It’s a new year and I’m sure you’ve been bombarded with articles and updates about why you should set goals or die a lonely miserable death in penury. I know, I know, I got caught by the bug and told you why new year resolutions suck and what you should do instead. Today, I decided to share 13 little ways to feel like you have your shit together this year because shit happens and you’d have to deal with it without looking like you were attacked by a wolf.

I’ll start by saying this, none of us truly has our shit together all the time and we probably never will. But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. I’m sure these 13 little ways to feel like you have your shit together this year even if you don’t will be helpful.

13 Little Ways To Feel Like You Have Your Shit Together This Year

#1.) Clear out your inbox:

Email, WhatsApp etc. Make it a habit to check your inboxes everyday either early in the morning or just before you go to bed at night. You can also use this time to delete emails you don’t need, block out spam emails and unsubscribe from unwanted lists if the information they bring no longer serve you.

I finally sorted out my inbox when I was expecting an email from an interview I attended. I had to search through over 6,000 emails to get that one email that said they’ll keep me in mind if they had another opening.

On the flip side, you might just miss an important email telling you, you have won one billion dollars in a lottery. Who knows? There are a lot of things Gmail does that you probably didn’t know about (like organizing and snoozing) and you can use it to stay organized.

#2.) Make your bed:

While this might be something you already do, a lot of us don’t (I’m guilty AF). My husband likes the bed always dressed.

Me too.

Some how I struggle with consistently making the bed everyday. As much as I don’t consistently make my bed everyday, I’ve found that making my bed isn’t that much of a chore and the satisfaction I get when I come back home to a made bed is worth the 1-2minutes effort.

#3.) Organize your shit:

This goes for both online and offline organizing. As a virtual assistant, my clients ask me for files from up to six months back and I can’t say “I’m not sure where it is” or have to look for it for days on end. So I organize everything. Create folders for each client’s work according to the type of job and the month so it is always easy to find something. Apart from making me feel like I have my shit together, it keeps everything clean and organized and makes my clients feel like they can rely on me for anything.

Organizing things in boxes or compartments helps you find something without having to ransack your entire apartment. I know where to find my keys and don’t have to look all over because I have cultivated the habit of keeping them at a particular place.

#4.) Go through your bank statements:

I went through a time in 2019 where I didn’t want to see my account statement or any notifications of transactions. It was so bad that whenever I logged into my mobile app I looked away from seeing the numbers on the screen and just did everything fast enough not to see them. I wasn’t making frivolous financial decisions or anything, but my wedding was sapping the oxygen from my account faster than I had anticipated.

You see, that was a wrong move because when I eventually pulled myself by my hair and checked the account statement, I found that I had spent over 10,000 on airtime in only one month. No. I don’t mean mobile data. While 10,000 might be less than the amount you spend on the floss you use, it was a huge deal for me. Mostly because I had to spend a lot of time on the phone with my fiancé (to keep my sanity).

Going through your account statement on a regular basis holds you accountable and helps you keep track of where all your money is going.

This is important too because I found that someone had sent a lesser amount of money to me and I had confirmed their transaction. I don’t know how many times this happened before I grew the balls to check but I wish I had developed the habit sooner.

#5.) Always have vex money on you

First off, it is classy AF to always have a little money saved up for emergencies. Taking it a bit further, having money when you go on dates, or hangouts with family/friends is classier. Your vex money is essential regardless of if your partner promised you the treat or not.

People have been put in difficult situations, forced to go against their values, manhandled and even assaulted because they thought the other party was responsible for them, and had no money. Nobody can have your back as much as you.

After our wedding, my husband developed the habit of taking cash from my purse whenever he needed cash and making a transfer (some times with interest) to me. As sweet as the extra money is, I was always caught off guard whenever I checked my purse on my way out and found no money.

I’d ask for cash to put in my purse even if we’re going out together just because it made me feel safer and more in control. He couldn’t wrap his head around why I’d want to have my own money while going out with my husband.

Long story short, I just hide extra cash for emergencies and leave the one he can borrow and pay with interest in my purse.

#6.) Find your go-to outfit recipe:

This makes getting ready for work way easier and faster. Truth is, we really don’t want to be saddled with the responsibility of looking for what to wear every day of the week. I used to tell anyone who cared to listen that I was going to hire a personal stylist as soon as I got rich until I discovered my go-to outfit formula. Mine consists of a dress and covered shoes/sandals for work and a palazzo with a fitted top and flats for casual outings. I never feel over-dressed or under-dressed no matter where I go. Yours could be anything. Just be sure to find something that always makes you feel confident and comfortable. It’ll make getting ready in the morning 10 times easier, as well as make sure you always have something ready to go when you’re in a rush.

#7.) Find your go-to make up routine:

You don’t have to do a makeover every time you want to step out of your door. Mine consist of powder, lip gloss and stud earrings. I picked this look because it is not only effortless for me but because it takes me two minutes or less to complete. I draw my brows on days when I have a little more time to get ready and want to look a little more put together. It takes me less than 10 minutes to complete it. All you need to do is figure out what works for you and can be completed in as little time as possible.

