Being an organized person isn’t just about having your clothing color coordinated or knowing where to find your old holiday decorations. An organized life starts with the mind and seeps into the rest of your life, bringing a sense of calmness and order.
It’s hard to get organized when your life’s always on the move, so here are 5 simple tips to get started.
1. LITTLE BY LITTLE
Give yourself a set 15 minutes every day to just organize something, whether it’s your refrigerator or your pile of mail that somehow keeps getting bigger. If you do a little every day, you’ll find that the clutter or mess that seemed impossible at first will become manageable.
2. WRITE A LIST
You won’t remember to do everything if you can’t remember to do everything to begin with! Keep a written or electronic list of what you need to get done. Then, give yourself a deadline for when you need to get it done by. Having it physically down on a piece of paper could help you get the final push to conquering your much-dreaded To Do List.
Remember to be realistic with your deadlines and expectations for yourself. If you’ve already got a busy week at work, two friend’s birthday parties to go to, and a relative visiting from out of town, maybe don’t pick this week to be the one where you have your carpets cleaned and re-organize your kitchen cabinets.
3. GIVE IT UP
Sometimes it’s really hard to let things go – this could be a piece of clothing you haven’t worn in 10 years or something someone said to you that is nagging the back of your mind. When it comes to clearing out your closet (or your memories), the best practice is to let things go. A good way to see if you’re really going to miss something from your closet, is to go through and remove what you haven’t worn in more than 3 months, put it in a donation bag or box, then wait a month. If in that month, you haven’t gone looking for the item to wear still, then it’s time to give it a new home.
For that thing in the back of your mind bothering you, use the do something about it or let it go process. Tell yourself that if it’s really bothering you, you will do something about it in the next 24 hours. If you still haven’t figured out the time or the will to sort it out, then it’s time to let go and not let it continue to leave a negative impact on your well-being.
4. DON’T DO IT ALL YOURSELF
Again, if you’re already a busy person, don’t try to be a superhero. Know when you need to ask for help and delegate out responsibilities to other people. Delegating does not mean hounding on the person for the next week until they get it done or expecting something to be done exactly how you would do it. It means giving a task to another person with clear expectations and being okay with having it done, regardless of if it is how we would do it or not.
5. GET IT DONE
Don’t put it off until tomorrow just because the weather may not be perfect or that one episode you really wanted to re-watch happens to be on tonight or your friend just called and wants to grab a drink. There’s a difference between living in the moment and making excuses or procrastinating. Don’t let other people’s lives or MO interfere with yours. Do get things done as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Trust that you will be relieved once your laundry pile is no longer toppling over on itself and you don’t need to wash one piece of clothing every time you need it.
Post by Barbara Lee.
Barbara is a world traveler who is passionate about sustainable food systems, responsible consumerism, and holistic living. Her professional background and interests include writing, cooking, non-profit work, eco-conservation.
