{"id":131176,"date":"2024-01-23T21:32:11","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T02:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/?p=131176"},"modified":"2024-04-03T11:44:41","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T15:44:41","slug":"the-joys-of-getting-organized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/23\/the-joys-of-getting-organized\/","title":{"rendered":"The Joys of Getting Organized"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">By <a href=\"http:\/\/leobabauta.com\">Leo Babauta<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>The last couple of months, things have piled up on me: emails, tasks, random notes, a bunch of browser tabs with things I\u2019m interested or need to do, financial stuff, etc.<\/p>\n<p>For the past week, I\u2019ve been allowing myself the joys of getting organized. It\u2019s beautiful, and I just had to share with you.<\/p>\n<p>Let me say a few things first: you don\u2019t need to be organized all the time, or at all. This isn\u2019t a \u201cshould\u201d to add to your list of things you\u2019re not doing. Also, there isn\u2019t one way to do this, and my way isn\u2019t the \u201cright\u201d way. Finally, this is about joy, not torture.<\/p>\n<p>How can getting organized be joyful? Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve been noticing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I\u2019ve started to feel lighter<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019ve been feeling more settled<\/li>\n<li>I have been able to focus more, when I want to focus<\/li>\n<li>Sorting through things and putting them in order is deliciously fun<\/li>\n<li>It quiets my mind<\/li>\n<li>When things are sorted, my love for the world flows more easily<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now, you can get these things in many other ways \u2014 but getting organized can be one way! Let\u2019s explore.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Journey of Getting Organized<\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s say things have piled up on you, like they have for me. The first thing is not to make that some kind of judgment, but more to ask yourself, \u201cWhat would be really nice? What would I like here?\u201d For me, what came to me was, \u201cI\u2019d like to sort things out!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once you have that intention, then it\u2019s a matter of creating some buckets, and starting to sort. Where will you put things? Find some tools to capture and organize.<\/p>\n<p>Then roll up your sleeves and get started. Start to sort things a bit at a time. As you do so, please do it with a sense of reckless play! Think of how a kid can dive into a toy chest and toss things around recklessly \u2014 that\u2019s what you\u2019re doing, except in reverse. You\u2019re tossing toys in your toy chest with abandon and delight! Please don\u2019t make it torture for yourself.<\/p>\n<p>When you start to do it, it will seem like the piles will never get smaller. That\u2019s OK, because you\u2019re having a delightful time! Don\u2019t focus on the end result, just play! Do it for 10-15 minutes at a time, several times a day. You have those times \u2014 just check social media or watch Youtube\/Netflix a little less today.<\/p>\n<p>Do this for several days, and things will start to feel more sorted. Now there are some empty inboxes and the like that might be in sight \u2014 when I got down to the last 7 emails, I knew my inbox would soon be empty. What a thing of beauty! Of course, it won\u2019t stay that way, but the deliciousness of racing towards something so lovely is a joy in and of itself.<\/p>\n<p>At some point, you\u2019ll start to feel much more organized. Maybe 5 days in, maybe a week. Enjoy that feeling. It comes and goes, like warm sunlight in the transition between winter and spring. Eventually the warm light will bring blossoms, and possibly hay fever. This is the life of getting organized.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Tools I Use<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s important to have a few buckets to put things in. I don\u2019t care what you choose \u2014 find something that you love using.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some ideas, and things I\u2019ve used:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Notes<\/strong>: For me, this is the biggest place to organize everything \u2014 a notes app that can have buckets for things like your project plans, things you want to read and watch and listen to, random ideas, etc. There\u2019s an abundance of great notes apps \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notion.so\/\">Notion<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/roamresearch.com\/\">Roam Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/obsidian.md\/\">Obsidian<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/notes\/id1110145109\">Apple Notes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/keep.google.com\/\">Google Keep<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/evernote.com\/\">Evernote<\/a>, are all really popular. There are smaller apps that are amazing as well: <a href=\"https:\/\/bear.app\/\">Bear<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/supernotes.app\/\">Supernotes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/get.mem.ai\/\">Mem.ai<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tana.inc\/\">Tana<\/a>. Lately I\u2019ve been using <a href=\"http:\/\/Lazy.so\">Lazy.so<\/a>, though it\u2019s in beta and invite only. I recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/roamresearch.com\/\">Roam Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/supernotes.app\/\">Supernotes<\/a>, or the default Apple Notes or Google Keep, depending on what kind of phone you have.