Staying organized is essential to accomplishing goals and focusing on what we feel is most important in life. But that doesn’t mean you need some complicated color-coded system or down-to-the-minute schedule. Different things work for different people.

Find a Strategy

To identify your strengths and weaknesses and what works best for you, here are some things to consider:

Waste Removal. Document your activities during a typical week as far as how you spend your time. What activities tend to waste your time? How can you minimize or eliminate these from your schedule?
Long-term goals. Have a clear vision and goals for the long term. Does the way you spend your time reflect these goals? What daily and weekly tasks help you achieve your goals?
Optimal time. Identify when you’re the most productive. Are you a morning or night person? Knowing your peak performance time will help you achieve quality work on your most important tasks.
Important vs. urgent. Determine what’s important versus what’s urgent. We often spend the entire day focused on what we think is urgent. When we cater to tasks like answering every email right away, we often don’t accomplish much.
Top three. Ask yourself, “What are the three most important tasks I need to complete today?” When you’re able to focus on three items, it helps you not feel as overwhelmed. You’re more likely to stay productive when you’re not thinking about everything at once.

Tips to Stay Organized

Some people are naturally more organized than others. Even if you’re not structured and orderly, there are ways to learn this behavior. Here are several strategies for clutter removal, proper planning, and time management that can help you develop greater organizational skills:

Tackle Clutter
- Start small. Organizational overhauls can feel overwhelming. Start with small tasks that motivate you. Perhaps you can declutter your desk or sort through some paperwork. Work your way up from there.
- Weekly cleanup. Papers and mail can easily take over your workspace. Have a weekly cleanup where you discard or recycle papers and other materials. File important papers, and put things in their proper place. This will help you stay focused and avoid the need for major reorganization.
- Put everything in its place. After you finish using an item, return it where it goes. This will keep your workspace looking less cluttered so you can focus better. You also won’t be losing valuable time searching for misplaced items.
Plan of Success
- To do list. Keep a to-do list. Break down large tasks into smaller steps to help stay motivated. Check off each item as you finish it.
- Plan for the day. You can avoid morning confusion by planning the evening before. Consider picking out your clothes or packing your lunch. Gather the files or books you might need. This may help you fall asleep faster too as your mind is not preoccupied with the morning rush of responsibilities. If you’re a parent, this is also helpful to do for your children.
- Stick to one thing at a time. We tend to praise multitasking in our culture, but this can actually prevent you from being organized. Focusing on one task at a time is best and produces better results.
Time Management
- Avoid interruptions. Sometimes we have to stop and address concerns that interrupt our day. But other distractions, like emails or voicemails, can often wait a little longer. We might feel pressure to respond immediately, but this can take up valuable time. Limit the amount of time you check email or social media to two or three times per day.
- Time limits. Give yourself an ending time for tasks you don’t enjoy. You’ll stay more motivated when you know there’s a time limit. If you can’t do this, break up the task into smaller steps. Do activities you enjoy between smaller tasks you don’t.
- Set limits. Don’t apologize for organizing your life according to priorities. When you say no to certain tasks, you might receive some pushback at first, but you’ll be more useful to yourself and others when you decide what’s important.

Organization is harder for some people than others. If you’re struggling, try to associate organization with positive feelings. Consider putting on music you like or visualizing the project as finished. You’ll feel good when the task is complete. Remember that feeling for next time.

Sources:

University of Rochester. 11 Tips for Organization and Productivity. Published September 29, 2021. Accessed January 26, 2023.

Psych Central. 9 Lesser-Known Tips for Getting & Staying Organized. Published October 19, 2013. Accessed January 26, 2023.

The University of Florida. Getting Organized. Accessed January 26, 2023.

Organizational Skills

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