Here’s the scoop to what those really organized people do regularly to keep them so organized!
I think of myself as a pretty self aware person. I know my strengths and weaknesses. For example, baking is not a strength of mine as evident of this #pinterestfail. I’ll let you guess which one is mine. —->
What I lack in operating an oven, I hopefully make up in organizing. I’m not perfect, but I do love it and am intentional about how I spend my time. I came up with 10 ‘principles’ so to speak that I try to follow:
1 Make a List and Check it Twice
FREE your mind (and the rest will follow) …. Literally. Yes, we all make to-do lists. That’s a given. But the uber organized write down EVERYTHING. No matter how small in order to get it off their mind. Yes, you’re smart and yes, you may have an awesome memory. Yet, if you’re taking up space in your mind remembering tiny details, you’re likely not able to focus on the task at hand. Whether you’re an electronic gal like me (Wunderlist and Todoist are awesome apps) or a paper gal, have a place where you write down things that pop up. My phone comes with me to bed (and it’s not just because it’s my alarm clock) 🙂 . If it’s on my mind before I go to bed it gets typed in my phone.
2 A Home for Everything
I’m not going to go crazy and say you can’t have a junk drawer or two, but everything in your home should have … well a home. Clutter adds chaos. Not only should everything have a home, but that home should make sense. For example, my coffee cups are in the cabinet directly above my coffee machine so it makes getting coffee in the morning easier (which is fabulous because I drink about 5 cups of coffee a day). I also spend 10 minutes at the end of the day, cleaning out my ‘junk spaces’ and putting those items back in to their home. Although I may allow for a junk basket to throw things in, I don’t allow the items to say in there long. Otherwise I really don’t need them … which leads me to #3.
3 No Unnecessary Clutter
That old rule ‘if you haven’t used it in 6 months it has to go’ is in full swing. Organized people don’t have unnecessary STUFF hanging around their house that they don’t use, even for that magical ‘rainy day’. Everything has a place and everything has a purpose. As a self declared pack rat, it took me a little while to get onboard with this. When my husband, Joe, and I first moved in together 5 years ago, we both owned our own toasters. I had a near nervous breakdown when he said we couldn’t keep both. “But if one breaks, then we’ll have an extra” was my justification. Well 5 years later the wining toaster (his) still hasn’t broke. And yes, I got rid of mine. Thus the list of 100 Things to Throw Away NOW was created.
4 Love Mornings!
Yep, you knew this one was coming. You may not be a morning person; no one is telling you that you need to get up before the sunrise, BUT …. you should be intentional about what you do in the morning. Have a plan. For example, the age old statement that organized people make their bed every morning does have merit. But don’t limit it to that. Something as simple as taking out dishes from the dishwasher can set the tone for the day. For me I wipe down our kitchen counters every morning. I hate crumbs and it’s oddly calming to get home after a long day at work and know my kitchen doesn’t look like a mess. I also try to wake up an extra 10 minutes early (it’s totally doable… it’s 10 minutes!) just so I don’t feel like I’m rushing in the morning. Nothing makes me feel more disorganized than a morning scramble.
5 Break Down Big Projects
Large projects can be overwhelming and stressful. And most of the time the stress isn’t helpful in feeling organized or efficient. For example I’m hosting out of town guests in a couple weeks. Since that’s not really a to-do list item, I break it down in to categories such as itinerary, cleaning, groceries. Then under each of those categories I will list the action items I need to do. So for groceries my action items are:
- Make a list of the groceries we need for the weekend
- Check the kitchen to see which of those items I already have
- Go to the grocery store to purchase the remaining items
Yes, this isn’t brain surgery. But the sooner you do this, the easier it is to prevent last minute fire drills and stress.
6 An Organization System That’s Realistic
You can have the fanciest newest app or prettiest binder with as many tabs as your heart desires, but if it’s not realistic to maintain you might as well skip it completely. For the longest time I was the queen of this. Not the princess, the QUEEN. I’d spend hours transferring all my to do items over to my newest system. At the end I feel like I conquered the world. But actually I didn’t accomplish anything. And most of these were so rigorous that I couldn’t keep up and I’d fail within a week. Sadly, it would have been a better use of my time to color code my sock drawer.
