14 tiny habits to get more organized
Published on
Do you always lose your keys? Look for your glasses while they are on your head? Do you sometimes get tired of the chaos in your life caused by things you could prevent?
Chances are you have picked up a few habits that have made you a disorganized person.
Fortunately, you can improve this! You will not become organized in a day, but you can get a little better at a time.
Think of it as untangling your earphones. Start with the easiest bit, then undo more and more knots.
For a chaotic person, those knots mostly have to do with where you put your things and the systems you have for taking action (or the lack of them).
Want to improve your life today? Here are some tiny habits to start with.
The great thing about becoming more organized is that you can practise it in different areas all day long. Change really can happen quickly, because the way you approach one thing becomes the way you approach everything.
Tidying up
Living in an untidy environment is the biggest sign of a disorganized person. Almost everything you put off eventually turns into clutter.
That is why we will focus on this most. Once you get the hang of it, you will see that these skills apply to other areas of your life too.
Here are a few starters to get you going.
-
After I take something off, I think about where it belongs.
-
After I get up from a chair or sofa, I pick up one item that belongs somewhere else.
-
After I get up, I make my bed (straighten the covers).
-
After I close the front door, I hang up my house keys.
-
After I wear a T-shirt, I set the hanger aside to take to the laundry room.
-
After the laundry basket fills up, I sort the laundry into separate bags.
-
After I hang up the first load of laundry, I start the next one. (This prevents clean laundry from piling up.)
-
After I decide to do some housework, I put on a good song or a podcast to keep it interesting.
-
After I bring my breakfast plate into the kitchen, I rinse one pan.
Setting up your environment
Changing your environment can be a very quick way to remove friction.
It makes all the other tiny habits much, much easier.
Here are a few habits to get you started:
-
After something gets in my way, I think about how I can make it consistently easier next time.
-
After I see something I have not used in more than six months, I set it aside to give away or list on Marktplaats later.
-
After I use something, I get it ready for the next time I want to use it.
Digital
-
After I receive a notification I do not want, I block it or delete the app.
-
After I receive a newsletter I do not want, I unsubscribe immediately.
What now?
It is very simple: choose a few (no more than six) and try them out.
You can always change the trigger, the part after “After”, to something that works better for you.
I hope this gives you plenty of inspiration :)