How to Get Your Life Back in Order

Last Updated: February 5, 2023 References Approved

Have you ever wondered how to get your life back in order after experiencing a period of chaos? Without a doubt, many of us resort to getting bent out of shape instead of empowering ourselves to get up and get going again. Although it's not very healthy, it's easy to just feel sorry for ourselves and not do anything about our circumstances, or to make things worse through self-destructive habits. However, the key to life, as Einstein said, is like riding a bicycle; to stay balanced, you have to keep going.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Getting Time Under Control Again

1
Evaluate how you spend your time. Unless it's down time you've established, any activity that doesn't produce a tangible result or lead you to success is most likely a waste of time. This does not include meaningful time for reflection, which is key to getting your life back in order. Simply choose which things in your life are important to you and which are not. First, make a list of things that you normally do on a daily and/or weekly basis and write down how much time you spend on each activity. Then, take the items on that list and cross off the things that are useless in your life and you spend too much time on. Make a do and don't list.
2
Cut back on unnecessary activities. Look at the things you crossed off and what you still have on your other list. Does this seem reasonable? The main goal is to get you to stop spending so much time on useless things. Now that you know what to avoid doing, replace them with more productive activities.
- For example, going to the movies or browsing on the computer half as often will give you more time. Or, if you watch TV for 5 hours a day, you're definitely wasting some time in your life.
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3
Shut down social spheres. Some people are big on having as many windows open as possible when they are on the computer. They say it helps them to not forget important tasks and to stay on track. But if it sounds like you, you probably notice that the notification figures are constantly flashing, and before you know it, you're distracted by tweets directing you to another great article, photo updates about dinner selections, and an irresistible yet pointless online argument. Shut these social communities down and take control.^{[1]
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- Figure out times of the day to check back in. Take advantage of the useful time management tools out there to schedule updates for the day. You'll soon be so busy being productive that you won't notice that the social world you were so heavily immersed in has disappeared.
4
Get up early and use this valuable time to focus. Take advantage of the energy that comes with the rising sun. As many people are still not up and creating chaos in the world, it's a great time to be highly productive. Leave the social sites and personal emails for later. Begin with a short morning meditation that centers you and focuses you, and make a list of what you would like to accomplish. Then start right away on the work that will help you achieve your goals. Choose that this will be a good day. ^{[2]
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- Though you can also use part of this time for meditation or exercise. Meditation can help greatly to clear your mind and to help you feel refreshed and relaxed again.
- If you set 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. aside each morning, this will give you a solid two hours of concentrated work. It's incredible what you can achieve in this time.
5
Say no when you need to and don't feel bad about it. There are periods in life when it's nearly impossible to keep up. There are meetings, dinner dates, parties, conferences and all kinds of other situations that demand our presence. It's great to feel wanted but at what cost? Trying to go to every single thing will almost definitely have a negative effect on your productivity. Say no to things that aren't absolutely essential. By doing this, you will be opening the door so that more important opportunities can take priority.^{[3]
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- Ask yourself: How will saying yes help you to improve the most important areas in your life? If it doesn't, then say no.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Reestablishing Healthy Habits

1
Make a healthy diet plan with an emphasis on whole grains, vegetables, fruits and protein sources. A healthy diet can have a powerful effect on your overall energy levels as well as your mood. Even eating healthy foods for one or two days can make you feel like you've gotten your life back under control again, while it also physically restores balance in your body.
2
Add vitamins to your daily diet. Certain vitamin supplements can have a tremendous effect in reducing the amount of stress that you most likely went through during that recent, hectic period of your life. No matter how healthy your diet is, you may still be deficient with certain nutrients due to stress and anxiety. The absolute best vitamins to help in bringing stress levels back down are B vitamins and Vitamin C. Omega fish oils are also good for mind and body balance.
3
Practice meditation or breathing exercises. As mentioned above, stress can have such a detrimental effect on a person's productivity levels. When you feel that you have too much on you, it's easy to forget to breathe properly at times. So take deep, long breaths, and instantly improve the flow of oxygen to your brain.
4
Spend more time in nature. Being in the great outdoors is never a waste of time. Nature has the ability to clear a person's thoughts and soothe a troubled mind. Climbing a mountain or taking a walk in the woods gives us clarity again on what's important and helps us to feel connected with the universe. Appreciating your natural surroundings can be a great way to ground oneself and restore positive energy. ^{[4]
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5
Take time to stretch your muscles. Schedule a massage to improve circulation, muscle tone and remove harmful toxins. Take a yoga class - there are so many different classes and teachers available, so there is definitely a style and a teacher out there for you. You may have to take a few classes that you're not crazy about, but that's okay; because when you find the one for you, it could be well worth it.
6
Cut back on cigarettes, alcohol and other bad habits. Hands-down, these are harmful crutches and some of these vices can seriously cloud your judgment and decisions. The money you save and the health you gain by stopping one or more of these habits can be put into something more rewarding such as joining a hiking club or buying a spa-pass for a week. Like the period you just went through, there are those times where everything seems out-of-control. Now that the dust has settled this is the time to focus on your body temple again. Besides, being self-destructive gives the people around you permission to be so as well, and this can attract the wrong types of people into your life at the time when you're trying to get things back together.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting Organized Again

