Hutson & Houck
Unorganized? Sometimes sifting through the chaos seems like an insurmountable task … The key is to evaluate and then take small steps toward a more organized life. Trying to change everything at once, only adds to the chaos.
Getting Organized:
- Everything has a place. Some items you use nearly every day. Designate a permanent place for these items in your home or workspace. Put your keys on a keyring near the door, or in a basket on the counter, place your wallet in your top left desk drawer. Putting things away in their place saves time and helps us be more organized.
- Make a List. Making a list of tasks helps ensure completion. Writing everything down creates a visual of all what exactly needs to get done. It also helps reinforce any time restraints a task might have. Keeping lists helps limit things being forgotten or missed.
- Consider separating your lists into long-term and short-term categories. The short-term list might be items you need to complete today or this week. While the long-term items can be your monthly or yearly goals.
- Start Small. If there are many aspects of your life that you’re trying to get organized, start with the small pieces first. For instance, if your home is unorganized, start with one room – even the smallest space, like the pantry can make a difference. Give yourself a timeline to complete organization, and then expand yourself to larger spaces or other rooms once. Don’t move on until your task is complete.
- Find a System That Works. There are many different organizational methods, but the most important thing is to be consistent. Make sure you understand it and follow through.
- There are different ways you can organize things. By size, by color, by topic, by author, the possibilities are endless. Once you discover what works, be consistent and follow through. I myself am a nut for alphabetization.
- Declutter. If you find your life, home, or workspace is full of clutter, it’s time to get rid of the junk. It’s time to finally go through the stacked boxes in your garage, or to pull out and donate your too small clothing in your closet. Make some room in your space and in your life. Decide immediately whether or not you’ve used the item in the past couple months or years. If you haven’t, consider selling it or donating it to charity. Your space is valuable. Don’t waste it on unused or unwanted items.
- Remember that your first instincts are often right. If your first instinct is to get rid of something, don’t overthink it. Set it aside and box it up. Move it out of your space and into a closet or garage. If you don’t miss it after a few months, it’s already boxed up and ready to donate. Don’t keep something only to let it stick around for another couple years, unused!
- Sort Your Mail. This is a simple one that very few of us do. Mail can stack up fast. As soon as you get it, sort it and discard the junk. Shred any documents you don’t need that might contain personal information. Take care of your bills as soon as possible, so you don’t have to set aside time to do it later.
- Go Paperless. In this digital age, it’s easy to go paperless on almost everything. Save yourself some organizational headaches and save the environment. Going paperless will help you to start managing and organizing all of your billing statements in one place.
Don’t Be Overwhelmed
These are only a few of the things you can do to get yourself organized. Whatever you do, make a positive step towards an organized life each day. You’ll soon find that your life is becoming more manageable and you’ll feel more relaxed and more satisfied.