With the new year underway, there’s no better time than now to get organized and ready for what 2022 will throw at us. Whether you are thinking about your home, office, or digital space, streamlining your life can remove plenty of unwanted stress. Organization leads to peace and balance. And when you’re on top of your life, you can more easily ride the waves of change.
With that in mind, here are 22 quick organization tips for 2022.
1. Streamline Your Apps
Everything has an app these days, and project management is no different. The apps can add up between email apps, digital workspaces, and video meeting software. And while they may all be crucial apps, navigation can get tedious after a while.
To reduce some stress, streamline your apps and assets into one destination. Bublup is a project organization app for project managers (and all team members). Emails, documents, and other resources come together in one easy framework. And, with awesome features such as multi-selecting assets and intuitive point-and-click usage, you’ll soon have your entire project into a sleek, organized package.
2. Get On Top Of Your Finances
Streamlining doesn’t have to start with your apps. Take a look at your finances. These past couple of years have been financially taxing for many of us. If your credit has taken a hit, consider a secured credit card. Like a standard credit card, these build credit with every use. However, the credit limit is set by a secure initial deposit. That way, you know you won’t be able to overspend.
If you can, route your monthly bills through your card (bill money is always spoken for). So, you can safely pay bills through your card first to build your credit. Then, pay off your card every month to establish a good credit history.
3. Clean Up Your Old Junk
Sometimes, organizing your work life starts at home. If you have a garage or storage area full of junk, get rid of it. Declutter those dark spaces and let the light back into your life! Be sure to check local rules and ordinances for any junk you’ll be disposing of.
For example, tire disposal and recycling are often highly regulated between states. Plus, tires and other junk may have associated disposal fees. Organization begins with research and a plan, so make sure to do your research before heading out.
4. Keep Your Office In Shape (Especially If You Work From Home)
Keeping your area organized will filter into everything you do. A decluttered and well-kept office will enhance productivity. Organization makes it easy to get the job done—literally.
Decluttering your office is even more important if you work from home. Keeping a space dedicated for your job helps keep work at work, even if it’s at home. An organized office will help maintain that oh-so-important work/life balance.
5. Invest In Backup Storage
From extra cloud space to additional wall hooks to declutter your home, backup storage is essential for nearly every aspect of life. There is never a problem with having too much storage.
Look for deals on hard drives and storage bins, alike. Maximize both your digital and real-world spaces through optimization and redundant storage protection.
6. Organize Your Data And Folders With Specifics
Likewise, determine a handy naming structure for your organization. Ensure your work projects are easy to navigate and accessible with clear hierarchies. Label and organize files and assets by date, project needs, or department, to name a few examples.
Work with your team to determine which strategy is best for everyone. For projects with many involved hands or departments, be sure the naming strategy makes sense for each department. Sticking with names and dates helps eliminate confusion. Also, staying chronological helps reduce search times.
7. Keep Your Digital Documents In Check
Whether for college study groups or work project teams, reduce confusion and lag by streamlining your documents. Organization apps like Bublup effortlessly organize documents, pictures, links, and other assets. Anyone can share and collaborate throughout the app using convenient sharing options.
Additionally, digital organization allows you to save an asset once then access it from any connected device. With just a tablet or a smartphone, all of your data is ready to go at your fingertips.
8. Digitize Your Paper Documents
2022 is the year of reducing paper consumption. Scan and organize all of your paper documents. This will allow you to back up your important documents and store them in easy-to-find digital locations.
Transitioning your documents to digital helps you stay safe and organized. Opt for emailed records and save them directly into your organization system of choice when possible. It may not seem like much, but reducing our paper use has only positive environmental outcomes.
9. Organize Your Cords And Wires
If your workspace isn’t in order, it’ll be tough to keep the rest of your assets organized. Check your wires if you find yourself struggling to stay on top of things. Are they tacked and well-arranged?
Keeping your cords and wires organized and out of sight keeps the workspace committed to productivity. Therefore, take some time and systemize all of your cords and wires. A little cable management now can help save plenty of headaches in the future.
10. Learn To Love Lists
Lists are easy ways to organize any aspect of your life. Lists can help illustrate the steps you know are needed. Plus, a list can help you better communicate your ideas with coworkers.
Additionally, lists allow you to create a customized manifestation of your needs. And, since these needs are organized into a list, completing the tasks becomes a more manageable goal.
11. Start Every Morning With A Made Bed
Make your bed when you get up. The morning call of a comfortable bed can be diminished by making it. Also, doing so starts your day with a goal that you can quickly achieve. That little boost when you wake up can propel you through the day.
Combine this with a simple morning routine (written in a list format), and you can start your day full of confidence and enthusiasm.
12. Define Your Goals (And Deadlines)
Make a list of everything you want to accomplish this year. Divide it between work and personal goals. Then, keep going deeper in each list until you have defined all of your goals for the year. For now, don’t worry how out of reach any of them seem. You have to create the road map to start with.
