10 Simple Ways
to Get Organized
When you get organized, many aspects of your life will improve.
You’ll be more relaxed, you’ll be more
successful in your work and relationships, and
you’ll have more time and energy
to do things you enjoy. I know
that’s a lot of return for just getting organized.
But if you think about the pivotal role that organization plays in many
of your activities, you’ll see its value.
The title of this article says “simple” ways to get organized.
The 10 ways that I present are generally simple.
However, “simple” doesn’t always mean
“easy” when it comes to getting organized.
Some of them require some work.
A couple of them require some hard work. But
all of them offer some type of advantage or benefit.
Let’s get started!
1. Get the Right Mindset
The key to getting and staying organized is appreciating the benefits of
being organized. Once you see the
value of this discipline, then you can establish a mindset that will get you
there and keep you on track.
I wrote an article about this aspect of getting organized entitled, “25
Reasons for Being Organized.” If you
haven’t read it yet, it might help you find the motivation to complete this
project and make this discipline a part of your lifestyle.
2. Use Lists to Your Advantage
I wouldn’t be nearly as organized if I didn’t make lists.
I use 3x5” top bound spiral note pads with college rule paper inside for
my lists. The metal spiral on the
top allows me to have several lists working simultaneously while keeping each of
them attached. I buy them in a
package of 4 or 5 pads at Walmart.
I use them to make to-do lists, shopping lists, project lists, talking point
lists, and to make notes for a wide variety of purposes.
I have a pad on my desk, on the table next to my bed, in my car, in my
travel bag, and I often carry one in my pocket when I go out.
The one next my bed has been invaluable for recording ideas and solutions
that came to me during the night.
I created a simple shopping list that has the items I usually buy already
printed on it. I put the items
together in categories that match the layout of the store.
I’ve been using it for over a year now (7/11).
Although this list is ridiculously simple, it has made my shopping
activities a lot easier and less time consuming.
You can get more information and download a copy
here.
3. Get a Day Planner Organizer
Having a day planner organizer is essential if you want to get organized like
a pro. I used the paper version of
the
Franklin-Covey day planner for years.
The Franklin-Covey product is outstanding for a number of reasons.
Read my review here.
In January of 2010, I began using a software day planner on my desktop
computer. I was amazed at how this
software made the task of organizing and planning so much easier and more
efficient. Had I known what I came
to discover about this software I would have switched years ago.
The software that I am using is called the
AnyTime Organizer.
Read my review here.
4. Create an Annual Calendar
Enter all business and personal information including deadlines, payment due
dates, expiration dates, vacations, and birthdays.
If you complete this task thoroughly and carefully, you’ll be able to
relax knowing that your calendar will remind you when things need to be done.
One of the great things about the
AnyTime Organizer is that you can schedule
items that repeat every year decades into the future with a single entry.
You can also setup reminder alarms, emails, and text messages for each
item.
5. Create To-Do Lists
Having a to-do list is one of the basics to getting organized.
Creating to-do lists helps you to organize needed items, tasks, and
steps.
Although I still use my 3x5” note pad to make a to-do list for things that I'll
be completing right away or for a simple project, I usually just enter them into
my Anytime Organizer daily to-do list.
What’s great about this software is that any unfinished to-do items are
automatically transferred to the next day.
You can also easily reschedule them to a future date.
One of the things I didn’t like about the paper version of the Franklin-Covey
day planner was that you had to manually transfer unfinished to-do items to the
next day. It’s a time consuming task
that I thought was a little absurd.
It might sound like I am pushing the AnyTime Organizer, but that’s not
my intent. What I am
encouraging is the use of day planner software over paper versions because it is
such an easier and more efficient way to get organized.
6. Get Rid of Your Junk
The first step in getting your home or business physically organized is to
get rid of ALL your junk. Junk is
stuff that is unused, overstocked, worthless, obsolete, and broken.
I recommend that you approach this project like this.
Go through every room, storage area, closet, cabinet, shelf, and drawer
in your home or business and quickly decide whether an item goes or stays.
You need to have your frame of mind leaning toward getting rid of stuff over keeping it.
Here's a section in my article about garage sales that may help you in the
selection process entitled, "Identify and Collect Your Inventory."
Once you’ve moved out the junk, you’ll be ready to clean and organize each space.
Start by getting the space really clean.
This means wiping, sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, polishing, and mopping.
Be sure to use a antibacterial disinfectant. Then organize the
stuff by putting things together in logical categories. I’ll give you more tips on organizing your things in a later section.
At the end of this process, you should have a HUGE amount of junk!
So how do you go about getting rid of it?
Getting rid of your newly designated junk is easy and it can be
profitable. “Profitable!” you say.
