8 Steps to Organizing Your Life and Business

By Terri Seymour
Posted Thursday, August 26, 2004

Your life is a mess!
Your business is going nowhere!
Your house looks like a tornado hit it!

Does this sound familiar? Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel like your life and business are out of control and going nowhere?

Well, if you do, you are not alone. Believe me, we all get this feeling at one time or another - maybe more often. There ARE ways of taking control and getting organized!!

Step 1

STOP!! This is a very important step so do not take it lightly. You must stop and step back. Take some time and figure out exactly what you want and need to do to organize your life.

*Step 2

Go to "your place" and bring a notebook and pen. We all have a place where we like to go to ponder, think, figure things out. If you do not have such a place, find one. Whether it be the beach, the bathtub, a quiet spot in the woods or at the park. We all need a place to clear our minds and sort things out once in awhile. You must be able to be alone for this task!

*Step 3

Take a little time to clear your mind and free yourself from all the "stuff" of life. Then you can think clearly and objectively. When your mind is cleared, start thinking about what you want your life and your business to be. Write these thoughts down. These are your goals. In order to organize your life, you must know what your goals are.

*Step 4

After you have determined your goals, you need to write down the steps to achieving these goals. Each major goal should be broken down into several smaller goals.

For example: If your goal is to build your business into a success, break this down into smaller more attainable goals such as:

Make website more effective.
Streamline ezine.
Research sales and target market.

Achieving one step at a time will build your confidence, which in turn will help you become more successful. After you get your plans written down, type them, print them and refer to them often. Do not let setbacks deter you. We all have them. Use them as a learning tool and a strength builder.

*Step 5

Recruit your family! Yes, you can get your family to help in organizing your house which will also help in organizing the rest of your life. Hold a meeting and explain to your family what you AND them need to do. Assign each member certain chores and duties. Make sure they understand the importance of the task they are undertaking. This might take some time, but it will be very advantageous in the long run.

*Step 6

Get started! The plans are made, the army is recruited, now is the time to put the plan into action! Each step will take time. Do not rush it or get discouraged if it doesn't happen overnight.

*Step 7

Get rid of the clutter! If you have saved everything you ever got from emails to report cards - get rid of it. Keep only what you need to keep. Cleaning out the clutter will give you a feeling of control so you can take on the remaining steps more easily. It is a major step in getting organized!

*Step 8

Do it again! Each day is another chance to get a little more organized and a step closer to achieving those goals! If you start feeling out of control and overwhelmed again, refer back to Step 1. Then get back into action! As each little step is accomplished, you will feel more in control and more confident. But even those of us who are in total control and meticulously organized, ( is there such a person) will feel over- whelmed sometime. Consistency is the key. Once
you get organized, stay organized.

Make organization and planning a daily habit. I don't think any of us are or can be completely organized all the time. But if we learn to take each step and day at a time, the times we are not organized or in control will be fewer are much farther between!!

About the Author
Terri Seymour owns and operates MyOwnEzine.com Learn to publish and promote your own ezine. mailto:subscribe@myownezine.com For a complete list of her articles available for reprint please email: mailto:myownezine-index@getresponse.com

ATTN: Ezine Publishers, save hours of your valuable time! (http://wetrack.it/eza/af.cgi?710)