Being good at organizing may not always come naturally. People have to cultivate this habit with regular practice. So even a disorganized person can become organized by planning and practicing. Once organizing and being organized becomes a part of the routine, you’ll always find your surroundings organized for most of the time.
If you want to become an organized person or you want to have the skill to organize quickly, you can achieve this if you are willing to practice and learn. Once you start jotting things, planning things, and start ditching what’s unnecessary, you will be able to become organized quickly.
These are the essential habits that you should start practicing to become organized:
- Write things down
You must know people in your life who somehow manage to remember every birthday, special occasions and never miss to send a holiday card. This is not difficult, and you don’t have to memorize the dates. If remembering things is something you’re not good at or even if you’re good at, writing them down always helps.
At times, we don’t bother to write down important things, and when the time comes, we forget. It is always a good idea to quickly write down things in one place, even if it’s a diary, notepad, or your phone.
You can write down any and everything that your mind can forget like, grocery list, to-do list, laundry day and date, holiday gifts, birthdays, meetings, etc.
- Prioritize
To be able to become quickly organized, it is crucial to know how to prioritize. When you start writing things down your work doesn’t get done automatically instead you realize how much is left.
If you think your to-do list is too long, try this. Rank every task according to their importance and how quickly they can be done. Keeping these two factors in mind, target the list one by one, and go through every task throughout the day. If you think there are two or more equally important things on that list, don’t just get your mind stuck on what you should start first instead just pick randomly and start doing it. The sooner you start, the sooner you get done with it.
- Make a schedule and follow it.
To become organized the key is not to waste time. Recognize what needs to be organized on your list and start doing it. Make a schedule although you may not stick to it, the first step is to make one. Give yourself deadlines, set goals, and try not to get off track. Give yourself free time and breaks in between if necessary.
Let’s look at these two examples: look around your house and write down what you want to change and organize. Next write down that needs to be organized. This way you’ll start acting on it now that you have a clear idea. Another example is looking at your bucket list and writing down what all you would want to achieve this year. Next write down what you need to do to achieve the things on your list. Like in the previous example, this will also give you a clear idea and set exact goals and strategies for you to follow. Now all you have to do is try and stick to them.
- Plan for the next day in advance
A good example is to lay things out the night before. So, if you’re working, a parent, or even a student it will make you feel more in order. You can lay out your clothes, important papers or files, or any significant thing that needs organization. This will prevent you from being late to meetings and will help you to get your day moving smoothly. If you have your clothes ready for the next day, you won’t have to start your day by staring at your clothes and wondering what you should wear.
In the evening, plan out the important things that must be done tomorrow. Use an organizing app or paper and pen and jot down every thought. This way you will have a clear expectation and strategy on what you need to do, and you can sleep with a purpose in your mind. Now, the next day, you’re not confused and missing out on any important task.
- Do the dishes
The normal way to start the day is usually by making the bed. While that is something you should be doing there’s another thing that you should not skip, and that would be the dishes. By doing the dishes, you’ll feel and be a lot less cluttered. That is the one thing that, if skipped, it’ll always be there in the back of your mind and make your list look heavy.
If you have time the best thing to do is to clean the dishes at night. That will be a great start for the next morning.
Tip: Studies have proved that making the bed helps people to calm down and creates a positive tone to start the day.
- Leave your phone, keys, wallet, and accessories at the same spot.
Some of us forget where the keys were left, the wallet, or other accessories. We place them at one spot and search in others. Have a place in your entryway or somewhere near the entrance where you can place your keys, iPod, keys, other accessories that you carry in and out of the house. When you place them at one spot, you don’t misplace them, and your time isn’t wasted while finding them.
- Prep your launchpad
Just like it’s a good idea to lay out your outfit the night before, prepping the launch pad or the foyer area will also help you to get on the run quicker.
Prepping the foyer or the launch pad the night before will make you feel good the next morning, and you will be able to stick to the schedule. Maybe layout the ingredients, refresh the gym bags, prepare your work bag or school bag. If it’s raining or might rain tomorrow, keep the umbrellas at the place. This will make the morning routine a lot less hectic, and you can get organized.
- Divide the bigger tasks
Do you feel your list has some big tasks, and it’s not easy to face it? Here’s what you can do. Divide the task into steps. If you’re determined to do it, you will be able to do it. Set a 15-minute timer on your phone and start working and work without stopping till the alarm rings. Stop, get up, stretch, and take a five-minute break but not more than that. Put another 15-minute timer, but don’t get distracted by your phone while you do that. Now you can slowly slice away the task and help you get the work done without stressing too much.
If all else fails, you can hire a professional cleaning service that offers organizing services. The experts at Clean Corp understand the challenge and stress home organizing can cause. Begin organizing your home and enjoy all the benefits of living a well organized lifestyle.