Yes! One person’s junk is
another person’s treasure. Here are
three possibilities.
-
Have a garage sale. If
you do it right, you can make some serious money with a garage sale.
I’ve got pretty good at so I wrote a article that tells you
everything you need to know to succeed.
It’s entitled, “Garage Sale Tips
for Making Serious Money.”
-
Donate it to a non-profit charitable organization.
This is an excellence choice since you could help people and get a
tax right off. I’ve done this
with items that I had leftover from garage sales.
-
Contact a junk removal service like 1-800-Got-Junk.
I have no experience with these services.
So I don’t know how much they charge or if they’ll give you money for
some of the more valuable items.
7. Reduce & Reorganize Whenever You Move
A perfect time to get rid of your junk and get organized is when you are
moving your home or business to a new location.
If you take full advantage of this opportunity, you can literally
transform the organization of your home or business.
You do it in two stages. When
you’re packing and when you’re unpacking.
Here's how you do it.
-
As you pack,
quickly consider whether you should get rid of each item or group of items.
-
Organize and
categorize as you pack. Designate a box or a group of boxes for each
category.
-
Pack high use and
low use items separately. You
might consider leaving the low use items in their sealed boxes and put them
in a storage area at your new location.
For example, if you’ve got three (3) sets of dishes and glasses and
you’ve only used one (1) of them in the last five years, then maybe you
should keep two of them boxed or get rid of them.
-
Unpack only what
you need for one year and keep the rest in boxes.
Keep the boxes sealed on items that you know you won’t need.
Keep boxes unsealed and in a handy location on items that you’ll
likely need in the short term.
-
Clean all storage
areas in the new location as described in the previous section.
-
Determine the best
locations for your stuff before you start unpacking.
-
As you unpack,
carefully organize the items in their new locations.
I know how much work and stress is involved in moving.
I’ve done it quite a few times.
But if you can generate some extra energy by getting excited about your
move and applying it to this project, you can make the most of this ideal
opportunity to get organized.
8. Keep the Boxes from Expensive Purchases
You will not find a more secure box for your television, computer, printer,
and kitchen appliances than the one it came in.
Packing engineers designed these boxes!
These boxes are perfect for those situations when you want to put an item
into storage (got a smaller home and too many TV’s), return/exchange an item
where you bought it, ship an item for warranty repairs or to a friend, safely
pack an item when you’re moving.
When these boxes are empty, you can organize them by putting them inside of
one another and by storing other items in them.
I think you’ll be very happy that you kept these boxes if any of the
situations that I mentioned arises.
9. Organize Using Boxes, Bands, & Bags
I mean shoeboxes, rubber bands, and food storage bags that is.
You can use these common things to organize and categorize identical and
similar items.
Shoeboxes work well for organizing similar items like health supplies,
sewing materials, and household repair tools.
Rubber bands can be used for a wide range of purposes including
organizing pens and pencils, binding CD’s, and arranging electronic and
appliance cords and wires. Food
storage bags are useful for keeping valuable items clean and protected from dust
and moisture.
Boxes of various sizes are very useful for organizing items into categories.
Some categories have large items or high quantities.
Others have small items or low quantities.
So be sure to get as many boxes as you can from local businesses before
you start organizing your stuff. I have
found that most businesses put them outside where their trash container is
located. Be sure to check a variety
of businesses as each may use different types of boxes.
Don’t bother with grocery stores as their boxes are generally wet from
the food and refrigeration or they’re flimsy since they usually don’t hold
valuable merchandise.
10. Organize & Secure Your Important Papers
The only way to do this properly is to get some hanging folders, folder tabs,
tab inserts, and some sort of file container or cabinet.
By using this proven system, you’ll be able to quickly and easily file
and retrieve these materials.
The first step is to create a list of all the names for the files you'll
need. Some examples of
these names would be taxes, mortgage, rent, utilities, receipts, warranties,
computer, vehicle, banks,
credit cards, medical-dental, vacation, and so on.
When you’re done making your list, write the names on the tab inserts,
put them in the tabs, and then attach the tabs to the hanging folders.
Then put the hanging folders into your file container in a logical order.
Before you insert your papers, go through each item and decide whether it should
go into the file or be shredded. Then as add your papers to each file,
arrange them in a logical or chronological sequence.
If you already have a set of files in your home or business, you should
do the same to them as I just advised.
For irreplaceable, valuable, and important papers and other materials, you need to get a
fireproof safe or strongbox. Another
option is to get a safe deposit box at your bank.
Some banks offer these free if you meet certain criteria.
***
When you fully appreciate the benefits of this discipline, getting organized
can actually be enjoyable. And once
the work is done and you’re reaping the rewards you’ll be inspired to maintain
it.
Brad Paul
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