Things I Do Everyday To Stay Organized

Stanley Grantham

It recently occurred to me that some of the things I do everyday as a wife, mother and business owner could be helpful to those who are trying to get organized. I know I am always curious how other people go about their day so why not share how I go about mine. I want to reiterate that there is no one way to organize yourself. Everyone’s life is different and what works for me may not work for you. But if some of these things do work for you, marvelous! So without further ado…in no particular order, here are some things I do everyday that help me stay organized.

1) Unload the dishwasher in the morning and put it on at night – It seems like dishes are just one of those facts of life, they are never ending, like laundry, so for me, doing this everyday helps me keep my home running smoothly. It only takes a few minutes and there is never time wasted washing dishes because the others are dirty. All in all a simple thing but everyone has to eat right.

2) Speaking of laundry, I outsource it, to my lovely husband – I realized a long time ago that I can’t do everything, no matter how organized I am. There are only so many hours in the day so there are a number of jobs that he does around the house to keep things running smoothly. I may not get ironed pants and blouses but my clothes are clean and its one less thing I have to worry about.

3) My calendar and to-do list are on my phone – I did away with paper planners last year and so far it has been going swimmingly. I have less paper around the house, my phone is always on me so there’s no chance of leaving something at home and its backed up in case for some reason it was lost or broken.

4) I get everything ready for the next day the night before – This is kind of a standard organizing trick but I can’t tell you how many times this has saved me from being late. I am not a morning person so doing all this the night before makes my life so much easier.

5) I get up an hour to half an hour earlier than everyone else does – Maybe this seems a little 1950’s but as referenced in the last paragraph, I am not a morning person so getting up a little bit earlier allows me time to wake myself up, take care of my own needs and then get my family up so I can help take care of theirs. There just isn’t enough time in the morning to try and get everyone ready at the same time.

6) Anything I can do ahead of time I do – I usually start working on things the second I know about them if that’s possible and if its not the next possible span of time I have. This way I am not forgetting about them or trying to do them last minute and even if I don’t finish them they are started and the pressure is off. I find the longer you wait the more you get in your own way and before you know it the mental mountain grows so big you can’t see over the top.

7) I meal plan – As I mentioned in the first paragraph, everyone has to eat. That’s why I love organizing kitchens. It is one of the busiest rooms of the house and the most worthwhile to get organized. Meal planning allows me time as a busy business owner to make the end of the day easier. If I already know what we are eating groceries can be purchased prior and everything is already in the house. There is no looking in the fridge and trying to come up with a meal when everyone is saying they are hungry and I save money not eating out when food options are limited.

8) The end of night clean up – I spend fifteen minutes to half an hour every night tidying up. It may seem odd considering my profession but I have never liked cleaning. I do it because I must, not because I enjoy it. If I didn’t do this and had to spend the whole weekend cleaning it wouldn’t happen. Now organizing on the other hand is a totally different matter.

9) I have a place for everything – My home isn’t a page off a decor magazine but its extremely functional and everything has a place. This makes cleaning up faster and since I generally don’t like to clean, this is my saviour.

10) I declutter constantly – The less things you own, the less things you need to store. The less you have to pay for bins and other organizing products and the more money you save.

Read entire Things I Do Everyday To Stay Organized where it was originally published.