We get disorganized because things we need to do are left undone, put off, not planned for, not made room for.  The answer to this is routines.  If you’re a fan of FlyLady you know all about them, and if you’ve read my e-book you’ll know it’s the basis for my approach to being organized too.

Routines are about designing your life.  Yes, you can have your own custom designed life, incorporating all the things that matter to you, in order of priority. 

When you see people who just seem to have it all together so effortlessly, no dramas, no last minute rushing, no regular crises, do you think it happens by magic?  What about the things in your own life that are working well.  They happen because you have made a conscious choice to do things a certain way.

The things that are not going so well – those are more likely to be an unconscious choice, no choice, just reaction, just letting things slide.  We can choose not to live like that.

Simple routines and habitual ways of doing things make life much easier.  It’s not something that can be set up in one day, because there are so many little things we need to do every day to keep our life running smoothly.  It takes time, and habits need to be established.  The idea is to establish routines and habits for ourselves that get things done in a way which is most efficient and convenient for us. 

Establishing these things requires that we first accept that we actually want to do them.  If we are in a constant state of rebellion against our mail or the kids’ school notices or the dishes or the laundry or putting things away or using our calendar/diary/planner, we’re not going to get it together. 

If there are things that you don’t exactly have under control at the moment, think about them and whether they matter.  Are there things you want to let go of that are not really necessary, or is this stuff that really is essential.  If it’s basic, essential stuff that needs to be done for your life to be how you want it to be, then think about it and embrace and accept those things.  It might sound a little silly, but then how silly is it to rebel against your own decisions?

Write down your routines, make sure they make sense, give them a time estimate, and consider when is the most logical time for that.  You will need a morning routine, an arriving home routine, an after dinner routine, a before bed routine, and perhaps others too.  Some might be quite simple, for example, as you arrive home, take everything out of the car that does not belong there, bring in your mail, put your groceries away, throw away any junk mail you don’t want, open your mail and deal with it or file it or diary it, hang up your coat, put your keys and phone and bag in the correct place etc.

All these little things, once habitual and second nature to you, make your life easier, smoother, more organized.

A good after dinner routine is that everyone who is able to helps clear up and clean up until it is done.  If there are too many people, perhaps just 3, as long as everyone gets their turn another day.  It’s the simplest way to avoid arguments and the quickest way to restore order after a family meal.  Someone can be wiping while someone else loads the dishwasher or washes the dishes while someone else puts all the condiments away while someone else sweeps the floor and so on.

You can list all these things in large letters on a card, and inform your family that this is what will be happening.  If they’re not sure what to do, look at the card.  Don’t forget to empty the rubbish, fill up the dog’s water, all those little things.  If you list them all, and make it clear that nobody is off the hook until they’re all done, it simplifies things and means you don’t have to feel resentful that you’re always finishing it off properly after they’ve all deserted.

Routines are about grouping together tasks which logically get done at the same time each day, or each week.  Putting tasks together in groups allows you to associate them with each other.  The better you get at your routines the more cool little add ons you can incorporate.  For example, as you put your groceries away you might also batch up and freeze things, pre-wash things, put bags back in the car for next time.  As you are getting dressed in the morning you can add more little grooming items that make you feel good.  The more efficient and consistent we are at completing our routines, the more we can get done in less time.

Organize Your Life – Get the Ultimate Guide here

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