One of the best ways to save time every day is to stay organized. One of the best ways to stay organized, in turn, is to set up your home to help you keep everything you need exactly where it’s supposed to be. When there’s an obvious system of organization to start with, it’s much easier to keep up with over months and years.
For most people, that means you have to “start over” in your space before things can be much better than they are now. It might not be the most fun thing, but it’s important to take some time out to really think about the best ways to make your life more convenient and organized in the future.
With just a few hours’ effort this weekend, you really can save dozens or even hundreds of hours over the rest of the year. The earlier you start getting organized, the bigger the impact and the sooner you’ll feel it. It’s just the thing you need to help you have more time and energy for what really matters in your life.
Let’s take a look at four quick organizing tips that can really help.
Have One Place for Everything That Gets Lost
In theory, everything has a place: Keys usually go on a key rack, medication bottles return to the bathroom cabinet or bedroom nightstand, payment cards live in the wallet or purse, and so on. But in reality, all these different places mean four or five trips to “put things away” … and not everybody does that.
Here’s a fresh idea: Stop feeling guilty about everything being in its proper place, and make a single location for everything in your life that frequently gets lost. It can be a box, a tray, a small table, or whatever, as long as it’s a super convenient place where you can immediately put things down before they get officially “put away.”
Over the next week, take an inventory of the items you frequently put down in places where they shouldn’t be or where you have trouble finding them again. Once you identify them, start putting them in your “one place.”
Have a Landing Zone for Incoming Paper
Paper mail seems like an inescapable part of life, and it’s also one of the things most likely to cause a mess of disorganization in your home. In addition to paper mail, have a place and a plan for all the other paperwork in your life. Here’s how to make it easier:
- Junk Mail: Read and sort your mail over the trash so useless offers can go directly into the bin.
- Periodicals: Consider placing a stand for newspapers and magazines wherever you read them.
- Bills: Set up a specific location for bills to go wherever you pay them (desk, kitchen table.)
- Documents: Documents you need to retain indefinitely should go into a folder with tabs.
- Schedules: Depending on how many you have, they can go on the refrigerator or a bulletin board.
Paper can still get away from you from time to time, so spend fifteen minutes each weekend looking for any loose sheets and making sure they get where they need to go. It’s easier to do this in just a few minutes each week rather than spending an hour looking for the one document you need.
Make It Easy to Take Care of the Laundry
Laundry is another area where people tend to “beat themselves up” instead of implementing the small changes that will make a big difference. Instead of having just one laundry basket, have one in every room – yes, even a small one in the kitchen. There can always be a main hamper that you empty them all into over the weekend.
What about when it’s actually time to do the laundry? One of the most difficult challenges is folding all your clothes. Many people consider it time-consuming and tedious, but the job isn’t really done until you do it. Find a way to make it more interesting, such as only listening to a favorite podcast when you fold laundry.
Use the Best Residential Paint Colors in Florida to Your Advantage
Every room in your home has a purpose. When you reinforce that by having the right colors on the walls, it can mean it’s even easier to keep things clean, neat, and organized. Color psychology is real, and it’s vital to choose colors that match what you want a space to achieve.
High-quality residential paint can also help by lasting longer, with more vibrant colors that resist dirt. A local Jacksonville painting contractor can advise you on the best way to make the most of every room in the home.
Contact Performance Painting to find out more or get started with residential painting services in Jacksonville.
