6 Organizing Survival Strategies
Organizing can make the difference whether your survive or thrive. You’ve lost your keys, you’ve lost a check and you have lost your mind! The more you have going on, the more important organizing can be. Organizing helps you feel and look put together. Here are 6 baby steps for organizing to help you go from surviving to thriving.
- Start with your own organizing first. It’s easy to see where everyone around you is pulling you down. It’s that old adage, “put your own oxygen mask on first.” Your purse is a perfect first step to organizing. Take stock of what is in there, declutter the junk, create categories with small clear zipper pouches for medicine, makeup, money and receipts. Empty and refresh your purse weekly. Apply this same process to your closet and your calendar.
- Have one spot where all the very important papers go. The most important papers can be in a basket or box in the office, in an accordion file or in a file bin. Whatever container your choose, you can group papers together in files or clear pockets. No more worry about where important papers are and easy to access this way too!
- Edit your closet to keep only what you would buy and wear today. Items that are too big, too small, too scratchy, or not your style, need to be dropped off at a donation spot or consignment. If you can go into your closet and choose an item to wear right away, you will save time and energy.
- Declutter your calendar. If you are running between activities, don’t have time to put away groceries or other purchases, arrive late at most meetings or church, it’s time to prioritize your commitments. Take one thing off your plate for 6 months and assess at the end of that time how you felt and how you operated.
- Routines make the difference for daily life. Set routines for doing the laundry, getting dinner done and heading to the grocery store. When you have assigned times to these basic tasks, life runs smoother.
- Gather a team to help. We can’t do it all and we can’t do all of it all the time. Gather resources to help you get things done. You know it’s time to use your resources when things get really stressful for you. Use your partners and team members to delegate and make things happen.
- BONUS! Plan your perfectionism. What holds you back most and creates procrastination is that feeling of having to “do it all perfectly or not at all.” Create a new mantra of “good enough for now” to push past and get started on your organizing.
Not enough tips still? Check out these habits of organized people.
You don’t have to apply all these tips all at once. Just start with one way to make your life more organized.
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I can’t believe how simple it is to make one spot where all the papers go, and how many people do not think to do that. I’m glad you put that in the list! Love all the ideas!
Another excellent round-up of tips here. I’m working on a talk for parents about getting organized for school, and the theme of routines keeps coming back into my mind. They are SO helpful for managing the chaos of life. Having some things that you don’t think about frees brain space for the unpredictable!
Routines are easier for some and harder for others. It is well worth the investment of time and energy. Sometimes the best way to start is with a checklist until routines become more automatic. You are so right Seana!
So true Ericka! It’s like papers multiply the more they are unconfined.
The first time I read about only keeping clothes I would buy today, I laughed, because it wouldn’t leave me much! Then I did a really serious purge last year and got rid of two big garbage bags full. Yes, I had fewer choices, but they were all things I was happy to put on. And I’ve gotten rid of more items since then.
Wow Janet! That is very inspiring! Mornings are happier and easier too because of your serious purge. Thanks for sharing that this work.