Be sure to add concrete deadlines for each goal. Be realistic, but push yourself if you can. There may be goals that you don’t reach by a deadline. Since it’s your own goal, though, you can just keep going until you meet it.
13. Create Project Roadmaps
Like a list, a project roadmap can help ensure all aspects of a job are clear to all team members. Map out the timeline of project goals, including who is in charge of each goal.
Ensure to indicate any references pertaining to each goal. Will you need to work with an outside vendor? Include their contact information in the roadmap. Likewise, include any other group or department that will work on the project someday. Even if their role doesn’t come until the end, they must understand where they stand in the roadmap.
14. Break Up Your Days Into Blocks Of Time
Our schedules can be overwhelming. Work and school take up most of our day. Then, we have eating, leisure, exercise, and commuting, to name a few. Where do we find the time to sleep?
Take control of your schedule by breaking it up into manageable blocks. Make sure these time blocks coincide with your times of high productivity. For example, if you do your best work in the afternoon, block out 12 pm to 4 pm as your time for in-depth project work. That way, answering emails and attending meetings can be done earlier and won’t affect productivity.
15. Delegate Tasks When Possible
If you can, delegate your tasks to other people. Don’t make a habit of doing this, though. But if you find yourself overwhelmed with work, bring in some help.
Delegating tasks can be more accessible by assigning delegates at the beginning of a project. When making your project roadmap, identify possible bottlenecks and areas of high work. Assign additional help on those days. Having this established ahead of time creates a workflow pressure relief valve, allowing your work to continue uninhibited.
16. Find Support Through Helpful Online Communities
Organization often starts in the mind. Having a goal and the drive to organize can be difficult. There will be times when we will all need some help. From software problems to assistance with a workout routine, don’t allow frustration to derail your plans. In today’s world of hyperconnectivity, finding a helping hand is easier than ever.
Look online for communities that match your needs and personality. Become an established name, and contribute to the group. From a guild of coders to a group of yoga professionals, having a dedicated support group at your back can help you stay on your path.
17. Have Dedicated “Discard” Areas
Staying organized often starts with proactive planning. Create discard areas to help keep spaces neat and trimmed in your real and digital spaces.
You can still access these areas if you determine that you still need the items. It also allows you to have a place devoted to unnecessary things before disposal. This way, you keep the essential aspects of your life uncluttered.
18. Focus On Comfort To Maximize Organization
Any plan for organization must be comfortable and straightforward. Keeping the physical and digital spaces easy to work with is thus key to staying organized.
Dedicate a space to get your most productive work done. Because you already have your time blocked out, have this area ready to go when your block of time starts. Fill your space with items and features that make you feel good. Include bright colors for productivity, and don’t skimp on the accessories. Use portable lights, digital voice recorders, or even smart thermostats to perfect your setting.
19. Find People To Hold You Accountable
Even the best-laid plans can come undone without accountability. If you know you might slip from your path, find people that will keep you honest. Speak with work colleagues you admire or regularly work with. Create fun milestone progress markers to trade back and forth.
In your personal world, surround yourself with people who want to see you achieve your goals. Even if they are online acquaintances from across the globe, share your goals with someone. Having a cheerleader in your corner can reduce the chance of wandering from your roadmap.
20. Trim Your Subscriptions
One of the main goals of organization is to reduce clutter. And nothing will clutter up a device faster than subscription services that you forget about. Most of us have subscribed for a trial service, only to fail to cancel it.
What about those services you hardly use anymore? Not only are these a waste of money, but they also fill your digital spaces with unnecessary clutter. Trim your subscription services to the main ones you can’t live without. If you’re looking to reduce eating out, delete your restaurant delivery apps. Tie this into other personal goals for even greater impact.
21. Cut Down On Social Media
Start reducing your social media consumption. Cut out a few sources you frequent. For your mental health, make 2022 the year that you get less involved in the drama of others.
However, be sure to stay connected to your support groups. If you frequently browse Twitter simply to find the latest trending topic, though, it may be time for a “you” break.
22. Take Breaks And Be Nice To Yourself
Speaking of breaks, when was the last time you had one? We’re not talking about a COVID-19-induced quarantine or work-from-home order, but an actual holiday to regenerate and heal. We all need to unplug and withdraw from our surroundings now and then.
Remember to approach this in several ways. Set break times in your daily schedules to ensure you have proper time to get up and stretch. Plan days off to recharge and keep your mental health in a positive space. You can even incorporate break times into project schedules. You’ll have plenty of leeways to unplug your team from work and have some time away from productivity with proper organization. Your soul will thank you.
Organization is achievable through many channels. From tightening up your digital space to systemizing your personal goals, make 2022 your year of achievement. Start simple and establish a routine that works for you. Once you see how much a little organization can help, go wild and revitalize your entire life with prudent planning.
About the Author
Molly Barnes is a full-time digital nomad, exploring and working remotely in different cities in the US. She and her boyfriend Jacob created Digital Nomad Life to share their journey and help others pursue a nomadic lifestyle.
