Launched by Beck Wadworth, brand & journal An Organised Life was born out of the desire to bring structure & organisation into busy lives. We chat with Beck on her top organisational & meal prep tips.

TO-DO LIST & DIARY

One of the most effective ways to organise your life is with a to-do list, using either your AOL diary, a notebook or notepad. Jot down every single thing you need to do then prioritise your workload, this immediately reduces stress and gives you a structured way to work through your day. I find identifying my 3 MITs (Most Important Tasks) really effective and also breaking down my to-do list with what I want to achieve in the morning and in the afternoon really helps to schedule my day. 

TIP: I write down my 3 MITs and to-do list the night before to mentally stay on track and it also gives you a few extra minutes to enjoy your morning coffee rather than trying to get organised. 

PLAN YOUR MEALS 

Set a defined day each week to plan out your meals and write your shopping list or if you’re time poor then place your online grocery order. GoodFor deliver NZ wide and if you're in Central Auckland, they also offer same day delivery! 

The day you do your weekly shop is usually a great day to meal prep too, while you’re still in that headspace.  Another option is to allocate 2 days of the week to prep & plan if one day is too overwhelming. For example on Sunday plan and prep for Monday-Wednesday and then Wednesday prep again for Thursday-Saturday. I love keeping Sunday as a day for eating out or ordering in!

Tip: When you write your shopping list each week - split it into categories, below is an example:

• Fruit & Vegetables

• Dairy

• Bread / Bakery

• Meat & Seafood

• Canned Goods

• Pantry

• Baking

• Beverages

• Frozen

• Household Cleaning

• Personal

• Other

SPRING CLEAN PANTRY 

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen & pantry and for a lot of us, this area can quickly become out of order! Although we call it a spring clean, I think it’s important to do a thorough check and clean every 3 months.

Take everything out from your pantry and fridge, & check the date stamp on every item & also to ensure no condiments or fridge items have any mold. There are two different types of date stamps: use by and best before. 

Use by: The use by (or used by) date is placed on foods that must be eaten within a certain time for health and safety reasons. 

Best before: Best before dates are used to refer to the quality of a food item. That means they may lose some quality after the best before date has passed, such as nutritional content, colour or texture loss.   

 

Ensure you dispose of any products that have expired, composting what can be,  & write a list of products you need to replace on your next shopping run,.  Of course, do a thorough clean of all surfaces as well as the fridge, pantry, oven & counter tops. Allocate a good amount of time to this & have a relaxing coffee break afterwards! It's a big job.  

Once you have finished cleaning, access your pantry, cupboards & fridge & make a plan of how you are going to store some of your staples to keep them fresh & easily accessible. I suggest labelled air tight containers, pantry racks, separator drawers for the fridge & we also love beeswax wraps.  If you have a small kitchen or pantry, make the most of the space. Get creative, a lot can be done in this area & now is the time to make those changes. If you go for air tight containers with products like grains, flour, cereals, pasta etc - my tip is to stick a label on the back or underneath with the date you put the product into the container. 

Keep your pantry / fridge & kitchen looking clean and tidy by grouping items. If you organise the foods in your pantry by food group, it makes it easy to find ingredients and to keep track of what you have on hand. 

 

SET ALARMS
Setting weekly or daily alarms can be hugely beneficial not only just for work but for life tasks too, I check my diary every night and set alarms that act as reminders for the next day. E.g an alarm to wake up, an alarm 30 minutes before a meeting to prep, an alarm when I need to leave for an event or photoshoot, an alarm for 30 minutes before the end of my work day to tie up any loose ends, do a final check of emails and write my to-do list for the next day.

There are no rules - utilise the alarms to work for you in whatever way you need, maybe it’s reminders to check in with friends & family, reminders to drink more water or have a break & stretch if working at a desk. 

 

SUNDAY ROUTINE
Creating a Sunday routine gets your mind into the right headspace to tackle the week ahead. It could be as simple as setting aside 10 minutes to look at your diary and schedule for the week ahead for both work & personal time. Things like… 

• What nights will you not be home for dinner?

• What days do you need to pack your gym gear?

• Do you have any pre-work coffee catch-ups & need to set an earlier alarm on that day?

• Are there any important meetings booked that you need to plan an outfit for?

Once you're feeling confident with your schedule for the week - take the time to write a big to-do list for your Monday and set any alarms or reminders you need to on your phone.  Sunday's are also a good time to plan your meals, your workout schedule, your outfits and set your alarms! 

VALUE YOUR TIME 

And finally, it’s important to be respectful and realistic of not only your time but others as well. Overestimate, rather than underestimate with your time, and be strict on yourself. This is where setting alarms becomes helpful and also delegating! When done correctly, delegating can make a world of difference to a workplace or a household running smoothly.  Remember to also schedule in time for yourself, we can’t be the best version of ourselves when running on empty.

Explore An Organised Life at www.anorganisedlife.com, Good For customers also receive 15% off full priced products, use code AOL15GF at checkout.