Like many of us, you might have resolved to make 2012 the year you finally get organized. You know — keep a tidy house, never miss a deadline, find the time to tackle all those projects you've been meaning to do for ages. January is almost over already. How's it going?
As with so many things in this life, organization is easier said than done. Despite the best of intentions, it's a lot easier to fall into old habits than to create new ones. I've found there are a few simple steps which go a long way to making me feel organized; I've listed them below, along with some top-notch tips from the Apartment Therapy archives.
1. Develop Good Habits
Sometimes, being organized is as simple as developing a few good habits. When I was growing up, my parents used to put misplaced personal items on the stairs in our front hall. Every family member had their own step, and woe betide anyone who went upstairs without taking their items back up to their room.
These days, that's morphed into a "Don't leave a room without bringing something with you that belongs elsewhere" habit, and I've picked up a few others, too. "Don't go to sleep without doing the dinner dishes" and "Always make the bed in the morning" are popular. Don't try ten new habits at once, but identify a few that would make a difference in your life, and stick at it until they become, well, habit.
MORE GOOD HABITS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• How To: Build a Habit
• 5 Things To Do 10 Minutes Before You Go To Bed
• Create a Personal Goal Password to Enforce Good Habits
2. Conquer the To Do List
Ahh, the To Do list. Sometimes these things cause more problems than they solve. We make endlessly long ones, with the misplaced belief that putting something down in paper means it's halfway done. Or worse, the "faux list", when we find ourselves adding previously-completed tasks to our list, for the sole purpose of checking them off!
For a couple years now, I've been keeping my To Do lists to just five items, a concept I picked up from Holly Becker of Decor8. If you think about it, five is the perfect number of important tasks to complete in almost any given stretch of time; enough to feel productive when you've checked them off, but not so many that you're overwhelmed. I'll often make a Top Five list for my week, and then another at the start of each day. I even apply the strategy to wishlists, as in "Top Five Things I Want in a New Job" or "Top Five Places I Want to Visit This Year".
MORE LIST-MAKING ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• A List of Lists for Getting Organized in the New Year
• Tips to Make To-Do Lists Actually Work
• Take Charge of Your To-Do List
3. Tidy Your Space(s)
You know the phrase "Tidy house, tidy mind"? It definitely rings true for me; I'm much more likely to concentrate on the task at hand if everything in the vicinity is neat and organized. So take the time to tackle a few big projects around the house, either the places where you spend the most time, like the living room or kitchen, or those that have been in the back of your mind, nagging you to clear them out (bedroom closets come to mind).
Don't neglect your workspace, either. Having a good tidy at the office can do wonders for the way you approach work each day.
MORE ORGANIZED SPACES ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Ultra Organized Living Rooms from our House Tours
• Tips to Efficiently Organize Your Desk Drawers
• Before & After: Danny Seo Gets Organized
4. Use Appropriate Tools
Whether you're hi-tech or old-school, there are an abundance of tools out there to help you stay organized. Day planners, diaries, digital personal assistants, calendars- the choice can be overwhelming. I like to keep it relatively simple, sticking to iCal for appointments and deadlines, the ever-popular Evernote for all manner of lists and note-taking, and a mini Moleskine diary for on-the-go jotting. Any more than that and my tools start to manage me, instead of the other way around. The trick is, find the tools that work for you, and leave the rest.
MORE PRODUCTIVITY ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• 10 Things to Do Right Now to Simplify Your Digital Life
• iPad Apps You Recommend for Work Productivity
• Our Favorite Unique Notebooks for the Office
(Images: 1. Ligne Roset Desk via Apartment Therapy 2. Cleverhands on Etsy 3. A Pair of Pears)
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Humans are habitual beings, yet most of them are bad habits. It's such a struggle to redirect to habits you really want! What gives?
I would like to know who makes that white dome desk and chair... I really like it. Thank you.
Please tell us, who makes the desk and dome.
i really want that item.....
I completely agree with makedesign. I've had to construct elaborate ruses to trick myself into redirecting habits. My latest trick is to imagine my space through someone else's eyes, preferably someone I admire. It helps keep me on track with tips 1-3 above. By the way, great desk and dome!
The desk is by Ligne Roset - I love it too!
