5 Vital Elements of Staying Organized
Organization comes as second nature to some people. These people fold their laundry immediately, toss the bag of chips as soon as it gets down to the crumbs, and never miss a dental appointment that they scheduled six months in advance. But for those who don’t have such an organic relationship with organization, here are five things you can do to move toward a more ordered life.
- Have a proper place for everything. Having a catch-all junk drawer or hallway table might seem like a surefire way to keep clutter at bay, but it might actually do more harm than good. Tossing random items in a drawer just means you never really have to come up with a real home for them, so if you ever tackle the junk drawer, you’re going to end up with a bunch of odds and ends that can’t really be put away. Instead, have a proper place for everything in your home to maintain organization.
- Don’t procrastinate. It’s human nature to put off any chore that doesn’t really need to be done right now, like sorting through the junk mail or dusting the bookshelves in your bedroom. But procrastination is the enemy of the organized person. It’s how clean laundry ends up on the floor and empty shampoo bottles pile up in the shower. If you want lasting order in your home, stop procrastinating. Hang that laundry immediately; recycle that shampoo bottle the second you run out. This will keep chores (and junk) from piling up.
- Keep a calendar. Maybe post-it note reminders used to work as a day planner, but when you have a busy schedule, only a real calendar will do. It can be paper or virtual, depending on what works best for you, but keep it up to date and check it regularly to make sure you’re not missing anything. One of the perks of a computerized calendar is that you can set alerts for important events. You can also share it with others, like your roommate or family.
- Stay on top of your inbox. Not every type of disorganization is something you can see; some pervasive areas of clutter are hidden. Case in point, your email inbox. If you don’t sift through emails every day and put them in a folder or delete them, emails will pile up just like junk mail. Make a habit of wading through your emails each morning or evening so that you won’t have to spend hours organizing your inbox down the road.
- Get rid of stuff regularly. Organized people are good at avoiding clutter, but not just because they have it stashed in its proper place. No, organized people actually have less clutter to begin with. That’s because they’re excellent at knowing what they need and, more importantly, what they don’t. Set up a regular day each month or every other month to clean out your closet, your kitchen, and anywhere else where unneeded stuff could pile up. Donate your pull to your favorite thrift store.
The 4 Most Vital Elements of Staying Organized [Apartment Therapy]
10 Things All Insanely Organized People Do [My Domaine]
10 Things Organized People Do Regularly [Crazy Organized]