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tasks<\/strong>: A good task management app is a bucket for putting all your tasks, both work and personal. Lately I\u2019ve just been using the notes app with a few files for tasks (Inbox, Today, Next, and Later), where my Today note has about 5 tasks to focus on today. But there are some great task apps: <a href=\"https:\/\/todoist.com\/\">Todoist<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/culturedcode.com\/things\/\">Things<\/a> (Mac\/iOS) are my top recommendations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Email<\/strong>: It\u2019s important to note that email is not a bucket to put things into, it\u2019s an inbox. More on that in the next section. That said, having a good email program makes it quick to sort through the inbox \u2014 I use Gmail and <a href=\"https:\/\/superhuman.com\/\">Superhuman<\/a>, but whatever helps you move through your inbox quickly is good.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Browser tabs<\/strong>: If you have dozens of browser tabs open, then having a quick way to send them to your notes and tasks apps is a good thing. I recently cleared a couple dozen browser tabs by simply sending each of them to my notes app inbox. I\u2019ve also been using a <a href=\"https:\/\/arc.net\/\">browser called Arc<\/a>, and I love it because it organizes your browsing life into different spaces (Work, Personal, Finances, Messages for me) that you can easily move between. Keeps things in buckets!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Files<\/strong>: How do you organize files on your computer? It\u2019s good to set up some simple buckets \u2014 an Inbox (or Downloads) folder, then folders for finances, personal and work stuff (or whatever makes most sense for you).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What other things do you have to organize that I haven\u2019t mentioned? Find a tool or place for them. You\u2019ve got this!<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Overcome the Overwhelm<\/h3>\n<p>The hardest thing about getting organized isn\u2019t choosing the tools or actually figuring out what goes where \u2026 it\u2019s the daunting nature of the whole thing. There\u2019s so much to sort through, that we will get overwhelmed and put it all off. Putting it off is often how we got here in the first place!<\/p>\n<p>So how do you deal with that overwhelm? Here\u2019s what works for me:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Work in short bursts<\/strong>: If things feel daunting, I don\u2019t try to get through all of it. I tell myself, \u201cJust clear out 3 emails.\u201d Or, \u201cJust sort through 5 things here.\u201d I do a short burst, I take a break, then I start again.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t aim to finish<\/strong>: If you are hoping to get to empty, it can be discouraging when you work for 30 minutes to clear things out and you still have a lot to go. That\u2019s because success is having things done, in your mind. So I focus on the joy of clearing things out (see next item), and try not to focus on getting to done.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take pleasure in the clearing out<\/strong>: There\u2019s a certain kind of deliciousness to sorting things, getting things organized. This is the part to focus on. When things pile up, it can be discouraging, because we have some ideal that things shouldn\u2019t pile up. But what if they pile up to give us the gift of the joy of clearing things out? It\u2019s like a pile of autumn leaves, just waiting to be gleefully dived into!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Take a few breaths. Dive in for a short bit. Take a break. Come back and practice returning, with love, over and over.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Inboxes and Buckets<\/h3>\n<p>What you want to do is set up your buckets (you can add to them as you figure out what buckets you need) and then quickly sort items from your inboxes into your buckets. Let\u2019s talk about inboxes and buckets.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Inboxes<\/strong>: Your email inbox is a great example of an inbox, but it\u2019s one of several. For me, each messaging app is also an inbox, as is the team communication app we use at Zen Habits. Then I have an inbox for any notes I make for myself, and another for tasks. Open browser tabs can also be seen as an inbox \u2014 when you\u2019ve got a bunch of tabs open, you\u2019re collecting things, not necessarily organizing them. The important thing to note: inboxes are essential, but they are made for collecting and then sorting later.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sorting the inbox<\/strong>: For each inbox, you\u2019ll have a pile of things that have collected. The mission is to sort through them \u2014 and then to sort them regularly. Don\u2019t worry about getting them to empty (though that can happen sometimes). Focus more on collecting and sorting into various buckets (see next item). I like to have an initial focus on sorting through the huge pile in each inbox, and then regular (daily or weekly) times of sorting for ongoing maintenance of these inboxes. We\u2019ll talk how to sort below.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Buckets<\/strong>: If you don\u2019t have a good place for things, make a bucket for it \u2014 a place to store things. For example, where will your tasks go? Emails, messages, browser tabs will often all represent tasks you need to do. You can\u2019t close the browser tab unless you have noted that task in your task manager. If you don\u2019t have a place for tasks, make one (could just be a note in your notes app). If you are working on a project and want to collect notes and web pages and other research, you need a note or document or folder that collects all of this. I like to put almost everything into my notes app, with individual notes (like \u201cFitness\u201d or \u201cTo watch\u201d) being buckets for things I want to collect. Don\u2019t overthink this, just create things, it doesn\u2019t have to be perfect or \u201cright.