We have a lot to do every day. Unfortunately, we tend to get overwhelmed. In fact, there comes a day when we have too much to do, but not enough time to do it. And, that’s when stress and procrastination set in and we start to stagnate in our lives. So, to get out of this, here are my 10 powerful tips for better personal organization, time management and productivity. These tips will help you free yourself from stress and find serenity in your daily life.

1 – Having a suitable diary or task management system

To succeed in doing what you have to do, it’s essential to know what you have to do. To know it clearly. That’s why I invite you to use a task management system.

It can be a paper or digital diary. It can be a simple A4 sheet or a note on your phone. There are also ready-made applications. In fact, the aim is for you to choose the tool that suits you best, and perhaps more particularly the tool you like best.

After all, it’s essential that you enjoy those moments when you organize your time, otherwise it becomes just another chore. In other words, a chore you won’t do.

2 – Make a list of the day’s tasks for better personal organization

Once you’ve chosen a form of diary, it’s time to list your daily tasks. To make it clear, ask yourself one question: “What do I need to do today?”

There’s only one rule to follow: set yourself only 2 or 3 big priority tasks in any one day. In any case, if you set yourself more, you won’t do them, or you won’t do them well.

3 – Create a weekly schedule for better personal organization

To manage your time better and be more efficient and productive, it’s important to have an overview of your week. That way, you can better plan and organize yourself accordingly.

That’s why I invite you to take some time on Sunday or Monday morning to plan your week. There’s no need to go into great detail. But make a note of the 2-3 big tasks you’ll be doing every day of the week. Try to divide them up as evenly as possible.

So, be careful, because I’ve noticed that we tend to ask too much of ourselves at this stage. But the point of making your weekly plan is that, once you’ve finished, you say to yourself: “Perfect! I feel capable of succeeding”.

Don’t ask too much of yourself, because if you do, you’ll stress and procrastinate!

4 – Cut out the most time-consuming or difficult tasks

For better personal organization, it’s essential to know when a task is really too long or difficult. When this happens, the trick is to break it down into sub-tasks.

Example: you need to empty your mailbox, but you have over 200 unread e-mails. This is going to be a very time-consuming task. So why not start on Monday by sorting the first 100 e-mails, and the following day the next 100?

Remember, you need to feel fully capable of completing a task, otherwise you risk procrastination or burn-out.

5 – Allocate time for the unexpected to improve personal organization

Here’s a really powerful tip that changed everything in my personal organization and will change everything in yours.

Because it’s quite possible that you, too, tend to organize yourself in such a way as to always have something to do. Which sounds logical, but it’s a source of stress.

If all your time is already allocated to doing things, then you can’t deal with the unexpected. And what happens? You get stressed out.

So, if you want to get better organized, set aside some time to deal with the unexpected. In other words, several times a week, set aside a few hours to deal with the unexpected. You’ll see, it’s extraordinary!

6 – Use the Pomodoro method to break your concentration

Sometimes, even when we know what we have to do, we still procrastinate. So what can we do?

For this, I’ve noticed that the Pomodoro method is brilliant. This method consists in working in short, intense periods, interspersed with breaks.

Example: You set a timer on your phone and do your task for 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes, you take a 5-minute break, also timed. You repeat this cycle 3 times, or as many times as necessary.

This method will considerably improve your ability to concentrate and help you overcome procrastination. So what are you waiting for?

7 – Focus on one task at a time

For better personal organization, I’ve noticed that it’s essential to focus on one task at a time. Because the problem is that, all too often, we want to do everything at once, so stress and pressure mount and we do anything or nothing at all, because we procrastinate.

When we focus on one task at a time, we move forward more serenely and therefore more efficiently.

I know that this is quite difficult for most of us, because we have that little voice inside us that keeps telling us: “Hurry up. Hurry up!” and that when we do only one thing at a time, we feel like we’re not making any progress. But, understand that focusing on one task at a time is the best way to be productive and efficient.

8 – Tidy up and organize your personal space

We never have time to tidy up our personal space, and yet it’s essential. How can we act efficiently and calmly if everything around us is a mess?

So, tidy up and organize your personal space first. Because you need to see things clearly and, above all, feel good where you are.

9 – Learning to say no for better personal organization

If there’s one thing that messes up our super personal organization, it’s unsolicited requests. People who come to us for services or just to chat.

Stop! Learn to say no. If you want to manage your time better, to be more productive and less stressed, it’s essential that you know how to say no: “No, I can’t help you now. No, I’m not available for a chat right now”.

I know this is a trick that makes us uncomfortable, and that’s why it’s one of the most powerful tricks. Your time is limited, so it’s time to focus on the things that are important to you. And, that requires you to stop letting others distract you.

10 – Take regular breaks to improve productivity

To achieve the best possible personal organization, you need to understand that the more regular breaks you take, the more you’ll improve your productivity and efficiency. Because you need to recharge your batteries to have the energy to do everything you need to do.

So there’s no need to take long breaks; the key is to take small, regular ones.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover Lack of time: 5 tips for getting back to what’s most important
Discover How to tidy your home? 6 steps to happiness at home

I recommend this inspiring book:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.
Marie Kondo’s book is a guide to better personal organization using the KonMari method, which focuses on decluttering and organizing living space. By getting rid of objects that don’t spark joy and organizing possessions in a specific order, the book offers a transformative approach to simplifying and maintaining an organized, harmonious living environment.

When I finished the book, I flew through drawers and boxes of unmentionable junk, able to really, clearly, easily see what I wanted – really – and what I didn’t. I’m so glad I discovered this book. It really changed my life. I’ve now given it to my partner to read, who has also found it a revelation. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself