Do you find yourself scattered most days? Do you spend copious amounts of your day looking for lost items, digging through piles of mail for that one important piece, or panicking when you can’t remember what time an appointment was? We have all felt the stress of a disorganized life at one time or another. Organization is a critical key to success in every arena of your life. Without organization it can be difficult to complete important tasks on time, show up to your job for scheduled shifts, or keep track of important bills. Here at OUR Center, we focus on helping with personal development in Longmont and one area we can help you focus on is organizing your life.

When you follow the tips below, you can enjoy a less stressful life and the peace that comes with clear organization in your home and your job.

Tip #1: Start With Your Mental State Of Being

Organizing your life is extremely difficult if you are approaching the task with a scattered and overwhelmed mind. Your mental state of being will play a large role in how successful you are at organizing things both at home and at work. Start by investing in self-care activities to ensure you have a clear and calm mentality. Simple things such as spending time in nature, exercising, and eating right can go a long way in helping improve your mental health.

It can also be helpful to speak to a trusted friend or mentor about the goals you have for improving organization in your life. They can help you stick to your plan and keep you calm as you approach big tasks.

Tip #2: Take One Small Step A Day

One of the biggest reasons that we procrastinate tasks is because they are too overwhelming for us to undertake. Instead of looking at organization as something that needs to be done in one day, break it down into smaller steps you can take. Each day, commit to one task on your list. Your list might look something like this:

Day One
Clean and organize the kitchen. Create a shopping list for the week.

Day Two
Clean and organize the living room. Write out a list of chores for the week for the kids.

Day Three
Clean and organize your bedroom. Gather information about work schedules and appointments and record in one place.

Day Four
Take time at work to organize your space. Make a list of tasks you need to accomplish at work this week.

This is just an example, but by breaking down the different tasks you need to accomplish into small steps, you can prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed. Each day as you accomplish these tasks, you will start to feel more and more organized, making the subsequent steps easier to handle.

Tip #3: Commit To Ongoing Maintenance

Once you have your home in order, everything put in its place, and a great list of important information created, you need to commit to ongoing maintenance of your plan. A home or workplace does not stay organized on its own and all the hard work you invested in getting things in order will quickly be lost. Make sure you spend time every morning or evening putting things away that have been left out, creating lists of things that need to be done, and looking over your calendar for important deadlines and appointments coming up.

As you become more disciplined in keeping things orderly, it will become easier and easier to keep track of everything you need to. For example, if your old habit was to get home from work and throw your clothes, keys, and wallet on the floor, make it a point to create a new habit of hanging your keys in a designated space, putting your wallet away in a specific location, and placing your dirty clothes in a hamper. Every small action will work towards creating a more organized life overall. As you progress, you will notice that it becomes second nature to perform these steps. Not only will your home and life stay more organized but it will actually save you time.

Tip #4: Invest In A Notebook Or Planner

As you organize your life, nothing will be more helpful than having one centralized location for notes, dates, and lists. A notebook or planner can help you keep track of everything that is going on in your life and the life of your family. Instead of relying on your own memory to keep track of schedules and appointments, record everything as you find out about. Write down work shifts and meetings you need to show up for. Create lists for tasks that need to be accomplished each week. You can even use this planner to keep track of grocery lists and future improvements for your home.

By centralizing all of this information into one notebook, you won’t have piles of notes scattered throughout your home and you will be at less risk of missing important meetings and deadlines. For example, when you first get your week’s work schedule, carefully record each shift in your calendar. When you get the mail for the day, write down any due dates for bills and file the bill in your planner so you don’t lose it.

Tip #5: Ask For Help

For some, organization comes naturally and is easy. For others, though, organization is a struggle. If you find that it is hard to know where to even begin or you are frustrated by the efforts you have made, reach out for help. Here at OUR Center, we love helping with personal development and we will be happy to work with you to improve your organization skills. This will improve your performance at work and help you lead a less stressful life in the home.

Tip #6: Make It A Family Effort

Finally, keeping your home organized can’t be something you do alone. Get the whole family involved and encourage your kids to also work on improving their own organization. Help young ones tidy up their rooms and teach them the importance of putting things away as they use them. You can even give your children their own organization notebooks where they can record schoolwork deadlines, to-do lists, and other important information. When you all work together, it is much easier to keep your life in order.

Visit OUR Center

Do you feel overwhelmed by the chaos of your life? Do you need help learning how to develop your career skills and improve your management of your budget and organization of your life? Here at OUR Center, we will be happy to assist you. We specialize in helping with personal development in Longmont and our goal is to give you the tools and resources you need to succeed. Stop by and talk to us today about our personal development programs.