The True Benefits of Staying Organized

Staying organized is a challenge for many of us. For some it’s a way of life. There are so many intrinsic benefits of staying organized. Organization brings focus, clarity and purpose. When you have focus, you can concentrate on the task at hand and achieve it. This is important because when you are organized, you are staying focused on what you have to do and you are clear about it. 

Being organized sends out several messages and says something about you.  If things are messy and out of order, your life may feel messy and out of order.  If things are neat and in places you can easily find, your life may feel organized and in order. Organization also says something about clarity. The more my surroundings are in order, the clearer I feel about my present state of affairs and about my life in general. 

When you find yourself rummaging through papers to find numbers, notes, and dates, you feel lost in the moment of trying to find what you need. I think that good organization is a matter of good habits. A lot of us don’t like to put things back after we have used them because it’s another step, it’s work and often no one else will see the clutter but us. However, it can catch up when you look back later at the mini-cyclone and feel overwhelmed. Before you clean up, visualize what your space will look like when it is neat and in order. Then take one step to move in that direction. 

Here are some tips to stay organized:

Look at your mail when it comes in and don’t let it pile up.

File what you want to keep. Create a filing system if you do not have one.

File as you go along or put papers in a folder marked “to file” and do some filing every day so that papers do not  back up into a huge pile that takes awhile to go through.

Have a folder for events for the month so you can find invitations and flyers easily.

Put numbers in one place. Don’t leave them on sticky notes or pads that you have to find.

Have one folder or bin for what you are currently working on. Don’t create piles around your desk area because you’ll have to look in several places to find what you need.

Have a planner and use it. Having two places to write things down is a good idea especially if you carry your planner with you and run the risk of losing it without computer back-up.

Clean out a drawer that is cluttered.  Do one drawer at a time, one day at a time.

Rearrange your space for easier flow and access. 

Remove some things in your space that you do not need or use. Take out an extra chair, desk, or anything else that makes you feel cluttered.

Trick yourself to stay organized. When I feel things are piling up, I invite people over which motivates me to clean up because I don’t want others to see the mess. I also don’t like messy spaces so I constantly look for ways to keep things in order and neat.

Organization takes self-discipline, just like exercise.  You make up your mind that you want to make a change and you do it. You may not like it in the moment, but you feel great afterwards.