Buzz
Most people dislike clutter. However, forming the habit of staying organized takes time. Once you get used to it, your life will become much simpler. To truly become organized, you need to manage both your living space and your time. Make sure to keep track of appointments and tasks. You can also work in an organized way to increase productivity and accomplish more in less time. Being organized can reduce stress and anxiety, helping you better control your daily tasks.
Steps
Time Management
Write down important events on your calendar. Purchase a calendar and place it somewhere visible every day, such as in the kitchen, next to your bed, or in your office. You can also use a digital calendar or a smartphone calendar app. Next, make sure to write important events on your calendar, such as plan deadlines, appointments, and meetings. Keep your calendar updated regularly to organize your time.
- Make it a habit to check your calendar daily, like in the morning or before bed.
- Color-code events by priority. For instance, mark important events in red and less critical ones in yellow.
- If you're using a digital calendar app, set reminders a few days or hours before the event to avoid forgetting it. You can also use other scheduling apps like 24me, Quip, and Wanderlust.
Use a daily schedule. Using a daily schedule is an excellent way to organize your time. You'll focus on each day of the week and easily note down appointments or meetings for each day. This method is highly effective when you have a lot to accomplish during the day. You’ll list all your tasks in time slots within your schedule. Check your schedule before starting each day to stay on top of what’s already planned and work in an organized manner.
- For example, you could note down a morning meeting, a call with a client at noon, and a project deadline in the evening.
Create a to-do list. To work in an organized manner, you should create a to-do list. You may need one list for short-term tasks and another for long-term tasks. Write your to-do list on a whiteboard and place it somewhere visible, such as in the kitchen or bedroom. Cross off completed tasks to motivate yourself to tackle the next items on the list.
- If you prefer to keep your to-do list on your computer, use a spreadsheet to list your tasks. Place the spreadsheet on your desktop for easy visibility and to cross off completed tasks.
- For example, you might have short-term tasks like submitting a paper by tomorrow, cleaning your room, and ordering office supplies for the week. You could also have long-term tasks, such as spending a month preparing for college applications, learning Arabic, or planning a trip.
Annie Lin, MBA
Life & Career Coach
Life & Career Coach
List all your goals to help you stay focused. Write down goals for each day, week, month, quarter, and year. Then, plan how you will achieve these goals.
Reward yourself for sticking to the plan. Rewards will encourage you to continue staying organized. You could treat yourself to a delicious pastry or lunch at your favorite restaurant after completing your to-do list. Alternatively, give yourself a 5-minute break to go for a walk if you finish your tasks ahead of schedule or complete everything on your daily calendar.
- You could also reward yourself with fun or relaxing activities, such as playing video games or watching your favorite show. Just make sure to reward yourself only after completing your daily plan.
Work in an organized manner
Plan your tasks daily. To stay organized, it's crucial to schedule your daily tasks. List your tasks based on their importance and check them off as you complete them. The most critical task should be first, followed by those of lesser priority. This method helps you keep your day well-structured, whether you're at work or school.
- For example, prioritize completing an essay or preparing lunch for your children first. Then, allocate time to check emails, catch up on the news, and take care of other tasks during the afternoon and evening.
Annie Lin, MBA
Life & Career Coach
Life & Career Coach
Try to maintain a consistent schedule every day. Creating a routine will help you become more organized and reduce distractions, allowing for more time to focus on creative tasks.
Include breaks in your daily routine. While completing important tasks is your main objective, it’s also essential to take short breaks. Schedule a 5-minute break after completing a few tasks to relax your body, go for a walk, or perform some light stretches. You can also enjoy a cup of coffee or have a snack during your break.
- Taking breaks helps prevent burnout and fatigue, especially when you have a lot to get done. If your day is packed, try to schedule at least one break to avoid working for long periods without rest.
Multitask. Another way to stay organized is by multitasking. This technique helps you accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. It also gives you a sense of control, as you're completing multiple tasks at once, which can alleviate stress or feelings of being overwhelmed.
