How to Be Organized

How to Be Organized

Take the time to organize your life.
If disorganization is congesting your life, and you're feeling scattered and frustrated as a result, it's time to get organized. To achieve organization on the inside, you will need to take steps to become organized on the outside, by clarifying your priorities, objectives, and how you want your belongings and your lifestyle arranged. Try to keep stuff where it belongs.
Steps
1. 1

Organize your space. Whether it's your home, bedroom, kitchen, office, computer, closet, desk, or locker, you need to see what's in there, throw away anything you don't often use (or put it efficiently in storage) and give everything else a convenient and clearly designated space.
o Clean out your belongings before you think about organizing (organizational tools, furniture, etc.). Don't do it the other way around. You can only really accurately know what space you have when you've cleaned up. If you don't really take a hard look at what you're stuffing in your spaces, you'll waste time and money organizing stuff you don't need anyway.
o Observe how you use your things and work out how to use your space efficiently. If it's inconvenient to get to things (or to put them away), your organization system is more likely to fail. Make it easy to get to and put away the things you need most often. In that vein, put things where you use them most. Pots get stored near the stove, envelopes and stamps are stored in the desk, stain remover and bleach goes in the laundry room or linen closet. (It sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people just put things "wherever" and then are surprised when doing anything is tremendously inconvenient.)
o Do you have items in your house that just take up space? Be sure to de-clutter regularly. Good questions to ask yourself in deciding: Do I need this? Will I need this in a year? Have I used this in the last year? Do I really love it? Is there someone else who could use this more? Do I have more than I could reasonably use in foreseeable future? Will I miss this if I don't have it?
o Know what "organized" looks and feels like. Organized spaces are simple to use. They have enough room for the items there. It makes sense. Every item in your home has a location. Organized spaces also feel calm, open, and welcoming.
o Use timers. Set a timer for how long you think a cleaning organizing task should take then work like crazy to get it done in the allotted time.
o Have a spot for all bills. Open all mail immediately and dispose of the outer envelope with the junk mail. Keep only the bill in a prominent location.
o
2. 2
Put it back. Right now. Once you establish where everything belongs, you need to get in the habit of putting it back there as soon as you're finished using it. Don't put it on the kitchen table or on the couch and move onto something else, thinking to yourself that you'll put it away later. That's a big no-no.
o Always put your keys in the same place.
o Always put your cell phone in the same place. Have a cell phone charging station set up.
3. 3
Use a calendar. Get a calendar and put it in a place where you see it every day, preferably in the morning. For most people, that's on the refrigerator, on their desk, or on their desktop. Wherever you put it, make it part of your routine to refer to it every day. For example, you can put it on the inside of the bathroom cabinet where you get your toothpaste. Every morning, while you're brushing your teeth with one hand, touch today's date on the calendar with the other, and look to see what's marked for today and for the upcoming week.
o Keep your calendar close at hand when sorting papers. Often, you can file or even toss the announcement for an event if it is recorded in your calendar. Your calendar can remind you to do things on time. There's no need to rely on that stack of paper.

