The Myth of Keeping Organised and Staying Organised

Keeping organised is a series of life long, time consuming and never ending tasks but that doesn’t mean it has to be that way. Here are a few tips and tricks that have helped me keep organised over the last month.

I am not a naturally organised person. You only have to ask my parents and family members to know that. The only reason my bedroom was clean as kid and not a typical teenage science experiment was because my mother was always picking up after my brothers and I. In recent years however, I’ve somehow gained the moniker of ‘the Monica’ among my friends.

I’ve tried bullet journaling, setting a routine, writing things down, asking others to hold me account and Marie Kondo. You name it; I’ve probably tried it. All of them at some point turned me into an obsessed maniac barely grasping at the edges of reality and then inevitably falling back into my mountain of unwashed dishes and laundry. Over the past two months however, I’ve managed to maintain a semi clean and tidy house and I’d like to share with you a few of the things that have kept me on track.

Schedule it or it’ll never happen!

If you’re anything like me, you have a to do list as long (or even longer) than your arms. Wherever you keep that list be it online, in your bullet journal or a scrap of paper at the bottom of your bag, if it’s on a list it will never get done. Here’s what you need to do: schedule it! I first heard this on an Amy Landino video and she wisely reminded us, if it’s not important enough to be scheduled, it’s not important enough to keep worrying about or spending the energy endlessly putting things off.

Landino asks us to schedule everything in blocks, including breakfast, showers etc and I did for a while but it drive me absolutely crazy and now I just schedule most things like cooking, cleaning and class prep etc once a week and limit myself to 10 mins per day to rejig my schedule if needs be. I love using Google Calendar for its simplicity, ease of moving things around and ease of adding different calendars plus its ability to be accessed on any device at anytime.

Completely organise one space, once.

There are many things I can thank Marie Kondo for and that’s for helping completely organise my house and knowing where almost everything is. While I don’t agree with everything the Kondo goddess suggests, her method is sound. I know not everyone has time to organise their whole house (which is the ideal) so take one room that you need to always be organised, perhaps the kitchen or a desk or your bathroom and take a weekend to completely organise it once and give everything a place according to Marie Kondo. Once you’ve done this, it’ll be easier to find the most important things to you in the space you need to be kept organised.

Empty your bag

As Marie Kondo says, through emptying your bag and putting things and organising them in their proper place, you’ll no longer be running around your hose the last few minutes wondering where you left your keys or the other shoe. Another advantage is that before you leave the house you actively have to put what you need in your bag (or pockets, if you’re so lucky) so you’ll never forget a thing ever again. Another plus, no more finding month old chocolate bars or year old crumbs getting under your fingernails as you dig to the bottom.

Prep before bed and you’ll get ahead

One of my many number one pet peeves is when I hit snooze on my alarm and wake up 10 minutes later realising I have to rush around tidying up or check the weather for clothes or make my lunch for that day. Starting the day stressed is not cool. Before you go to bed, pick out your clothes, pack your lunch and make sure your home is organised and ready to be left right away.

For me, this means my kitchen sink is empty, my shoes are put away and there are no clothes lying around my bedroom. By doing this, I can wake up in the morning and start the day the way I want my days to start with a little yoga, warm tea and breakfast on the balcony. Bliss. Perhaps its just picking out your clothes or vacuuming but do what ever you need to do to feel your home is organised and ready to be left. I find when my morning is dictated by me and my needs, it sets me up to have a great day.

So, there you have it, a few ideas and tips on how to keep organised and stay organised. My routine is not great and I could always use some more advice so leave a comment bellow with things you do to keep your life together. Happy organising!

Over and Out,

TTT x