Organisation in October

This time of year, time seems to gather speed like a ball rolling downhill, and crash at the bottom of the hill at Christmas. Making a few small changes to your routine now can set you up to be prepared for this relative speed-up of time, and have you reaching the end of the year tired but relaxed. 
So here are our tips for getting through the next few months.

Decluttering- sort out your living space
With Christmas being so commercial, you can safely assume that you will be receiving gifts in the festive season. If you take a little bit of time to declutter your space now, you will make room for the inevitable gifts, and maybe also find some unopened items that will be perfect for regifting!
If you are struggling to know where to start with decluttering, here are some ideas to get you started.

• Start with 5 mins a day. Set a timer, just 5 mins, once a day. If you get in the groove and want to keep going, go for it! But even 5 mins a day will help get you started.
  
• Decluttering checklist- sometimes having a list to check off can be a great motivator. Keep the tasks small and quickly achievable, more ‘declutter this one cupboard’ than ‘declutter kitchen’
  
• Only keep what brings you joy. Using Marie Kondo’s method of decluttering, you can assess items in your house based on their practicality and if they bring you joy to keep them in your house.
  
• 12-12-12 challenge. Pick 12 things in your house to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to return to their proper place
  
• 4 box method. This is for the dedicated declutterer- take every item you own and put in one of 4 boxes- trash, give away, keep or relocate. This is the most intensive method and will take some time, but it will help you assess every item you own. Then you can intentionally place the items to be kept and relocated, making it easier to keep track of what you have. 
  

Getting organised- sort out your calendar 
Taking half an hour now to sit down with your calendar and organise the next few months can save you a lot of time, effort and money later. A couple of key things to look at putting in your calendar:

• Events- work/school breakups, Christmas parties, deadlines/exams.
  
• Holidays- where and when, with reminders if anything like flights need to be organised beforehand.
  
• Appointments- hairdresser, chiropractor, massage. Book them in and set reminders so you don’t miss your appointment! We send out appointment confirmation emails that can be added to your iCal/Google calendar with ease. 
  

With all of these booked in, you will be able to make it to the end of the year organised and looking and feeling good.

Delegate tasks- sort out your recharge time.
While we can do anything, we cannot do everything. Ask yourself what you enjoy doing, what tasks you look forward to and what tasks only you can do. Then delegate the rest! When delegating or asking for help, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, check that the person you are delegating the task to has capacity to take it on, you don’t want to empty your plate and overflow someone else's. Make sure they have the skills and tools they need for the task, then leave them to it. While the task may not be completed exactly the way you would have done it, it will be done and you will not feel so overwhelmed trying to do everything all by yourself. 
Then you have time for self care, whatever that looks like for you. Reading a book, meditating, going for a run or to the gym, taking a nap, whatever you need to recharge. 

Take a bit of time now to sort out the rest of the year, and you will be surprised how much of a difference it makes to your physical and mental health.