For many, being disorganized is something you’ve come to accept. You’re in a constant rush to get everything done, and simple tasks are not even on your radar. If you are tired of the lack of organization in your life, you’re not alone. We often overlook little things that we can do throughout the day to add a sense of calm to our lives. Below are 5 small organizing tips that will make a huge impact in your everyday life:
1. Make your bed every morning. “Why make your bed when you’re just getting back into it?”. Coming home to a neatly made bed is a small but effective way of starting your day off on the right foot. * It takes less than 5 minutes to make a bed.
2. Hang up your coat, pocketbook, and keys. How many of you walk in the door and throw your coat over a chair, your keys on the table and your pocketbook on the floor? Not only does it add it visual clutter, but you run the risk of forgetting where you left it-adding time and stress to your morning routine.
3. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. This is one of my personal pet peeves. Establish a routine of running the dishwasher on a schedule so you always have an empty dishwasher to fill with your dirty dishes. There is nothing like coming home to a nice, clean empty sink.
4. Sort the mail every day. Paper clutter is at the top of everyone’s list of annoyances so anything you can do to eliminate unnecessary clutter is a bonus. Start by sorting the mail every day and immediately put all junk mail in the recycling bin. Divide the rest into “action”: things you need to do (ie: pay a bill, RSVP to a party, etc) and “reference”: things to file (ie: insurance documents, medical papers, etc). It takes less than 5 minutes and saves you valuable time down the road.
5. Put laundry away. I’ll let you in on a little secret…this one is the toughest tasks for me to stick to, but I am always so glad that I followed through on it. Most people don’t mind doing the laundry, it’s the folding and putting away that’s the tedious part. Make a commitment to putting away each load after it’s completed (or at least on a schedule). Sorting through folded (or worse, not folded) baskets of clothes looking for something to wear adds unnecessary time and stress to your day.If you are already racing the clock to get out the door in the morning, it’s worth setting your alarm a few minutes earlier to accomplish these small tasks. Trust me; it will make you feel more at ease throughout the day and more relaxed when you come home.
Happy Organizing!