8 Organizational Tips that Can Make Your Life Easier

Here are eight tips that work for me. Adjust them as needed to work for you and enjoy the pleasure of a less stressful existence.

1. Bins for toys. Labeled. Since Patrick is a bit OCD like his parents, his natural tendency is to put everything in its proper place. And since he has to put away all of his toys before bedtime (there is another free tip within a tip), we have a cleaned-up family room every evening and morning.
2. Create a meal plan. Whether you use e-mealz (like I do) or create your own, write down a plan for the week. Assign a day for each meal based on your personal schedules and the use-by date on your produce, dairy and/or meat.
3. Prepare the night before. Make lunches, lay out clothes, put together items for work, locate your keys, put mail out that needs to go in the mailbox, and do anything else that might hold you up in the morning.
4. Junk mail goes in the garbage before it touches the countertop. We still have a stack of mail, but at least we know it might be relevant to our lives if it is in the pile.
5. Pay bills at the same time each month. Whether that is on a particular date of the month or after each payday, pay all of your bills that will come due before the next scheduled bill-paying day. If you need to schedule the payment for a later date via your online banking, that is fine, but be sure you remember that and don’t create an overdrawn situation.
6. When you are doing a whirl-wind clean up (like company is coming over quickly), be sure to put away things in their rightful home and don’t just stash it somewhere. Take it from me…you won’t be able to remember where you put it later.
7. Seasonally, I go through my stash of next-season children’s clothes so I know what we have for the kids. Make a list if you need to. That way, when you find seasonal sales and deals you won’t stock up on things you already have…regardless of how good the deal may be!
8. Have a regular schedule. You can alter it seasonally if you need to work around soccer practice, dance lessons, or whatnot. But have a weekly routine that works for you. Do chores and/or laundry on the same day, so you don’t find yourself running low on items. Cook ahead if that works for you. Just be consistent and you will not find yourself facing (as many) unexpected situations that leave you frazzled.

What do you do to make your life more organized? I need to learn some more tricks!

Photo credit: Chiot's Run