My 5 Steps To Getting Organised
How I’m getting my s**t together in 2020
There are a lot of new projects I want to take on this year, and a lot of personal improvements I would like to make too. Instead of saying “yes” to everything and getting overwhelmed, I decided to start by getting organised, putting a system in place for peace of mind when life inevitably goes Pete Tong 🙃
Step one: Clean and Tidy
Simple and the easiest way to start, my house mate Sophia and I gutted the flat, threw away any crap we no longer needed. Cleaned out the cupboards and fridge, reorganised shelves and generally made life a lot easier for both of us to find and store things efficiently.
I also did the same at work. Throwing away any old notes (and pens that didn’t work? 🤷♀️), archiving any irrelevant Trello cards and organising my inbox so all important correspondence were in folders ready for the new year.
Positives:
- I now have an organised habitat both in work and at home, clear space clear mind 💆♀️
- We now have a system for where everything is and goes in our flat, so no one ever loses anything + we can see when we’re running low on things like bin bags!
- A clean space to start with makes it a lot easier to maintain. This standard of living is a good motivator when it comes to maintaining high standards.
Step two: Plan Food Shops
One thing I wanted to change this year is how much I spend on food. Going out for lunch at work, dinners with friends, getting takeaways — It all adds up!
Doing a food shop is the bane of my life, mainly because I’d rather do the whole shop at once and as I am so little I can’t carry the full shop home…Aldi is literally a 10 min walk from my flat, which makes it worse that I cannot physically carry a weeks worth of food for 10 min walk! 🎻…moving on…
Buying food : So to solve my problem of no upper body strength I have now tried Tesco home delivery, It was bloody brilliant, highly recommend! I mean its not as cheap as Aldi but having the items delivered to your door (In a flat as well, the delivery man brought it up to our door and even helped un pack in the kitchen! 😇)
Disclaimer: I was ill when this delivery was made, so knowing I didn’t have to leave the flat was wonderful news whilst I’m downing Lemsip in my dressing gown.
Planning meals : Cooking as a general is not my forte, I tend to go rogue and not read recipes/or buy ingredients that don’t go together… 🌽+🥚+🍉=🤐
💡Top Tip: NEVER go food shopping when you are hungry, you buy so much you don’t even need or like.
My housemate Sophia however is a very good cook, so she’s planned to teach me basics such as; Cottage pie, Bolognese, Roast dinners etc. SO I now have set ingredients to buy for said meal we decide to do.
This is also epic because we both do it together and it makes it a lot less stressful knowing I’m not going to waste money on food by burning it…🔥
Cooking: Prepping all the ingredients, going through the steps together, having a chat whilst it cooks, then portioning out the finished meal into containers for the week 💪
Positives:
- Saving money! No longer buying lunches or ordering take aways because I have homemade meals waiting for me at home.
- It’s healthier-ish, I’m on no kind of diet but a home cooked dinner with vegetables and fresh ingredients has got to be an improvement on Dominoes pizza or a microwavable meal?
- I’m learning! Yes, yes, most people know how to cook I’m not asking for a round of applause for a basic life skill, but doing this once/twice a week for a whole year means I will learn at least 100 dishes, in turn making “meal prep” a lot more exciting than my usual chicken pasta.
Step Three: Plan your Week
This is both in and out of work. I actually bought CGD Goals Planner for this because I’m a visual person I like to see my whole month. These are the kind of things I want to keep on top of:
Meal prep: Making sure I know what I’m making that week and if I have all the ingredients. This saves time and increases control of what you put in your body.
Work meetings / Deadlines: I pride myself on never missing deadlines, however a managerial role means checking others are also staying on target. Adding in catch up sessions can be very beneficial for helping your team and making sure everyones on the same page. I also want to “level up” the team together, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, so making sure everyone is getting the one-on-one time and training they need, is a must.
Stocking up on necessities: Making sure I always have essentials such as toilet roll- it’s a minor but small task that can become major pain in the a** 🍑 (pun intended) especially if you run out 🧻
Training: Making sure I’m learning something, whether it be for work or just for me. Currently it’s advanced animation for work and Spanish for me 🎓
Social life: Making time for friends and family, not missing birthdays or special occasions. Thats the time you make the best memories ❤️
Accounts: Keeping on top of bills and outgoings 💷 Knowing what dates my bills are expected to come out, staying out of my overdraft etc. Whatever is left over at the end of the month put towards paying off debt, which leads me onto my next step…
Step Four: Pay of Debts
My main plan of 2020 was to pay off both my credit cards, last years motto was “Future Holly can deal with this” so by default this years is “Deal with this” 🙄
I use Google Sheets to document my bills, outgoings, savings etc. However I am going to update my spreadsheets after watching Patricia Brights video on her new channel The Break Platform. Go check it out she’s honest, open and gives good financial advice.
Currently I calculate how much per month I earn, deduct bills and living costs and what’s left is what I have to play with BUT more importantly what I could put towards paying off my debts.
Now on this premise I will not be saving anything but my good friend Mick explained that “If you have debts to pay you shouldn’t be saving you should be working to get those debts cleared THEN start saving.”
I originally disagreed… But with my 0% interest ending soon I thought I better listen and get this paid off asap.
I already have a set direct debit for these debts so to speed it up, anything I have left at the end of the month I then pay straight off the card as a lump sum. Each month varies depending on the lifestyle I chose to lead but ultimately, the goal is to get these debts paid off by April 🤞.
Step Five: Changing Habits
Finally the list of habits I want to adopt to improve myself. Some to save money, some for my health and some are just for me, but these are some things I think will encourage self discipline in 2020:
Getting up earlier: Pending … ⏰ I am not a morning person, I am trying to get into the habit of this but because its winter and its so dark and cold in the morning, it’s proving difficult… I will persist.
Quit Smoking: Smoke free app, Love it! Mainly because I can see how much money I’ve saved 😏 it also shows your milestones and how long you’ve quit for.
Stop eating takeaways: Easy solution, I deleted: Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber eats.
Walk more Uber less: Living in the city centre means I really do not need to get an Uber anywhere. It is pure laziness paying £3 for a taxi to meet friends, just because it’s raining. It’s unacceptable and also, who do I think I am? 💸
Duolingo: Learning Spanish 🇪🇸
Read and Write more: This post is my writing and currently I’m reading
I’m always open to recommendations.
Illustrate and Animate: Animation is becoming a bigger role throughout my job so I want to make sure I’m excelling in this area. It’s a design skill I’ve never mastered to the fullest so this year I’m going to change that. And illustrating makes me happy 😊.
So Far so… So?
Ultimately, I’m trying not to let this list overwhelm me. If I accomplish just one thing, I’m improving, and that’s a good enough start for me.
I mean I’m human, I bleed. As far as not getting Ubers, I’ve got 3 so far and its Jan 9th… On the flip side my flat is spotless, I’ve got all my meals cooked for this week and I’ve stocked up on toiletries and essentials for the month. I’ve also not had a cigarette this year either so overall I’m taking it as a win.
We will see if I keep this up…
What are you doing in 2020 to get more organised?
Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear any tips for a productive lifestyle both at home and in the workplace. Thanks for reading 👋