Use a planner. A planner is especially useful if you have a lot of appointments and your days are so varied that you have trouble keeping track of your schedule. For example, if you travel a lot or attend classes at various times of day, it's much easier to carry a planner with you to consult frequently--you can't do that with a calendar. You can also usually fit more information in a planner.
4. 5
Combine similar activities. Make all your phone calls at one time. Do all your errands at the same time. Pay all your bills at the same time. Do all shopping in one trip.
5. 6
Write it down! A short pencil is better than a long memory. Anything and everything you need to remember should be written down. Even if your memory is great, nobody's perfect and it doesn't hurt to put it on paper, just in case. Record phone numbers, appointments, birthdays, shopping lists, and things to do, and record them where you can easily find and refer to them when you need them.
6. 7
Make to do lists.
o Make a to do list for your day. Your daily or immediate list should never be more than 5 items long, or else you're taking on too much and setting yourself up for failure. Mark one or two of those items as things you absolutely must get done that day, and pursue those tasks relentlessly until you get them done.
o Make a to do list for the week. Appropriate items here would be: Grocery shopping, fix air conditioner, etc. Draw from this list to make your daily to-do list. A white board or board with erasable markers can help to remember all one has to do every day, or long term goals.
o Make a to do list for the month. This list would have more general tasks like: Birthday gift to Jill, get car serviced, dentist appointment. Draw from this list to make your daily and weekly to-do list.
o Make a to do list for your life. Drastic, yes, but why not use this time to rethink your life and where it's going? Getting organized is all about priorities, and it never hurts to get your ducks in a row.
7. 8
Taking the time to organize receipts for things going back, whether to the store or to the library, can really help. It creates order and structure, and will also help avoid not being able to return things to stores and fines.
8. 9
Delegate responsibilities. Make sure the person you appoint to do the task has all the tools necessary to do the task. It's hard to be organized if you insist on doing everything yourself.
9. 10
Multitask. Organize a drawer while talking on the phone. Fold towels while watching television. Do take care to combine only compatible tasks, though, or you'll just waste time compared to doing things in sequence.
o Just keep in mind that some studies have shown that multitasking may diminish one's ability to focus on one thing at a time.
10. 11
Follow through. There's no point in making a to-do list if you don't discipline yourself to complete the tasks you've assigned yourself. There are many ways to stick to your to-do list. Stop procrastinating, remove or ignore distractions, and hop to it.
o If something keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list, take a good look at it. Is it really important? If so, get it over with, or at least get it started. If not, put it back in the long-term list for "someday" or get it off the list altogether. Don't let yourself get hung up on something for too long.
11. 12
Ziplock bags are your friends. Store away items in plastic zip lock bags. This way, the items will be compact, clean, and dust-free. But they will also be all over the place if you dont have a storage system! Place the bags in closets, desk drawers, cabinets, and other places. Zip lock bags are convenient, useful, and cheap, so use them!
o Try drawer organizers for drawers that are enclosed. You can purchase a wide selection or make your own by slicing off the tops of empty plastic bottles of various sizes. Milk jugs are handy because they are fairly square, but any bottle or jar will do if you can trim it so it fits in the drawer.
12. 13
Make Decisions To be more organized, make more decisions. Clutter and disorganization is often the result of failing to decide what to do about, or with, something. Start flexing your decision muscles with little things, and you'll soon find yourself more confident about taking action on the stuff around your home, on your desk and in your office. Try it today!
13. 14
Setting a time frame in which each task has to be done through out the day is another good way to keep one from procrastination, and keeping to their agenda. Having a time frame is very effective way to organize day because knowing that one has designated a time slot for each item on the list lets one know that there is no need to rush to finish things. Just take the time that you have granted yourself and do the job well. Don’t rush to finish it. If one were to rush to finish a task, it might not have been done as accurately, but if one had taken the time and done it gradually and more effectively.
Tips
It's a good idea to carry a notepad and pen with you at all times so you can write things down as they come to you (usually at the most inconvenient times, which is why they're so promptly forgotten). If you're worried about fitting a notepad in your pants pocket, don't be. Check bookstores and office supply centers to find a notepad slim enough for any pocket. Of course, if your planner is compact enough, it can serve this purpose as well. Another idea would be to have a PDA, Blackberry or palm Pilot. Some cell phones have notification or note-taking menus. If you are using one of those, they may be practical too. As a last resort, call your own phone number and leave yourself a voice mail.
When running errands, map out the best path so you get the most done and keep chit chat to a minimum. Don’t get sidetracked. Target what you need to do. If something else comes to your mind, write it in your notebook to do at a later date.
Post-it notes are your friend. Put them in nifty spots as reminders. For example, if you know you need to wash your car, then put a post-it note on your steering wheel so that next time you get in your car, you remember to get it done. Other good spots for post-it notes are doorknobs, mirrors, and PC monitors (the borders, not the actual screen).
Start your phone conversations with "I only have ____ minutes to talk." Then stick with it. When calling for appointments, make sure you have all information you will need and write down any questions in advance.
If you know that you're not naturally inclined to be organized, you can change that by starting with one small area of your living space and focusing on keeping that small area organized. Keeping a small area organized over time is easier to do, and it will help you build a new habit. After about 2-3 months of keeping one corner organized, you will naturally tend to expand your new-found organizing instincts to other areas.
"A place for everything and everything in its place" is always a good organizational rule of thumb to live by.
Remember: "Organized minds make successful people."
Make sure you always have what you need for the day with you.
When making your to do list for the week, remember things may occur that could be entirely unexpected. So, do not set in stone what you need to do entirely.
You are able to log the divide in time spent on productive pursuits versus those times you spend on unproductive pursuits with the aid of chess clocks.
Treat yourself right - get plenty of sleep the night before and eat healthy (or healthier). To accomplish anything you need to be able to think clearly and need energy to do it.
There are many possible ways to organize something, all valid. One person might organize a sock drawer by color. Another person might simply fold pairs of socks together and dump them in. Yet another person might buy a whole bale of socks all alike and not sort them at all. Regardless of what you are organizing, choose the system that makes most sense to you.
Keep your surfaces clear. Reducing visual clutter helps reduce mental clutter, overstimulation, and the feeling of overwhelm. Get rid of stuff you don't need - so that you can put things you do need away and out of everyday sight. You'll feel instantly calmer.
edit Warnings
Don't expect to get organized overnight. Unless you're really fast at it, or it's a small area.
Don't expect your family and friends to instantly jump on the organization bandwagon, but do stick with it. In the long run, you will be glad you did.
Don't worry if you're not "perfectly" organized, as long as your area is safe, sanitary, and reasonably efficient for you.
Don't rush everything, but more importantly, take your time to develop a habit of organising behavior.

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