5 Ways to Organize Your Life

In our modern age, it seems that we just accumulate stuff, have endless things to do, too many people to keep in touch with, and just generally have too much going on in our lives. Here are five tips to deal with the sometimes maddening onslaught of life.

Soup up your email - Of today's modern email clients it seems that without exception Gmail offers you the most power. If you don't have a Gmail account I suggest you get one immediately, and set-up everything from your previous email to be forwarded to your new one. With Google Labs, the open testing ground for all kinds of Google's crazy feature and application ideas you can do some downright insane things with your email. You can set-up multiple inboxes, and super-stars -a detailed labelling system- which can help you micro-manage the urgency of every email you get. A quick search at http://lifehacker.com/ for Gmail will show a large number of results for various "gmail hacks". Make your email the hub for your internet life, not just an online mailbox.

Get storage - Consider investing in a small storage facility room to put some extra things in. The benefit is that things which are actually meant to be stored away WILL be stored away. For example, store seasonal items like winter decorations and sleds, and instead of them eventually becoming lost and confused together with all of the other things stored away in your attic, you'll know exactly where they are. Out of sight out of mind. http://www.storagedeluxe.com/ offers the cheapest rates that I've found for a facility, with good drop-off options.

The big book of everything - Ever forget your password to that one site you only thought you'd need to use once? Or your pin number for a bank account or two? You didn't write any of this down because you though it'd be "easy" to remember? Consider printing out the big book of everything, punching some holes in it and sticking it in a binder, or just keeping a digital copy. It's a book made to store all those essential little pieces of personal information that you will need at some point or another http://lifehacker.com/5319846/the-big-book-of-everything-organizes-important-personal-information

Google Calendar - Not going to lie, I love Google. Google Calendar is pretty straight-forward: You have a calendar on the internet, you fill in appointments, dates, and things to do. The great part is you can tell it to email or text you a reminder at a specific time so that you are bound to remember. Simple, but extremely effective.

A notepad - I know it's basic but keeping a notepad that can fit in your pocket will do wonders. Outline basic day-to-day schedules, goals, things that need to get put in their place. Set realistic goals. The feeling of being finished and the motivation it provides to try harder and do more is more important than setting lofty goals and failing to meet them.

This is only the start. Sites like lifehacker.com and 43folders.com will give you almost infinite resources to organize your life and enhance your creativity. Good luck!