How to get organized and stay organized (2023)

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Do you want an orderly life and an orderly mind? Here's how to get organized and stay organized forever.

It is time for all of us to admit that we need help organizing our lives. Think about how easy it will be to find what you need and avoid last-minute hassles.

25 ways to get organized

Here are some tips to help you organize your life at home, at work, and everything in between. It will be a chore to do all of this, but staying organized makes life easier in the long run.

1. How to organize your life with a notebook

Write everything down and don't trust your memory. We can all agree that most of us have trouble remembering things. If you want to remember things, put them in writing or in a digital notebookEvernote. You can even make this part of your morning routine.

Sit down every morning and write down what you need to do. you can use a notebookmeal planningand Meal Prep to keep track of a recurring task and write a shopping list, shopping list, or to-do list.

If you write down your to-do lists, daily and monthly tasks, shopping lists, and other information somewhere, you can always look back, even if you hit your head and forget your own name.

When you learn to organize your life with a notebook, you start with the basics. Find a notebook that works best for what you want to do. There are bullet journals, blank notebooks, and monthly guided journals to choose from.

Then it's time to decide how to structure your notebook. Structure everything to support your new organizational needs. Streamline what needs to be done first, break your pages into timed segments, or use columns and bulleted lists where it makes sense.

Remember to take your notebook with you. It's nice to have on hand when you need it when trying to organize your life. It should be easy to access and keep all your notes and lists in one place instead of having them in multiple places.

2. Back up everything

Back up your computer files and important documents, and make copies of your car and house keys. We recommend hiding one in a not-so-obvious place. Everyone can see under the front mat!

Scan your IDs, passports, and bank details and save them to a secure folder on your computer. Keep originals and photocopies of your financial records, birth certificates, property deeds, and insurance policies in a folder, preferably in a safe.

3. Practice putting it in place

Chefs are extremely organized people, in and out of the kitchen. Your secret? You have space for everything.

They separate their clothing, wrapping paper, craft supplies, and cleaning supplies and store them in labeled bins or closets at home. In the kitchen, they are trained to organize their workspace in such a way that every movement is conserved and they know exactly where all the ingredients are.

It will take time, but after a while you will see how easy it is to find what you need when everything is in place.grande.

Another example: do your pens and pencils have cup holders? Or are they scattered across your desk and tossed into your drawers? What about your craft supplies? Do you have a dedicated area for these items, or are you in a frantic search every time you need the glue?

Separate everything into bins, label them, and find a home for them.

4. Scan and save your photos

Are you worried about losing the last copy of your childhood photos? Tired of all those bulky picture books on your coffee table? Scan photos to save space and make sure you don't lose those precious memories. You can even have them scanned at a local print shop.

We also recommend a service likelegacy boxThis can help with photos or even those old home videos you might have lying around your Super 8 reels in the attic. Imagine the clutter you could replace with a space-saving flash drive that holds all your photos and videos.

5. Clean and organize regularly

The best way to stay organized is to set aside specific times of the day fororder and clean. It doesn't have to take a long time: 15-30 minutes a day is enough.

As you order, ask yourself if you're actually using each item. If not, get rid of them! Utilize all of your storage space and designate an area for clutter, whether it's thrown away, donated, or sold.

If selling is the path you want to take, service is likedeclutterIt's a simple and easy way to get rid of the extra stuff and make some money in the process.

It also helps to follow the 20/20 rule. If you're getting rid of something you really need, you can replace it in less than 20 minutes from its current location for less than $20. That rings true for most people. So if you get rid of something you really need, remember that it can be easily replaced.

6. Keep access points clean

Every home and office has a clutter hotspot. The usual suspects are the sink, dining room table, cubbyhole, nightstand, and bedroom drawers. Take note of these places and order them daily.

Dusting, stacking magazines, and rearranging things and ends may seem tedious at first glance. Once they're part of your routine, you won't even realize you're doing them.

