inside there is no way you are going to be able to adequately fulfill what’s being ask of you. You don’t want to half step on anything that you have agreed to accept responsibility for because it will be a poor reflection on you and your work ethic. Learning to balance is going to be fundamental in helping you find structure.

3. Avoid Distractions: When you are trying to work, spend quality time with the kids, cook, or anything else that needs to get done; distractions are your worst enemy. Before you decide to take on your duties for that day, you want to make sure that you are strategic on when you begin them. This tip will go hand in hand with tip number 1 (creating a schedule). If you are trying to get a task done ensure that you are scheduling it during a period when your environment will allow you to do so. Get rid of all of the distractions that will prevent you from getting into your zone and getting the job finished.

For example, if you are spending quality time with your kids you want to make sure that you’ve already cleaned the house, prepared the meal, and whatever else needs to be completed that will prohibit you from giving your children undivided attention. If you allow distractions into your structured routine they will create disorder and prevent you from successfully carrying out all of the things that require your full concentration. It is the same scenario if you are attempting to finish work related assignments; go to a quiet place where you know you will not be interrupted. Turn your phone on silent and communicate to the people around you that you need some space to enable you to take care of some of the things on your schedule. By creating the proper atmosphere and planning ahead, it will give you the ability to successfully avoid unwanted interruptions.  

4. Prioritize: Once you’ve made your schedule with all of the responsibilities needed to be taken care of on it, you have to prioritize. Take your list which includes every duty that has to be taken care of and categorize them from most important to least important. This will help you have a visual guide as to what is most critical and requires your attention as soon as possible. By itemizing your list it helps you become more organized freeing up additional time to handle your other obligations and fit in personal commitments. Accountability management is so vital when it comes to structuring your priorities.

Start by using the first part of your day to knock out the urgent assignments which will avoid unnecessary stress. When you have an environment that is worry free it assists you in remaining focused so that you can work more efficiently. The reason why is because now that you have prioritized you have eliminated the nerve-wracking feeling of not knowing where to begin. Now that you have taken care of the more significant items on your list go on to the next most important and so on until you come to a reasonable stopping point. Another key factor is knowing when you should end your duties for the day. Once you get these strategies implemented you will begin to see that you have moments available that you never thought you would. All it really takes is application and a disciplined mindset to get you adjusted to a more effective way when it comes to structure.  

5. Recognize the parts of your life that need more structure: If you don’t know that there is a problem there is zero percent chance that you will be able to resolve the issue. You have to keep it real with yourself and be honest about the things in your life that need more structure.

Some of the signs that point to disorganization are:

·         You are always late to every appointment, meeting, function, etc.

·         You are continuously running around like a chicken with your head cut off anytime anything of importance needs to be done.

·         You can never fully complete any task even the ones that require minimal effort.

·         You are not keeping up with the household necessities (food, bathroom supplies, cleaning materials, and so on).

Once you recognize that there are hindrances in the way keeping you from being more equipped, you can take the required steps to fix them. There is no reason that you should feel rushed in everything that you do. It is so true that a chaotic environment creates a stress filled atmosphere. Why would you want to put yourself in that kind of situation if it can be prevented? The majority of people that deal with a lack of structure are because they procrastinate, they are undecided, and they do not have concentration. You have to pinpoint what it is that is causing you to accept the disarray in your life and take the proper measures to make the appropriate changes. It all begins with you, one day at a time!