Being organized is another essential skill for success. This will help you on so many levels from focusing your time and efforts to no longer wasting time looking for stuff. If you’re a creative and disorganized person, a little organization may be just what you need to take your success to the next level.

Why Is It Important

Living an organized life does two important things for us. Not only does it clarify things, but it also saves time! Let’s start with the time-saving aspect. How often have you spent valuable time looking for a file, a piece of clothing, or your car keys? It would be better to use that time for the more important stuff. A little organization will keep you from having to tear the house or office apart on a regular basis.

Just as important is the fact that you end up keeping mental tabs of what’s where. That’s a lot of mental clutter that stops you from staying focused. That brings us to the second significant advantage of getting organized. You’re able to see things more clearly when all the information is laid out in an organized manner. You don’t have to try to remember where a vital file is, or where you put your favorite shirt if everything is organized well and has a place.

How To Get Started

Getting organized can seem like a daunting task if it’s something that’s not already part of your usual routine. It’s a matter of getting into the habit of getting and staying organized. The key to success is to start small and work on establishing new habits.

Pick something that’s making your life a lot harder than it has to be right now. It could be something as simple as spending too much time looking for your keys in the morning. Pick a dedicated spot for them like a hook next to the front door, or a small dish on a side table in the living room, and make yourself keep the keys there whenever they are not in use.

Once you’ve established that first habit, pick something else. Next, you want to tackle larger projects like your closet, the garage, or your filing system at work. It can take a lot of work and effort to get things organized in the first place. Work on it in little chunks at a time, but do it consistently. Make yourself review and sort through digital files for 10 minutes at the beginning of your workday or right after you get back from lunch. Make it a new habit. Then once you’ve worked through the backlog, use the time to stay on top of things going forward. 

The good news is that getting organized is contagious. Once you start working on one part of your life, one area of your home, or one aspect of your job or business, you’re going to want to get organized everywhere else.

My biggest piece of advice on getting started is to pace yourself. It’s easy to dive all in and exhaust yourself to a point where you don’t want to do anything for a few weeks after. That’s not going to help you get and stay organized in the long run. Instead, set a time, work fast and furious for 10 or even 30 minutes per day and then move on to something else. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll get done in a few short weeks by staying consistent.

Improving Your Skills

One of the best ways to improve your organization skills is to get good at decluttering. This goes for physical, as well as mental clutter. When there’s less “stuff” to process, there’s less organization you have to do on an ongoing basis. Start to think about things, projects, and ideas that you can lose, let go of them. It’s not always easy, particularly in the beginning, but it’s well worth it.

The second skill I suggest you work on is ongoing maintenance. Don’t let things get messy again to the point where you have to start all over to get organized. Instead, spend a little time here and there to “tidy” up as needed. Sort your bills and take care of them as soon as you get them. File pertinent information as soon as it comes in. Set aside 10 minutes at the end of your workday to organize so you can start fresh and be ready to go in the morning. Do the same with your home before bed.

Combined decluttering and ongoing maintenance will make it easy to stay on top of things. Try it and see for yourself.