This seems to be the hardest part of “being organized” for many of my clients. So often, I see people put in a big effort to clear the clutter they have accumulated over many weeks, months or years without making the small changes every day that would help make their lives easier in the long term.
Being organized is all about the habits that you have and that you create. Habits that promote being organized will lead to an organized life, leaving you free from worries (at least, freer!) and the opportunity to live life in the moment – those Zen moments when you get to be totally involved in what you are doing, who you are being, or the experience you are having right now!
What could a small step towards a new habit be?
Here are a few options, and I hope you’ll find one or two that would be ridiculously easy to implement – that’s the idea. To maintain organization, start with your smallest achievable step, the one small change to make this week that you’ll find so easy. Then check the list again next week and if you find another ridiculously easy change to make, do that one too. And before you know it, you’ll be on the path to an organized you!
1. Open one piece of mail before you add it to the pile of mail each day.
2. Complete one action on your inbox each day.
3. Put one thing that has been lurking away each day.
4. Decide now what you will eat for one meal next week.
5. Type up your shopping list for the week on the computer and save it to refer to next week.
6. Return a phone call each day.
7. Delegate one task for a week.
8. Set a timer for 5 minutes each day to do some tidying.
9. Take one item from your closet this week that you know you will not wear again and either donate it, give it away, re-purpose it or throw it away.
10. Imagine doing just one of these things. Can you think of any other small changes you could make to your daily routine to maintain organization?
Here’s to your happy habits!
The concept of “small” came up a few times in our blogging circle. I love it! Small is powerful because it allows us to feel success quickly and then build off of that. Your list of suggestions is great because each one is doable and not overwhelming. And that’s the great trick of going small. Find the tiniest step possible that you can accomplish without feeling overwhelmed. Because once the overwhelm sets in, so can procrastination and inaction.
I’m not a great delegator, but I plan to do just that today on a project I’m working on. Reading it on your list, I feel even better about reaching out for help with something I could learn but would rather farm out. I appreciate the nudge in the right direction.
I’m so glad to hear this, Linda! Small steps are so important. I think about Kaizen a lot, and how it’s useful not just as a business tool but as a personal one. Little successes spiral upward to create great change!
These are all so simple and approachable. I really love the power of #3. If we put away one “lurking” item each day, in a month we will have made a huge impact!
Exactly, Seana! I’m glad you liked this post.
I love that you gave some examples of super easy habits. My favorite one is to take an item from your closet. One thing in the full closet is super easy to find. If you take one item out of your closet every week throughout the year, you will have tossed 52 articles. WOW!
That’s a great way to put it, Sabrina. Thank you!
I love the *literal* baby steps in the photo associated with starting with the smallest achievable step. Even those of us who are organized need that kick sometimes. If I have to write something and I can’t make myself sit down to do it, I force myself to just sit in the chair long enough to open Word or my WordPress screen. It reminds me of when teachers made us write our names and class period in the upper right of our papers. It’s a ritual that moves us forward…baby steps. I love your examples!
Thanks Julie!