How I Keep My Life in "Order" in 3 Easy Steps

For some time now I have been hearing that "productivity" and "organization" have become a bit of a trend, and how those "put together" girls are the successful ones but now also the popular ones! Where were all these when I was in high school? I was always driven by schedules and "to-do lists" and I was viewed as the weird responsible girl who always did her homework. Now I would be a hit, but oh well, I guess I was just not "appreciated in my own time".

Of course, I am just kidding, I am nothing too much to look at when it comes to order and organization but I have been able to survive in a very satisfactory way so far. Mind you, I am not bragging here of any quality I was "born with" but rather shaped in by my parents, to whom I am eternally grateful for the discipline that helps me today keep my life on track, or at least from falling apart at times. So today I present to you my secrets for having a stress-free yet productive and accomplished life:

1. Begin the day on the right foot: get out of bed as soon as you hear your alarm go off.

If there is something in this life that I will forever despise it will be the tone of morning alarms, how mocking they are, it is almost as if they are saying "ha ha I made you forget your dream, time to get up and live the nightmare." And of course, I am exaggerating and risking sounding ungrateful about being given a new day but does it really have to begin so early? You might be luckier than me if you get to sleep past 7 am during the weekdays but those of us who can't run earliness need to find a way to deal with this. And the most practical method I have found to start on a good morning is to shut up that alarm as soon as the noise hits my ears. And an extra step you can follow is to make sure you place your alarm device a few feet away from your bed, enough for you to have to get out of bed to turn it off. This practice has helped me avoid the risk of falling back asleep and the bad habit of setting multiple alarms. Bonus points if you also make your bed after you get up ;)

2. Keep a TO-DO List: make sure to jot down your tasks for every time of the day.

I wish I could rely on my mind to remember every assignment I have during the day, week, and month. But through shameful experience, I have discovered that our brain, no matter how much importance we give to what we store in it, it will ultimately shoot a reminder out of there and cause us to forget a bill, get the grapes at the grocery store, etc. So to avoid unnecessary inconveniences follow this rule of thumb: always keep a list. It does not have to be a fancy agenda, or a creatively built bullet journal (though personally, these are my favorites because they motivate me to write in them), it can be a simple sticky note with the tasks you must complete that day. And even the calendar app on your phone can contain superficial reminders of future events or appointments. This right here is the secret to "assistants" and "responsible" people who never seem to forget a thing and are always on time for everything: they simply write down their tasks.

3. Stick to a routine: get your mind and body used to success.

Some time ago I read somewhere that it takes the human body/brain 22 days to form a habit. I gotta tell you, every time I tried to form a new habit conscious knowing these statistics I was not able to pull through. But if I think about it, a lot of things have become a habit over time and it mostly happened when I was not desperately counting off 22 days for the miracle of it not being hard for me to do anymore. I do admit I have a slight advantage over some of you because my habits and routines began with my mom. Ever since I was a toddler she made sure I kept a sleeping pattern and eating schedule. And though these were the basics as I grew up the level of difficulty in the game grew. So now as a "grown-up," following routines comes as second nature to me. But I am not saying you don't stand a chance if this was not how you were brought up. I am merely advising you that it might not come as easy for everyone. And adhering to that daily routine might take a little more than 22 days to become a habit. But once it does, it is totally worth it.

To sum up, there are simple little "superficial" things you can apply to your life every day (like the alarm thing) that will help you not only feel but actually be in order with your things. Of course, the important things to remember are to enjoy each step of the process, do not stress if you fail in some areas or have more difficulties in others, I assure you that even the most "put together" person has their rough days. But there is something that is extremely important and that is making sure you don't quit, making sure you have the desire to have a meaningful life and dread being that "couch potato" (which I admit I let myself be sometimes but I don't let that be my routine), making sure that you know that though the process may be hard and it leaves you feeling with the least amount of character to move on there recompense will bring so much rest and free time in the long run. It just takes a little while to catch up on what we have dragged behind (in regard to our responsibilities) and have just our regular daily tasks and have spare time for those other hobbies we would much rather be doing.

God loves you,

Dear Ordinary Caro