GETTING ORGANISED FOR 2022

It's December, Christmas is almost here and the end of the year will soon be upon us. I love the New Year. There's something magical about the idea of a fresh start and the possibilities that a new year brings. So, if you're anything like me, the last thing you want is to get to January 1st with loads of overdue tasks, a half-arsed idea of some goals you want to set but no plan, and then feeling like you've missed the boat on January 1st, so why bother? Now, I'm 100% NOT saying that New Year is the only time to set goals and that you must set resolutions (I actually don't believe in resolutions!) and that if you don't have your sh*t together by January 1st then you've failed! However, for me, I like the order of loose ends being tied up by the end of the year, giving me the chance to feel like I can fully embrace the new year for all the prospects it brings. And that is why I wrote this post!

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1. FINISH ANY TASKS FROM 2021 If you've got projects on the go that you can get finished, any work deadlines, or even just small tasks you've been putting off but definitely have time for, this is your polite notice to do it now! Don't take that stress with you into the new year. Even the smallest tasks can give you the biggest headaches, because the daily reminder that you need to do them, over time can become a huge source of anxiety for you. Don't do that to yourself. If it takes less than 5 minutes, do it straight away. Something I find super helpful is to get a notepad, or the notes app on my phone, and walk around my home or workspace, and list absolutely everything I could possibly have to do, prompted by things I see around me (such as a tap that needs fixing, a pile of laundry to do etc.) That way, I have it all in one place rather than random to-do's popping into my head and making me feel like I have a million things to do. From there, you can organise that list - which tasks are priority, which can wait, which are small and can be done straight away? If they're too big to finish this year, don't stress - the perfect window to get them started / completed can be planned for the new year.

2. INBOX ZERO There are two types of people in the world - inbox zero, and inbox 698,4567 and counting! I'm definitely an inbox zero kinda gal, the little red notifications on my phone stress me out! (My wife on the other hand is the latter, and refuses to become an inbox zero gal, haha!) If however, you DO want to get to inbox zero, start by emptying your junk folder. There's no emotional attachment and no tasks you need to deal with in there, just spam, so delete it. Feel better? Now move on to the next lot.

I use the Microsoft Outlook app (not sponsored) on my phone rather than the built in mail app, because I have multiple email addresses for different work things, and this app allows you to view all of them in one place, or click on them separately if you prefer. In this app, it also sorts your mail out by 'Focused' and 'Other.' 'Focused' are emails that are probably important and have been sent to you directly, and 'Other' tends to be things you're on the mailing list for and has been sent to thousands of people. If you use a mail app similar to this, I recommend tackling 'Other' first. Select all of the emails in the list, then scan down the list to see if any jump out as being important / need to be read. If so, un click them. Once you get to the end, delete everything still selected, leaving only the ones you selected as important. If you have thousands of unread emails and the idea of scrolling through the whole list seems too daunting, instead try searching for senders or keywords of emails you know you probably need to keep that may be hidden in the mass of emails, and singling them out this way. Here, you can flag or deal with them before deleting everything else. Then move on to your focussed section and do the same.

I also recommend having folders within your inbox - not too many. If you can whittle it down to just two, "Keep" and "To Action" then you're on to a winner! "Keep" should only contain those emails with vital info that you must keep hold of, and "To Action" is just that, email that you are yet to respond to / need to keep temporarily. Anything else can be deleted. If you run a product / service based business, I recommend keeping a separate folder for invoices, so you know exactly where they are.

3. UNSUBSCRIBE TO JUNK MAIL

This is applicable both online and offline. If you're getting flyers through the post because you signed up to something, see if you can take yourself off the list. This isn't always possible, but if you can then do. Unsubscribing to junk emails is really simple, just scroll to the bottom of the email and there should be a button to unsubscribe. This can be a tedious task, but it's so worth it once it's done.

4. DELETE UNWANTED APPS + ARRANGE RAINBOW STYLE A LA THE HOME EDIT

This is one of the best things I ever did for organising my phone. I went through all the apps and deleted ones I don't use, and then I put each app into a folder with apps with matching colours, and organised then into the rainbow order - ROYGBIV - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. I then had to tack on greyscale, white, black and multicoloured to the end of that system. Obviously moving anything around on your phone take a minute to get used to, but it looks so much better!

(If you haven't already read this book, you should! Or at least follow their super inspirational instagram feed @thehomemedit

BONUS TIP: I used an app called 'Brass' to add bookmark covered and widgets to my phone to make it all festive! I have my most used apps on the front page with the festive covers on as it pleases me, and then the rest of my apps are rainbow-ified on the next page.

5. DONATE UNWANTED CLOTHES If you prefer, you can sell them on, but ultimately it's the perfect excuse for a wardrobe clear out. You know what you haven't worn in 12 months probably isn't getting worn again - it's time to let go. Recycle anything that's not suitable for anyone else to wear, mend anything that you're not wearing purely because it has a button missing / needs stitching up, and donate everything else you don't wear. Now, isn't that nice being able to see all of your favourite clothes? BONUS TIP: If you have the time / inclination, this is the perfect opportunity to give everything a wash (especially if you have rediscovered hidden items that you haven't worn for ages) so it smells fresh and lovely, then steam/iron/fold/hang accordingly, and give your shoes a clean/polish. While your wardrobe is empty, don't forget to give the inside of your wardrobe a polish, and maybe even hang an air freshener or little bag of scent boosters. Your whole wardrobe will be gleaming and smell incredible!

