Life is a long journey. And it’s not always smooth. It can sometimes be quite a roller coaster (if I do say so myself). Some days are filled with pleasant excitement. In such cases, we just wish it never ends. But there are other days when everything seems to be in shambles. And at that point, we wonder if we can ever get out of that day fast enough. Today I’ll be sharing some tips on how to get your life together and back on track when your life feels chaotic.
It’s a pretty common experience in life to find yourself in some kind of slum and feel stuck. Although it might be really difficult to put things in order, no matter where you are in life, you CAN get your life together again.
One thing you should know about getting your life together is that it’s not abrupt. It is a process…a continuous process. And hence, we have the good and bad days, the sunny and rainy days.
Sometimes, you’ll feel like you can single handedly take the world by storm. Other times the ferocity of life leaves you so lonely and terrified.
But then there is a possibility that nowadays, you see more of those horrible days than you ever saw the good days and now, you want solutions on how to break free.
Since your search for a solution brought you here, then you took the right step! Join me as I go over some practical ways to get your life back on track, no matter what happened in the past. We move.
1. Examine The Categories Of Your Life
Hey, so I’m sure you know that to ascertain results or causal factors, an examination is always required.
You undergo a school examination to ascertain how much knowledge you’ve acquired over a given period of time (that’s debatable but maybe some other time?). When you fall sick, you go through a medical examination to ascertain the cause of the disease.
The reason I’m putting this on top of the list is that in order to solve any problem, you have to find out the cause first. Now, in order to get your life back on track, you have to start by finding out WHY you are stuck in the first place.
And there is no better way to find out why than to examine the 8 categories of your life. The 8 life categories encompass virtually all aspects of your life; making it quite comprehensive.
If you can effectively examine and evaluate these life categories, there is no way you won’t find out the cause(s) of your problems, and hence the solution won’t be so far away.
These are the 8 Life Categories you must evaluate:
- Business/Career
- Wealth/Finances
- Family/Friends
- Recreation/Fun/Entertainment
- Fitness/Health
- Love Life
- Spiritual/Personal Development
- Physical/Environmental Aspect.
After identifying those 8 areas of your life, you have to evaluate them by creating a vision for each. In each of the categories, ask yourself:
- What have I done wrong here?
- How do I make amends?
- What do I want to achieve?
- Where do I want to be?
By asking these questions, you will easily evaluate how you are performing presently and why. Then moving forward becomes easier.
2. Routinize Your Day
Remember, it’s all about getting your life together. So, if your activities can be routinized, you will feel better for sure. This is because a TASK feels more difficult to accomplish than a ROUTINE.
To routinize your day, you have to start from the very moment you wake up from sleep. Preferably, you can start with less difficult activities, maybe a minor exercise will do for a morning routine.
Then get to the main activities for the day. Take them one activity after another until evening. Yeah, evening routines are special too. One of the best night activities you could adopt is to prepare for the next day. It makes tomorrow less terrifying or occupied.
The more your routines are constant (continuous or uninterrupted), the easier your life becomes.
When you wake up every day familiar with all your to-dos, life will definitely be less overwhelming.
However, changing your routines from time to time won’t be a bad idea. Because it’s possible to feel bored after repeating the same line of activities day-in-day-out.
A switch in daily routines at times can help get your life up (just as much as routines do).
Related: Top 10 Morning Habits To Supercharge Your Day
3. Get Clear With Your Goals
The whole idea of setting a goal is to give us a clear direction towards achieving what we want. Of course, it’s easier to have dreams of what you want to be, but it is quite difficult to achieve those dreams if you don’t have a clear goal (and planned actions) on how to go about it.
I’m sure you don’t want to wander for ages without vision or direction. You will definitely not reach your destination. That’s exactly what happens to you if you have no clear goal.
How to go about goal-setting?
First, take 30 minutes of your time to search through your mind. Then, write down the things you really want to achieve by the end of next week or next month or even next year. The third (and a very vital step) is to come up with a strategy; the day-to-day activities you must embark on towards achieving the stated goal(s).
Moreover, you must revisit your strategy from time to time to ensure that you are on the right track and to make some adjustments if need be.
4. Have A Priority List
If you really want to get your life together, then it’s high time you stopped biting off more than you can chew. Often we set many more goals than we can achieve. And in the process of chasing the multiple goals, we get stuck without any significant achievement! It’s quite sad.
For instance, you can recall how busy most people are every 31st Of December, trying to create certain resolutions that they will end up not executing.
If you really want to put things in place and get your life a bit simpler, you have to prioritise. If possible, set only a goal for a given period of time. Focusing on a goal makes it more feasible to achieve.