7 Do it Now
Organized people want to act and get things done. Why put off for tomorrow what can be done today? This ensures that your to do list doesn’t pile up unnecessarily. Something as little as bringing dirty laundry down from the bedroom to the laundry room as you’re walking past this room saves time and effort later on. We have a 3 story townhouse (yes, this my way of exercising) and I have a rule that I never walk up or down a flight of stairs empty handed.
8 Prioritize the Things You NEED to Get Done
Over the things you ‘want’ to get done. There’s always things on our to-do list that we just aren’t excited about. Well, find that thing and do it today. Get it off your mind and checked off your list. You’ll feel so much better and you won’t spend time dreading it. I learned this lesson the hard way. For me it was calling a plumber. Our toilets were making really weird noises (literally sounded like this) and my husband was really busy with a work project so I got the job of handling it. I just didn’t want to deal with it. Not my wheel house. I actually put doing laundry ahead of the toilet. Well, by the time I finally called a plumber the problem had gotten so much worse and cost us a lot more money to fix. Tough. Lesson. Learned. Ugh.
9 Planning
This is another cliche organizing word. But it’s true. Organized people not only figure out what they need to accomplish today, but in to the future. For example, I try to go grocery shop every Saturday morning. By looking ahead at my calendar I realized I needed to bring a present to our friends’ son’s birthday party in three weeks. The grocery store is near Target = one trip out instead of two. I just saved myself at least an hour or two making a separate trip.
10 Multitasking is so 2016
More and more us type A people like to boast that we’re always multitasking. We’re doing so much at once. Aren’t we amazing? But seriously. Yes, you may be doing a couple things at once, but how well are you doing any of them? And how long did it take you to complete those things? Ever try to just buckle down and do one thing at a time? So a slightly embarrassing confession: I’ve been known to get on a stair climber, drink a glass of wine while responding to emails and watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Let’s just say, I definitely didn’t burn any calories and it I had to reread each email about 3 times before I could respond. Now wine & Real Housewives is multitasking I’ve definitely mastered 🙂 .
Love these tips?
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Camping For Foodies Kim Hanna says
Love the tips and inspiration Lindsay! Congrats on your blog launch!
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Thanks so much 🙂 Really appreciate the support!
Sara says
Great job Linds! Now I can get all your organizing wisdom online 🙂
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
haha, not sure about wisdom, but we’ll see 🙂
Michelle @ThriftyDIYDiva says
YES! I totally agree with #4. I did this once, and it was an awesome feeling. I just need to do it …. more! LOL 🙂
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Oh you and I both. That snooze button is the death of me 🙂
Kristan Kremer says
Number 3 is my favorite! Found you via Instagram. I just launched my organizing blog today too!
Beth says
YES!!!! Love this. Can’t wait to read next week.
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Thanks 🙂 Miss you!!!
Stacey says
En vogue! LOVE! Your humor shines through in your posts!
Meg says
this is great! I need to do #5 & #8 more! love your writing! 🙂
Tami says
I don’t do any of these! Well not regularly, but I do listen to En Vouge and other early 90s pop music! does that count?? LOVE the post!
Kim Sullivan says
Congrats on your launch! I’m loving your blog! I am also excited that I currently do 8 out of 10 of the items above. Maybe there is still hope for me. LOL! I look forward to reading more your great tips soon! 🙂
sue says
Oh Lindsay you and I speak the same language!!! I love being organised and feel out of step if I’m not. I love the point about declutter. We have just downsized and even though I thought we didn’t have any clutter it is amazing how much we do accumulate. #MotivationMondayLinky
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Sue I couldn’t agree more! Somehow mine always creeps up 🙂 Love your blog by the way!!!
