Below you will find some of my favorite organization tips! This is for all around life organization, from planning to execution. My post is a broad overview. If you want more details on any of these points or any other tips specific to a certain group of people, please let me know! I would love to hear some feedback and offer any other advice that I can!

Make and schedule time to organize

This tip might sound a bit “duh,” but hear me out first. Imagine you have a busy day at work but it’s your rest day from the gym so you have extra time after work. All day, you might be telling yourself that you’re going to finally tackle your organization projects. Then, you get home and BAM, you’re sitting on the couch watching Netflix and you get nothing done. And, even worse, you wake up the next day feeling worse because you STILL haven’t handled your projects. Sound familiar?

What you need to do is SCHEDULE TIME to get organization done, and don’t take on too much at once. You need you decide what projects take priority and MAKE time for those projects. And SCHEDULE them in to your calendar. That way, you have an appointment with yourself and you don’tr want to break it. Especially if you’re like me and you hate erasing things and moving things around your calendar.

You don’t need to take a whole day to overturn your house. You can do it bit by bit. Maybe on your rest days, you take 30 minutes to work on a project before resting. And when you have more time, you can tackle bigger, longer projects. Whichever way you choose to do it, don’t wait until time pops into your calendar, MAKE time and SCHEDULE it.

Pick a color scheme

You are much less likely to purchase items that add to your clutter if you have a set color scheme/design plan laid out before buying them. If you know exactly what you need to finish out a room, you’re more likely to only purchase the item you’re looking for.

Additionally, if you have a color scheme, it makes organizing a bit easier because even if you aren’t 100% done, you’re able to see the colors/design coming together. This vision can bring you peace and save you from going completely crazy before the project is done. I get it, stuff gets in the way sometimes and you have to stop midway. If you have some semblance of a scheme, you won’t lose sleep and obsess over the incomplete project as much as you would have if it looks like a disaster.

Don’t be afraid to throw stuff away

The HARDEST part about organization is throwing away things you don’t need. Usually, we don’t throw things away because “what if I need it later on?” But, you need to be REALLY honest with yourself if you want to get your life on track and organized. Here are a few questions I ask myself before throwing things away:

1. Have I used it in the past year (used meaning worn, touched, looked at, etc)?
2. Does it have sentimental value?
3. Can I turn it into something useful?
4. Do I have an event or some reason in the future I need to keep it for?

Then, based on my answers, I toss or keep the item. If you haven’t used it in the past year and you have no reason to keep it in the future, THROW IT OUT! If the item is sentimental, is there another way you can utilize it/display it? My mom turned my t-shirts into a quilt that I now have on my bed! Old photos can be framed and hung, or maybe by a photo box to keep cards/photos in that you don’t want to part with. That way, they are contained and you can buy them to fit the color scheme (wink wink) of the room you are storing them in!

When going through your kitchen, you NEED to throw out anything that is expired. Empty EVERYTHING, the pantry, the cabinets, the fridge, etc. If any of the items are expired, immediately throw away. If anything has mold or has changed color, throw it away. People never dig through all their closets to throw out expired or uneaten items. Did you buy canned peas a year ago and nobody in your family likes peas? Just get rid of them! Don’t throw away canned items, donate them. But if you and your family aren’t going to eat those items, there is zero reason for them to be in your kitchen or in your life.

Keep a planner

My favorite tip! For those of you who haven’t been around my blog much, I am OBSESSED with my planner. I obsess over every single detail that my planner has so I purchase the perfect one for myself and my life. A planner is a lifesaver with organization. You are able to schedule out meals so you only purchase the food items you need week to week (which will be a great habit to start after you do a kitchen overhaul!). You can plan your days down to the minute and give yourself time to clean and tackle specific tasks each day to maintain a much more organized life! You are also able to keep track of all of your appointments (and your family too) so that you can better plan for the week!

My key tips with a planner are to make sure you pick which one is right for you and your needs. I personally use the Day Designer. Here’s why.

Clean efficiently and often

Another frequently overlooked tip for you here. The key to keeping organized daily is to clean efficiently and often. Don’t let your dishes pile up in the sink. Make sure they are cleaned and put away whenever you use them (or at least by the end of the night). That way, every morning you are starting fresh with a clean kitchen.

You also don’t want to let dirt and dust pile up on the floors and shelving. The mess can make you feel like you are living in a dirty, cramped environment, where many people self-defeat and just give up. Don’t let it all pile up! Sweep your floor whenever you have a spare 5 minutes and dust off a shelf whenever you notice its dirty. Not only will you eliminate your work on cleaning day, but your day to day quality of life will improve because you will always feel comfortable and organized.

And a big one with this is laundry. When you take your clothes out of the closet and don’t wear them, put them away. Don’t leave them in a pile on the floor. They will just wrinkle and them you have to do more work to either dry them again or iron. Along with this, make sure you put dirty clothes in the hamper/laundry basket. Clothes should never be strewn all over the room (or worse, house). Designate a place for dirty clothes and ALWAYS put them there.

I hope you enjoyed all my top organization tips and tricks. Let me know what other organization/planning tips I can help you out with! And don’t be afraid to leave your favorites in the comments! I love to learn!