A few years ago, I wrote a blog post on how to get organized in the upcoming year and it was a hit! So today I have decided to use that information and add more of what I have done this past year for you to make it even better. All my tips, tricks and life hacks for you to use and implement into your home, office, business and personal life! Less is more my friends. It’s time to clear out the crap and what is no longer serving you. And make room for a cleaner, more enlightened area for you to live and work in.
Below are the tasks I complete every year in my personal life, my office area as well as online and on my devices. I have also decided to continue doing this quarterly throughout 2020 to keep me on my toes. I like to do a number of these on the first of every month as well, which you will see below. So, don’t stress about getting it all done at once. Just start! Light your favorite candle, put some drops in your diffuser, turn up the volume on your music and get this organizing party started today! And if you get stuck tag me on Instagram @thehappyworkaholic so I can see what you’re up to and help you out!
Office Tasks
Shred old paperwork, legal docs and tax info from years past. Not sure why I didn’t do this years ago. I was shredding docs from 1998. Really? Obviously keep what you will need to reference.
Create a Vision Board and Calendar System for your Personal, Business and Life/Family Goals. I am a very visual person so if I have something to look at every single day it helps me stay focused. I also need a daily tracking system so for me this really works!
I just posted a video on how I mapped out six solid months of goals here! 2020 is going to be life changing for me! And I am so ready for it! Are YOU?
Get rid of battery packs, chargers and electronics that are no longer working. Set up an eBay store and sell them if they do work! Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and the Nextdoor App are great places to get rid of your items quickly and locally.
Organize folders, office supplies and paperwork. Labels, sharpies, decorative boxes, glass jars or vases and paperclips are best for this. I just cleaned out a storage unit, so this took the longest but felt so good when I finished.
Speaking of storage, I love clear bins to hold larger items such as photo albums, sports equipment and clothes. Being able to see items really helps when it comes time to shop! Use what you have first!
Create a special space for journals, old planners and notebooks. If you are like me and love to write everything down, then put them somewhere nice in case you need to ever reference them or feel like taking a break to look back at your accomplishments.
Put together a 12-month plan/calendar so you can see every day what needs to be worked on to stay ahead of the game. I have always focused on a month at a time. This year I wanted to map out all of 2020 and focus on my personal, business and life goals. So far, it’s working out for me.
Set up a work schedule and designated area for yourself. If you work from home like me, you must be scheduled, organized and love the office vibes you’ve created for yourself! Set up a routine. Try a few out and then choose the one that you feel the most creative and/or productive from. Choose a few days to work from a coffee shop or somewhere out of the house. A change of scenery is always a good idea!
Personal Tasks
Buy a planner you know you will use! It doesn’t have to be a $100 planner. It doesn’t have to be filled with stickers. By the way those give me such anxiety!
Just buy a notebook and basic planner and make them work for you! I am very particular with my planners. They first and foremost must have lines. I would be all over the place in those little boxes without them!
I am SO over the tops with my highlighting color coded system in my planner and notebook. But you know what? That is the system that works best for me and so I use it every single day! Find a system that works for you and it will change your life! I’m not kidding…
And if you really need your life changed check out my new program, The House of Organized Chaos and Successful Solutions here!
Donate everything you possibly can. Or sell, up to you! A couple of months ago I decided I wanted to travel more so I packed up my things (for the 500th time) and put them in storage. Throughout that process I realized I had so much more to donate and sell, so I did! I wanted to challenge myself and try to live as minimally as possible.
And can I just say I accomplished that task! I was able to get my clothes, makeup, all the beauty products, my office and my Iced Coffee essentials down to three bags. Check out that highlight reel on my Instagram here! I truly impressed myself!
Journal! Find a notebook that just speaks to you (design wise) and write down your thoughts every morning or evening. Whichever time you feel most empowered. I’ve been doing this since July 2014, filmed a tv pilot around a lot of those stories and then launched a podcast years later. Stay tuned for more life changing episodes coming to you in 2020!
You can listen to The Happy Workaholic Podcast on your favorite podcast channel right here!
Try to eat as healthy as possible. We all know what is good and what is bad so just make the right choice! I am giving up sugar for the first 100 days of 2020 and I also have a HUGE goal (Misogi) of dropping 100 pounds. I know I can do it and excited for the challenge and BIG WIN at the end of the year. My body has been through hell over the past three years and now that the healing and detoxing has begun, it’s simply time to get back in shape! PS Please don’t spam me with your products because I don’t want them. TIA…
Prepping meals has always been one of my favorite things to do. Cooking for me is therapeutic. It’s my stress relief. I am just in the zone when I cook! If I have a hectic work week, I will never have to worry about making bad food choices because the healthy meals are already prepared and waiting for me. If you’re into healthy soups, veggie burgers, vegan ice cream, simple stir-fry’s and more I have a ton of recipes over on my Instagram located in the highlights section here!
Some other kitchen tasks would be to throw away all the items and cans and spices in your pantry and cabinets you haven’t used in six months. Throw away food in your fridge you know will go bad. Be one step ahead of the game. Figure out which storage containers are missing their better half, recycle them and buy new ones for your meals. Design a new menu plan and shopping list every week!
I have so many more for the kitchen but that it a whole other blog!
Walk as much as you can throughout the week. It is just good to clear your mind, get fresh air and smile at strangers. Or at the birds, no judgement here! I’ll be doing this more myself as well as Yoga and Pilates in 2020.
Meditate daily. Even if you only have five minutes. Trust me! You will be so much calmer afterwards. I use the Insight Timer App the most!
Depending on my mood at night I will either watch a show or if my brain is just done I will put on my Hypnosis Sleep Well App or new meditations I found on YouTube that are guaranteed to give you a deep restful sleep. Search for the channel Nu Meditation Music on YouTube. They use Binaural Beats, Delta Waves and more.