Elizabeth @ Guilty Chocoholic Mama says
Great ideas, all! It’s funny (well, not really, but that’s the expression): I always considered myself an organized person, but blogging has sure brought out my inner messy procrastinator. I’m going to try to implement your 10-step program to get this house ready for hosting my in-laws for Thanksgiving (insert fear and trembling). Thanks for kick-starting me! Stopping by from Making Your Home Sing Monday!
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Thanks so much :)You’ll have to post on your blog how your Thanksgiving goes! I want to hear all about it! oh and I absolutely love the name of your blog!
Evelyn Johnson says
Love the tips. I do try to do #4 (on Saturdays), 5, 7-10, but I really need to work on #2 and #3. Love it.
Kristy as Giftie Etcetera says
I definitely plan every day, and I can tell the difference when I skip the plan.
Anneli says
Great post! I really need to declutter and get rid of stuff I’ve hung on to far too long. It’s kind of scary to do that, but, everyone keeps saying how great you’ll feel once it’s done. So, I must get on it. Look forward to reading more from you!
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Thanks Anneli! I agree about the decluttering … it’s great, but I’m still bad at it. arrrr … TWO toasters 🙂 Thanks SO much for visiting!
Cristina @ I Say Nomato says
Love this list! I’m THE WORST multi-tasker. I don’t know how that became popular, but I’m NOT one of those! I’m a ‘give me a project and a list, and I’ll check one thing off at a tim with laser focus’ type of person. I also love your ‘get rid of it after 6 mos’ rule! Great for cleaning out the closet (except for seasonal items, of course) thanks for sharing with the #wednesdayshowcaseparty!
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Couldn’t agree more on the multitasking??? Who ever made that cool?!?! Thanks for stopping by!
Jenna @ A Savory Feast says
These are so true! I consider myself a pretty organized person, and I do a lot of these things. Right now I’m moving into a new house so I’ve been making sure everything has a home and setting up systems for organizing everything. It’s great to get started on the right foot!
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Good luck with the move!! Hope it goes well!
Brenda says
Great tips! Love #2 & #3 – Always working on those! Have a great week 🙂
Julie says
I am really not very organised (apart from a few tiny pockets of organisation) so I love this list. The only one I’m good at is the getting up in the morning to clear the kitchen before work so It’s nice when I come back. Reading your list it all seems so achievable and if I can do one maybe I can do them all! Thanks, I feel inspired!
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Oh good! So glad it was helpful! You’re already on the right track getting up early 🙂
Alayna says
True, true, and even more true! When I’m “on my game” I do most of the things on the list – and life goes SO much easier and smoothly! Morning routine, eat that frog (just get it done, no procrastinating), a home for everything… 😉
I am co-hosting the #HomeMattersParty link party this month and would love to have you stop by for a visit. The door opens for the next party Friday at midnight! http://www.alaynascreations.co
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
Thanks sooooooooooo much for the party invite! I’m there! it’s on my calendar!
Louise (Little Hearts, Big Love) says
Love this post. I’m a big list maker – and will write down the little details because it helps me keep on track of things. I agree that everything needs to have a home and that you need to get rid of clutter to be organised – I’m having a mammoth clear-out at the moment and am determined to thoroughly declutter my entire house by Christmas. Hopefully that will help make me more organised in the new year. Thank you for sharing your tips 🙂 #twinklytuesday
Linday @ Crazy Organized says
OMG I need to do that as well! I’ve been putting it off for months 🙂 Good luck!
Kelsie says
Love it! Pinning these and following you on social media 🙂 Thanks for the great content! We would love to have you come link up at the Alder Collective Link Party! http://www.currentlykelsie.com/2015/10/the-alder-collective-link-party-3.html
Kelsie says
Love it! Pinning these and following you on social media 🙂 Thanks for the great content! We would love to have you come link up at the Alder Collective Link Party! http://www.currentlykelsie.com/2015/10/the-alder-collective-link-party-3.html
Chloe says
I love this!!! I am a crazily organised person. I’ve even organised my blog and now I’m also sharing my handmade printables (I have a printable for everything in my life) on my blog with everyone else.
