We always seem to be looking for ways to live a more organized life, aren’t we? Many times the problem is just knowing where to begin. The great news is there are plenty of small ways to live a more organized life that can really add up in the long run. Take a look below at some helpful tips to get you started. You will find 50 ways to lead a more organized life so that you can enjoy life more and let go of so much worry and stress that is often a result of an unorganized life!
1. Journal daily. Invest in a pretty journal for you to write down the things that are taking up your mind and your energy.
2. Use a daily planner. Check in daily and update all events/appointments/deadlines you may have.
3. Use the sticker method. Stick a colorful sticker or sticky note on the front door if there is something you need to remember to take with you that day. When you see the sticker, it will remind you.
4. Update your contacts in your phone weekly. Make sure all numbers are current and remove duplicates.
5. Print out a copy of contacts, including emergency phone numbers and other important people. This will help in case you should lose any of your phone data- or if you have a babysitter, house-sitter, etc. who may need to know the numbers.
6. Take a photo of your prescription bottles. Keep the photo on your phone should you need to reference any of them.
7. Snap a photo of your parking space. Theme parks, hotels, wherever- if the parking lot is big, take a picture of the spot markers so you don’t forget where you parked!
8. Keep a coupon organizer with you in your purse so your savings can go wherever you go. You can use one that’s made to be a coupon organizer or just a small makeup pouch or wallet, but keep it separate from your normal wallet to make it easier to sort through.
9. Keep a simple first aid kit in the car of on the go injuries that could otherwise slow you down. Keep it stocked and make sure to switch out expired products as needed. {Find one here.}
10. Keep a mini sewing kit on you for any fast fixes that might otherwise slow you down. Keep one in your purse or in the glove compartment of your car! {Find one here.}
11. Buy no-iron clothing items so you can skip the hassle of ironing. If you just have to have a few pieces made with material that constantly wrinkles, invest in a bottle of wrinkle remover or familiarize yourself with the wrinkle release settings on your dryer.
12. Purchase bedsheet suspenders to keep your sheets in place. Pick up inexpensive straps {like these ones} and you can stop fixing the sheets every night before bed!
13. Invest in dry shampoo for when you need to get out of the house in a hurry. Some of my favorites are Bumble and Bumble Pret a Powder and Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo.
14. Invest in a nice filing cabinet to keep all important household papers. Keep files for insurance paperwork, tax forms, health-related paperwork {hospital bills, prescription refills, etc.}, and pay stubs to make tax time easier.
15. Create a household command center that everyone can refer to for important dates. Hang a dry erase or paper calendar and place pens and stickers or magnets nearby so that family members can add upcoming events.
16. Meal plan weekly so you can be a more organized shopper and avoid the carry out trap. You can use my free printable weekly meal plan sheet to make it even easier!
17. You can also create a weekly shopping list based on sale ads to ad in your meal planning and household savings! I have you covered on a free printable grocery list, too.
18. Create file folders for nightly schoolwork papers to go in. This way you can read everything that comes home and get it sent back if needed. Make sure that anything that needs to be filed gets filed right away, and anything that needs to be sent back gets dealt with and returned to the backpack!
19. Get in the habit of scheduling all appointments on the same day of the week. This way you always know that on Thursdays {or whatever day works for you} you have things scheduled.
20. Always request a reminder card or call for upcoming appointments. Write them into your planner {or onto the command center calendar} as soon as you get home, but keep the appointment card in your wallet as a reminder just in case {and that way you have their phone number in case you need it}.
21. Call and confirm any appointments/dates you have made with others. Nothing like showing up somewhere just to find out you wasted your time on a cancelled or rescheduled appointment! {On that note, check your voicemails on the day of appointments. I’m guilty of almost leaving the house without doing so and almost went to an appointment that was cancelled.}
22. Use smart phone apps that can help send reminders for upcoming appointments. Or just set them up using Google Calendar- you can even invite family members to share a calendar with you so that everyone is on the same page.
23. Color coordinate your schedule. Choose one color to use for anything personal {lunch dates with friends, manicures and haircuts, etc.}, one for anything kid related {soccer games, teacher appreciation gifts due, etc.} and another for work related items {meetings, deadlines, shopping lists}, if applicable.
24. Use color coded laundry baskets to help organize clothes when you sort them. Assigning each member of the family a specific color lets them know it’s their laundry waiting to be folded, even if you aren’t there for them to ask.
25. Keep sock matching simple. Buy all one kind of sock for each family member- and make it obvious whose is whose by purchasing socks with different colored toes for each member of the family.
26. Pin pairs of socks, gloves, or other items together when washing so they stay together. That said, you may still lose some {it’s inevitable} so keep a basket in the laundry room for lost items waiting for their mates. Be sure to go through the basket regularly and toss anything that has officially lost it’s match.
27. Place sheets in their matching pillowcase so bed making is quick and easy. Not only will you save time by not having to look for all the pieces, but they store much neater in the cabinet this way.
