Life is complicated, but getting organized is one way for it to run smoothly. The following are steps you should do for an organized life: sort out the clutter, make use of a calendar and a planner, wear a watch, streamline, jot it down, assign responsibilities, allocate time to de-stress, and be disciplined.

What most of us are not aware of is that visual clutter is a big factor of disorder in the mental aspect of an individual. So, to avoid inefficient confusion and turmoil every now and then, follow these simple steps to organize your life:

Sort out the clutter

The secret to keeping things in an orderly manner is to never put unnecessary things on flat surfaces such as your computer desk, a side table or the couch, whether it be clothes, books or important papers. To sort out the clutter, you need plastic bags, zip-lock bags, boxes, transparent containers to name a few and keep in mind that you have to label each for efficiency. After using a certain thing, directly place it back where it belongs. Thinking of returning later on is a big no-no in the process of establishing an organized life. If ever spending precious minutes looking for your keys or your cell phone, you have to decide on one area to place them and always set it down in that one place.

Make use of a calendar and a planner

Write down your schedule so you won’t forget anything. Always have it handy and nearby so as to avoid locating it over and over again.

Wear a watch

True to say, time flies by while having fun. This isn’t a bad thing as long as you have a lot of free time in your hands. But getting behind your schedule will only cause commotion up in your head. To avoid this, wear a watch because it makes you conscious of time.

Streamline

Combine similar tasks together and do it consecutively. For instance, you need to shop. Don’t just shop for one thing but as much as possible, buy groceries at one time to lessen the time spent. It is not to be forgotten that while you streamline, your work should be done correctly or a something uneventful will just rise up.

Jot it down

Wherever you go, especially at work, have a notepad and pen within your reach. A written reminder is better than a not-so dependable memory. Another modern alternative to a notepad is a PDA, a Blackberry or a palm Pilot.

Assign responsibilities

You don’t have to do everything on your own. It’s not a feeble thing to ask for help to others and it is definitely not to be ashamed of. Appoint somebody else to do this and that and make sure that that somebody is trustworthy and capable of the given task.

Allocate time to de-stress

A mentally sound mind brings forth a healthy lifestyle. Every now and then, take a time off and have some alone time. For those who are constantly busy, just stop and breathe. That may give a bit of relaxation.

Be disciplined

Lastly, always carry with you your discipline. Without it nothing will be accomplished. Stick to what you decided and make sure you are not wandering away from the path to an organized life. Remember: no shortcuts.

Being the busy bees that we are now, we have to constantly juggle responsibilities and unfortunately, we can’t catch everything that we are responsible of. When you feel like the whole world is on your shoulders, take time to start with the least and advance to an organized way of living.

My Thoughts

I struggle with a couple of these tasks myself. Like assigning responsibilities to other family members when it comes to completing household tasks. Sometimes, I feel it is easier to accomplish them myself than to hear the constant complaint from the other person/child. LOL. It is one step I am continuously at need to practice. The other is discipline. Just like having the discipline to keep within our budget, we also need to apply discipline in our daily lives; to ensure we are utilizing our time/effort with the best intentions.

I am good at ‘allocating time to de-stress’ step. If I feel like I am focusing on one subject too long (like tweeking my blog), then I will step away to read a book, crochet that baby blanket I have been working on forever, or to spend time with my family.

Do these steps work for you in having an organized life? Why or why not? Do you have any great tips, of your own, that work wonders for keeping an organized life? (I can use them all!)