Some people naturally have an organized personality. Their homes are tidy, they never skip the gym, they are well ahead of their schedule, and always get all the tasks on their to-do lists done.
If you struggle with this, don’t worry— you can also develop organizational skills.
Staying organized means having a designated system and routine for your life such that your work, business, and personal life generally becomes more effortless. Several studies have linked can-do spirit, productiveness, better mood, and the feeling of accomplishment to one’s ability to stay organized.
In this article, we will look at twelve personality traits and habits of highly organized people and how you can adopt them to better your life, increase productivity, and reduce stress.
Are you trying to get your life together by forming new habits? Find out how to change your life one tiny decision at a time through habit stacking.
Mastering Productivity: 12 Habits of Highly Organized People
Being highly organized is a natural trait for some people, while others have to develop this habit painstakingly. However, people with an organized personality have some things in common; we highlight ten organization habits they usually have below.
1. Highly Organized People Have a System
Do you have a system for prioritizing and organizing important tasks and projects, or do you complete them when you want to? Organized people don’t just “go with the flow” at work or home. They tend to have plans, schedules, and to do lists that help them know what to do and when to do them. It’s pretty hard to live each day by a list, but you can start small by focusing on an aspect of your life you’d like to organize.
For example, your first goal towards a more organized life could be to have a tidier home. You will need to list all the chores you must do to accomplish that. Afterward, schedule the frequency of those chores as daily, weekly, and monthly, with reminders to notify you. If you abide by this structure consistently, you will notice good progress in no time.
2. Organized People Write Things Down and Use To Do Lists
A super-organized person knows that relying on your memory can sometimes fail you. Writing down your ideas and thoughts will ensure you remember to complete them. It also means you’ll remember the important dates and activities. You can use Google Calendar or a bullet journal to jot down your ideas and observations.
3. Highly Organized People Preplan with a Can Do Attitude
At the beginning of the week, most organized people plan how the rest of the week will go. They plan little details, from grocery shopping to business meetings, to ensure nothing hits them unaware. To make their weekly plans more successful, organized people also leave room for flexibility when unforeseen events happen.
Preplanning your week can be as easy as setting out your job outfits or making a list of breakfast recipes. Whichever way you choose, you tremendously reduce the chances of getting overwhelmed or falling behind schedule.
4. Highly Organized People Know When to Say No
To avoid offending people, many of us end up overwhelming ourselves with commitments and eventually find our lives spiraling out of control.
However, this is different for organized people since they like setting healthy boundaries and putting things in order. Even with a positive outlook on what they can accomplish, they know when enough is enough and are able to turn away certain tasks.
These people know when to say no so that they can conserve their energy for more important tasks. Sometimes, it also takes saying no to yourself to maintain order, focus, organization, and structure for important dates and tasks in your life. For example, you could say no to a late-night show so that you can wake up early for work.
5. Highly Organized People Are Goal-Oriented
Organized people are more than just organized for the sake of it. Their goals prompt them to create structures to make these plans a reality. Perhaps your goal is to become more productive at work. You’d want to preplan your work hours, de stress, organize your office supplies and schedules on a daily basis, and keep your office clutter-free.
Having a goal in mind keeps you motivated when you don’t feel like following through with your plans. You can use a vision board to set and track both your short-term and long-term goals.
6. Highly Organized People Are Self-Aware
Organized people set themselves apart from others through their self-awareness. They know themselves enough to understand their strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, productive hours, lazy moments, bad and good habits, and other minor traits affecting their lives.
A step towards becoming a more organized person is by truly knowing yourself. Are you a morning person? Then, schedule your most productive tasks in the morning when you're more likely to achieve them. Are you a night owl instead? Plan your nights to be more efficient.
Do you suck at multitasking? Stop multitasking and plan your day one thing at a time with enough room for rest. Nobody knows you as you do, so make plans that work with your lifestyle.
Recommended Member’s Series: Self-Knowledge 101 – Road to Self-Discovery
7. Highly Organized People Take Rests
Unlike popular opinion, an organized person is not constantly tidying up around the clock. Their highly functional system includes self-care habits that give them enough rest without jeopardizing their priorities.
They also understand how important rest is after a long day. Adequate rest keeps you energized and productive and improves your mood. Once you start feeling like you don’t have enough space or time to rest, it is most likely time to reevaluate your daily routine.
8. Super Organized People Create Routines
You may not know this, but thinking is quite tiresome and time-consuming. An organized person knows that staying focused is much easier when following a specific routine.
Research also shows that having daily routines has many health benefits, including less stress and better sleep. Therefore, good organization might mean planning your day or week by deciding which tasks need to be completed and then creating a daily routine.
9. An Organized Person Knows to Ask for Help
An organized person knows when to ask for help. They know when a task is beyond their abilities and do not hesitate to call for assistance as soon as possible. If you want to stay focused, you must be willing to outsource household chores or delegate office tasks to a co-worker so that you can have energy for other jobs.
10. People Who Are Organized Do Things Immediately
An organized person understands that the secret to staying organized is doing things immediately. They check their mail, run errands, and even take out the trash when needed. As someone on the journey to a more organized life, you’d want to reduce procrastination and complete tasks as soon as possible. It reduces the chance of you eventually forgetting to handle the task, and it compounds into more complex activity.
11. A Person Who is Organized Uses Planning Tools
Organized people are smart enough not to rely solely on their efforts, so they enlist the help of organizational tools to keep them on track and stay organized. These organization tools can be anything from project management software to calendars, spreadsheets, and planners. A Google calendar, for instance, will help you put everything in its place, organize and track your daily tasks, make appointments, and share your day with family members.
12. People With Good Organization Habits Pick Their Battles
Life happens when you are busy making plans; for organized people, there is nothing as accurate as this statement. Organized people tend to understand that they cannot have it all together every time. They make peace with their failures and put in more effort in the future.
You, Too, Can Get Better at Staying Organized
Choosing order and structure doesn’t take away all the fun and spontaneity from your life. Organization skills only help you live life to the fullest without trading the important things that matter for temporary gratifications.
Staying organized requires you to always wear a can do attitude and be willing to practice more until you get it right.
Get better insight into your tendencies and personality with this quick self-assessment.
