Establish Routines for staying Organized

Establishing routines is a way to make sure you have consistency in your life.  And who couldn’t use a little bit more of that???  Think of a routine as a repeatable to-do list. There are so many things in your day, week or year that you can create a routine to simplify, that will help everything run more smoothly. An extra bonus…with today’s technology you can do most of this on your PC or phone. You will reap the benefits within a short amount of time after implementing any of these routines.
 
Daily Routines

• Morning routines ensure that everything that needs to be done gets done, (including some that you’ve always wanted to include), before you leave the house or start work. Some items to include would be taking medication, making your bed, putting away your clean dishes, or checking the weather.
• Evening routines are useful after work or at night and they include the things you need to do before bed. These can make a big difference the following morning, when you need to get out the door.  These could include taking the dog for a walk, tidying the kitchen, or putting your clothes out for the next day.
• Cleaning routines are things that should be done sometime during the day. These could include load & empty the dishwasher, take out the recycling, clean off the kitchen counters, or wipe down the bathroom sink.

 
Weekly & Monthly Routines

• Having a weekly routine lets you put “like items” on certain days so you waste less time when you group them together. This is especially helpful when scheduling errands. You know your schedule best, so you can come up with your own specific routines. An example would be:

                        Monday- Desk Day- pay bills, write blog, meal plan
                        Tuesday- Errands- grocery shopping, post office, pet store
                        Wednesday- Projects- home, work, or seasonal
                        Thursday- Clean- deep clean one area of the home/office
                        Friday- Catch up Day- finish projects, tasks or contacts

• Monthly routines can include recurring events in your life, or holiday & seasonal events.  Some things that might be in your monthly routines may be planning for upcoming holidays, scheduling automobile services & licensing, winterizing your house, doctor’s appointments, or vacation planning.  Without monthly routines, some things might slip through the cracks and possibly cost you money, e.g. getting a new street parking sticker by December, (missed that one year and it cost me $$), or putting new batteries in smoke detectors.

 
There are so many more routines that can be created or referenced on the internet; Yard maintenance, Holiday preparation, or Party planning, just to name a few. Anything you can have a routine for (to-do list), will feel like a big change in the beginning, but I guarantee that it will be worthwhile in the long run.  **Just remember, if you don’t get to all the things on your lists, you DID NOT FAIL, it’s not “All or Nothing.” Just start fresh tomorrow!                                               
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Wishing you an Uncluttered Life!
 
Rhonda Burger is a Professional Organizer, and owner of Help Me Rhonda Unlimited.
She is a member of Preferred Organizers Association. Contact her at 414-483-6385.
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