Step one is to use a calendar (a white board or a sheet of paper). This is perhaps the easiest way to organize your day especially when it is going to be a busy one. It is what most businessmen and their assistances do: writing things down to remember is a true way to cope with all tasks by the end of the day. Make several lists on the same page (e.g. to-do, grocery, calls, appointments, etc.). At the very bottom, you can specify things you may move to another day. But this list should be made of 2-3 points only, and they are to be pretty minor.
Step two is an improved version of the first one. Use note cards. No need to clutter up your place with them. The most organized and disciplined people arrange them on cork boards, fridges, and laptops. They are bright which is essential for a fast visual grasp and there's no need to look into your notebook all the time. Once the task is done, remove the note. The clearer the surfaces get by the end of the day - the better.
Here comes the third step - don't postpone duties. It will be harder to do them all if you wait longer. Life gets less demanding and stressful if you cope with most tasks on time. At first, great efforts will be needed to get everything done as soon as possible. According to the latest researches, one needs 21 days to make a habit of something: keep coping with your entire to-do on time list during 21 days and this practice will become habitual.
The fourth one sounds like: keep only things you really need. Being organized in your stuff is the part of the entire well-organized-life program. The more things you have, the more cluttered your apartment gets. Really organized people have only things they need. No need to buy a larger place or rent a storage unit. Just get rid of items you don't use. But never do this all at once as there's a high chance you'll get everything back within a week. Take your pen and paper and write down the things you actually need. Then make a list of those you own. The second one will surely exceed the first, and the difference is to be eliminated.
Let the church stand in the churchyard. That's step five. Try and find places that are easy to reach for the things you use every day. Locations for other items are to be easy to get to as well, even if these things are used rarer. How will it help? In time, you will see that less time is spent looking for stuff. Besides, your place will look neat and comfortable. Cleaning will take less time, thus you'll spend more free hours on your hobbies or sleep.
Step six is regular cleaning. The fact you got your things organized doesn't mean you can refuse from vacuuming and dusting. Find time every week to organize the area. Some people do it more than once a week. They say that if you do a little cleaning job every day, your apartment will look fresh and neat all the week round. Again, that will soon become habitual if you repeat it every day before you go to work and go to sleep. In the morning you can do the dusting and washing clothes in the machine. Before you go to bed, check if the dishes are washed, no plates or glasses are left on a kitchen table, your shoes are clean, your flowers are watered and the cat is fed.
No bargains - it is your step seven. Finally, you have got rid of all unneeded things. The place seems brighter and more organized, doesn't it? But that is never for long if you are a regular bargains visitor. Most people buy things on sales only because they are cheap, and not because they really need them. Don't be one. An organized person never gives in to such ads. Cheap items always produce more clutter and you get back to where you started. If you believe you can hardly keep to this rule, go to the nearest shopping mall without money. This time you are looking at things that you'd like to have, yet your wallet is not with you. Make a list of things you'd like to have, bring it home and put aside for a month.
Check it in 30 days. If there are still items you'd like to own, buy a few.
Control is a synonym to a well-organized life. And it's never as challenging as it sounds. If you manage to control your pets, kids, and subordinates, you'll deal with self-control. Things aren't done overnight. They take time, patience, and efforts. Be sure that there will be a moment when you give up and decide to get back to things as they were. And this is the very minute you need to pull yourself together. If you succeed, you'll deal with anything!
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