Routines and Rules for an Organized Life
Everyone has different systems that they follow to keep their home and life operating the way that it does. The real question is whether or not those systems actually support them and the life that they want to live.
There are so many people who are constantly striving to "get organized". Unfortunately, becoming organized isn't something that you merely can do once - it's a process that has to be continually lived out day to day.
There are several ways you can make this happen, and living out an organized life looks different for pretty much everyone. However, most of the organized people that I know utilize routines, rules, habits, rhythms, or systems to keep everything flowing smoothly. I love hearing about the different tools that other people utilize to keep their lives organized and on track - and I'm constantly experimenting with new ones to add to my life. They don't always work or fit in, but even when they don't, they are often still worth trying, even if I only learn why they are things that I don't want to do.
There are several systems and routines that I utilize to make sure that my home stays pretty organized most of the time. If it isn't, I know exactly what to do and can quickly whip it into shape in less than 10 minutes. Here are some of the routines that I have found work best for me:
Stay on top of chores. Life is so much easier when you don't wake up to dirty dishes in the sink. There are certainly days when I fall into bed and can't get myself to wash my coffee mug, but I make sure those days are few and far between. Making your bed, loading the dishwasher, wiping the counter, putting items back where they go, all of these things are small actions (most can be accomplished in less than a minute) which can greatly increase the cleanliness, organization, and peace in your home.
Cleaning on Saturday (or Sunday). One of the weekend days is dedicated to cleaning. And I don't mean the whole day - I can clean pretty much my entire apartment in less than 30 minutes. And it's not even that my apartment is super small. Since I stay pretty on top of general cleaning during the week, I can quickly get everything else done in just a few minutes - toilet, mirrors, vacuuming, etc. And if you have family members or roommates, I bet you can get stuff done even faster!
Laundry Day. I always do my laundry all in one day. From the wash to the dryer, to being folded and put away. I don't want to forget my laundry at any stage in the process, and so I find it is easiest to just plan to tackle it all in one day. And since I only do full loads, and I have a pretty big washer, I only have to do a load a couple of times a month. Laundry itself really takes so little time since most of it is passive - I can do other stuff while my clothes are in the washer and the dryer. This ensures I can maximize my time all around, and always have clean underwear.
Establish a "home" right away. Whenever something new comes into my life, I immediately determine where in my house it belongs and "lives". That way, whenever I use it, or if someone else gets it out, I know exactly where to put it back (and so do they). It can be tempting to think that you'll deal with something later, or that the scissors don't need a real home, but next time you need to wrap a last-minute birthday gift, you really will want to know where the scissors ended up. You want to make sure that you keep items wherever they are most likely to be used. For example, I keep my sunglasses in my car, dryer balls in the dryer, and a lighter in a basket under my coffee table so I can light candles when the mood strikes me. Labels are a great way to make sure that things end up back where they belong - especially if you live with other people who need a little bit of extra organizational guidance.
Don't overbuy. In the underbuyer-overbuyer debate, I definitely fall into the former category. Having a lot of a certain category (or any category for that matter) means that you have to store and manage a lot of items that you aren't using. You definitely don't wait until you have only one pump of shampoo left to buy or order your next bottle, but you also probably don't need three extras sitting in your cupboard unused. Whenever I know I will need something within a week, it goes on to my shopping list.
Empty my bag at the end of each day. When I first heard about this idea from Marie Kondo, I was pretty skeptical. I definitely didn't want to empty my bag every day only to wake up and have to fill it again the next morning. There are several things that only belong in my bag (wallet, portable charger, AirPods, etc) that I don't want to have to make a separate home for elsewhere. So those things always stay in my bag. But before my bag goes into its "home" at the end of the day I make sure that I empty out anything that doesn't belong there and that needs to get put away or thrown away.
I don’t beat myself up. Sometimes there are long days that are overfull with events and to-dos, where I don’t manage to keep my house in tip-top shape. There are days I don’t want to clean. And others when I just don’t for no good reason. But through it all, I make sure never to beat myself up. That alone will never get me to tidy up, and in fact, it will likely have the opposite effect. Since I consider myself to be an organized person, I don’t tell myself that a bad day (or even a bad week) goes against that. I try to stay curious when those things do happen to see what I can learn, and before too long, I’m back with my rhythms, and my home is organized.
So while habits often take a bit of action, organizational rules are more guidelines that help to direct your actions in other areas to help keep you organized. Here are a few of the more fun rules that I have that keeps clutter from building up and ensures that things end up where they belong:
I don't buy books. Okay, well, I do buy some books. But I almost never buy a book unless I have already read it and loved it. There are so many ways to read books before spending money that I do my best to utilize. I don't want my bookshelves to be full of books that I've read but didn't really care for. I do get books as gifts sometimes, but I still only hang on to them after I've read them if I really loved them or they have sentimental value. I go through so many books that it doesn't make sense for me to buy any large percentage of them, and this way I am still only surrounding myself with things I love.
I don't buy hangers. I have a set of matching hangers in my clothes closet and my coat closet. I will only ever allow myself to have as many items of clothing as fits on the number of hangers that I have. If I bring something in and don't have a hanger for it - then something has to go. This ensures that I am not constantly bringing in new items, and also that I will never overfill any of my closets. I have intentionally decided on the number of hangers that I want - and thus, the number of clothes. It is an easy metric to measure and keep track of, and it doesn't take a lot of mental energy or effort. Plus, it keeps my closet looking streamlined and I don’t have to deal with a weird mix of hangers.
I only use a digital calendar. I keep track of my time very well by only using the Google Calendar app on my phone. I always know what is coming up in a day, week, or month, and I can easily search if I need to find an event in the past. Since I always have my phone with me, I have my schedule right at my fingertips and am always prepared for whatever the day might bring. For more on this, you can check out my blog post on Why I Ditched My Paper Planner. In a similar vein, I keep an electronic journal, take notes on my iPad, and get most mail in a paperless format. When there are fewer items to deal with, there is less to be organized.
Gift cards live in the car. I know that I pretty much always use gift cards when I’m out and about, so I keep them in my car. That way I never have to remember to grab them when I need them, and if I find myself at a Red Robin or the Container Store, I am fully prepared. It’s also an easy way to keep them all together and I know exactly where they are.
These rules and routines wouldn’t work for everyone, but they are some of the ones that work for me. I have the benefit of living alone and don't have children yet, so I know that helps me to maintain a lot of my organizational habits and rules very easily. But I also know that it is totally possible to create ones that work for you and your family - no matter what stage of life you are in.
As an Upholder, I love the idea of rhythms and rules - but if that feels restrictive to you, there are so many other ways you can look at it. Some people like to think of staying organized as a game. Other people want to do it because other people think they can’t. Some people want to see just how organized they can be. Other people want to be organized because they have other people in their lives who want to live that way. Whatever your reason and motivation, I know you can find organizational systems that work for you - even if your system is doing something different every day.
Do you have habits that help to keep you organized? I'd love to hear about them. Send me a message and tell me what they are! Or if you need help coming up with some, I'd love to help you figure out how to get and keep your life and home organized.
Until next time,
Carly
Photo by Mason Joel Photography