I have a home decor book from the late eighties in which the author says her list of "to-do"s was 1000 items long. Ouch!
i just bought new organizational tools this week. i can't say my habits have changed yet but it should help my motivation?!
I'm doing a little bit each day when I get home from work. One small project or step within a project that takes me a half an hour or less. Amazingly, I'm making great progress. Little steps do add up.
@ Makedesign: Oh I think we all have plenty of good habits. We just don't think about them the way we do about stuff we want to change. I'm sure most of us have eaten a vegetable or brushed our teeth in the last 24 hours!
I actually really like that "To-Do" list by day...Anyway we could get the pdf so we may utilize?
I'm really good at reading about how to get organized. I spend more time preparing to organize than organizing. In fact, in the time I spent typing and submitting this, I could have crossed off an item on my impeccably printed To-Do list. You should see it, it's gorgeous.
Oh gawd, I hate this concept for myself. I need to have my desk open and free! Preferably in front of an open window!
The desk
"Tidy house, tidy mind" I wish this would apply to my case. I can organize multiple design projects, clients, deadlines, and creative ideas in my head in a breeze.. but my desk/house/wardrobe is a mess. I did find that do.com is a great free online todo list that has helped me share lists with several people including my wife. You can create projects and then invite people to share with. I also found this blog fun and helpful. http://blog.priceselfstorage.com/a-holiday-plan...
I have a to-do list on my desk right now that is completely covered with clutter... I don't even remember what I wrote on it! I need help :)
Hmm, if I spent less time at AT, I'd maybe spend more time organizing?
I spent one month where each time I looked at a non-work email, I had to pick up and organize one thing on my desk. I should do that.... sorry, got to go, old postit needs to hit the trash...
Elaine just rolls her eyes every time Gareth says bill-paying is more enjoyable at the Hollywood Bowl desk.
"Tidy house, tidy mind"... reminds me of an old boss who had this total thing about" tidy desk tidy mind." must have said it 20 times a day!!!!.. One day a very creative and productive college finally just snapped ... "empty desk- empty mind"
There is a mid point I am sure where we can still have nice things but not too many. Wish I could find it right now!
You can download the To Do List from a Pair of Pears website!
The desk: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/rewrite-desk-by-gamfratesi-102748
http://www.apairofpears.com/2011/11/for-taking-to-do-list.html
Yonella- great Catalog Living reference. :)
Great advice. I am using nirvanahq as my project management system which has GTD principles. It's coming out of beta in a few days.
It is definitely possible to break a bad habit & make a good one. I used to be terrible at answering my mail on time; I'd let dishes pile up, and never made the bed. Now I do all three just fine. I read that it takes a month to break a bad habit and three months to form a new one. Three months is about what it took for me to not have to think about answering my mail, making my bed in the morning and washing the dishes at night.
What's with the books on the floor, sitting in what looks like a puddle of milk?
Ok, here's an Origin Myth. Before AT was mostly about advertising, it was mostly about three really good bits of advice. 1) Wash the dishes before you go to bed. 2) Make the bed. 3) After you take a shower, leave the curtain extended so it doesn't get mildewed. Perhaps getting organized works similarly. You're not going to change your life, get over it. But maybe you can do one or two simple things that you find pleasing and liberating.
If you're looking for a good iPhone to do list app, try epic win. You make yourself a character, tasks become quests that you assign a point value too, and ticking them off involves music and an explosion of stars! So much fun.
It is always forgotten but organizing is about changing your ways not about buying things.
Speaking of home organization...is anyone using Mac's Bento 4 database software? Besides Filemaker Pro are there any standouts for this kind of product? Thanks!
every night after everyone has gone to bed, i go around the house and pick up things that are not in their rightful place. i place these in the recycle bin next to the back door. in the morning if someone is looking for something i tell them to look in the 'recycle bin'. if they haven't asked by collection day it's not my problem.
How's it going? Well, my basement totally doesn't look like a tweaker playground. Nope. Not a clusterfuck AT ALL.
@Dangab33 great idea about the 'recycle bin' - I feel a certain amount of evil glee just thinking about it in my own home.
the idea came to me only last week. my fiance has this 'habit' of leaving his mobile phone charger ON while still plugged in to the wall socket. our toddler will find it and start to suck on the stick-end-thing-goes-in-the-phone. it's just plain careless and dangerous!