Are you feeling lost and disorganised? Not sure what you should be focusing on each day?
One critical thing that has helped me to focus and get organised has been to define my values and set some goals and habits. But what is the difference between values, goals and habits?
I’m going to answer this by sharing with you how I define values, goals and habits and how I organise my life to align with them.
Before I do a little disclaimer, I’m not a psychologist or coach, what I’m going to share with you is my personal experiences. If you are struggling with defining your values, goals or habits, a psychologist, counsellor or coach may be able to assist.
Let’s begin.
Values
Values are overarching and ongoing principles that shape how I live. Values are deep-seated and connect me with the type of person I want to be and how I want to contribute to the world. Values tackle the big questions of what I really want out of life. You can set values in many areas of your life such as family, health, community, environment, work etc. The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living by Dr Russ Harris has an excellent chapter on values.
One area I like to set values in is regarding my health. I want to eat a healthy vegan diet, do regular exercise and get a good nights sleep.
Now that I have this clear understanding of my health values, I need to ensure I organise my space and time to align to this value. For example, I schedule in time each week to attend the gym and make sure I have quick and easy access to my gym bag. My bedroom is clutter-free to ensure I go to sleep in a calm environment.
In a nutshell, I organise my space and time to align with my values to ensure I live according to them.
Goals
A goal is something I want to achieve, and once it’s done, it’s done, unlike values which are ongoing ways of living. For example, I value personal development and learning, and I set myself a goal to complete a Level 2 ADHD Specialist Certificate with the Institute of Challenging Disorganization (ICD). With this goal set, I needed to ensure I organised my time and space to support me to achieve this goal. I needed to have an organised work space to study and also make time to read books and listen to teleclasses. Making the time meant removing less essential tasks off my to-do list and booking in time in my calendar to study. In doing so, I was able to obtain my level 2 certificate and ultimately complete this goal.
Habits
Habits are ongoing, and unlike goals, they have no end date. An example of a habit is brushing your teeth every morning, it’s something we do (if you value good dental hygiene that is). As mentioned, I value living a healthy lifestyle, some of the health habits I set are: Sunday meal prep, morning yoga stretches and going to the gym three-times week.
All of these habits are ongoing with no end date, and they all align to my health values.
You might be wondering.
Do I complete these habits 100% of the time?
The answer is no, I’m not perfect there are times when I miss some gym sessions and doing yoga but 90% of the time I stick to doing these habits because they are essential to my health values. And when I do slip up, I get back up and continue to do them.
To ensure I complete these habits, I organise my time and space accordingly. I need to make sure my kitchen is functional and clutter-free, so it’s easy for me to do meal prep. And I need to make the time to go to the market on Sundays to get my fruit and vegetables for meal prep. I also need to have a clear space to do yoga and have easy access to my yoga mat.
Knowing what my values, goals and habits are, play an essential role in how I live. But I also need to go one step further, I need to ensure my space and time is organised to align with them if I’m going to achieve the things that matter and have a meaningful life.
Understanding what your values and goals are can be a difficult and a confronting process. If you are struggling with it, consider speaking to a psychologist, counsellor or coach for support, I personally have found them helpful.
Once you have a good understanding of what your values, goals and habits are, make sure you organise your space and time to align to them to ensure you are successful at creating a life that matters to you.
If you need support to get organised contact me to see how we can work together.
Joey Camilleri
Professional Organiser
Melbourne, Australia
Email: joey@creatingpositivespaces.com.au
Phone: 0401 149 185
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