1
Organize first, buy last. Take a common problem - the magazines that have been lying around for months on end. You say you have to do something about them, so you rush off to the store to buy a dozen magazine holders. It's probably best to sit down, though, and figure out which ones you actually should keep and the ones you should toss. Remember, sometimes less is more.
2
Hit the yard sales. Sometimes you can find real gems in sales like this. Many items that sellers give away for next to nothing are because they had to move and can't make use of what was in their home before. The bookshelf racks that were just right in their previous living area are now too wide in their new space. So their loss is your find in getting more organized at a fraction of the cost. Reach out to the community and earn something for yourself!
3
Put it away. The simplest thing you can do to stay organized is to put whatever hairbrush, bag, article of clothing, tool, or item away right after using it. Basically, you want to know where everything is so that you never have to waste time looking for it. Ask yourself this question: Could you tell a stranger where to find anything where you live? If not, you probably need to get more organized.^{[5]
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4
Use the trash basket/recycling bin. Organizing things you don't need is simply a waste of precious time. It is incredible how much more in control you will feel by ridding yourself of outdated articles you're going to read “someday” or pages of notes from which pertinent action items have already been taken care of. For many of us, the reason we accumulated things is because we just don't want to take a look at it. This is a cultivated habit, however, and can be changed.
- What you will find with many of these items is that you can now just throw them away. So try not to be afraid of your accumulated stuff. You will feel a lot more empowered and be much more organized as a result.
5
Find a paper calendar, a sheet of paper and a white board. On your paper, you write your “to do” list for today. Keep that with you throughout the day. By the end, whatever you can't get done, gets moved to the calendar. The white board is kept for you to make scribbly notes on at any given moment^{[6]
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Harvard Business Review
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6
Write down your three most important tasks. It's easy to get overwhelmed with everything we think we have to do. However, take a look at your essential and non-essential tasks -- not everything is essential. Sometimes we can think that because we are racing around like whirling dervishes that we are actually being productive. But it's usually quite the opposite.
- When you focus on just the top three most important tasks, the path becomes a lot more clear and achievable.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I build my life back?

Tracey Rogers, MA
Certified Life Coach
Tracey L. Rogers is a Certified Life Coach and Professional Astrologer based in Philadelphia. Tracey has over 10 years of life coaching and astrology experience. Her work has been featured on nationally syndicated radio, as well as online platforms such as Oprah.com. She is certified as a Coach by the Life Purpose Institute, and she has an MA in International Education from George Washington University.

Tracey Rogers, MA

Certified Life Coach

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Take time to dream about the life you want. What is it that will make you happy? Then, think about realistic ways you can make it happen.
Question

How can I be happy?

Tracey Rogers, MA
Certified Life Coach
Tracey L. Rogers is a Certified Life Coach and Professional Astrologer based in Philadelphia. Tracey has over 10 years of life coaching and astrology experience. Her work has been featured on nationally syndicated radio, as well as online platforms such as Oprah.com. She is certified as a Coach by the Life Purpose Institute, and she has an MA in International Education from George Washington University.

Tracey Rogers, MA

Certified Life Coach

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Try to challenge negative assumptions you have about your life. If you're always comparing yourself to others and judging what you're doing, you'll feel more dissatisfied.
Question

Part 3, step 5 of the article advises moving to-dos that did not get done on that day to the calendar. Why is that? Where would we schedule it? For the next day? Other days?

Tasha Rube, LMSW
Licensed Master Social Worker
Tasha Rube is a Licensed Social Worker based in Kansas City, Kansas. Tasha is affiliated with the Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. She received her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Missouri in 2014.

Tasha Rube, LMSW

Licensed Master Social Worker

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These are only general guidelines, and not set in stone. Mold your organizational needs to fit your daily life and schedules. If you can’t get through a particular task one day, don’t sweat it. If it is a necessity that it get’s done soon, then look at your calendar to make arrangements to schedule it in. If it is a task that was not very important, maybe just try to let it go. When you hang onto things too long, they can fester and cause you to worry. It does you no good, but increases your anxiety. The goal of organizing is to release all of the things that cause you stress so you don’t feel bogged down.

Warnings

Do not take any of these suggestions to an extreme. Use your judgement.

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The only thing to fear is fear itself. Stop fearing and start acting. Fear will not eliminate problems or stop them from happening, but it will worsen them.

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Never give yourself ANY excuses. You will only be cheating yourself.

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Don't get discouraged too early. A change in lifestyle can start overnight but can take a long time to finish. However, little steps go a long way.

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Don't give yourself unrealistic expectations. Giving yourself an overly busy schedule with impossible goals will only lead into a train-wreck.

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Remember that all people are different. Every human being isn't guaranteed anything outside of what they do for themselves.

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