"Organizing the house" is too big. "Organizing my schedule" is too big. But "put the mudroom in order" is good. "Set up a morning routine" is good.
Then, I break down those little goals into even tinier steps. For the mudroom, my list might look like this:
Get kid toys out of mudroom
Buy shoe rack
Hang coats up as soon as we come in
Stuff like that.
Schedules are a little trickier, so first I list all the things I need to do. Then i put them in order.
In the morning, I wake up, make breakfast, pack lunch, wake the kids, help them get ready for school, load the car (make a list of everything that needs to go in the car!) …
Stuff like that.
Of course, things never go quite that smoothly all the time, but by breaking Big things into little goals, then breaking little goals into smaller tasks, you can learn to be organized.
You just keep adding more goals after you win the old ones, and pretty soon your Big things get done, too
2. Make schedules and deadlines
3. Don’t procrastinate
4. Give everything a home
5. Declutter regularly
6. Keep only what you need
7. Know where to discard items
8. Stay away from bargains
9. Delegate responsibilities
10. Work hard
11. More resources on better organization
Bullet journaling is very helpful, but also needs some energy and commitment.
Also, I have a command center in my home. There is a mail holder where mail goes until I sort it. I have a hanging file holder on the wall with a folder for "take action", "file", "coupons", and "shred". Once per week I go through these folders and add the take action to my to-do list, file what needs to be filed in my filing cabinet, shred what needs to be shredded, and see what coupons need to be thrown out or used. In addition, there is a monthly calendar with our family schedules, hooks for hats, umbrella, keys, and purses. A chalk board with a white chalkboard marker so everyone can write down needed items for when we do shopping.
I also use a bullet journal to keep my lists, like my Master List or Meal Planning List (basically a list of meals my family likes) or Hobby List (so I don't have to think about what I want to do during my well deserved "me time."
I try to keep a consistent schedule with mindfulness to allow me to give myself an opportunity to reflect on my day and inner state.
Budgeting is another big one – it offers me a possibility to sit down and think about my plans and how much I will need for those. That on its own part plays a big in role knowing what's up and coming and leaves you prepared.
And last but not least, I make sure to keep track of my daily habits such as tidying up, showering and reading. Activities which let me have some time off and peace throughout my busy schedule.
As a university student with a 9-6 office job staying organised has never been more difficult and frustrating. Despite that, I never allow myself to get frustrated if I lose control over everything which I have planned. Keeping this in mind seriously helps with actually staying on track and not giving up on organisation.
1. Little steps = big life changes. I used to put so much energy into trying to Change my habits all at once and I would always fail and get frustrated. Following Fabulous Journeys break it down to such simple steps and in such slow increments that doesn’t feel like a task to “become” organized, you just are organized.
2. Not “when”, now. I keep telling myself “I’ll do that when…” and usually when never comes. Do it now. You’ll hate doing it in the moment, but you feel great when it’s done.