10 Tips for Staying Organized

Confession. I have a little bit of OCD. I mean, I've never been officially diagnosed by a real-life doctor of medicine. But I have been self-diagnosed. (Where my other WebMD'ers at?) And in my book of medicine, it's a real thing. Real, but not necessarily bad. The truth is, I kind of like it about me. I kind of like the way I am, undiagnosed OCD and all.

And one of the things I'm most OCD about is organization. Left-brainers unite! I like order and cleanliness and knowing exactly where something is when I need it. I like structure and function and system and arrangement. I do not like chaos or clutter or messiness. I do not like when things are out of order or do not make sense. Organization just makes sense. Which is, I guess, what it's all about.

I love to organize just about everything. My house, my room, my car, my closet, my desk, my nightstand, my purse, my drawers, my shower caddy, my email. The list of things I organize goes on and on. And I daresay I'm pretty good at it. The whole organizing thing? I've got it down pat. And I'm going to share with you some of my tips for staying organized. You can thank me later ; )



1) Organize your organization — What?! Does that even make sense? Just stay with me... it will. At least, I hope it will. Odds are, if you're reading this post, you're looking for ways to be more organized, which means you may not be the best at organizing to begin with? So, you need to start somewhere. And what better way to begin organizing your home or your car or your life than by organizing your thoughts on how you want to organize? Make a list (I will get to this later) of the things you want to organize. For example:   Once you have your list, it will be that much easier to get started on the actual organization. (Is the word "organize" beginning to look weird to anyone else!)

2) Make a list — As I mentioned briefly above, one of the best places to start being organized is by making a list. Some people may say your list can be mental, but as a left-brainer myself, I prefer a physical, written-out list (or sometimes a typed-out list, on my phone... either way works). I can make a very strong argument for that an actual list is more effective. I make lists for everything. I write To-Do lists every single morning; I write grocery lists each week; I have lists of items I want to write about on the blog. When writing lists, remember these key things that I think will help you in being organized.

A) Put items in order, maybe of importance or chronology. Pick some sort of order that works for you, that you will remember. For example, I put my To-Do lists in chronological order of when I want to accomplish things by. I put my grocery lists in order of where the items are in the store.

B) Actually check or cross things off. Don't just try to remember that you've accomplished an item. Plus, there's something super satisfying about crossing something you've accomplished off your list.

C) Make it readable. If your list looks unorganized, you're probably going to be slightly less inclined to follow it. And thus, your efforts to be organized will be thwarted.

D) Once you have your list, stick to it. Self control! Don't be sidetracked. Which brings me to #3 tip to be organized.

3) Do it RIGHT NOW! — Don't procrastinate. Procrastination is organization's #1 enemy. If you decide you want to be more organized, just start right now. If you take your shoes off in the entry way, just pick them up, take them to the closet, and put them away before you do anything else. If you have a pile of dirty dishes in your sink after dinner, just do them before sitting on the couch. If you have a stack of bills that you just paid, file them before they get scattered and lost. Do the things you don't want to do before you run out of what little motivation you may have had to begin with. Don't delay! Organize today!

4) Simplify — Organizing is going to simpler if you actually have less to organize. So don't hoard. Decide which things you actual need and which things you don't. Even though I consider myself a really organized person, there are some things I've had to learn. I particularly struggle with items of clothing or things that have sentimental value, like birthday cards. If there's something I haven't worn for several months, or even years, when I go to put it in the Goodwill pile, I find myself second-guessing that decision. "But what if I want to wear it tomorrow?" or "What if I throw away that card and I forget that she said that nice thing to me?" I've had to learn which things really are important or valuable or worth keeping and which things aren't. Odds are if you haven't worn it in a year, you're not going to start tomorrow. Get rid of it. But if you really don't want to forget the nice sentiment in that card from years ago, find a place to store it that makes sense. Which brings me to number 5.

5) Baskets, Buckets, and Boxes, oh my! — This is probably one of my favorite parts of organizing. Figuring out where to put things. This part is kind of fun. You get to decide where you like things or where it makes sense to you that things go. And one way to help you do that is to use baskets, or buckets, or boxes. Which is a practical and potentially a very cute way to help keep things organized. I have baskets everywhere! And every time I bring home a new basket, Kent (the husband) just rolls his eyes. He thinks I'm basket crazy, and he's probably right. Michaels and Hobby Lobby both carry a wide selection of baskets, and they are on sale (usually for 50% off) more than half the time. Here are some of the many baskets I have around my apartment to help keep us organized.



6) Order! Order! — Once you have a place for everything (see #5), the next step would be to find an order that works with the way you think. For example, my closet is organized first into seasons (split between winter and summer items). And then within those categories, the clothes are organized by color (as in, colors of the rainbow). As another example, all my DVDs are in alphabetical order. Now, I'm not saying you have to get as OCD about your organizing as I am. Obviously, I have found ways of ordering things that work for me, so play around and find order that works for you also.

7) Label — I don't think this step in the organizing process is necessary, but it certainly helps. Especially if you're more of a visual person. Just label the boxes or baskets that you have to help you remember what that particular box is for. The only thing I label are the files in my file cabinet, but if you think it'll help to label the boxes in, for example, your closet (belts, socks, hats, etc.) then go at it! Or label the shelves in your pantry. Or the insides of your cabinets. The sky is the limit. And you can do it whichever way works well for you. Sharpie on a piece of tape. A label maker. A post-it (although this one might not be the best idea if you want to make it permanent). There's even this cute idea on pinterest.

8) Plan — Sometimes, the best way to stay organized is to plan ahead. For example, if you're going on vacation, make a list of what you need to pack. If you're going to the grocery store, make a grocery list. Things like that. Planning ahead is never a bad thing, especially when it comes to being organized. I think any left-brainer would agree.

9) Everything has a place — This is my #1 rule. Everything has a place and the only time it's out of its place is when you're using it. Otherwise, it goes back in its place. Find a place for things and always put things back when you're not using them. Abiding by this rule will make your house look better and will eliminate the stress of ever losing anything or having to look for it.

10) Be creative, be consistent — Have fun with it! Be creative with how you organize things. Make your lists pretty and personalized. Buy cute baskets or make your own. Make a game out of it if you have to. And be consistent! That's the best advice I can give. Don't give up. And just have fun. It will be worth it!