The misplaced keys. A missing library book. All the kid’s uniforms are dirty. The refrigerator is empty.
We’ve all had these problems in our lives on occasion.
But how often is this your reality?
- Are you constantly searching for items that seemingly disappeared?
- Are you routinely behind on laundry?
- Do you run completely out of food before stocking up again?
If you want to be a little (or a lot!) more organized as a woman, a wife, and a mother, you’re reading the perfect blog post to reach your potential.
I have compiled 10 tips to help you become a more organized person. Spoiler Alert: It’s going to take some effort on your part. It’s not a simple or quick solution. In fact, it may be quite the journey for you. However, when you begin implementing these 10 methods, you can achieve the status of “A Highly Organized Person.”
So, what are the habits of an organized person? Keep reading to find out!
1. They plan ahead.
I don’t mean planning your year or your month down to a T. Life changes too quickly for that.
However, it is essential to organize your schedule.
Know what is happening and what is required of you to ensure things run smoothly.
Ideally, plan for the week ahead and then, the night before, plan and prepare for the following day.
An organized individual utilizes a planner, whether it is a physical planner or the Notes app on your phone. You need an effective system to refer to daily and weekly to stay on track with the family schedule and your responsibilities. Check out this planner that would be great for “planner newbies,” as it is undated and utilizes time blocking.
Time Blocking could be a great place to start if you have no idea how to structure your day. Check out my blog post explaining this method and how to get started using it successfully: TIME BLOCKING: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE.
Planning ahead is simply the first step in becoming more organized! It’s a great first step, but don’t stop there.
2. They have a “home” for everything.
If you want to be more organized, everything you own needs a specific place where it belongs (“a home”) and can be returned to when tidying.
Whether it be in a drawer, a cupboard, a closet, or a bin, each item needs a home to return to. If it doesn’t have a place, you need to create a place or “say good-bye” to said item (we’ll get to decluttering soon enough!)
Not closets overflowing with items that don’t fit. But a calm, organized spot for each item, where it can easily be returned by any member of the family when cleaning.
Pro Tip: Don’t bring a new item into your home, without having an assigned spot for it.
Let’s say you just received a bunch of gifts for your birthday. Now is the challenge to find a “home,” a spot where that item will live forever. You could just keep a pile of gifts on your dresser for months on end, but we can’t be an organized woman that way.
- A new sweater: try it on & make sure you like it, wash it and put it with like sweaters in your closet.
- A new kitchen gadget: prewash it and place in utensils drawer.
- 5 birthday cards: put in a keepsake bin or possibly toss them.
Ponder this question: Is your house too small, or do you have too much?
3. They have a weekly reset routine.
Resetting your home each week is an essential step to set your week off on the right track!
You can’t wake up Monday morning, without a plan in place for the week ahead. That actually sounds like a nightmare to me. Maybe a little dramatic, but I highly encourage you to make a weekly reset a priority!
Check out my blog post on The Best Weekly Reset Routine: Prepare for the Week Ahead. Take care of the essentials for the week ahead, so you are not trying to play “catch up” all week long. For me, this includes meal planning, getting groceries, food prep, planning, and tidying the house. It can conclude with some self-care to help you relax and recharge as well.
This ensures you begin the week with adequate food (this is the biggest priority and most difficult aspect for many). Maybe for you it includes getting caught up (or ahead!) on laundry.
Identify the top tasks that would help you get a head start on your week and include those in your weekly reset routine. It may be a 1 hour reset or it could take most of your day, depending on your priorities.
4. They don’t procrastinate.
Instead, they get things done right away. They don’t leave to-do’s lingering for weeks on end.
Have you heard the saying, “Eat the frog?”
It simply means to get the hard things done first! Don’t wait until late afternoon when you’re tired and your energy is depleted. Complete those tasks you consider the most difficult, right away!
And those jobs you have put off for far too long, why are you still procrastinating? Ask yourself: is it really as hard as I’m making it seem? Most of the time, it really isn’t as difficult as we imagine it to be.
Or if the “Eat the Frog” method doesn’t work for you, go for “small wins” instead. Find a bunch of small tasks you can knock out quickly to give you momentum to keep on going.
It can be easy to push off to-dos until the absolute last minute, but if you truly want to be an organized person this year, you’ll need to work on this!
5. They declutter regularly.
I promised you decluttering would make its appearance on this list, and here it is!
Not just once a year, although a yearly decluttering challenge is an excellent way to purge and donate a bunch of unused items all at once. Here’s a 30-day Decluttering Challenge you might want to consider if your home is in dire need of a quick fix.
Regularly. What this means for you may be different than what it means for me.
It could be daily. See something you’re no longer using, put it in your donation box. Craft supplies and projects the kids are finished with, get rid of it.
It could mean weekly. Maybe you want to dedicate time each week to go through a particular drawer or closet.
You cannot wait until your house is out of control before you take charge of it. A little at a time will best keep you organized.
6. They clean as they go.
A simple habit like “cleaning as you go,” can make a dramatic impact over time!
While you’re cooking, put items away or wash dishes as you go.
While you’re moving from room to room, bring items that belong somewhere else with you.