7. Recycle and donate

Is your closet full of unopened suitcases and clothes that still have the tags on? Is your bookshelf full of unread books?

Chances are, if you haven't read, used, or used whatever, you probably won't. Donate them to charity or sell them on eBay.goodwillhas tons of donation centers andDisabled American Veterans(DAV) can even collect your donations.

8. Owner takes something away before buying something

Try this experiment: Before you buy anything, throw out something old or something you don't use.

Or, if you're a really terrible pack rat, throw away 1 old thing a day until you can't find any more items to throw away. Do this for a month and I guarantee you will have less clutter in your life.

9. Check expiration dates

Canned goods and expired medications not only taste bad, but can also be harmful if they've been out for a while. Get rid of things right away to minimize clutter in your cabinets and make room for new supplies.

Not sure of an item's expiration date? MoneyConsumption dateThey have an excellent database of food expiration dates.

10. Delegate cleaning and organizing tasks

It will be easier to organize your home when you are aTeamwork. Go through your to-do list and find tasks that you can delegate to your spouse and children. Make a list of responsibilities for each family member and distribute it. Go over the list with them each week to make sure everything gets done.

Teach your kids to be organized so you don't have to pick them up every day. For your spouse, it could be mowing the lawn or making sure all the cords behind TVs and laptops aren't tangled up.

Delegation is a great form of project management that the whole family can learn from. Make sure each person has their own responsibilities and daily tasks. These daily tasks can increase productivity and promote a healthy daily routine.

11. Create a central family or work information center

Use a synced calendar app like Google Calendar where everyone on your team or family can enter new updates, times, important dates, appointments, and tasks for all members to see.

This way of managing tasks avoids conflicting schedules and keeps everyone informed of each other's activities and whereabouts. You can also do this with a large whiteboard or sticky note.

12. Put things away immediately

All your hard work to create a dedicated space for your stuff will go to waste if you don't implement it. When you have kids, things can add up quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours.

Keep your home (and your life) calm and orderly by putting things away as soon as you use them. This exercise only takes a few minutes, but it will save you a lot of cleanup time later.

13. Save passwords in a secure app or offline

Passwords are very important to maintain your privacy and security. Unfortunately, using the same password for everything is bad, while many different passwords are strong but hard to remember.

Centralize your passwords and sensitive data with an app that lets you create one password to protect all other passwords, e.g.last step.

14. Log out if you are not reading

If you've subscribed to various newsletters, blogs, and other online publications, but haven't read a single email from them in three months, unsubscribe. You probably won't read any content anyway.

While you're at it, unsubscribe from magazines, catalogs, and junk mail you haven't read. It's just a waste of money and space, especially if you don't read them.

15. Inventory, no excess inventory

Take an inventory of household cleaning and hygiene items so you don't run out or overstock.

You may think that excess inventory is a good thing, but if you don't have enough storage space, all those extra supplies will just waste your valuable space. The same advice applies to office supplies, canned goods, and personal care products. Scroll down for a free pantry organization checklist.

16. Label for stored and perishable foods

When was the last time you found an unrecognizable Tupperware with groceries in your freezer? Sometimes it's not just cooked food: juices, condiments, and sandwiches fly under the radar until one day you wonder what that mysterious green goo is.

Minimize food waste by labeling all items in the refrigerator with an expiration date, name, quantity, or size.

17. Make cleaning schedules

Organize your cleaning on a daily, weekly and monthly schedule. It is extremely exhausting to have a "cleaning day" where you clean everything at once.

Distribute chores evenly, so that dishes can be washed every day, for example; While vacuuming can be scheduled weekly and window cleaning can be done monthly.

18. Get a task management app

Download Trello or another task management app on your smartphone so you don't forget about random tasks and errands.

Task management is also a great way to break a large project into smaller, more manageable tasks. And apart from better organization, it also helps to prioritize tasks accordingly.

19. Make a wish list for the weekend

Keep a list of activities you want to do so you can check your boring bucket listweekendsInstead of wasting time figuring out what to do, or just giving up and watching reruns at home.

