How to Realistically Organize Your Life

sharing how to Best organize your life for Naturally unorganized people

With so many different organization methods out there, it can be hard deciding on the one for you. There are plenty of different systems and recommended methods to get your home & your life organized. Who’s really to say which way is the best? It all depends on how well the system you choose matches your personality and your lifestyle. If your method requires you to abruptly change your way of life, chances are it’s not going to work. Unless you need a complete overhaul of your life, we recommend finding a system that feels natural.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are authentically our own.

Choose a system that motivates you and that you can realistically stick with. The results of an organized life are time and freedom to achieve your dreams and goals. If you choose a system that requires drastic changes, you will most likely abandon it after too long. Or you might be like me and never even get started.

A couple years ago I read the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way to Banish Clutter Forever by Marie Kondo. I loved it and was so excited. I couldn’t wait to carve out time to begin. However, so much time went by as I waited for a big break in my life so I could start. The problem was it required so much time and commitment I never had enough. It was just too overwhelming. So even with my initial excitement it wasn’t enough.  

From that experience I realized it didn’t matter if the system yielded life-changing results for some. For me, it was not the right fit for my life. I needed a system that I could begin and work bit by bit over time. My free time came in small bits, not weeks at a time. Plus, I didn’t really want a complete overhaul. I just wanted to clean out a few closets and drawers.

Here Are My Recommendations to Get Your Life Organized

1. Ask yourself which aspects of your life you need/want to get organized.
2. Determine your priorities.
3. Choose your system or systems.
4. Commit.

Let’s delve more deeply into each step:

Step #1: How Do I Need to Organize?

Ask yourself:

1. Do I need to organize my time better?
2. Am I missing appointments?
3. Is my calendar incomplete or confusing?
4. Do I lose things?
5. Can I find everything I own?
6. Does everything have a place?
7. Do I have enough storage for everything I own?
8. Are items conveniently located when I need them?
9. Is my home tidy and aesthetically organized?

Step #2: Determine Your Priorities

By answering the above questions, you will get a clearer picture of what areas of your life need organizing. Even before you answer these questions, you probably know the areas in which you need work. Choose your priorities.

My top two priorities are:

• Time: I need to organize my time better, so I get more accomplished.
• My House: I’m super tidy, but just below the surface (in the drawers, closets, etc.) is a lot of disorganization! I need to get these places organized.

Step #3: Choose Your Organizing System or Systems

The systems you choose will depend on what you want to achieve, your priorities, as well as your personality and lifestyle. Some of you might want to explore the variety of organizational Apps available. If you live your life on your phone and love technology, this is a good route.

Call me old-fashioned. Even though I spend a lot of my time on my phone it may be why I like to leave my phone. I like the old-fashioned method of organizing, like making lists on pen and paper.

My Choice:

I recommend my favorite new planner, The Heart of The Farm Planner. It’s great for so many reasons. For one, since I am aesthetically oriented, I love the beauty of the book, the way it feels and looks. It’s full of inspiration, both in the photography and the quotes.

It helps me stay organized in an enjoyable way. If you can have the added bonus of enjoying the process well heck, you’re just bound to do it more, right? Right!

Here are all the things it offers:

• Dreams & Goals Pages
• Weekly Planner & Monthly Planner
• Monthly Top Priorities Checklists
• Master Task List
• Inventory Pages
• Weekly Menu Plan and Meal Planner

I’m going to use my Heart of the Farm Planner to organize my time and set my personal and professional goals. I’m going to record my short-term and long-term goals in the planner.

Step #4: Commit

To illustrate commitment to organization I’ll use my husband, Fred, as an example. Since I first met him 28 years ago, he impressed me with his reliability. How was he so reliable?  I soon realized he had systems. These systems were like clockwork, and they never let him down because he performed them religiously.

For example, when he got into his car, he went through a check process. He wouldn’t start moving before he was sure all his items were in the car.  Then he’d ask me if I had my belongings, like my purse, coat, phone, etc. I started calling him “Mr. Check, Check, Double Check.” For as long as I’ve known him, he’s never lost anything. Can you imagine being able to say that? 28 years and nothing lost.

He is the most organized person I know. He is an information gatherer and keeper. When he receives a person’s phone number, he enters it immediately into his phone. Names, addresses, phone numbers and any other information for anyone he has ever met reside in his phone. I’m not joking. Passwords, codes, emails, ID #’s, account #’s, usernames, you name it, he has it. I’m always amazed, and yet I’m not.

I watch him in action. He takes time right at each given moment to pause and implements his systems. His commitment is undeniable.

For more tips on how to organize your life, read this helpful HGTV article.

How To Organize Your Life: Conclusion

When life gets hectic sometimes efforts to stay organized dissolve because we feel like we don’t have enough time. The irony is that taking the time to set up systems and sticking to them ends up saving time in the long run. It takes some discipline at first. But being organized can become a habit, and then it’s as natural as brushing your teeth.

• Firstly, create your systems.
• Next, be faithful and diligent with them.
• Eventually, you create habits.
• As a result, you reap the rewards.

It’s really that simple. Remember to tailor your organizational choices to your unique personality and lifestyle. With the right systems, diligence and commitment, your life will be organized so you are able to achieve your dreams. 

Learn how to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions with our must-have tips to create your best life.

(This is a sponsored post. But all the words and opinions are authentically our own.)