If you only clean or put things where they belong once a week on your Saturday cleaning day, yes your cleaning day will take you literally all day long.
Avoid this at all costs!
I have implemented 10-minute tidies into my day I will set the timer for ONLY 10 minutes and tidy as much as I can within that time frame. This isn’t deep cleaning or anything like that, it’s simply putting items away. Back to their home! (as discussed in tip #2)
7. They write and stick to a to-do list.
Yes, the infamous to-do list. If you want to be organized, you’ve got to have some sort of a to-do list. It will help keep you focused on the tasks at hand. A to-do list will help you remember the most important duties you need to attend to each day.
I don’t care how you write your to-do list, just do it.
In your planner. A simple notebook. The Notes app in your phone. Sometimes I use both!
Pro Tip: Make it achievable! Don’t overwhelm yourself with 30 tasks in one day. Only include what is feasible for that day. You could have a “May Do” list that contains additional items if more time allows, but these should not add pressure to your day.
Then, you have to stick to it, of course. You can’t go off and start shampooing the carpets, if you have other more urgent tasks on your list. You can’t sit on the couch and binge watch the latest episodes of your favorite show.
You have to STICK TO your list (and reward yourself if you need to!) Make a coffee when you complete the first two items. Have a piece of dark chocolate when you finish two more items. Take a 10-minute scroll break. Simple rewards can make all the difference.
8. They start the day with a solid morning routine.
Oh, yes, the dreaded morning routine talk. Does this mean waking up super early? Maybe, but not necessarily.
The purpose of a morning routine is to set you up for success for the day ahead. If you are exhausted because you woke up at 5 am after only sleeping for 5 hours, this will benefit no one! Rest and sleep are so important.
We just had winter break over here and I found myself sleeping in with my girls every day until 8 am or after! I felt so behind all day, every day of break. The problem here was that I was receiving adequate sleep (9-10 hours!), I was just being lazy.
If it’s as simple as brushing your teeth, washing your face, filling your water bottle, & hydrating, that’s still a morning routine.
Determine what tasks you need to accomplish first thing. Things that are important to help you get ahead for the day. Getting yourself organized or the home organized BEFORE the kids wake up.
Because I promise you, you will never feel organized if your kids are waking you up every morning, demanding breakfast and your attention. You need to have the upper hand. If that means waking up 30 minutes earlier than normal, it will be worth it! Check out this blog post detailing my 4-Step Morning Routine; it will be sure to give you some inspiration for a morning routine that works for you and your current season of life.
9. They invest time in their self-care and self-development.
How in the world will self-care and self-development help me become more organized?
It’s all about balance. If you want to be organized in all aspects of your life, it is essential to allocate time to focus on all areas.
Taking time for self-care can help you reduce stress and get more focused for the job at hand. Feeling good about yourself, will help you feel more confident and successful.
Spending time at the beginning of your day to work on yourself can dramatically improve the success of your day. I tried out the Miracle Morning Routine and loved including so many self-development activities first thing in the morning: MIRACLE MORNING ROUTINE: WAKING UP AT 5 AM.
10. They have routines and rhythms for the day.
Notice I didn’t say a strict, set schedule. A routine. A rhythm. A flow for the day.
- What do you need to do before the kids get up?
- What needs to be accomplished before leaving the house?
- What tasks need to be completed each evening?
And everything in between!
You’ll feel more organized and competent, if you know what to expect. If you’re one step ahead.
Here are some examples, but always find what is applicable to your needs and priorities. Start the dishwasher every night after dinner. Prep the school lunches in the evenings. Charge all devices before bed each night. All tasks that need to be completed should have a specified timeframe for their completion. This ensures that they are consistently accomplished.
This will also help your kids know what to expect! We have the same morning rhythm; the same events happen in practically the same order each day. We rarely forget a step because it’s on autopilot, even for my 5-year-old.
Bonus Tip: They give themselves grace!
We all know that life doesn’t always go perfectly according to the plan. As a matter of fact, it rarely does. So be flexible with yourself, your kids, your husband, your co-workers, and your friends.
Give yourself the gift of grace each day, as well as gift it to those around you.
You’ll still mess up sometimes. You may forget to return that permission slip. You may misplace an important form. Your car may get messy from time to time.
And that’s okay! That’s when you give yourself grace.
Overall, though, you’re guaranteed to be so much more organized in your day-to-day life if you start to develop these 10 important habits!
Be a More Organized Woman Today
I encourage you to reflect on how you can implement these 10 habits of an organized woman into your life today. Find your weaknesses and start to work towards growth in those areas.
Let’s say you’re an excellent planner for the day ahead, but then when the time comes, you have trouble sticking to the plan.
What should your plan of action be? I would recommend starting with the hardest or most overwhelming task first, when you have the most energy and motivation. How much confidence you will feel if you can complete the overwhelming task, then everything else will seem like a piece of cake!
Know that God is with you every step of the way. Pray and invite Him into your daily life. Seek His help in moments of weakness. We can grow each day through God’s strength, whether that be in developing the fruit of the spirit in our lives or in becoming a more organized mom.
