2017 is right on our heels. We’ll blink and it will be here. A New Year gets me excited and scares me a little bit, too! Getting organized has never been hard for me, it’s the part of STAYING organized that seems to be the challenge. With some experience under my belt, I wanted to share how you can get organized and stay organized in the coming year.
Pick your battles
There is no way you are going to have your entire house organized at the same time. The way I get organized and stay organized is to pick my battles. What are my “main” areas I want to stay organized? For me, it’s my main living areas. Keeping those areas organized is super important.
You will notice that it is a lot easier to be organized whenever you don’t have the pressure to keep every single nook and cranny organized.
Checklists are your friend (whether you want them to be or not)
Listen, I know checklists are so pre-internet and smart phone, but they work! When I make a checklist, it is so much easier for me to stay organized. I will admit that checklists help me to stay organized with my kids, grocery shopping, and extracurricular things. Plus, I love having a list to “check off” when I get things done, don’t you?!
Keep the kids accountable in the organization department
If you are anything like me, you can get organized, no problem. It is the staying organized that is hard. Part of the problem, at least in my house, is that the kids seem to have a natural ability to destroy any sort of organization I’ve created.
If you want to stay organized this year, then you need to keep your kids accountable. They need to help YOU stay as organized as possible. I write my kids little notes to help them stay organized. I’m sure you can find a way that works for you!
Keep ongoing appointments
One area that I have been working on in the organizational department has been with appointments. I have found something that works and helps me stay organized. Instead of picking a “new time and date” every time I need an appointment, I keep a standing date. For example – hair appointments are every 6 weeks at the same date/time/place. Grocery shopping same date/time/place. Date night with the hubby — same date/time/place (it’s ok to pick a different restaurant or activity each time, but having that set date helps so much!). When you have repetition in your life, it’s harder to be disorganized because you know what to expect. In fact, this will make you look so organized that people are going to stay wondering who you are.
I hope some of these tips help you get more organized {and stay organized} this year! We can all use a new tip here and there, so share your tips with me. I’d love to hear them.
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mary Byrd says
Great tips and I so need to try these . Great post