
Get It Together: How These Organizational Tips Can Get Your Life Back On Track

Adulting comes with many responsibilities and one of the most essential yet sometimes hard to do, is to be properly organized so that your life runs as smoothly as possible.
Whether you are someone who has always struggled with getting your life organized, or your hectic lifestyle has made the organizational process a challenge, it may seem that fixing your issues is more trouble than it's worth.
You can take a deep breath because, luckily for you, there are a few tips that can get you back on track in no time and we've compiled them into a handy list. By following these helpful tips, your current chaotic lifestyle will hopefully be a thing of the past.
1.Write Things Down
This tip is so simple yet with technology in the palm of our hands, courtesy of smartphones and computers, writing things down has almost become something of a dated practice. If you can't recall the last time you actually wrote something down, you should definitely start. Think of writing things down as an extra insurance policy in the event that you lose/damage your phone or your computer crashes. Having a written backup of things you need to do and other important information, can save you a lot of hassle and headache when things get too crazy.
2.Resist Procrastination
Repeatedly putting off things in your life that need to be done won't help them go away. In fact, procrastinating just makes things even worse. There may be valid reasons why you procrastinate about things, such as needing more rest, something else taking priority, or an emergency occuring. However, if you have a habit of putting things off just because it's too much on your plate, that's exactly the reason why you shouldn't do it. Instead, write down a list of what you need to do and check off each task in order as they are completed.
3.Commit to Scheduling/Planning
Spontaneity is great, but it rarely serves useful if you're trying to get your life together. Not sticking to a schedule is arguably one of the worst things you can do if your life is spiraling out of control. By committing to a schedule and planning out your day, you ensure that the essential and important things that need to be done are successfully completed on time. These days, there is no excuse for not scheduling your days because every smartphone has the ability to basically do it for you.
4.Know When To Delegate
Sure, you may pride yourself on your ability to do it all, but that is the fastest way to burnout. As hard as it may be to believe, learning when to delegate things in your life to others who can help you is actually as sign of strength. Many of us are so used to taking care of everything ourselves, that we often forget that there is no shame in asking for help. Whether you need help at home or at work, simply delegating some of your daily tasks to someone else can save you a lot of unnecessary stress.
5.Learn to Say “No”
The people pleasers of the world will likely have trouble with this one. If you find it hard to say "no" to things, then you are setting yourself up for a steep crash and burn. Saying "no" can be viewed as a negative, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It takes a lot of wisdom and courage to know yourself well enough to be able to firmly and confidently say "no" to something that you just don't have the time for. It doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you human and your self-care is the most important aspect of living a stress-free life.
6.Prioritize What’s Important
The things in your life that are the most important should come first, no questions asked. Work commitments and family obligations should always take precedence over anything else. By focusing your time and energy only on the things that are of the utmost importance in your life eliminates you from taking on too much at once and instead concentrating on what matters most.
7.Embrace Your Passions
Unfortunately, not all of us are lucky enough to do what we are passionate about for a living, but that's okay because you can still make time for it in leisure. Do you love to write, design clothes, dance, sing, body-build, or DIY? Whatever your passions are, try to find some time in your life to indulge in them. Perhaps starting off with one day during the week, such as Sunday, to do the things that you love to do. This gives you a break from the monotony of the daily grind and keeps your mind clear enough to embrace things that bring you joy and fulfillment.
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- 27 Great Tips to Keep Your Life Organized : zen habits ›
- Getting My Life Together 7 Tidying & Organizing Tips - YouTube ›
Danielle Jennings is an Atlanta-based Style Writer/Editor, Tastemaker, Girl About Town, Fashion & Music Obsessed Long-Lost Huxtable Kid who is coming for everything they told her she couldn't have...one article at a time. Twitter: @daniellej416 IG: @prettyaries16
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
'Leave Quicker': Keri Hilson Opens Up About Learning When To Walk Away In Love
What you might call Black love goals, Keri Hilson is kindly saying, “Nah.”
In a recent appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast, the We Need to Talk: Love singer opened up about a past relationship that once had the public rooting for her and former NBA star Serge Ibaka. According to Cam, the pair looked “immaculate” together. Keri agreed, admitting, “We looked good.” But her demeanor made it clear that everything that looks good isn't always a good look for you.
That was all but confirmed when Cam asked what the relationship taught her. Keri sighed deeply before replying, “Whew. Leave quicker.”
It was the kind of answer that doesn’t need to be packaged to be received, just raw truth from someone who’s done the work. “Ten months in, I should have [left],” she continued. “But I was believing. I was wanting to not believe [the signs].”
Keri revealed to Cam that despite their efforts to repair the relationship at the time, including couples counseling, individual therapy, and even sitting with Serge’s pastor, it just wasn’t meant to be. A large part of that, she said, was the seven-year age gap. “He was [in his] mid-twenties,” she said, attributing a lot of their misalignment to his youth and the temptations that came with fame, money, and status.
“There were happenings,” she shared, choosing her words carefully. “He deserved to live that… I want what you want. I don’t want anything different. So if I would’ve told him how to love me better, it would’ve denied him the experience of being ‘the man’ in the world.”
But she also made it clear that just because you understand someone’s path doesn’t mean you have to ride it out with them. Instead, you can practice compassionate detachment like our girl Keri. “You can have what you want, but you may not have me and that.”
When Cam jokingly questioned what if there was a reality where a man wanted to have both “you and a dab of that,” Keri didn’t hesitate with her stance: “No,” adding, “I can remove myself and [then you] have it. Enjoy it.” Sis said what she said.
Still, she shared that they dated for a couple of years and remain cool to this day. For Keri, being on good terms with an ex isn’t a sign of weakness; it's a reflection of where she is in her healing. In a time when blocking an ex is often seen as the ultimate sign of growth, Keri offers an alternate route: one where healing looks like resolution, not resentment. “I think because I have such a disgust for ugliness in my life. Like, I don't do well without peace between me and everyone in my life. Like, I really try to resolve issues,” she explained to Cam.
Adding, “I think that's what makes things difficult when you're like sweeping things under the rug or harboring ill feelings towards someone. When you're healed, when you've done your work, you can speak to anybody when you've healed from things. I think maybe that's the bottom line.”
Watch Keri's appearance on Funky Friday in full here.
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Featured image by Paras Griffin/Getty Images