You've seen that one woman who never seems to have a stray hair out of place. She has a color-coded binder for organizing her life while you've forgotten where you left your keys. There's still hope that you can be that person who you admire. It's not magic or voodoo. There's a certain mindset that organized people have, and there's hope for you too. Organized people are that way because they perform certain tasks every single day. Those tasks differ with each person, but finding the perfect ones for you will help you become more organized.
Prioritizing: While this may be frustrating to hear, that woman you so admire is not likely thinking about being organized at all. She's prioritizing tasks and as a result, her life becomes organized. The disorganization in your life is often the result of not prioritizing. Those who are super organized want to make sure they're using all their time efficiently, so they don't spend twenty minutes searching for their car keys every morning.
Once you get clear on how efficient you can be with some organization, it'll be easier to follow simple steps to become more organized. You're always busy and don't have time to sit down and prioritize tasks. That's the road you're on right now, and to become organized, you're going to have to sit down and figure out how you want to spend your time. The twenty minutes you save every day can be a big help on a weekly basis.
Downsizing: Organized people don't have clutter because they make sure it's under control. Instead of having a closet stuffed with clothes they'll never wear, they make time each season to clear out items they won't wear. They don't need to spend two days cleaning and purging their closets because most likely they've already tossed a piece of clothing that doesn't work for them.
If you have seven purses in your closet that you'll never use, it's time to toss them out or donate them. They clutter the space so you can't find the items you really need. You're wasting time by keeping them around.
Maintaining: Once their home is organized, they don't pat themselves on the back and walk away from the room forever. They have to live as much as you do. When they do daily maintenance, it takes less time than a marathon of organizing and cleaning.
At the end of the day, they ensure that everything is in its place. It takes only a few minutes compared to leaving it for the end of the week. The home is going to get messy, you'll need to develop good habits that will allow you to keep up with the process.
Implementing: Choose an easy system that will allow you to organize, keep the home clean and stay calm in the process. Consider how you feel when you're rushing the kids off to school or getting yourself off to work, and you spend most of that time scrambling to find things. The rest of your day is hectic and crazy. Imagine how you would feel with all your items in the proper place. The smooth morning routine will be worth the extra steps you'll have to take to get the system in place.
These tips to stay organized will make you feel like you can be that organized person you have always admired. Make sure that each system works for your life and maintain those habits to keep on top of the clutter.