If you’re feeling like your life is a bit disorganized, you aren’t alone. You don’t have to live that way. Here are a few things you can do every day to be more organized and help you feel less stressed.
1. Have a Spot for Your Keys and Mail
One of the first things many of us do when we walk in the door is set down your keys and the mail. If you don’t have a spot for them, you might be putting them down in a different place every day. This results in lost keys and sometimes even missed bills. One way to avoid this is to have a table with a tray just inside your door and make it a habit to leave your keys and the mail there.
2. Keep a Daily Schedule
Never miss an appointment or forget about soccer practice again by keeping your time organized with daily schedules for the whole family. As soon as you schedule something, write the time, date, and location down. Then on the weekend, fill out your schedule for the next week. Take into account travel time. If you have tickets to an event, keep the tickets with your schedule so they don’t get lost.
3. Use Bowls or Containers for Clutter
Have a bowl or plate on every surface where things tend to collect, and ask everyone to put things in the bowl. As the bowl starts getting full, put things away. The bowl serves as a reminder that things should be put away while also keeping most of the surface clear.
4. Maintain a “Living” Shopping List
A living shopping list is one that is constantly being updated and changed as you run out of something or you need something special for an upcoming event or holiday. Keep your list either on your phone or in a central location in the kitchen. Then every time you use the last of an item, write it down on your list. This way, you’ll never be halfway through baking cookies only to discover you don’t have eggs.
5. Put Laundry Away Immediately
Keep your clothes organized by putting them away as soon as they’re dry. Every piece of clothing should have a place, either in a closet or in a drawer somewhere. If you can’t fit everything you have into your storage space, then it is time to start considering what to keep and what not to keep. Chances are you’re only wearing a small percentage of what you own anyway.
6. Organize Important Papers Weekly
Keep all your important papers in one place. This could be a file on your home office desk or a basket on the breakfast bar. This is where you’ll find bills that need to be paid, letters that need replying to, and permission slips that need to be signed. This way, nothing will get lost, and you’re less likely to be late turning things in.
7. Put Dishes Away
Rather than leaving the dishes in the dishwasher or next to the sink to dry, put them away in the cupboards where they belong. Although this may not actually help you keep organized, it will help you feel organized. Everything will be in its home, and you’ll have less clutter.
8. Take Notes to Stay Organized
We’re all likely to forget things at some point, so why is it that nobody takes notes? Keep a small notepad and pen on hand at all times so you can write down appointment times or the titles of books that people recommend. This will help you keep your life organized and make it a little bit harder for you to forget anything ever again.
9. Return Items to Their Place
The most important thing you can do is a lesson that you would have started being taught at a very young age: put your toys away when you’re done playing with them. This is really the best thing you can do to keep your life and home organized. It all starts, though, by having an assigned place for every item that is in your house or is likely to come into your house. When everything has its own home, it’s easier to tell when you need to buy something you’re running low on, keep track of your favorite pair of socks, and keep your life in order.
Getting organized doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to build the habits you need to be more organized. Starting with these small things will make a difference before you know it.