28. Create a magnetic chore chart for kids to follow and interact with so their chores get done. You can even play chore bingo to encourage kids to help out without whining- get the free printable Chore Bingo game board here!
29. Keep small baskets and bins in the car for trash, snacks, games, etc. You can even put a laundry basket {or two, stacked} in there to help you carry in groceries in just one trip!
30. Put a trash can in each child’s bedroom to avoid getting lost in trash and clutter. Be sure to empty it {or have them empty it} the night before trash pick up each week! {This small trash can even has a basketball hoop to make clean up fun!}
31. Keep an ongoing grocery list that everyone can add to. A dry erase board hung on the fridge is a great place to jot down groceries needed or special dinner requests.
32. If you’re headed to the store last minute, snap a quick shot of your pantry before you go. That way when you’re at the store and you can’t remember if you already have rice, you don’t have to buy a box only to come home and find out you have seven. {Guilty.}
33. Photograph your license plate so if you need to reference they number you have it on your phone. Do this for your driver’s license number as well in case your wallet gets stolen!
34. Keep safety ID cards on all children or pets in case anyone gets lost. If you’re going on vacation, you can use temporary tattoos with your phone number on them so that if you get separated from your young children, you can be reunited.
35. Clean your closet out every three months removing items you haven’t worn. Not sure if you’ve worn something? Today {or as soon as possible!} turn all your clothes the opposite way as usual in your closet. Whenever you wear something, hang it the correct way when you put it away. In three months, anything still facing the wrong way gets donated.
36. Organize jewelry on hooks so it is visible and easy to grab- and so it doesn’t get tangled. There are some great hangers that double as home decor, like this one! Not a lot of wall space? Try a hanger that you can store in the closet, like this one that hangs with your clothes.
37. Keep hair accessories organized and easy to grab. Put an organizer in a bathroom drawer and keep your hair ties, clips, and bobby pins separate so you aren’t digging through one big pile of hair stuff every time you’re running out the door.
38. Find your shoes easier with a photo. If you keep your shoes in boxes, take a photo of the shoes and place the photo on the outside of the box for fast reference.
39. Check Pinterest each week for organizational tips and tricks. Try implementing a new one per week. {My Organizing Pinterest board is a great place to start.}
40. Make mornings easier by planning outfits ahead of time. Find stackable drawers or sorting bins and place your child’s school outfits for the entire week {yes, even socks and underwear!} in them each Sunday night. Then each morning they can just grab and go.
41. Put kids in control of their snacks. Create a snack bin in your pantry {or a small drawer if you have an extra} that has snacks that you have approved for the kids. Then when they complain that they’re hungry, you can just direct them to the snack spot!
42. Make toys easier to find. If you keep toys in bins, place a picture of the types of toys {trains, animals, etc.} on the outside of the bin so kids can find toys easier- and even help put them away, too! You can take photos and print them out, let your kids draw pictures, or just labels if your kids are readers.
43. Store favorite artwork in binders. It’ll be easier to view it in a binder than in a file. Buy page protectors to make it easy to slip artwork in and keep it safe!
44. Color coordinate your storage. If you use plastic totes to store off-season clothing or decorations, find them in the appropriate colors for each season to make them easy to spot in your garage. {I use green totes for Christmas decorations, blue totes for winter clothes, etc.} If you prefer clear totes you can see into, you can still put a color-coded label on the side!
45. Turn vacation memories into photo books. You’ll be able {and more likely} to revisit old vacation photos when they’re displayed nicely in a photo book instead of a giant stack of prints. It’ll be easy for your kids to grab the book and relive their favorite vacations any time!
46. Avoid cluttering your house with books you won’t read. Even if you prefer to read actual paper books, download the free samples on Amazon first and make sure it’s a book you actually want to read. If you decide you like it, you can buy it in whatever format you want- and if you don’t, you aren’t stuck with a book you’ll never read taking up prime real estate on your bookshelf.
47. Make picking up prescriptions easier. If you have an ongoing prescription, set up auto-refill. If your pharmacy doesn’t offer that, sign up for reminders so you know when it is time to refill- before you run out.
48. Save at your favorite stores. Sign up for the mailing lists of your favorite stores and coupons will be sent to your inbox! If you have Gmail, you can set up folders for each store and filter them so that they skip your inbox and go right to their folder. They won’t clutter your inbox but they’ll be ready for you to pull them up when you get to the store!
49. Donate regularly. Find a central location in your house that’s out of the way but not hard to get to. Place a donations box there that your family can add to throughout the week as they find things they no longer need. Get in the habit of making weekly runs to empty the box!
50. Don’t let your junk mail touch your counter. After getting the mail, sort it at the trash can- and throw junk mail right into it. {Of course, if it has personal information in it, you’ll want to shred it- but do that right away, too!}
If you are ready to lead a more organized life, these 50 tips can surely help. Try implementing a few at a time and see what a difference they can make!
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