6. ORGANISE ALL OF YOUR NOTES AND IDEAS IN ONE PLACE

I am an avid note maker. The notes app on my phone, multiple notebooks, scribbles in journals... I'm also a big fan of mind maps, so I quite frequently make mind maps with the word "mind" in the middle, and put everything in my head at the time down on paper, whether its ideas, things I need to remember etc. I prefer things written down, as it means I don't have to solely rely on my memory. However, this does result in having lots of notes in lots of places! Something I've found SO useful this year, is an app called Asana (not sponsored, just love it.) I have it on my desktop and my phone, so I can use it anywhere.

You can create different projects, and within each project you can organise all of the tasks. For me, I use it to organise different areas of my life, including my bucket list and goals, work projects, ideas and even planning blog posts. Plus, it means I have everything on one app, not all over the place! I scoured through my notebook and journals and notes on my phone to put all the notes I wanted to keep into the app, and deleted them from my notes / was able to let go of the paper! It's made the world of difference.

7. ORGANISE PAPERWORK

Keeping with the same categories as your inbox, 'Keep' and 'Action' and you should be able to organise your paperwork in no time! I'm not saying you need to have 'actioned' all of your paperwork by the new year, but gathering all of those piles of paper you've been "meaning to deal with" into these 2 categories will definitely help you get more organised.

I like to use a concertina file like this for my "Keep" file, as I can label each section to know exactly where to find something, such as 'car,' 'bank' etc.

I like to use a magazine file for my 'Action' file so I can see when there's something in it, plus it's easy to throw things in there to help keep my desk tidy, and it sits on my bookshelf nicely.

8. WRITE A BUCKET LIST

I find goal setting and bucket lists so enjoyable. I also try to use my bucket list to create my goal list, because I believe that by making your dreams into goals, you are more likely to actually achieve them because you plan for your goals and make time for them. You're about to find out just how much I love a list! So, I divide both my bucket list and my goals into 8 categories: ( -- told you!) 1. HOME AND FAMILY 2. TRAVEL

3. ADVENTURE 4. SKILLS & EDUCATION 5. WORK & BUSINESS 6. CHARITY, FUNDRAISING & COMMUNITY 7. HEALTH & FITNESS / PERSONAL GROOMING 8. HOBBIES & INTERESTS

I started off by making a big old bucket list - anything I've ever thought about doing, would love to try, places I want to see, things I want to learn etc. Then I divided it into these categories (yours might fall outside of these categories, in which case, create your own categories!) Then, at the start of each year, I think about which ones I might actually be able to achieve this year - for example, buying a house is on my list under 'home and family' but I won't be able to afford to do it this year, so it will wait. But, going to New York, which is in my Travel category, IS something we are hoping to do this year. So, then I make a list of goals for the year based on my bucket list. Then, I divide it into seasons, so if I don't know exactly which month I will be able to do something, I at least know I want to do it in the Summer, for example. Then, when the season approaches, I look at my goals for the season and organise it by month, then I organise the months into weeks etc. I use the Asana app to do all of this, too.

It sounds a lot written down, and I know this won't be for everyone, but I really like doing it this way! The reason I divide the initial bucket list into categories is so that when I'm picking out which ones I want to aim for, I'm making sure to pick at least one from each category, so I don't find myself only ever leaning towards the easy-to-achieve ones!

9. NEW CALENDAR, NEW PLANNER, NEW JOURNAL

I LOVE new stationery; it's one of the reasons I end up with lists and notes all over the place, because I'm a sucker for a new notebook! But, this is a genuinely perfect opportunity to get the goods. I enjoy having a paper calendar hanging in my kitchen, even though I use my phone calendar for actually writing appointments etc. Whichever kind of calendar you prefer for organisation, don't forget to 'set it up' before the new year approaches. Add in birthdays, annual events and any plans you have already booked in. I also like to add it local events that I know the dates for so they don't sneak up on me at the time, as well as charity occasions (such as the macmillan coffee morning, the race for life etc.) so I know to register for the events.

A planner is a must, whether you use an app or a physical one (I prefer a physical one.) At the start of each month I will scan my calendar for whatever is happening that month and add it in to my planner. Then, at the beginning of the week, I can add in any appointements, dinner plans etc. Then, I add in any goals I want to work on, time I plan to work on any projects etc. so that Im working towards my goals and have allocated time for it.

Finally, a new journal - is there any stationery more satisfying? Journalling is so good for your mind, I love getting all of thoughts out on paper.

10. KICKSTART ANY NEW HABITS

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not a fan of resolutions, per se. However, I love a fresh start, so using the new year as an opportunity to kick start any new habits is perfect. If you want to develop the habit of eating less chocolate, perhaps now is the time to regift whatever chocolate is lingering in your cupboards to help you achieve your goal. It could be that your goal is to be super organised, in which case, following the steps on this page will definitely help you achieve that. Maybe you want to get fitter, in which case now would be the perfect time to get that gym membership, get yourself some new gym clothes, make yourself a new gym playlist (or find mine on Spotify here) and add workouts to your weekly calendar. Essentially, set yourself up to succeed! This is why I don't like resolutions exclusively, because they are just overreaching statements without plans, and usually if/when they fall through, people feel worse about themselves than they did before they attempted it. Having a plan is 100% the way to help you achieve your goals!

11. PLAN FOR THE JANUARY SALES

Following on from the last point about kick-starting your habits, planning for the January sales can definitely help with this. What do you need to help. you with your goals? Is it a new big water bottle to help you achieve your goal of drinking more water? Is it some new gym wear to help with your fitness goals? Is it some new skincare products to help you with your goal of stepping up your skincare regime? Knowing what you need before you go will help make sure you aren't tempted to overspend and buy everything, plus you'll get everything you need!

And that's it! 11 ways to get organised for 2022! Here's hoping 2022 is amazing for everybody and brings you everything you hope for. Have a good one!

Bex X