This article is part of our BFFT series – Benjamin Franklin’s Favorite Tips for Personal Development – Maintaining Order)
Is it important to have an organized life?
The benefit of being organized is that it allows us to become MORE – we can do more, achieve more, have more time for fun, and generally enjoy life more. So being organized has many payoffs!
See if any of these feelings are familiar to you:
- Overwhelmed?
- Frustrated?
- Dissatisfied?
- Out of control?
Those who organize their lives will tend to excel far beyond those that don’t. It requires less thought, less searching, less stress. Imagine yourself being organized – doesn’t it feel like a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders? But what does it actually mean to have an “organized life?” What do you have to do to get there?
Here is some advice from a professional organizer. To organize life you will capture all of your worthwhile thoughts so that you may efficiently choose your actions for all that is important to you, without wasting time or losing time, and allowing you to succeed at whatever you desire.
When she gets off track, she does a 10 minute Get-on-track Review. Essentially it is about writing down things weighing on her mind. She uses these categories and self-questions to help organize life in 10 minute focus sessions.
Check in with yourself – Touch in on your emotions and physical experience. Accept and appreciate how you feel right now. This is the core of how to organize life. It starts from within.
Quick review of yesterday – Take a moment to reflect on yesterday, as that is where you have come from.
What is on the agenda for today – Think of your fixed appointments, the general layout of your day to come, and where the areas of your day are where you get to decide exactly what you do with the time.
How do you fit into society – What do you want to do in society, in your community? What is your place and purpose in terms of contribution and business?
Visualize how your life feels when it is organized – Picture the biggest possible ideally organized living circumstances that fill your fantasy. This connects you with the spark of life.
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What projects are you working on – Now you are ready to consider the actual projects and responsibilities that you have in your life. Tasks, hobbies, interests, pursuits, business ideas, etc.
Organize Life for Right Now – Through the above self-question process you are probably now ready to decide on what you can do next to organize your life even more.
This may feel awkward to you when you first begin, so this 10 minute review session might take longer when you first start doing it. Take your time with it, and you will find the time you spend gets less and less – and the rewards will increase exponentially!
Ben Franklin himself used to ask himself two questions every day. He asked himself “What good shall I do this day?” and then “What good have I done today?” He was a great proponent of asking questions for clarity!
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