Organizing Habits

Creating habits is a great way to help yourself stay organized. Once something becomes habitual it takes less thought and effort. Here are a few good organizing habits to establish in 2014.

• Label where items belong and repeatedly put them back in the same spot.

• Spend 5 minutes a day per room removing items from floors, desktops, counter tops, table tops, and other horizontal surfaces.

• Toss junk mail immediately.

• Don’t print emails, recipes, or other information from your computer. Instead create folders and file the information on your computer.

• Stop stockpiling groceries, cleaning supplies, and toiletries. Establish a maximum number to have on hand that allows breathing room in your cupboards.

• Share household responsibilities with everyone who lives under one roof. Teamwork is the best approach to chores.

• Go paperless with monthly bills and statements, and don’t print out payment receipts. Set up a folder and store on your computer.

• Allow only one opened bottle of dish detergent, laundry detergent, soap, lotion, etc. at any given time.

• Immediately get rid of junk (old, broken, or damaged items) once the replacement has been acquired. Don’t fill up your basement, attic or garage with junk.

•   Set up a clothing donation bin by your clothes dryer and fill with clothing you want to get rid of, as soon as they come out of the dryer. Drop them off or have them picked up at your house every 3 months.

© January 2014 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® All Rights Reserved

Proud member of NAPO