I also love the Sleep Meditation for receiving love, money and support from Amanda Frances. Look for it on her YouTube Channel! These meditations are both over 8 hours long and play while you are sleeping.
Online Tasks
Upgrade your website and any channels and accounts that need backing up. A few months ago, I lost my website for 4 solid days. I legit had a mini heart attack. Twelve years of content and over 2 years of my podcast were gone! Luckily my servers were able to come back to life. Boy was I lucky!
It’s a New Year and a New Decade! Give all your social media pages a fresh look and updated bio. Show your followers how excited you are for this new decade!
Unsubscribe from all the emails you keep deleting. It literally is the most annoying task! I know because I just did it. A few weeks ago, both my Gmail and Outlook inboxes were full so that is when I poured myself a glass of wine and got down to business.
Delete social media accounts you are no longer using. Also delete the apps on your phone.
Create a thank you messages for all your new followers in the notes section on your phone. CTA’s are also great to have there as well as LinkedIn responses. You’ll need these when you upgrade your profile!
Change your email signature. Add your LinkedIn Profile, Podcast, favorite social channels and cell. People want to know and feel like they have a personal relationship with you so make that known!
Computer Tasks
Track all your social media numbers, podcast downloads, website traffic, income and email subscribers. I created a super simple Excel Spreadsheet a few years ago for this and use it every first of the month and track those stats. It is nice to have one place to refer to track your growth, savings etc.
If you don’t have a business you can change the titles in the Excel Spreadsheet to mortgage, bills, kids, groceries etc. Use it to keep your funds organized.
Grab the exact Excel Spreadsheet I use every month here!
Back up all files in a minimum of two different places. I have multiple clouds like Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive as well as a few hard drives. We live in such a tech driven world now. But guess what? Clouds can crash, accounts can be deleted. Do yourself a favor and back all your stuff up on an external hard drive that you own! It’s better to be safe than sorry! Trust me…
Organize Your Desktop! Put all the files that are all over the place on your computer (I’m looking at YOU) into a folder that makes sense and that you will be able to find the file in later!
Change the wallpaper/background image to something that excites, motivates and inspires you the moment you turn your computer on! I know it sounds a little out there, but it makes a difference. Implementing tiny little changes like this really change your mood and your overall vibe for the day.
Don’t allow pop ups and make sure to do all the security checks and backups when needed. I choose to do this every first of the month.
Clean up task bar, cookies, search results and cache. You may feel this is extreme, but it just feels lighter and cleaner when working online. At least that is what I tell myself!
Phone Tasks
Delete apps you haven’t used in three months.
Reorganize your apps! Just do it for fun and make your brain work a little bit harder!
Delete email accounts you no longer need on phone.
Make sure you have all your music apps ready to go! When it comes time to sweat, put in a long work “sesh” on the computer or maybe you’re folding laundry and scrubbing the kitchen sink. YOU NEED MUSIC! So, find the best playlists for the tasks or create your own.
Delete notes that you are no longer using. This takes forever for me to do because I use this app all day long! It’s basically my assistant and the other half of my brain! It’s also THE BEST place to store all your hashtags from the “Gram. COPY/PASTE BABY!
Organize photos into new albums and delete what you do not need. I deleted over 1,000 pics yesterday. Mostly from my Stories…
Back your phone up to your iCloud or server when on Wi-Fi. Overnight is the best time for this. I would also recommend using this time for your phone’s software updates. We all know those are the biggest pain in the you know what!
Organize your Books App or the areas where your PDF’s live! I have all my media kits and important docs located there, so they are super easy to access when I am not on my computer and need to pitch or submit info to someone.
Well that’s it my friends. All my tips, tricks and hacks when it comes to getting organized in your personal and professional life! Don’t go getting all stressed out now. Just take it on by sections and you will feel so good once you declutter and get organized in the best way that works for you!
Oh! I almost forgot to mention my online schedule for you! This is so important so your followers know where to find you…And most importantly it keeps me accountable knowing that I must post and follow the outline I have created…
Monday: Content Creation Day. I usually don’t take any calls on Monday as they disrupt my creative process. I usually post motivating or inspiring content online on the first day of the week. You can always find me on the ‘Gram posting a little “bts” action of my day though…
Tuesday: LinkedIn Published Posts, podcast recording and LIVE videos coming soon. Patiently waiting for my feature…
Wednesday: Newsletters go out! You can subscribe here if you would like to receive the next one delivered to your inbox! This is also the day of the week I’ve chosen to do all my podcast production for my clients. You’ve got to be scheduled my friends…
Thursday: LinkedIn Published Posts and podcast recording and same as Tuesday. I’m still waiting over here…
Friday: New episode of The Happy Workaholic Podcast uploads to Apple Podcasts, iHeartRADIO, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and more…
Lastly, I have been spending more time on Instagram Stories and LinkedIn so if we are not connected, let’s do that today! You can find me @thehappyworkaholic and on LinkedIn here!
WOW! You made it to the end! Congrats! This was a long post. I hope that you enjoyed it, learned something new and will refer back whenever you feel the need to. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and please share with a friend who is ready for a little life hacking and success in 2020!
Wishing you the most productive and successful year to come!
Kelly Ann-Founder/Creator of The Happy Workaholic Network
A ONE STOP SHOP FOR YOUR BUSINESS, PODCAST, LINKEDIN AND LIFE!
PS Feel free to tag me on IG @thehappyworkaholic and LinkedIn @kellyanngorman when implementing some of my go-to life hacks and organizing tips! And if you need help in any of these departments I would highly suggest you check out my end of the decade sale because my virtual organizing sessions are included! You can view them all here.
