Getting Organised Isn’t as Hard as You Think: 5 Easy Steps to Organise Your Life
If you’re anything like me, you love an excellent organisational tip. From reorganising the fridge to making my spring-cleaning plan, I’m always looking for new ways to make my home and life clutter-free and as productive as possible.
A chaotic home = a chaotic mind
Or maybe you’re just starting your decluttering journey and trying to find out exactly where to begin!
Either way, these 5 easy steps to organise your life will benefit everyone. And even the most disorganised person can learn to live an organised life. It all starts with cleaning the slate and building habits to build the life you want to live.
Step One: Write Things Down
You don’t have to research the best memorisation tricks to remember to take out the garbage, call your best friend on her birthday, or remember your new neighbour’s name. Stay on top of your essential tasks by simply writing them down. Organised people don’t have a better memory; they just have an information system that works for them. Plain old pen and paper is a great option, but with the technology we have at our fingertips, there are so many other ways to keep lists:
- Use your phone’s notes app
- Download a list app from the app store
- Create a google drive doc
- Send yourself emails
- Build a spreadsheet
- Calendar birthday reminders set to reoccur yearly
Step Two: Make a Plan & Schedule It
I rarely start a new task without first making a plan. Choose an area of your home (or life, or relationship, or even your mind) that you’d like to organise. Think about what that area would be like if it were organised. And write down the steps you need to take to get there.
Sometimes, having a plan just isn’t quite enough. You need to make a schedule and set deadlines for when you’ll reach each step and then take action.
Organised people know what they want, and they waste less time. Because organisation = productivity.
Try making a plan for the next week, month, and three months. Set your deadlines and stick to them. You’ll be impressed with how much more you get done with less effort.
Step Three: Give Everything a Home
When you give every item you own a home, you’ll never lose it, and it will never be in the way.
Start room by room in your home and create a list of all the items you need to organise, clean or get rid of. And then tackle your list item by item. Make sure to label your storage containers well so you can easily find what you’re looking for later down the road.
Sometimes your home isn’t the right home. Evaluate your possessions and only keep what you need and truly want. Give yourself permission to get rid of items that no longer serve their purpose in your home and life.
More stuff = more clutter
Starting with a clean slate makes it easier to live an organised life daily, as long as you build some good habits along the way.
Giving everything a home doesn’t mean just your items. A friend once told me about how she put relationships in boxes (stay with me). She said that she puts her relationships in boxes based on what they are in that moment. When life’s changes come (and they always do), she allows herself to place certain relationships in new boxes—helping her to avoid negative feelings to friends who are more distant or to allow acquaintances a chance to get closer. I’ve found that it has helped me to reduce a lot of stress and overthinking when it comes to big changes.
Step Four: Delegate
You don’t have to face the daunting tasks alone, especially if you don’t live alone. And even if you live alone, call a friend! Declutter your mind by asking for help.
Many hands make light work
Step Five: Work Hard Now, Rest Later
Yes, I know I said this would be easy. But not everything easy is worth having.
If you put in the effort to take that first step (hey, you’re already here) and build your organisational habits, you’re setting yourself up for a much easier future.
Living in a cluttered space or mind doesn’t give you the room to focus your energy on the things you want. Once you’ve followed the above 5 steps, you can begin to enjoy your clutter-free home and life.
Start slow and build as you go.
What works for one person might not work for another. Being organised is easiest when you build habits and systems that work for your life.
Do one thing at a time and give yourself the grace and time to make mistakes and learn as you go. And don’t forget that you don’t need to let your clutter rule your life.
Letting go is hard, but it is freedom
Not sure where to start?
You don’t have to do this alone. Book a free 1-on-1 consultation with me to chat about your goals and build a plan.