We search for way to organize our lives, our offices, our homes, and there never seems to be a good way to do it. We’re always so busy that keeping organized seems like a luxury that we cannot afford. What we really need is a new routine that will give us more time and keep us organized to deal with things more effectively and efficiently.
Fight the Clutter through a New Routine
It’s true that it’s our daily routines can get us into a cluttered, disorganized home or office. We open the mail and then just plop it onto the counter and forget about it, sometimes for weeks. Or we start on a project and it gets put aside because something more important comes up. But we don’t put away the stuff we were using from the last project.
This doesn’t always mean that the place is dirty; just disorganized. It’s these kinds of habits that make us lose things and have problems when we do want to make life easier. Well, there’s a way around that. You must establish a new routine that makes sure that everything is put away before anything else is started. And everything must have its place that is easily accessible, but still out of the way.
Start with Having a Place for Everything
If you have no place to put things, then they just end up sitting on top of each other wherever you can put them. In order to stay organized, there must be a space for the items that need organizing. If these are papers, then filing cabinets are good for that. If it’s larger items, then drawer organizers may be the solution.
Have a good look at the items that you need to de-clutter and then decide what type of solution would work best for them. Then go get the storage containers that you need! Put these organizers into easy-to-access, but still out of the way places, such as the nook in your hallway or the far corner in your office. This way you know exactly where things are, but they won’t get in the way of traffic or regular routine.
Establish the Rule of Two
When you are handling things you should handle them no more than twice. For example, with every piece of paper you handle, you must handle it no more than twice. And you must do it immediately! The first time is deciding whether it gets thrown away (recycled), or dealt with immediately (bill paid) and then filed; thus only being handled once. Or if it goes to a deal with later file, in which case it is handled a second time and then filed. Yes, it’s a great idea to have a home filing cabinet! These are relatively inexpensive and can really save you time and money in dealing with your papers.
All other items can be handled in a similar manner. When you come home, for example, jackets and shoes are put away immediately into their designated area (closet, coat rack…), unless there is compelling reasons to do otherwise. Say, for example, your hands are full of groceries, and you need to carry them into the kitchen. In this case, the shoes are kicked off and handled a second time, once you put the groceries down and go back and put the shoes away.
Using the “maximum of two” rule will really make everyone in the family’s lives easier. And it will keep your home well organized in the days ahead!
