9 traits all highly organised people have in common.

One New Year’s resolution that always seems to make it onto everyone’s lists without ever coming to fruition is the ability to be organised. You either are organised or you’re not, it seems.

And the benefits of being an organised person are well known – they are likely to be more successful in life, earn more money, and usually have better long-term health.

So in the interest of becoming my best self and life-hacking my way into 2017, breaking down the traits of the highly organised and demystifying their seemingly near-perfect ways seems like the perfect place to start. Here are eight of the most common traits found among the highly organised.

1. They are goal setters.

Organised people love a goal more than office workers love a Friday night knock off drink. It’s something to actively work towards and usually achievable.

If you’re not organised by nature – start with something small. Getting your kids to school on time? That’s a goal. Not hitting snooze on your alarm 10 times? Absolutely counts.

Let's hear it for life administration. Image: iStock. 

2. They all have lists.

Whether it’s written on a scrap of paper, buried in the notes section of their phone or simply committed to memory, the high achievers of this world regularly know what they have to get done and when its due.

That level of awareness also means organised people feel more in control of their day-to-day lives, which sounds pretty appealing to us.

She's making a list and checking it twice. Image: iStock.

3. Their money situation is sorted.

One thing you’ll never hear an organised person say is that their phone got disconnected because they forgot to pay the bill.

Because while organised people may not have an extensive property portfolio, they always pay their bills on time and always have enough money to cover them when they come in. Rent’s due? No biggie, it’s been waiting in a savings account for the past fortnight accruing interest.

Love organising? Read more: A letter to my labeller.

4. They have magical powers that help them remember important dates.

Asked any organised person when their car registration is due and chances are, they’ll be able to reply without needing to consult any paperwork. They also know when utility bills are due and remember the birthdays of all of their loved ones. How they do it, I’m not sure, but I can only imagine it’s from all the kale they eat.

Managing life one diary entry at a time. Image: iStock. 

5. They do not like plans being changed.

The one downfall of the organised being is that they do not care for changes to plans. It doesn’t matter if your train is running late or your alarm didn’t go off in time, they managed to get there on time, and so should you. Oh and those last-minute ‘can we reschedule because I’ve had the worst day’ texts? Send at your own risk, friend.

6. They all have immaculate Tupperware drawers.

Okay, truth be told I can’t categorically confirm this, but I’ve never met an organised person who doesn’t have their food storage container situation mastered. Sometimes, there’s even storage for the storage, that’s how organised they are.

You know that when that happens, somewhere Martha Stewart is smiling, realising her life’s work has truly meant something. You'd better believe it's all labelled too, from the box they keep their Tupperware in to the entire spice rack.

That Brother PT-D210 is getting a good workout and it has pride of place in their stationery drawer.

Behold: an organised person's dream fridge. Image: iStock. 

7. They know their working habits and play to them.

At some point in their adult lives, organised people have somehow found the time to reflect on their behavioural patterns and figure out what does and doesn’t work for them.

It might be exercising at night rather than morning, or getting into work at seven AM to use that freshly slept brain to get work done before heading off early for the day. Whatever the unique pattern is, though, they know about it and utilise it while the rest of us reach for another coffee.

8. They know how to switch off.

The luxury afforded to organised people is time. Because they are efficient, they often find themselves with spare time that the rest of us may not.

And rather than use it trawling through Facebook or doing a deep dive on Instagram to see where their primary school friends are, they’re out catching up with friends, swimming laps at the pool or catching a movie, winding down and enjoying life.

9. They know how to let go of perfectionism.

It may sound like a surprising trait, but according to Annette Reyman, president of the greater Philadelphia chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers and CEO of All Right Organizing and All Right Moves, embracing imperfections leaves more time to get on with the job.

Perfectionists, she says, "concentrate on all the fine details and end up becoming immobilised by [them]." So make like Elsa and LET.IT.GO.

Note to self, become more organised in 2017.

How do you stay organised?

This post was written with thanks to our brand partner Brother.