Even though we are slowly returning back to normal life, you might still have some extra time to spend productively. You can do some organising at home or make a bigger change in your habits and surroundings!

Why?

Saving time, effort and space

First of all, finding your belongings is easier and quicker both for yourself and the ones you live with. Putting them away becomes easier as well since you know where to place them. In addition, extra clutter piles up easily, taking up space from other items.

Knowing what you are doing and when

Most of us have that one friend or colleague who always knows what’s for lunch, when the next meeting is as well as what has to be prepared for it: they have an answer to everything. You might not be able to fully replace that person but making extra notes for your calendar is definitely not a bad idea. This also lets you plan your time more efficiently so you won’t waste time wondering around.

How?

Categorising

Start with easy things: make sure all your socks have a pair and are in the correct drawer. Once you get the idea, move onto more difficult ones, for example categorising important documents and the files on your laptop. The latter one might take up more time than you would imagine.

Calendars and to-do-lists

These two cannot be overlooked. Calendars can be used for a lot more than writing down the time and place of a meeting. You can plan workouts and meals, track money usage and write notes. You can either create your own bullet journal, buy a calendar with extra boxes to fill in or use an app on the phone.

Get rid of anything unnecessary

Do you really need a broken pen or the shirt you haven’t worn in five years? Probably not. Sometimes it’s difficult to let go of items we have had for a long time but daring to let go is important as well. This takes plenty of time, but the results are worth the patience. Also, avoid buying unnecessary things, even if a tent on sale would be a bargain.

Check your email subscriptions

With all the email subscriptions to different websites and membership clubs of shops, the inbox folder quickly fills up with unread emails. Unsubscribe to the ones you don’t need. If you still end up with many weekly emails, consider changing the subscription email address to one you don’t use as much. Remember to also keep your work life separate and don’t use your work email address for subscriptions! 

Declutter your wallet

This includes making sure there aren’t any unnecessary receipts in your wallet. You might also find an expired bank card or a membership card to a shop that no longer exists or you never visit.

Start in the morning

As you start your day off with something productive, you can give yourself the evening off. It’s also more difficult to start procrastinating if doing the dishes is the first task of the day. Good luck!