5. Learn How To Be Productive
Productivity comes before fulfilment. Nobody can truly say they have attained self-actualization without being productive in the first place.
Unfortunately, productivity doesn’t come easy and most of us struggle with it. We strive so hard and many times, we fail to achieve our desires. Apparently, that’s why we feel like our life is falling apart.
But come to think of it, how can you be productive when you often start up something and leave it halfway and then delve into something else…only to forget the one you started initially?
Such an attitude to work will never yield any positive results. Instead, you will feel disorganised by it. In order to become more productive, you need a little bit of patience and determination. You need that resilience to finish up any task you start.
There are lots of books and internet materials like this one that will help you to take the right steps towards productivity.
Related: 10 Effective Time Management Tips That Really Work
6. Organize Your Finances
The financial aspect of your life is something you mustn’t joke with.
It’s not always easy to keep your finances in order. Handling money is not child’s play. And hence, most of us have our fair share of mismanaging money; if not all the time, then at least once in our lifetime.
Fortunately, money management – saving and budgeting – is something you can get good at (that is, if you really want to).
However, it doesn’t just come to us, it requires constant effort!
As a matter of fact, one of the basic goals you should set in order to get your life together is to organise your finances.
Start by developing an action plan for money management.
On every payday, probably the end of the month, take out a portion of your income for savings. The higher the amount you can muster for savings, the better. Then remove the amount you need for your recurrent monthly expenses. Any remainder afterward can then be used for fun, entertainment, or emergency.
If you can make it a goal to follow this procedure every month, your finances will definitely get better.
Related: 20 Things To Stop Buying To Save Money Starting Today
7. Invest In Your Health
Health, they say is wealth (sigh, if only they meant that literally, I’d be rich!)
The most direct way to invest in your life is by investing in your health. In other words, to get your life up and running, your health must be in one piece.
Most times, people take their health for granted. However, the importance of good health will resonate with you as you get older. By then, you’ll realise that you can no longer do certain things you used to do freely.
Unfortunately, old-age is not the perfect time to start taking care of yourself. You have to start now… As early as possible. By doing so, you will feel great even when you get older.
A proper way to start investing in your health is by adopting healthy lifestyles such as:
- Exercising regularly
- Eating healthily
- Drinking enough water
- Taking supplements
- Going for medical check-ups
- Avoiding alcohol & cigarettes
- Avoiding excessive sugar and fats
- Visiting the hospital once you fall sick, etc.
Undoubtedly, you will benefit a lot by living a healthy life.
First, your weight will be under control. As a matter of fact, you have little or no chance of being obese just by embracing a healthy lifestyle. Also, a healthy way of living will improve your mood. You will simply be happier.
Moreover, certain diseases like; diabetes, arthritis, depression, cancer, will be prevented. As long as you make healthier choices and invest in your health as much as you can, you will definitely live comfortably enough to get your life together.
8. Declutter Your Space
Sometimes, the reason you feel like your life is messed up is quite simple; you’re in a mess. A dirty environment will never benefit you. It generally affects your vibe, your mood, your aura, your temperament… Even your health!
To get your life together, you shouldn’t only focus intrinsically. Sometimes, our environment goes a long way to affect how we feel within.
Decluttering your environment from time to time is quite necessary. It not only provides you a clean space to live happily but also improves the state of your mind.
Therefore, use certain days within the week to clean your home (both the interior and exterior). Also, discard all those properties you no longer need. They clutter the little space you have and make you feel clogged.
What do you stand to gain from decluttering? Well, there are a whole lot of benefits that come with decluttering. Some are physical, others are psychological.
Physically, a clean home reduces exposure to surface germs and resultantly, reduces the risk of infections. Psychologically, a clean, spacious environment improves concentration, reduces stress levels, improves mood, and most importantly, the quality of your sleep will be transformed.
9. Make Time For Yourself
This might be last on this list but definitely one of the most important steps to take.
Many times, life can get so crazy!
You find yourself paying lots of attention to work, family, and other responsibilities. You get so engrossed and busy so as to make ends meet. But then, you need to pause…
Take a break.
Remember to give yourself some time. Your body needs it!
Use that little break time to prioritize yourself. Self-care is something that should be on your list of priorities. No matter how busy you are, create a little time to care for yourself.
Once you learn how to give yourself some time amidst all difficulties, it won’t be long before you start feeling like things are beginning to fall in place for you. Just try it out.
Related: 30 Easy Ways To Practice Self Care
Final thoughts
There’s a whole lot more that will help you put your life in one piece. However, above all, learn to be kind and never be too hard on yourself. Always take it one step at a time.
Remember, getting your life together is a continuous process!
Don’t forget to pin & share these tips to get your life together this year!