20. Avoid procrastination

If you wait to do something, the task will seem more difficult. Organization is a good way to relieve the stress of daily life, making it seem less demanding.

Think of something you want to organize in your life and write it down. Then create a schedule and plan when you should finish. And then do it! Don't put off tasks that you can do now. Get organized today for a less stressful tomorrow.

21. Avoid bargain shopping

One of the worst things you can do when trying to stay organized is go shopping crazy. That only brings more confusion.grande.

Instead of bargain shopping or buying items on the spur of the moment, try to write down your needs ahead of time and avoid ads that promise you a better deal if you buy now or have a certain number of qualifying purchases.

Just because it's on sale doesn't mean you really need it. This will only add more clutter that you will have to organize later. A shopping list helps you keep track.

22. Organize your mind

We talk a lot about organizing the material things in your life, but what about organizing your mind?DailyIt's a great way to do this and it's a simple thing. It offers an easy way to organize all your feelings and thoughts.

Journaling has also been shown to helpimprove memory, improves your mood, awakens creativity, helps overcome trauma and heals faster.

23. Organize your time

Do you want some peace of mind as well as better organization? Try to organize your time. Create a routine for everything you do.

As you organize your time, look for ways to efficiently complete your daily tasks. An example of this would be setting your goals correctly.

Set achievable and measurable goals, then set a time limit to complete your tasks. Eliminate any tasks that may be considered non-essential.

24. Organize your digital life

Once you've organized your home and your mind, it's time to organize your digital life. We've already talked about using different apps to organize your life and unsubscribe from email, but what should we do with the people we no longer want to follow on social media?

Go to your social media platforms and unfollow people who don't add value to your life. A good social media cleanup can make you feel good and even cut down on your time in apps. You can use these apps as another learning resource.

also considerleave instagramor other social networks where you spend a lot of time.

If you're running a business, follow people who can help you improve or give you advice on a specific task you need to complete.

25. Konmari practice or method

When you talk about organized living, you can't really get in without talking about it first.The KonMari methodCreated by Marie Kondo. It doesn't just focus on changing your home; it focuses more on how you can transform your life.

"Life doesn't really begin until you get your house in order."– Maria Kondo

When we tidy up, we clear up the mess and bring order to our home. We organize by category and not by location. When an item is no longer fun, throw it away and move on.

how to stay organized

Now that work is done, you may be wondering how to stay organized and avoid falling into bad habits. Always stay focused on what matters and follow these simple steps to stay organized.

Follow up

If you've been through it all and have things to donate or throw away, go ahead. Do not allow objects to sit still and collect dust.

You've already gone through the difficult process of getting organized, so go all the way. Drop off your donations and make sure your trash goes to the landfill.

Practice conscious shopping

When you go shopping, really think about each item you put in your shopping cart. Is it really something you need? Make a list before you go out to avoid impulse purchases, and stick to it.

Keep your organizational system up to date

If you've followed our tips on how to keep a journal and create a centralized organizational system for you and your family, please follow them and keep them updated for further improvement.productivityand organization Be realistic about everything and keep everything in order.

Create a daily chore schedule that everyone should follow, set a 10-minute cleaning timer at the end of each day, and make it a habit to put everything away after you use it.

Do not fill in the empty fields

Finally, if you have free space after ordering, don't feel the need to fill it up. This is an easy mistake many people make when organizing. Leave your bins empty or make room for new items as needed.

Diploma

Whichever of these tasks you decide to do, remember that you cannot completely organize your life all at once. Acquiring these organizational skills can be a long and drawn-out process, so be patient.

Just choose to get organized now and take small steps until you see some semblance of order in your life. Very soon you will make a habit of all this and your stress levels will begin to decrease.

When all else fails and you still need help organizing your life, don't be afraid to enlist the help of a professional organizer. A professional organizer can help you organize your things and create digital storage solutions.