Getting organized is a process and there are many steps to getting your life and your home in order. I am by no means an expert but I have been working very hard over the last couple of years, especially this year to finally figure out what works.

The main goal is to come up with systems in place to help me live an organized and orderly life. Being more organized and less cluttered leads to less stress and chaos which is beneficial in many areas of my life. It improves my health, my sleep, my marriage and how I parent.

So what’s been working?

Well here are 10 simple steps to help you quickly become more organized

  1. Become a to-do list user

My mom was always a list maker when I was growing up. I remember her lists that she had for everything. I was never a huge list maker but I now understand the power of them.

This year I have done monthly to-do lists and even weekly lists for a while and now I’m experimenting with daily checklists. I’m still refining my perfect system but what I do know is that I get a lot more done now that I’m using to-do lists more frequently.

  1. Do the dishes daily and wipe down counters

For those of you out there with tiny kitchens like me, this step is even more important but I’ve seen it be true in many different sized kitchens. The kitchen looks so much cleaner when the dishes are done and if you don’t do them daily they get quickly overwhelming.

  1. When putting away groceries clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry

Doing this is such a great way to make sure your refrigerator and freezer stay clean. When we bring home groceries taking ten minutes to clean stuff out of the fridge/freezer and pantry before putting the new stuff away.

  1. Go paperless where possible

I don’t know about you but we just always have too much paper. It has gotten better in recent years though because of being able to go digital on so many things. It makes for fewer bills and paperwork.

I also get digital magazines and books which keep that from coming in and causing clutter. I always had so many magazines around my home and it added to clutter. Now I don’t have that problem.

I still have more paperwork and piles than I’d like but going digital has helped.

  1. Do things in time chunks

The power of breaking things down into time chunks really helps me out a lot. I do this in blogging as well as for household stuff. I tend to get distracted or worn out if I do a lot at once and my brain and body don’t like to do things like all the laundry in one day or clean the house in one day.

For some people that works but it’s not what works best for me. So I break down what I need to do into smaller 30 minute periods of time with breaks. This allows me to get more done in my day.

  1. Have a place to put donations

Too Much Stuff! We like pretty much everyone I know have way too much stuff. So I’m always in the process of getting rid of things. One way to make that easier is to have specific spaces for what you are getting rid of.

At my house, we have a bag that hangs in the closet where anytime my daughter realizes something no longer fits it can just go straight in there. Then I have a box that I put things in that I know we no longer need. When it gets full it can be taken and donated. I’ve discovered if you don’t have a place for things you won’t ever actually get rid of things.

  1. Don’t leave a room empty-handed  

The more I implement using this technique the better my home looks and feels. Some days I’m really good at it and I make sure every time I go from one room to another I grab something to put away. Usually, I grab any trash, dishes, laundry that can be dealt with.

Doing this quick task of not leaving a room empty-handed lets me clean up and tidy the house in little bites throughout the day. It takes very little effort but it makes a huge difference if you do it all day long.

  1. Use the vacuum more often

How often you need to vacuum will depend on whether you have kids and pets. It makes such a change to the living room though when we vacuum it.

We have a daughter, two cats, and two dogs so for us we need to use the vacuum most days. We could use it every day but we probably end up using it 4 or 5 days a week in the main living areas.

  1. Do a regular purge of things in your home

Less stuff means less clutter and things to clean up and organize. We have so much more stuff than we need but I know that many of you are in the same situation. You have a lot of things, much more than you actually need.

So I make an effort to do regular purges of stuff in my home. I mentioned having a donation spot in tip #6 and that helps. I also try to do regular big purges a few times a year.

  1. Assign everyone chores around the house

You don’t need to do it all on your own. Unless you live alone and then it is all your responsibility. If you live with other people, like your spouse and children then everyone should share in the responsibility of taking care of the home.
So in our home, I do some things, my husband does some other things and my daughter has her own responsibilities. As she gets older those change as she becomes able to do new things and handle more. 

I hope these 10 tips help you to quickly become more organized. This isn’t everything I do or everything that you should do either but it’s a great place to start and a big help in keeping my home and life less chaotic and more organized.