I make lists about lists and there is a drawer in my house for everything!
I love being organised. I’m not sure how people around me feel about it though haha. Brilliant list! xx #twinklytuesday
Beth says
So true! Thanks for sharing.
Maria says
These are some great tips, Linday! I especially like the morning one. I get up fairly early in the morning just so I can have time to myself (I have a 2 yr old, so me time is a luxury) and also get some things done that I wouldn’t have time to do, otherwise. I have to say it’s the most productive part of my day! Mornings are tough, but the pay off of not having your most important task still undone on your to-do list is worth the early wake ups. Thanks so much for such helpful tips. So glad I found you on #Shinebloghop 🙂
Verily Victoria Vocalises says
A great post – which I definitely need to take note of! I am a terrible organiser! Welcome to #PoCoLo, thank you so much for linking & hope to see you again this week x
Lisa (mummascribbles) says
On the basis that for my job, I organise events, you would think that I would do all of the above all of the time but it is just not true! I am the most unorganised person but somehow I manage to do my job pretty well! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
Bonnie says
Great tips for organizing! I struggle with the unnecessary clutter and I used to hate list making but now I have my running lists and just keep plugging away at it. I’m new to your blog visiting today from Minted Strawberry Friday Link up Party. Pinning it and now following you. Have a great weekend!
Valerie says
I have been feeling so unorganized lately! I have so many schedules to remember. Today I actually ordered an Erin Condren personalized daily planner so that I can go back to writing everything down. I’ve been having a hard time inputting everything into my phone. We’ll see how it goes. I really need to find a home for everything too! Great tips! Thank you! Visiting from Small Victories
Heather @ Simply Save says
All of these things speaks to me! Well except being a morning person, but that’s something I’m making a giant effort to improve on! I live by my To Do lists and love planning and organizing to accomplish projects and goals! Thanks for sharing at the #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
Great pointers. I know many people think I’m highly organized. I have a system and process for almost everything and it works… for me. I find there’s always room for improvement. Like for me, that would be putting away things as soon as I’m done with them (I’m not so good with that).
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
AnnMarie says
Great list! I am happy to say I do most of them!!
Eva @ The Multitasking Woman says
When I get back from holidays I am definitely going through my house to find everything a home and to follow the 6-month rule and declutter! I think that’s one of my worst habits, keeping things for a ‘rainy day’!
Emma says
I think I need work on every single one of these! No wonder I’m so unorganized, lol! Thanks for sharing at the Thoughtful Spot!
Janine Huldie says
Absolutely love this and couldn’t agree more with all of the above, especially writing things down and embracing mornings, too. Thanks for linking this up with us today, too!
Corinne Rodrigues says
I could do with some of these tips, Lindsay. Thanks for putting them together.
Tiffani says
Ok, I NEEDED this! I’m a serial multi-tasker living in chaos. These are some great tips that I feel like I can do….especially that “10 minute at the end of the day” rule. Great post & thank you for linking up with our Small Victories Sunday linkup! 🙂
Mrs. AOK says
I’m a list maker, I love the feeling of gratification I get from scratching something off my list. I’m nowhere as organized as I would like to be, that’s something I’m working on.
Thanks for sharing with us at Mommy Monday!
XOXO
Alison [Life of Scoop] says
These are such great tips! I am normally an incredibly organized person… but the mornings get me. I appreciate your tip about loving mornings because I know that setting the tone in that way would benefit me in great ways! I came over from the TGIT Link Party, and I’d love to invite you to link up this post (or others) at a new linkup called 100 Happy Days on lifeofscoop.com. 🙂
Thanks for the tips & the encouragement to take my organization even just a step further!
Fatima @ Baby Toddler Me says
Great list! I love Todoist too! Whenever I think of something that needs to be done, I add it to my Todoist app, and I automatically feel calmer because my brain doesn’t need to remember it!
