Getting More Organized

No, this is not a post all about Marie Kondo although her tips for organization are probably 1000000 times better than mine. But that’s okay. I’ll be honest, today’s post is a little selfish on my part. Yes, I want to share some tips and tricks with you guys but I’ve also been feeling totally insane and all over the place lately and having this post to ground me back to my Type A personality is just what the doctor ordered.

It’s funny. I typically think of myself as someone who is extremely organized. I run two business, a household, a personal life. I don’t have kids but I have a Brandon and that’s pretty close. To say I need organization in my life to keep from going crazy is an understatement. But at the same time, I have moments where I just fall off track. Lists start to run together, appointments blur and I just lose all sense of control and clarity. For a Type A personality, that’s rough.

I sat down last week and just jotted down a few of the things that help keep me the most organized in any of the aspects of my life. Some I was actively doing, some I lost sight of. And that’s where the idea for this post was born. I blocked out the rest of my day, made some changes to my “process” and since then have felt 1000% better and a lot more organized (and sane).

Whether you’re looking to clean house or keep your crazy to-do list in check, I hope this posts is what you needed today. Let’s dive in!

5 Tips for Getting More Organized

Get your email down to zero.

Oh nothing bothers me more than that little red notification icon. I don’t know how these people with 4,372 emails do it. Like, what?? I use Unroll.me to get rid of the annoying subscription emails that have gathered over time – talk about a lifesaver. I also add a 20 minute block to my calendar every morning to either respond to, delete or flag emails for a later response. It is so much easier (and less daunting) to be able to respond to emails in small batches or as they come in compared to sifting through hundreds or thousands of unread emails to find the ones that need attention. If you’re currently one of those insane people with a ton of unread emails from days, weeks or even months (gasp), block out some time this week (maybe an hour or two) and just clean that ish up!

Start adding drop zones.

This. This is a necessity. I, personally, am pretty tidy. Brandon however is like a hurricane wrapped in a super hot body. He walks in the door, kicks his shoes off in one corner, drops his coat in the other, throws his clothes on the floor…etc. It drives me insane. Or well, it drove me insane. We created little “drop zone” areas where he could put his things without destroying the house and I think that’s the #1 thing that has saved me from slipping antifreeze into his smoothies (jk). Whether it’s a cute basket by the front door or a basket by the bed, he now has little areas he can drop his stuff and I don’t feel like the house is in complete shambles all of the time. I also use drop zones like a mail sorter by the front door, a bin in my room for things I need to shoot for the blog, a place for our gym shoes and gym bags, etc. Once a week, I go to all f the drop zones, gather what needs to go in the laundry or be tossed, and then we start each week with a fresh set of drop zones.

Prioritize your to-do list.

I don’t know if it’s just me but I don’t have one singular list. I have a list for the blog, for the house, for travel, for personal, etc. When I try to combine them, I get stressed TF out. To combat that feeling of anxiety, I have to prioritize tasks and the easiest way for me to do that is breaking them up daily. I start each week with a mini sorting session on Monday mornings. I make my overall to do list for that week and then assign tasks to days based on my schedule for the week and the priority of the task. This has been the biggest help for keeping me on task withouth feeling totally overwhelmed!

Prep, prep, prep.

I wrote a post earlier this week sharing my meal prep for a week and that might just be my favorite way to ensure I’m organized from a health perspective. Whether you’re prepping your meals for the week or planning out your outfit for the next day, eliminating that feeling of “ugh, what do I wear or what do I eat” is an easy way to get a little more organized.

Literally organize your space.

I recently went on a major shopping spree at the Container Store. I stocked up on new Tupperware, pantry and refrigerator containers, closet organizers, etc. We have a lot of things. The solution should probably be simplifying and decluttering but that hasn’t happened yet SO in the meantime, I’m finding better ways to organize the stuff we do have and you just can’t beat simple organizing systems. My homework for you: dedicate one weekend to stocking up affordable containers and just organize one room at a time. Start with the kitchen, head to the closets, wrap up in the bathroom. Create a space that feels clean and decluttered and your mind will relax almost immediately.

Photos by Shelby Gordon.