#8.) Develop a self-care routine:

It is important that you take care of yourself. It is easy to forget about taking care of yourself when you have so much work as a VA. It’s even worse when you have kids. But I employ you to pamper yourself; Drink more water; take yourself for a date once a month; cut off friends that do not add value to you; speak out positive affirmations every morning; move on from relationships that no longer serve you; and forgive fools that did you wrong even if they don’t deserve it. You deserve to be at peace. You may even take these steps to stay fit if you hate exercising as much as I do.

#9.) Stop buying shit you don’t need:

I consider myself a good representative of millennials. I use social media often, use filters on my photos, talk about going to the gym (even if I never do), complain about how adulting sucks and even use #adulting on social media. So don’t you dare question how millennial I am!

Minimalism is a big turn on for millenials in today’s world. A lot of millenials want to embrace the minimalist lifestyle, and rightly so, clutter has a way of blocking out creativity. But you can’t be a minimalist if you impulse buy shit, especially shit you don’t need. I guess you just love too many things and want to have it all, but something has to give. Make budgets and stick to them, spend money on only what you must.

If you’re a trying to become a minimalist, you need to understand that it doesn’t happen overnight. It is a gradual process and can start with simply letting go of that leggings from 10 years ago even if you think it still fits. Goddammit, it doesn’t fit! You gained 10kg! Move on!

As a virtual assistant, you might want to sign up for every freebie or course that promises to help you gain 100 rich clients very week and make money in your sleep but don’t. You’ll just clutter your head and find it difficult to take action.

#10.) Have Your Documents Ready. Always!

Get a scanned copy of all your documents and save them to your Email, Dropbox, Google drive or wherever it will be safe and readily available. This is not only important if you are looking for employment, but in case of a disaster like a fire outbreak and all your documents are lost.

Write your CV and personal statement. Constantly update them even if you already have your dream job. You’ll never know when you need it. I recently had to submit my CV, personal statements and other documents and not having it handy was been a torn on my flesh. Trust me, there’s a difference between a CV you write last minute and one you write and update over time.

If you’re interested in bidding for jobs on LinkedIn, it allows you to upload your CV to LinkedIn and have it handy on LinkedIn whenever you want to apply for a job.

#11.) Share Your Achievements On LinkedIn

A lot of us have been focusing on all the wrong places for so long. I’ve lost count of all the family and friends whose LinkedIn profile is gasping for breathe while they are active on Instagram and WhatsApp. WhatsApp and Instagram are not bad. In fact, I have gotten a good number of clients from both platforms so they are good.

How be it, Linkedin is better if you want high ticket virtual assistant clients.

I recently started paying more attention to LinkedIn and I have gotten a good number of inquiries and clients from there. Additionally, I am building my authority as a Medical Laboratory Scientist. So when you view my profile you’d see that I am excelling in both industries. By the way, let’s connect on LinkedIn

Note: A lot of companies would rather hire someone who looks professional with a track record on LinkedIn even if you are more qualified. Don’t know what you must do to optimize your LinkedIn profile? I have a blog post all about how to optimise your Linkedin profile to get noticed by recruiters.

#12.) Educate your mind so you can hold intelligent conversations:

Read books, listen to podcasts, Google stuff, read your bible, listen to news to know when the zombies will attack what’s happening in the world. In all your getting, get knowledge.

You need to know a little bit of everything so you don’t mope like a fool when the topic is not about your village witches, celebrities, your stingy uncle or the secret lives of corrupt politicians. I’ve been in situations where all the person said in response was “deep!”, nuggets!”, “so true!”, “#fact!” and then waited for me to say more without having any point of view to share. If you do this, now you know that it just makes you look uninformed and foolish. When you know things for yourself, you won’t buy everything people say even if they are your pastor, mentor or renowned motivational speaker.

PS: Forgive me for not being a marlian but I’d rather not talk to you if all you’d be contributing to the conversation is “mad oh!”.

#13.) Don’t be too shy to ask for help:

I know we are all trying to get our shit together this year, but that doesn’t mean you should die in silence. You don’t have everything figured out and that’s okay. We all don’t. Acknowledging the fact that you need help and asking for it is classy! And you know I’m all about being classy and shit. So if you need help with anything, ask for help. I’ve found that people might be willing to help when I ask. That said, here are a couple of ways I can help you:

• Need help with starting your virtual assistant business? Go here to find all the info you need.
• Want me to take on some of the mundane tasks in your business? Contact me and let’s see how we can work together to achieve your goals this year.

Final Words

I know it might seem like everyone has their shit together except you, but that is almost always far from the truth. Feeling like you have your shit together at all times isn’t always the case no matter how hard you try. Some days are just off. You’re going to wake up from the wrong side of the bed, be unable to draw two identical brows and get your period 2 days early while at work. But that’s why you are human. Instead, keep trying to be classy. I hope these 13 little ways to feel like you have your shit together this year make your life a little more put together.

Which of these tips are you going to practice? Is there anything you’ll be doing to get your shit together this year? Let me know in the comments!