Top 10 Organizing Tips

Aug 17, 2010 by Kristen

Getting your act together is never an easy thing to do, but these organizing tips will help you take control of your clutter – and your life.

1. Your Mind Does Reflect Your Environment

You’ve probably heard the saying that a clean desk reflects a clean mind. And you’ve probably heard most people say that’s ridiculous. They claim it doesn’t matter how cluttered their desk or their home is – they can still function just fine. What most people don’t realize is just how much better they would function if they didn’t have all the clutter!

So the first tip for getting organized is really just how much smoothly life will run once you are organized. Organizing your home, your desk, and your work will spill over into all facets of your life.

2. Learn to say NO

You can’t do everything. Don’t even try. You can’t be everything to everybody all the time. You will never get control of your home or your life if you’re trying to balance everything.

One of my biggest problems is trying to be there for my children 24/7. I feel like being a work-at-home mom obligates me to being “right there” for everything they need. The reality is, I do my kids no favors by letting them interrupt me constantly. My projects pile up, started but never finished. My temper gets shorter, and shorter, and shorter. My kids get more and more selfish. It doesn’t work.

Learn to say “no” to things you really don’t have time for – and then you’ll have time for what matters. Learn to reserve blocks of time when they’re really needed. Teach your kids that you’re going to take 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to sort files. Or you’re going to take 60 minutes to write. Set a kitchen timer so they can see the minutes counting down.

Take time to be with your family, too – just for them. Don’t think about work. Just enjoy those hours that belong to the family.

3. Work in Bite-Sized Chunks

I am a huge fan of bite-sized organizing because it really works. Are you overwhelmed with your file cabinet? I know that I was overwhelmed with mine. How about that room that’s just been collecting junk for a few years?

Set a timer – 15 minutes is a good start. 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 45 minutes. Set it for whatever you think you can stand. Then do the work. Get in an work until the timer goes off. If you keep this up for a week or so you’ll be amazed at just how much you’re able to get done. It’s like magic!

4. Stop Assigning Emotional Value to Things

OK – I’ll admit that I have a few stuffed animals sitting beside my bed that I assign emotional value to. And yes, I still have my baby blanket tucked among my things. But assigning emotional value to everything just gets you in trouble.

If you have things around the house that you just don’t need just get rid of them! You can take pictures of some things (those hideous dishes Aunt Hilda gave you – you’d never use them but she was such a dear, sweet woman!) – take a picture, put it in an album, and let go of the clutter.

5. Be Ruthless

My husband and I differ on clutter control policies. He would rather keep things around “just in case” they’re needed one day. I would rather make room in my home to, well, walk…

I’ve had a policy of being pretty ruthless with clutter for the past several years. So far I can think of one thing I gave away that I later wished I hadn’t. ONE thing (a pan for my kitchen – which I replaced with a much nicer model :p)

If you’re not using it, don’t keep it. If you think you may use it in the next six months, store it away in a labeled box. If it hasn’t been retrieved by the date on the box, give it away.

6. Have a Collections Department

If you’re organizing your entire house (or even just one room) you should have place that can serve as “collections.” Take everything that does not belong in the room you’re cleaning and put it in the collections location.

After you finish every other room in your house, go back and start processing the collections room – move things to where they belong, trash them, or finally have the courage to give them away.

7. An Ounce of Prevention

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Go through your mail when you get it. Immediately throw away junk mail. Have a time set aside every day or every week when you go through the rest of your paperwork. An “in basket” somewhere in your house is great for this. Just grab the basket and go through it – file things that need to be filed, or take action on those things that require you something from you.

I used to be able to go through my in basket once a week. Now, however, my business is really taking off and a lot more paperwork is coming in. So I’m making time to quickly go through things in the evening – before they get overwhelming.

If you have other items (hobby equipment, winter gear, etc.) that tends to pile up make it a policy to “do it now” – in other words, put it away. Right away!

8. How Long?

Look up the regulations and recommendations given by your government, accounting, legal, and tax professionals to determine how long you should keep certain documents. If you need to keep documents long term, but don’t use them regularly, package them neatly in “banker’s boxes” and store then in the attic or the basement.

Making a date to purge your files regularly will keep things manageable. It will also keep you from putting off filing papers because you can’t fit anything else in

9. Think “Where Will I Use This?”

You can’t always do this – but it’s ideal to store something where you use it. If you use your scrapbooking supplies on the kitchen table try to find a cabinet or closet near the table to store your supplies. This makes it easier to get to them, and it makes it a lot easier to put away.

10. Just Do It!

It takes some time to get organized. You need to weed out things you don’t actually use – ruthlessly! It takes work to develop the habit of keeping your workplace and home neat. But once you do these things, life will go much more smoothly. You’ll find what you need, when you need it. You won’t face piles of “stuff” everywhere. And you’ll be able to truly enjoy your space.

The organization you do at your desk, in your office, and at home spills over into the rest of your life, making you feel more efficient, productive, and at peace.