People always ask me the secret to being organized. They want a formula for making their homes and lives neat and tidy. Sadly, there’s no secret formula to getting organized.
But if I had to choose one thing that makes a huge difference to home and personal organization, it’s this: Getting organized is much easier to achieve via small, daily organizing actions than through grand, life-changing plans. In general, big plans to get organized bring out the perfectionist in you. Which leads you to procrastinate. The more grandiose your vision of a perfectly organized life, the more procrastination will sabotage you. Even if you do go on a massive organizing rampage, the results will be short-lived unless you keep up good decluttering and organizing habits. Before you know it, it’ll be Chaos II: The Nightmare Returns.
Getting organized is much easier to achieve via small, daily organizing actions than through grand, life-changing plans.
So the strategy that’s likely to be the most effective, that will keep your inner perfectionist under control, and that will last, is to decide on some daily organizing tasks that are pretty much non-negotiable. Like brushing your teeth, you just do them. Every day. Here are mine.
10 Ways To Be Neat, Tidy, And Organized – Every Day
- Make the bed. It sends a powerful message of order and self-care to your subconscious.
- Put things away after using them. Yes everything. If there’s no place to put something, throw out something you haven’t used in a while to make room.
- If you notice something broken and know you won’t repair it (be honest – you probably won’t), then discard or donate it immediately.
- Be alert for anything not used or loved and discard or donate it immediately. Keeping it is costing you time, space, energy, and mental clutter.
- Wipe down the kitchen sink, counters, and dining table after dinner. You’ll feel organized as you head to bed and when you get up in the morning.
- Load and run the dishwasher or wash the dishes after dinner. Dirty dishes are demoralizing.
- Quickly run a cordless vac over the kitchen and living-area floor. It’ll take just a few minutes, but will make a big difference to the way your home looks and feels.
- Check whether anything needs replacing in your kitchen, bathroom, or office, and add items to your diary, shopping app, or to-do list.
- Re-fill coffee beans and water in the espresso machine. Do anything tonight that will ease morning stress tomorrow.
- Put clothes in the hamper or hang them up to air after wearing, and put laundered or aired clothes away. Be kind to your clothes and shoes.
Doing these things costs a little time, but the rewards include being organized, setting a good example for the kids, having more energy and motivation, and feeling great! Well, that’s my non-negotiable, Neat, Tidy, And Organized list. You can start with just one thing, or a few. What’s going on your list?
2OO9. Dimensões, vol. Art. 11ª ed. Editora Impetus. http://forum.chat-world.fr/index.php?action=profile;u=11208
Things that are broken should not be donated. Unless you fix it first, which would be more considerate. People don’t deserve your broken stuff because you will feel somewhat better than tossing it or your assumption that it is better than nothing because they are getting it from a shelter. Just sayin…
Why people still make use of to read news papers when in this technological world all is accessible on web?
Sometimes it can be nice for the tactile experience – it’s quite nice to read a broadsheet newspaper on the weekend. But each to their own.
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I’M ALREADY A NEAT FREAK!!!
i love reading these tips although being a neat freak myself
Why are these articles,etc. so old? I just read from the home page about a 2012 Calander and it is 2016?
What do you do when you want a neat and tidy home but no one else cares? For 18 years I’ve printed organization charts, signed up for daily how-tos, and asked my friends who are exemplary with their homes. I am so jealous of that!!! My husband wants to keep every single sentimental thing he touches, my 15 yo balks at any chore anymore (I know that could be her age but she has been a mess bomb her entire existence but rarely cleans without my nagging).
Also, my husband….{sigh}…I love this man but he won’t pick stuff up or put clothes away (even FOLDED) unless I nag. It’s so frustrating and now I’m on the edge of the I-do-not-care cliff! I mean I’m ready to throw my hands up and never have company again. I work part time, babysit grandkids, homeschool, and have obligations 3x a week to other activities. And before anyone asks, no I cannot simplify those and pick up after the family myself. HOW DO YOU TRAIN HARDHEADED, UNCARING FAMILY TO DO THEIR SHARE??????
my mom needs this one ….
I agree there is no formula also known as wishful thinking for making your home & lives neat & tidy.
Spending 15 to 30 minutes a day organizing your home is best for you. Michele has several programs: Organize in 5 and 52 Missions to help you accomplish these tasks.
What’s going on my list?
1. Brush my teeth
2. Make the bed
3. Feed my cat Sparkles
4. Sweep the tile floor
5. Put the trash down the trash chute
6. Work on my computer projects
7. Play online games
8. Spend an hour with my cat Sparkles [she is my daughter]
9. Put items that you used that day away
10. Set clothes out for tomorrow
Michele’s programs do work and she is number one in my book.
This is a good list to keep and print for those type of days. Thanks!
Just do it, day after day and 30 days on it is habit. It really takes only that long for it to become part of your day to day life. Also get family members to support and help. It is amazing what you can accomplish as a team. Who said anyone had to do it all, after all we did not come into this life with tools for chores in our hands; we learn it.
It is also important to teach our children otherwise they will grow up without these skills too.
I do all of the above including mail 2z wwekly wherher I like it or not. Laundry is my nemisis atm, but just rexeived washer n dryer. One needs repair but soonas that complete, laundry once every 2 days will be a must. As for dishes if you have a dishwasher, rinsing right after meal is so much easier than scrubbing next day, and discourages pests. Hand wased for 15 years.. just got dishwasher n feels like such a luxury. Helps rhe perfectionist in me 🙂
‘Organised’ is driven by feelings, if you are organised, go and shuffle your kitchen top items into disarray, stand there looking at them, observe the sensations you feel and the words you use to describe the scene. ‘Organised’ is something instilled in you, either by a parent, mentor etc. If a person has no such criteria, they can look at that disarray and feel nothing, hence it gets left like that. Another good experiment is leave a sock in the middle of the bedroom, you will soon find out who is motivated to pick it up. Those who are organised could try to leave it, but internal feelings will build up to the point where they can’t stand it any more. Consequence plays a large role in being organised. If you want to cultivate your own sense of organisation, you need to strongly imagine if you don’t do it, what will happen? feel that distress as you imagine being in a muddle. Then imagine how it feels to be on top of the situation, and all the plus points to organisation, eg. free time you can spend with family, that nice fresh feeling of a tidy kitchen or how handy it is to find the right tool straight away. Use ‘carrot and stick’ principals eg “If I don’t do it, what then?”…”When I DO do it, how good does that feel?”
I do all the above.
I do all the above.
I have been a neat freak all my life. BUT as I have gotten older(60s) and still eork every day, I just don’t feel as compelled to be quite as neat! Never saw it coming!
I’m a neat freak…as for my 22 year old daughter?…She’s the opposite! I’m hoping she will take notes on how to be MORE ORGANIZED!!!
Its all so true – so why don’t I do it?????
Found another idea for #3 Faye and Jessica–my local area has online FB garage sales. One can post items for “curb alerts” and even for sale with caveat that it is for parts only or for DIY-ers