Struggling with organisation? You’re not alone.

For many years, organisation was the thing I never could get right – half a lifetime of middling school reports are evidence enough for that. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get organised – had I woken up one morning to find my life fully alphabetised, I’d surely have been happier for it. But I never did. When my disorganisation got on top of me, a panic-stricken evening left me rooting through half-crumpled paperwork, establishing a system that I would pursue until the consequences seemed just distant enough to be safe.

Getting (and, most importantly, staying) organised was considerably harder for me than it was for some of those around me. And, for those of you who’ve been caught feeling the same way, you’re not alone. In figuring out what works for me, I’ve managed to pick up some approaches that have made my life easier – and, I hope, might do the same for you.

First and foremost, don’t be afraid to experiment!

Struggling with organisation leaves you victim to an enormous sum of well-meaning advice, which, in practice, is completely useless. Many times have I fruitlessly been told to stick Post-It notes around my monitor (which quickly find themselves relegated to the floor), or to get yet another ill-fated planner. Some input from others is healthy and valuable – but ultimately you are the only authority on how your brain works. Listen to yourself, and consider which tools might be more valuable to you.

For example, I have always been prone to losing loose papers. It took many years of being told to use a ringbinder before I discovered that the best solution was also the simplest: to do all my work digitally, and store my paperwork on Google Drive. My experiences aside, however, such a system would never work if you find hand-written notes more intuitive. The best approach is always the one that works for you – no matter how obvious or bizarre it appears to others.

With that said, try to remain open to suggestions. Endless ideas from others about how best to optimise your organisation can be frustrating – but there is bound to be someone out there who thinks similarly to you. If you hear a suggestion that resonates with you, don’t be scared to break your routine and try it out. You might be surprised.

Don’t (necessarily) fall for the hype!

We live in an age of seemingly-endless distractions – TikTok, Netflix and all those WhatsApp group chats you forgot to leave, to name a few. It follows that there’s no small number of paid and free services offering to support your organisation – from to-do list apps and task management software to screen-time limiters, it can be easy to find yourself swamped.

I can’t offer general comment as to how useful such programmes are, but I’ve had some positive experiences. Notion is a particularly strong mention, which has allowed me to create interactive to-do lists, while testing out user-made formats to find one that works for me. Likewise, Forest is a pretty impressive time-management app, which rewards your focus-time by planting a virtual forest.

With that said, it’s incredible what you can do with the tools right in front of you. One of my most-used organisational tools is Apple iCalendar, which I have synced to Google Drive to keep track of meetings and appointments – an app which came free-of-charge with my devices. My phone equally comes with in-built software to set reminders, timers, and manage emails.

When looking at wider organisational tools, take a considered approach. Is the tool based on a subscription model? If so, you may find yourself right back where you started should you choose to cancel. Does the tool you’re looking at actually address an area of organisation you need to focus on? Testing out a great many different organisational tools can, itself, be a form of procrastination – so, ensure you assess costs and benefits before committing to a new tool.

Work smarter, not harder.

You cannot let yourself be consumed by your work, no matter how much you love it. No matter how hard it may seem to get started on a task, it can be equally as hard, if not harder, to pull yourself away from it. It’s important to schedule regular breaks in, and keep track of non-work responsibilities, even during busy periods.

Try setting timers at regular intervals to ensure you’re keeping track of time while working on a project, and decide for how long you would like to work on a task before getting started. Personally, I tend to use Forest to do this. For me, setting timers helps to break up work, and to ensure the world around me doesn’t feel too neglected.

Another approach (albeit, one that doesn’t work for everyone) is breaking a task up into its component parts, turning these into measurable goals, and ticking them off as you go. While this can certainly make a task seem less daunting, I have often found that simply setting a timer and getting stuck in can have a similar effect. It might be worth trying both approaches, and seeing what works best for you.

I would, however, urge you to avoid scheduling back-to-back meetings and activities wherever possible. This is something I now try my best to always do. After a meeting, you need time to absorb information, recuperate, and travel to the next one (if applicable). Not setting time aside for this will leave you constantly catching up with yourself. As a rule, there should always be blank, unplanned time in your schedule – to stare out of the window, if nothing else.

Devoting too much of yourself to your work is a recipe for burnout. Too many times have I wrestled with myself for days, trying to perfect a task that could have been completed in an afternoon. That feeling of ‘working hard’ can put us at ease through stressful periods, but stay realistic, and remember that making time for yourself, friends and family isn’t a reward, but an essential part of life.

Remember: Organisation isn’t everything

Throughout my life, I’ve often been led to feel as though organisation is a ‘silver bullet’. If you’re organised, you really can have it all – and be not only more productive, but generally happier and more satisfied. We live in a strictly-regimented world, which places organisation on a pedestal; one of ever-pinging Google Calendar invites, Zoom meetings and email notifications. But is this a good thing?

Is our happiness any greater for us minute-planning our days? Sometimes I’ve felt a pressure to micro-manage my life, and use all of my time productively – otherwise, I worry, it’s been wasted. I’m sure I’m not the only one for whom truly ‘free’ time can, at times, feel difficult to find.

There is, however, another side to organisation: by putting systems in place, you can make time for those things that matter most to you; taking up that new hobby, booking that holiday, or writing that screenplay you’ve never had time for. But, whatever happens, remember: personal organisation should give you more life to live, not drain you.