Get Your Life Organized!

One of the single greatest keys to becoming a more resilient person is knowing how to get your life organized.  And, face it, it's the ideal time of year to do just that - vacation time is wrapping up, kids are going back to school and the pace of life is picking up again.  Not surprisingly, September 1 used to be "New Years" in the Roman Empire, and it's just as important in our own culture as January 1 as a time to make a fresh start.

Five Critical Activities to Organizing Your Life:

So just how do you get your life organized?  There are lots of possible approaches you could use and almost all of them work as long as you put them into practice.  However, if I could suggest just five things that will make a huge positive impact on your life between now and the end of this calendar year, this is what they would be:

1. Organize Key Areas of Your Living / Working Space:

Get your living space and your working space organized.  That means putting order into the public areas of your home, getting rid of the clutter, tossing out whatever you don't really need or want, finding a place for the rest and making sure everything stays in its place.  It's simply not possible to find inner peace or to work productively when you're surrounded by mess.  This make take you a day or two, but it's worth the effort.

2. Book at Least one Mini-Vacation between Now and Christmas:

If you have a spouse or significant other, book time for the two of you - without the kids! - and have a romantic getaway.  If you're single, you're free to invite a friend or to go alone.  In either case, just make sure you get out of your usual surroundings for a couple of days and put yourself into an environment where you don't have to think too much or make decisions.  Plan activities that you'll really enjoy.  

3. Book Daily and Weekly Playtime:

Make sure you have time to relax every day.  That could be just to read a good book, take a walk or do something else.  And make sure you carve out a few hours each week to have fun as well.  This could be a weekly dinner out with your spouse, a movie, to play tennis, volleyball, golf or your favorite sport.  It can be any activity that leaves you feeling refreshed and relaxed.

4. Know Your Results:

In every area of your life - your career, your relationships, your finances, your spiritual life and your health, ask yourself this question: "What one goal, if I could achieve it over the next four months, would have the greatest positive impact on my life?"  Once you have the simple set of answers to those simple questions, your life for the remainder of the year should be crystal clear.

5. Build Your Key Relationships:

What relationships matter to you the most?  If you could vastly improve your relationships with just 1-4 people over the next four months, who would they be?  Once you've decided that, the rest is comparatively simple - give your time and attention to those people in ways that are most beneficial for them and you will definitely see improvement.  


To help you think through your life and organize yourself even better, here's a video by Brian Tracy, one of the world's top business coaches and experts on the subject.  Brian's advice is typically spot on, so you'd do well to watch this one through and give it your full attention:



As Brian suggests, the key to getting organized isn't simply putting stuff around the house in its place; it's having a central organizing principle.  And that principle comes from understanding who you really are and what you really want to achieve.  Once you know that, everything else falls into place.

~ Dr. Symeon Rodger