New Year, Three Ways to Get Better Organized
During these past two years, our lives have truly shifted. Our homes are supposed to be our sanctuary where we restore our souls. But, that dynamic has changed with the pandemic, and our homes are now multitasking for every aspect of our lives. Our homes have become our offices, schools, gyms, sanctuaries, in addition to still being our safe retreat from the world. This transformation means that it is more important than ever to have organizational systems in place to keep our homes flowing with the right form of energy.
The beginning of a New Year can be a great time to address some of these organizing and decluttering issues. We all make resolutions – and sometimes even keep them. Organization is a form of self-love. It is a way to clear any chaos and give way to clarity, focus, and growth. Here are some ideas we’ve found helpful along the way.
Discover an easier way to organize and manage your finances
There are all types of templates out there to help you track your expenses and how you allocate your resources each There are templates out there to help you track your expenses and how you allocate your resources each month. Some apps to consider are NerdWallet, Mint or Expensify. Just add your income and expenses to the app you select and let the spreadsheets do the rest of the math for you. You can also link your checking and credit card accounts for even easier recording of expenses. Creating clarity around how we allocate (or budget) our money is the first step into truly managing our finances.
Save time, organize and protect your computer files
Get the peace of mind that comes from knowing your computer files and photos are backed up and accessible wherever you go and whenever you need them. Use things such as Google® or One Drive to sync everything between your computer, phone, tablet, and the cloud. This way, any changes you make through one device will be synced with all the others. Any file, anywhere, will be updated and protected.
If you use email, you should make sure that you make use of whatever encryption function your email provides. Even free emails like Gmail offer encryption. Encryption makes your email gibberish to anyone who intercepts it; use it as a matter of habit. If you do a lot of interacting with other parties online in your remote work, consider using a Virtual Private Network to protect yourself online. If you’re a small business, don’t consider it; do it. Being online can make us vulnerable to online predators. Use all the protection you can so that you can enjoy the experience!
Organize and collect your thoughts while online
We all can tend to make the same mistake while researching something online. We all do it (guilty here); we lose track of the key information we find or websites we’ve fallen in love with. Consider using a fun and visual way to track your ideas and your treasured finds on the web.
Want to eat better? Want to learn to cook a new cuisine? Create a collection of restaurants or specialty food vendors. You can do the same with recipe files. Some sites let you save recipes on the site; with others, you may want to create your own “cookbook” by savings recipes in a file on your own device.
Want to work out more? Aiming to be healthier and more active in the New Year? Keep a list of nearby gyms or trainers on OneNote.
Looking to learn something new? There are several new online course providers like Coursera and LinkedIn. You can take courses in general lifestyle improvement or find training for the new business skills you want to add in 2022.
Planning to start traveling more? Travel sites were among the first major websites that we all started out using. Since the early days of Expedia, the online travel business has expanded so that aggregators of the travel sites make it easier to find the best deals now. Plus, the airlines and other travel industry providers offer their own online discounts now. When you plan a trip for 2022, make the web your friend.
Collections. Pinterest. OneNote. Kayak. Budgeting and Expense apps. Using one or more of these service apps can make your 2022 more efficient and more enjoyable.
Final thoughts
The world has shifted and the pace in which we live has to, as well. We are constantly surrounded by information and things that can take our focus away. This has created increased anxiety and failing to feel completely accomplished at the end of each day. Our ability to develop a self-disciplined routine will allow us to weed out everything that isn’t needed right now and instead focus on the things that matter the most. This way, each and every day, we can feel a sense of accomplishment. This feeling will allow all of us to develop better mental health and see our lives from a completely different perspective.
