Some people are naturally organized, but becoming an organized person is a skill anyone can learn. If you’re feeling like you can’t get your life together, keep reading! I’ll share exactly how to organize your life.
Organization has always felt like second nature to me, and I assumed everyone knew how to be organized as well. It wasn’t until I became a teacher that I realized being organized doesn’t come naturally to some people.
It amazed me how a student’s notebook could be overflowing with papers, but the ONE paper that was needed was no where to be found. It was very frustrating for my students and myself!
I quickly began teaching my students organizational habits. For several of my students, the methods that I taught seemed to sink in, and little by little progress was made.
It was fulfilling to see students who started out the year unorganized, ending the year with neat desks and organized notebooks. This experience taught me that anyone can learn organizational habits!
Try implementing a least two or three of the following habits to start with. Once you have tried a few of these habits and have seen progress, begin implementing the other organizational habits into your life as well.
The key to organizing your life is to be consistent.
If most of these habits are new to you, start small so that you don’t become overwhelmed and quit.
Change happens a little at a time. The little changes you make will eventually become habits that will impact your entire life!
How to Organize Your Life
1. Follow routines.
If you ever feel like you have too much to do, but don’t know where to start, a routine is the answer to your problem! When followed regularly, routines help you focus on what needs to be done rather than wondering what you should do next.
Morning routines don’t have to be complicated to be effective.
Simply write down everything that you would like to accomplish each morning and how long each task will take. Then decide what you want to accomplish first, second, and so forth. Write everything down in the order that you would like to complete it.
After you start following your routine, you may find you need to adjust it. My morning routine took a couple of weeks for me to get settled into, but I have found one that works well for me.
I keep my mornings simple, but I still accomplish several things before 8:00 A.M. My routine includes doing a load of laundry, eating breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen, getting my children ready, and getting myself showered and ready for the day.
By following this routine, I am more productive the rest of my day.
2. Declutter on a regular basis.
Go through your belongings on a regular basis and donate, throw away, or sell items you no longer need. By having less things to keep track of or shuffle around during the day, you will find you spend less time looking for things or wasting time managing so much stuff.
Start out small by taking a few minutes to declutter one drawer in your kitchen. When you have a few spare minutes another day, declutter and organize another drawer or cabinet until you have gone through the entire kitchen.
It may take you a week or two to go pare down your kitchen, but that is okay. It doesn’t have to be done all it once. Another simple, but effective place to organize is your kitchen countertops. So much happens in your kitchen, and having a clear counter will make your life so much easier.
Once your kitchen is in a good place, move on to another place in your home which is used on a regular basis. Maybe it’s your bathroom or desk.
Your progress may happen slowly, but eventually you’ll be able to create a clutter free home which will help you live a more organized life. The less you have to manage, the more time and energy you’ll have!
3. Clean up as you go.
While I prepare dinner, I clean up as I go. My spices are in a container on our kitchen counter. As soon as I finish using the spice, I return it to the container.
When I finish using a spoon or bowl, I put it in the sink so that after dinner I can rinse it off and put it in the dishwasher. By cleaning up as I go, I have less of a mess to clean up after dinner.
When I get my baby ready in the mornings, I also clean up his room as I go. Instead of leaving his lotion out on the dresser, I put the lid back on the bottle and return it to the drawer.
Rather than leaving his dirty clothes on the floor, they are put in the laundry basket right away. I put his wipes away and throw his dirty diaper out immediately.
If I didn’t clean up right away, I would leave behind a big mess that would get in my way later and have me feeling disorganized.
You could follow the same procedure while you get ready too! Instead of leaving dirty clothes on the bed or in a pile on the floor, put them directly in the hamper. Close the lids to any lotions or soaps that you use and return them to the shelf or basket that they came from.
If you clean up as you go, you automatically have a clean and organized space to work with and avoid clutter and a mess to deal with later.
4. Use a planner.
If you are constantly forgetting important information, it’s probably because you are trying to keep track of it all in your brain. Appointments, meal plans, bills, passwords, kid’s information, ect.
That’s a lot to keep track of and can cause you to be unorganized. So instead of keeping all that information in your head, write it down in a planner.
I prefer a paper planner, but there are digital planners if you are more techy. There are so many option out there. So find one that works for you.
Here are things you’ll want to keep track of in your planner:
- bill due dates
- meal plan
- self care
- errands
- housework
- appointments
- birthdays and other special occasions
- grocery lists
5. Prioritize your to-do lists.
You can be a more organized person by using to-do lists to help you stay focused and avoid procrastinating. I write these lists in my planner and sometimes on pieces of paper if the to-do lists are long.
But don’t stop with making a list. You’ll also want to prioritize your to-do lists. Not everything must get done. Once your list is written, pick your top 3 tasks. Do only those 3 things. After they are completed, then move on to the other items on your list.
This way you are accomplishing the tasks that will have the most impact in your day and you won’t feel like you are always working hard but still behind.
So when should you write your to-do lists?
Before you go to bed each night, write a to-do list for the next day. In the morning you won’t have to waste any time thinking about what needs to be done. Your list will help you focus on the tasks that need your attention.
This also helps you sleep better at night because your mind won’t be trying to remember all of the things that you need to do the next day.
Make a list at the beginning of the week. It’s important to plan for the week ahead by making a list of all the things that you need to remember.
Any time you are feeling overwhelmed with life, make a list! Usually, you feel overwhelmed because you have so much going on and don’t know how to organize it all or where to even begin.
Make a list of all things that are swarming around in your head, and then pick the top things that would make the biggest impact. Save the rest of the things on your list for when you have more time and energy to accomplish them.
6. Make preparation a priority.
Preparation can save you time and frustration.
If mornings are crazy at your house, start preparing the night before. One of the best things you can do is lay out your entire outfit for the next day. I even like to plan it down to the accessories and shoes!
If you have children (or even a husband) who you are responsible for dressing, get their clothes laid out too. Also, I always pack my husband’s lunch the night before and just stick it in the refrigerator for him to grab the next morning on his way out the door.
If your children are in school, take a few minutes before bed to make sure all of their books and folders are in their backpacks and near the front door. That way you don’t have to search for bags in the morning, or worse, forget their homework at home and have to turn around and get them, making your kids late for school.
Another time of day that benefits from preparation is making dinner.
If you are always waiting until the last minute to figure out what to cook for supper, prepare the night before by setting out all of the ingredients you will need and transferring frozen meat to the refrigerator.
By preparing the night before, you won’t have to think about what to make after a long day of work or running errands.
6. Deal with things right away.
When you bring in your mail each day, what do you do with it?
If it collects as a pile on your coffee table day after day, your mail has become clutter that you have to work around. Not dealing with the mail right away, also causes other problems.
There may be bills that need to be paid. If you do not take care of the mail right away, you may end up paying late fees on your bills.
Instead of waiting to deal with the mail later, go through it as soon as you bring it indoors.
When I get the mail each day, I deal with it right away and place it in designated places. If it is junk mail, it automatically goes in the trash. Coupons and ads are placed in a folder on my desk that is specifically labeled “Grocery Ads and Coupons”.
Magazines are placed in a basket that I keep for my current reading material. Any bills are opened and placed in a folder on my desk that is labeled “Bills”.
By sorting the mail right away, I create less work for myself in the future and avoid creating clutter.
The mail is just one example of how dealing with things right away can add organization to your life.
This principle can be applied to shopping as well. When you get home from the store, put your purchases away as soon as possible. It will take extra effort at first, but in the long run it will save you extra work and frustration.
By adding these 7 habits to your day you will learn how to be organize your life!
