The 9 Habits That Will Keep You Organized
It’s extremely frustrating when you find the time to clean and organize only to have it all back to what it was within 24 hours.
Organized spaces seem to be a magnet for family members. It’s as if it’s screaming, “Look at how clean and tidy I am! Please use this time to place everything you’ve been carrying around right here.”
Life can get away from us so by just creating these 9 habits, you’ll free up a lot of time for yourself and feel a bit more sane. Plus, you won’t have to set aside time to organize because it will look like that most of the time.
Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? It will take some time to get used to but you can definitely do it.
- Keep an updated calendar.
When you hear of someone’s birthday, you plan a lunch date or your kids have a school function, IMMEDIATELY put it in a calendar. Whether you are using your phone, your email program or a paper calendar, write it down. This way, you won’t be caught off guard or, worse, forget about it.
- Create a schedule and stick to it.
Creating a schedule rids your brain of the chaos because you know you’ll complete your tasks and you also know when they will be completed. Sticking to this schedule is crucial. Productivity is key…not procrastination.
- Have a place for everything and put everything in its place.
Everything in your life has a “home”. These “homes” have to make sense. This means the most used items are more accessible than the rarely used items which can be stored away. As if it would get lonely away from home, return it to where you found it once you’re finished with your item.
- Create a purging schedule.
No matter how organized you are, things just seem to collect. It’s as if the clutter monster sneaks into your house when you aren’t looking and shoves things away. Schedule regular times to go through papers and items that are piling up. Focus on the high traffic areas. Chances are, you’ll find a lot of stuff you don’t need.
- Don’t over-commit yourself.
With all that is on your plate, it may seem like you can do it all but you can’t. In a life of choosing priorities, keep in mind that signing up for anything and everything just takes away from your personal time, family time and even sanity. Be involved, sure, but don’t create situations where it’s completely up to you to make things happen all the time. There is enough pressure at home and work for that sort of thing. Delegate like crazy.
- Designate social media times.
When you are working, it will take you more than three times longer to complete a task if you’re checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc, etc. Figure out your task, complete it and then move on to social media. If you can close your email at this time, that’s one less distraction.
- Maintain clutter-free zones.
Stairways, counter tops, desks and tables tend to attract clutter because it’s very easy to set things down that you will “get to later”. Once you set something down, you have created an attractive area for clutter. If it’s more than just you living in your home, you’ve unknowingly given the “okay” to set things down in the same place.
- Avoid the word “miscellaneous”.
When creating file labels, avoid labeling “miscellaneous”. You’ll shove the papers you don’t know what to do with in this section, forget they are there and then spend far too much time looking for them when you do need them. Just create another folder for this paper…even if there’s just one piece.
- Stay on top of it.
When you are in a room, take a look around and see if everything is picked up and in it’s place. Don’t get all OCD but do it enough to where you aren’t having to dedicate serious cleaning time later. See a toy on the ground? Is there a paper randomly placed? Did something tip over? Fix it quickly. Another good idea is to clean while you cook. It’s less overwhelming to have a few dishes to wash after your meal than the entire collection you just dirtied and let sit.
Do you have anything else to add that is working for you? Comment below.
