Marie Kondo I am not!

Whether you’re a fan of Marie Kondo or watch the Home Edit there are tips for everyone everywhere about organising your life. While I admire the zeal of these organisational kings and queens, prince and princesses, that’s not me. I’m an artist and a writer swimming my way through life on a tide of let’s see what happens. That doesn’t mean I don’t plan my life or have goals, but I prefer not to be too structured and take opportunities as they come.

That way of thinking does spill over into my house. As I sit here in my bedroom and look around at the unmade bed, the stacks of books that resemble a well played game of Jenga, layers and layers of art stacked against the walls and a cardigan on the back of a chair because the nights are still chilly; I know that I’m not Marie Kondo or the Home Edit. While there is part of me that is filled with the urge to have my life a little more organised with colour coded wardrobes, neatly folded jumpers as if I am in Gap or Zara, diaries filled with lists that I tick off in glee; I am never going to be my wonderful sister who loves a list as if it is candy.

I bring this messy organisation and goals into my work life, quite successfully. You don’t need to be a list maker (although I am at work) or an A type personality to be organised and effective. Like you, I’m juggling lots of plates that are often spinning precariously in the air. Imagine a Carousel with horses (or are they unicorns) a little beat up teetering on one leg rather than four. That’s me at work, like most people I know.

Because of all these plates I often struggle to work out what to work on next and that takes up precious space in my mind in the morning, especially when I haven’t had coffee yet. I mean, whose brain even works properly at that time of the morning? Please don’t tell me you are one of those morning people. I’m jealous and horrified at the same time. I would always rather be in bed til as long as I can in the morning. Now that we’re still in lockdown I set the alarm for 10 minutes before I start work. After all, it’s only 25 steps from my bed to the office.

As an anarchist against neat straight lines I wanted to share a couple of organisation tips that I use to allow me to get stuff done and not stress (too much).

1. Do one thing at a time. Look I know everyone says this, but with Slack, Email, phone and group messages on What’s App how can you? Here is probably my biggest tip. Allow for those interruptions in your day. Schedule for them and don’t beat yourself up over them. Where you can work on one work task at a time. If you think a task is going to take an hour. Schedule time in your diary complete it in an hour and a half. Allow for those interruptions in your day, they are there…..no matter what.

2. Use the Pomodoro technique. The brain isn’t built for hours and hours of deep concentration. It loves a distraction. A little like a magpie that is attracted to shiny things. So to be able get things done I use the Pomodoro technique. Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus only on that one task. Once that timer dings its happy dance, then take a 5 minute break. Grab a cup of tea, check your phone, Slack, whatever it is and then set the timer again.

3. Schedule everything in your diary. Anything that takes 30 minutes or more. Create it as an invite in your calendar.

For example, today I delivered two training sessions, both 1.5 hours long and had a 1 hour meeting. It was a lot of Zoom time and within that I had to prep for both of those sessions and still respond to emails. All of that went in my calendar, except for the emails. I usually leave an hour at the beginning of the day to get everything done or half an hour if it is really business. I generally don’t check my emails again until the middle of the day and then at the end. Otherwise I feel like all I’m doing is responding to email and Slack messages and I never get any of my to - do - list done.

I also colour code everything in my calendar. Ok, so maybe it will seem this is where I get a bit organisy (I know that’s not a real word, but you’ve got to give me some slack!), but it’s not. It is so I know if I have wiggle room if something else drops on my lap.

These three tips mean I know I can get done what I have on my to-do-list on that day/week. It means I can finish work on time. Which is the whole point of being organised, for me. What about you?