Christine | Mid-Life Croissant says
God I love this post. Trouble is, if I weren’t the #SaucySAturdays host I would’ve been too disorganized to take the time to read it!!! As it is I’m only getting to it on Friday. Oy. But there’s hope 😉 Love #10…I’m a total uni-tasker. Thanks for linking up at #SaucySaturdays.
Kathy says
These are all fantastic tips. I do most of them daily too including taking my phone to bed to record those late night ideas and to dos. Thanks for sharing with us at The Creative Circle.
Lisa @ The golden Spoons says
Great tips! I am usually pretty organized. I am definitely a list maker, but, no matter how hard I try, I just cannot love mornings!
Crystal Green says
These are some really great tips and things to consider putting into practice. I really like the tip about only doing one thing at a time. I also agree that getting rid of things you’re not using is vital.
Thank you for linking to the #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup. I hope to see you again tonight.
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
I am totally with you on the multi-tasking. I’ve decided to focus just on one task at a time for a certain chunk of time. It definitely helps me be more productive! Thanks for a great post. I enjoyed linking it to What I’m Reading This Week!
sue says
Some great tips here Lindsay. I think your point about breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones is a good idea as it becomes less overwhelming and you can feel like you have accomplished something along the way. Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at #AnythingGoes.
Laura says
This is so true and I need to pay more attention to several of these!!!
Laura
http://www.24-7style.com
Gail Akeman says
I try to make lists. I should more in the mornings before I work so it would be less to do when I get home.
Runwright says
You’re right. Mornings make for productive days – if you can get housework and exercise done in the mornings, it sets the tone for achievement all the rest of the day.
I’ve been working on goal setting and getting up an hour earlier and getting things done feels like it adds 3 or 4 hours of fun time in the evening.
Claire says
Great tips here
I am so not organized but if I start with making a list it will help!
Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays
Pili says
Hi, Linday! Reading your tips I realise how disorganized I am! But at the same time I love organization so I have a problem, and it’s called inconsistency… I’ll keep working on them, unless #3. I have a special room for everything waiting it’s turn to upcycle/recycle/redo 😉
Hugs,
Pili
Julie says
Thanks for sharing these organized tips with us at Cooking and Crafting with J & J.
Jenny says
I love this and it was like reading a list of my life. I am big on organization that’s why I love your posts so much you are amazing at it. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. #sharewithme
Stacey @ Poofing the Pillows says
Great reminders. I consider myself pretty organized but fall short on some of these. I love mornings but need to be more careful with that time. My greatest downfall is getting sucked into reading blogs!
Ciara @ Favored Mom says
Hi Lindsay! I’m popping over from The Alder Collective.. 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement! I totally need to de-clutter.. currently working on “giving everything a home”. Waaay easier said than done! Btw, gotta love the #pinterestfails.. I know have plenty of those! Ugh 😉
Jess says
This is such a great post! Definitely something everyone should read! 🙂
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Nan a.k.a Granny Fabulosa says
I’d add one more: finish what you start. Fold and put away the laundry, put away the dishes from the dishwasher, file the bills you just paid, etc, I’m working on being a finisher these days.
Heather says
This is all so true! I love the discipline that has become such a natural part of your organizational life, like the not-climing-the-stairs-empty-handed thing. Brilliant!
Elaine says
Great tips!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again this week!! Pinned!
Amanda @The Kolb Corner says
I am such a list maker that my lists have lists, but actually ACCOMPLISHING what is on those lists is what I lack. I have so many things floating around in my head at one time that putting them on paper gets them out of my head, but on the paper is where they stay lol. I need to work on that more, maybe with becoming a morning person huh? Thank you for sharing such great tips with us at Merry Monday!
PS LOVE the blog!
Karen Grosz says
My favorite is the do it now. When it is just a quick thing, I have this need to get it done. I hate those small things on my list.
Alice Megan says
Great tips!