- For instance, you could fold towels, send emails, and put clothes in the washing machine while waiting for the kettle to boil. Or, you could download a program on your work computer and complete reports or other tasks while waiting for the download to finish.
- However, research shows that multitasking may reduce your ability to focus on any one specific task.
Delegate tasks when necessary. If you're facing a heavy workload, try delegating tasks to others when possible. You can share tasks with colleagues at work or family members at home. Delegating helps you work more efficiently and stay organized.
- For example, you might delegate household chores to your children or family members, so you're not solely responsible for cleaning and organizing the house. Or, you can share tasks with a colleague who has some free time, ensuring you stay on top of work for the day.
Organize your living space
Clean and organize the bedroom. To begin organizing your living space, focus on your bedroom. Review every item in the room and get rid of anything you no longer use or need. Declutter and tidy up the space so it feels more organized; only keep essential items in the bedroom.
- For example, if you have a bookshelf in your bedroom filled with books, skim through the collection and set aside the ones you don't read or need. Toss out any books that you truly believe you won't read again. You can donate the unwanted books to charity instead of letting them pile up in your room.
Keep your office and workspace tidy. If you have a home office, make sure to clean and organize the area. Go through the papers and bills on your desk, and file them into folders or document holders. Discard any unnecessary paperwork that doesn't need to be kept. Store office supplies in drawers or cabinets, and keep pens and pencils in a pen holder.
- Additionally, place frequently used items close to your workspace for easy access. For example, if you often use a stapler, keep it in the top drawer of your desk so you can grab it quickly whenever needed.
- Organize cables in your office by using cable ties to keep them tidy. This prevents cords from tangling and cluttering your space.
Clean your kitchen. The kitchen is often one of the most frequently used spaces in a home. You can keep it tidy by reviewing each item and donating anything you no longer need. Discard broken kitchen tools or chipped plates. Once you’ve removed unnecessary items, you can organize the remaining essentials.
- Group related items together in drawers or cabinets. For instance, store coffee mugs together or keep all kitchen utensils in the same drawer.
- Avoid cluttering the countertops with too many items. Instead, place only commonly used tools like a large cutting board or a kettle on them.
- Some items should be displayed or organized individually, such as spices, which should be easily accessible, ideally on a spice rack on the countertop.
- Perishable items like food should be consumed using the first-in, first-out method. For instance, store canned goods that have been in the pantry for a long time at the front of the shelf or drawer.
Organize your wardrobe neatly. Another commonly cluttered space is the wardrobe, especially when you have a lot of clothes. Start by reviewing all of your outfits and getting rid of things you no longer wear. Typically, if you haven’t worn something for over a year, it’s time to let it go. You can categorize your clothes, for example, grouping all jeans together on one shelf or hanging coats in one section of the wardrobe.
- Swap the positions of frequently worn clothing so that it’s easy to access and make full use of your wardrobe.
- Store all your shoes in one place, ideally on a shoe rack or in labeled boxes. This way, you can see exactly what you own.
- If you find it difficult to keep your wardrobe organized, consider buying one with multiple compartments to help separate your clothes.
Regularly clean your living space. To maintain a tidy environment, it’s important to clean your bedroom, office, desk, kitchen, and wardrobe regularly. Dedicate one day a week to cleaning and organizing these areas in your home. This practice helps you eliminate unnecessary clutter from each space. Additionally, it makes it easier to maintain an organized system for your belongings in each room.
- You can also clean individual areas throughout the week to ensure things stay neat. Dust your home daily. Immediately throw away any papers or bills you no longer need, rather than letting them pile up.
- It’s best to clean your home once a week. If the place becomes cluttered quickly, you can clean more often.
Advice
- Organizing your living space can also help reduce stress and anxiety. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, taking some time to clean up can be very beneficial.
- To avoid burnout, try to relax and address the real problem, writing everything down rather than overthinking or worrying.
- Another area that often needs tidying up is the miscellaneous storage area in the house.