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Sort<\/h3>\n<p>For sorting, here\u2019s the general process:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Do one item at a time<\/strong>. I often will start at the top of the inbox and work down, but that\u2019s not important \u2014 you can pick anything in the inbox at any time. Just choose one item to sort.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Either take care of it now, or sort it<\/strong>. Some items in the inbox are so easy you can just sort it. David Allen of Getting Things Done fame has a 2-minute rule \u2014 if you can do it in 2 minutes or less, just do it now. Otherwise sort it. That\u2019s a pretty good rule, though I\u2019ll often still do it if it takes 3-5 minutes. If you can\u2019t do it quickly (it\u2019ll take 10 minutes or more, for example), just sort it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sorting \u2014 quickly decide what to do with it<\/strong>. Send it to the appropriate bucket and clear it out of the inbox quickly. Don\u2019t let yourself get too caught up in thinking. For example, with emails, I will send the item to my task manager and then archive the email. Or if it\u2019s a newsletter I want to read later, I\u2019ll send it to a read-later service (Matter, Instapaper, Pocket). Or just archive it if I don\u2019t need it. In my notes program, I will sort everything in the inbox into a number of buckets \u2014 tasks, to read, to watch, and then various topics like fitness, mindfulness, projects I\u2019m working on. I do this quickly, it takes a couple of minutes a day.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Move on to the next item<\/strong>. Once you\u2019ve put something in a bucket, clear it out of the inbox. Move to the next item. Repeat.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Practice moving through the inbox with ease. Pick something, either do it quickly or sort it into the appropriate bucket, and clear it out of the inbox. Repeat.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ongoing: A Daily Flow<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve done a bunch of organizing, the question becomes how to keep things maintained, and how to use the buckets you\u2019ve sorted things into.<\/p>\n<p>First, it\u2019s important to say that this isn\u2019t about keeping things empty, or having things organized all the time. The nature of things is entropy \u2014 every day, you\u2019ll get new emails, tasks, messages, etc. Things will pile up. Don\u2019t create an ideal where you have everything sorted and you have to keep it that way. It\u2019ll just create more stress. This is about the joy of getting organized, not being organized all the time.<\/p>\n<p>With that mindset, here are some notes on how to work with these inboxes and buckets on a regular basis:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Set aside a little time each day for inbox sorting<\/strong>. Don\u2019t live in your inboxes, and make sorting them your top priority. Instead, you can check them once in awhile for important messages, but sorting might be just once or twice a day. You don\u2019t need to get to empty, just do some sorting every day. Once a week or so, do a bigger batch of sorting \u2014 getting to empty or at least somewhere in that neighborhood.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Live in a few of the buckets<\/strong>. If you aren\u2019t spending the majority of your time in the inboxes, then there are some other places to focus on. The task manager is one \u2014 I like to take a few minutes at the beginning of the day (or at the end of the previous day) to figure out what tasks to focus on for the day, and put them on a Today list. Then I focus on the Today list for most of the day, picking one task at a time to work on. Other than the Today list, I might have a page for each of my bigger projects, and I\u2019ll often go into those and do some work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have times for specific buckets<\/strong>. There are some buckets that need regular focus. I mentioned project pages as an example, but another example is finances. I will do a little work on finances (I use YNAB) each day, but have one day a week to do a handful of financial tasks. There might be others for you \u2014 admin tasks, chores, errands, etc. that require some regular time, whether it\u2019s daily or weekly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Every now and then, bring focus back to getting organized<\/strong>. As things have a tendency to pile up, you\u2019ll want to bring in this joyful approach to getting organized whenever you need it. For me, it\u2019s roughly once every few weeks, maybe a month or a bit longer. If I\u2019ve been able to maintain things, then I don\u2019t get this joy as much. So then I\u2019ll take a month off and give myself the gift of shaking out the cobwebs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This guide is not about stridently having to remain organized all the time. It\u2019s about the natural phenomenon of things falling apart, and how to bring a zeal for organizing to the piles that have accumulated in your life. So don\u2019t make this another thing to try to be perfect at and beat yourself up about. Instead, make it another place to bring play, love, and joy. And just a little deliriousness!<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/zenhabits.net\/joy\/\">The Joys of Getting Organized<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/zenhabits.net\">zen habits<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Leo Babauta The last couple of months, things have piled up on me: emails, tasks, random notes, a bunch [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[191],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131176"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131177,"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131176\/revisions\/131177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yorbestlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}