I have so many lists it’s actually crazy but it helps me stay sane and actually get things done
Kayla says
All of these are SO true! I am a chronic get-rid-of-things-to-early-er. I am always donating, throwing away, or packing away things and then finding later that I actually still needed that bundt pan or black t-shirt! But I just can’t stand having stuff I don’t regularly use laying around!
Thanks so much for joining the Alder Collective Link-Up! Pinning this and we hope to see you again next week!
Minh says
Striving to be more organized right now. Instead of spring cleaning we do fall cleaning. Hard to get rid of stuff but we’re biting the bullet and making it happen. Luckily I have a supportive husband that agrees with this too! The other things on the list I’ll have to work on slowly 🙂
Fionnuala says
Yay, I do all of these 🙂
#busydoinglife
Amberjane says
I reduced clutter to get more organised – best thing ever.Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board.
Claire at Tin Box Traveller says
Such great tips. If I haven’t planned ahead for what I’m going to do at the start of the day I find myself with low motivation to do anything. I end up having achieved very little by the end of the day. I also love to brain dump tasks onto a list #busydoinglife
Vickie@Vickie's Kitchen and Garden says
I love your organizing tips. It does help to have a plan and to do a little at a time. thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
Lori Schumaker says
What a great list of tips! My struggle is the mornings … not a good time of day for me!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Runwright says
I’ve been getting up earlier and being way more productive as a result.
I am still trying to get rid of the unnecessary stuff in my apt. I don’t want to think about how much time I’ve wasted organizing things I really don’t need to have at all.
I love your blog and will be following you now. I hope you’ll visit me as well.
http://runwright.net
Christia Colquitt says
I love this post. As a mom of 5, I am always looking for ways to stay organized. Great list!
Jen says
I love your post! I wanted to let you know that I decided to feature it tomorrow morning on The Beautifully Creative Inspired Link Party! Thanks so much for submitting your link! 🙂
~Jen
http://www.classyandcrafty.com
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
Hey Jen! That is so incredibly kind of you! I’m so excited! I’ll “see” you tomorrow 🙂
Mary Hill says
Hi, thanks for sharing the great tips at Literacy Musing Mondays. I do to-do lists a lot. I find when I don’t do them, I accomplish very little. I like using my Google Calendar and paper too. I
Lauren says
A home for everything is something I would love to be better about.
Thanks for linking up with the FrugalMommas team!
Krysten Hager says
Great tips and I find my productivity is so much better now that I don’t multi-task. I felt like before I was doing 2-3 things and finding errors. Giving my attention to one thing at a time is so much better than finding I did something stupid in an email–haha!
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
I’m right with you! I used to do the same and then I realized I wasn’t doing ANYTHING well 🙂
Krysten says
Yes! I have author friends who tell me I should use a standing desk and get a treadmill and I think…but I just mastered walking and chewing gum lol
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
OMG I’m laughing so loud right now. Love it! (and totally agree!) Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Blossom says
I really want to organize my room and my laptop because my life and money is there! But it’s so difficult for me, because who knows when I’m gonna need all this junk?
thanks for sharing though!
Morgan says
This is great, I’ll definitely be using this in the future. Thanks so much for sharing. And thanks for being our #newbieshowcase on #PoCoLo. 🙂
Debbie says
My oh my! That’s me to a Tee. I kept reading the list out to my hubby and saying oh my gosh I could have written this. So funny. I had my note book and pen in hand but nothing new to me. However I loved the fact that there really is someone else exactly like me, out there. My circle of friends and family think I’m nuts. Thanks for the post. Loved it lots. … Now I just have to pin it AND write down your address so that I have a way to show that I really am in a family of many organizers.
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
Oh my gosh! I’m absolutely loving this! We’re way too similar. I hear ya, all my family thinks I’m crazy most of the time 🙂 So glad I’m not alone!!
Kelly ~ It took me 10 years to lose 10 pounds says
This is awesome Lindsay! You’re so right re: having an organized start to the day sets the tone for the day. Thanks!