How to Get and Stay Organized at Home

STEP 1: Throw away or get rid of the things you don’t use. Don’t overwhelm yourself; just start with one room at a time, and then one section of the room at a time, until you’ve gone through everything. The more stuff you accumulate the less chance you have of keeping things organized, so if at all possible, get rid of as much stuff as you can. It’s better to have an empty house with only things you use than a house full of stuff you don’t use. When you’re done piling up the stuff to get rid of, plan a yard sale; this way not only can you get rid of the stuff you don’t need, but you can also make a few bucks too.

STEP 2: Designate areas for certain things. Make a specific place for your mail, your keys, your shoes, etc. If you decide on a place to put each item you’ll be able to stay organized and not misplace or lose anything. Often times we can also find better areas to store some items so that would allow us to make better use of the space we have. Take a second to look around your house. Do you store some things in spots that would serve a better purpose for something else? Are you storing a small item in a large space while you leave a big item cramped in a small space? Don’t be lazy and leave things where they are because it’s convenient at the time. All it takes is a few seconds to change things around to make your place more efficient and better for the future.

STEP 3: Get in the habit of putting things away after you use them. If you designated areas for certain things you should have no problem completing this task. Once you’ve figured out where you want to put something all it takes is a quick second to put it back in the original place you got it. This can save you a lot of time and effort in the long run because, otherwise, you might have a whole mess of stuff to put away later on.

STEP 4: Make a ‘things to do’ list. Sometimes it’s impossible to remember everything we need to get done during the week. We leave out little things here and there and before you know it you’ve passed your deadline without even realizing it! So, the best thing to do is simply to sit down with a pen and paper and write down all of the things you need to get done for the week. Then keep the list nearby so that you can scratch off each item as you finish them.

STEP 5: Pick up a planner and calendar. One of the most important things you can do to stay organized is to have a planner and calendar handy. Write down the things you need to get done each day so that you can designate a certain time to get them done. This will save you so much time later because if you have to work on things at a specific time you’ll be less likely to get distracted with other things. Mark important dates and deadlines on your calendar so you don’t forget. Use your planner and calendar hand in hand so you can keep track of goal deadlines and the times allotted for each task. Make sure to keep these items close by in a place easy to find so that you can refer to them frequently!