You’ve gathered tips to stay organized, created a routine and plan to
stick to it. So many of us start strong with our plans yet have trouble
following through for more than a few weeks or months. Getting organized can be
a daunting task when we abandon our plans.
Here are 5 ways to convert your plan
from simple steps and checkboxes into habits and lifestyle:
Expectations
Great habits are formed by managing realistic expectations. As much as
we try to remain organized there will be moments that test the limits of our
routine and schedules. Managing realistic expectations can help us plan for
those unexpected moments. Lolly Daskal suggests in a recent article on Inc.com,
“[k]eep your assumptions and expectations realistic to stay unflustered in the
face of the unexpected. Stay organized enough to be agile.”
Prioritize
Industry expert Serenity Gibbons writes for Forbes, it’s important to
focus on “prioritizing those things that are the most important to achieve in
both [your] professional and personal life.” To streamline your priorities,
choose a short list “to focus on or you'll just be back to the idea of a to-do
list. Once you have listed what is most important, you can organize everything
else around those things.” The goal is to get organized beyond a list and
create an organized lifestyle.
Target
Do you have a clear idea of what benefits will come from what you want
to accomplish? Setting targets or deadlines can help you recognize the benefits
staying organized will have on your productivity. Create a list of what you
want to accomplish as well as what’s required to achieve it. If it’s a
consistently clean kitchen, add it to the list as well as what needs to be done
to make that happen regularly.
Reminders
Experts at Piccadillyinc.com suggest creating “reminders in
your phone can work... For every appointment or deadline that you have – set a
reminder in your phone… You can set a reminder 2 weeks before a project
deadline to keep you on track, or set a reminder 30 min before a scheduled
Appointment – you can tailor [reminders] to your needs.”
Purge
A benefit of getting organized is letting things go. As you
inventory items you may notice items that no longer work or simply no longer
fit your needs. Remember to sort items that will be donated, discarded, or sold
and immediately follow through on those plans. ContentmentHealth.com recommends
never allowing unnecessary items to accumulate. “With each newly organized
space, fully finish the project and purge immediately. This step will not only
give you a sense of finality and accomplishment, but it will ensure that your
space is free of any [clutter].”
Staying organized will not happen overnight, but the process
is essential to your quality of life. “Simple organization may make it easier
to locate and pay household bills, or open up walkways so you can safely
navigate living space,” says Chris Seman, President of Caring Transitions.
“Eliminating clutter can also help increase the value of a home and make it
more marketable, and can reduce moving and packing expenses” if you are
preparing to move.