“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

– Aristotle

Things seem so easy in the hypothetical world of inspirational quotes. They tell you what to do. The only problem is they never tell you how to get there! Well, that’s where I come in. Organisation isn’t something that comes naturally to most people, but just because you weren’t born like a Cinderella/Lauren Conrad hybrid, it doesn’t mean you can’t improve! Habits are formed when you make the effort to consistently do something. Want to find out how you make organisation a habit? Here are 20 things you can do to become more organised, and with enough practice, they will become habits.

1. Use a diary/planner

If you’re always forgetting things, my guess is, you don’t have a diary. Sure, you might have a calendar on your phone, but how often do you actually use it? If you do, that’s cool. You can skip this point, but honestly, having a hardcopy diary is seriously effective at keeping you organised. I’ve used a diary for a number of years, but it wasn’t until this year that I actually got the full benefit of it. The best one I’ve found is MiGoals. I gush about this product all the time because it has literally changed my life. It has a huge section on reflection, goal setting and reviewing your progress. I used this diary to nut out my goals for the year and make a detailed plan on how to achieve them. I write/schedule things in as soon as they come up e.g. meeting a friend, so that I don’t forget. I write a daily to do list for each day and tick them off as I go. I always record birthdays as soon as I buy a new diary so that I can buy presents in advance. I also make sure to include time to tidy, look after myself and spend time with others. Why overload your brain with the impossible task of remembering everything, when you can write it down? There are plenty of diaries/planners out there, so I’m sure there is one that can suit your needs!

2. Have a place for everything

The best way to organise a room is to have a place for everything. Books go on a shelf, electronics go in a box, clothes go in the wardrobe. If you’ve got a lot of stuff and not enough storage, take yourself out to Ikea or Officeworks. Get yourself a tray for your keys and some nice storage boxes. Always put things back where they should go. If you have a home for everything, you know where to find it! No more looking for your keys as you’re running out the door. Amazing! I know it’s tempting to leave unwanted clothes on the bed (or on the chair in the corner). I know you really can’t be bothered to tidy up after every action. But does that item live there? Put things back where they should go. It’ll be less stress, less work in the long-run, and things will look so much tidier for longer.

3. Get a desk organiser

For the teacher or entrepreneur reading this, a desk organiser is a must. Why clutter up your desk, when you can have a handy filing system right there? You’ll need at least 2 trays. You can get stackable ones or coloured ones with drawers basically anywhere nowadays. Personally, I have 4 stackable ones – on top I have important documents and my planner, next I have documents that I refer to occasionally, below that I have a tray of plastic sleeves, and on the bottom, I keep scrap paper! This won’t work for everyone, so organise your items in a way that is best for you!

4. File paperwork and respond to payments as soon as they come in

I must admit, I am guilty of opening an invoice, setting it down and forgetting all about until I get a “final notice”. Do you really need the stress and possibly extra fees that come along with not paying things on time? Literally, as soon as you get a bill, pay it! Many organisations like the Department of Transport now have an app or account that you can set up to pay for things like your license renewal, quicker and easier than ever before. Likewise, with paperwork, file it away in your lovely, new desk organiser or whatever filing system you use ASAP. Don’t “do it later.” Take the Nike approach. You don’t need the low-level stress that clutter gives you.

5. Buy presents in advance

Having a record of everyone’s’ birthdays and special dates in your diary means you know exactly how long you’ve got to find the perfect gift. It’s an unwritten law that when you are actively looking for something, you find nothing. Any time you go out, keep your eyes peeled for potential gifts. Buy them when you see them or buy things on sale. Keep gifts in a cupboard or wherever you have room. Buying presents in advance not only means you are less likely to forget about important dates, but you are more likely to find something great, and it may also save you some money. Everyone will think you are so organised if you tell them you sorted Sally’s present out 3 months ago!

6. Schedule a time each month to go through your finances

In previous posts, I’ve discussed the importance of reviewing your finances regularly. If you missed this post, you can read it here: How To Create a Foolproof Budget Plan. Financially savvy women are smart women. Even if you’re not trying to stick to a budget, you should still be going through your bank statement every month. Why? To check that the payments on your account were actually made by you! Crazy as it sounds, identity theft is a serious issue. According to GlobalCyberAlliance.Org, 421 billion data records (including credit card numbers) were stolen in 2016 alone. This happened to me last year, about a month before my wedding. Not fun! The good news is, if you spot unusual activity in your account early, your bank should be able to give you a full refund on the amount taken out. Write a note under the same date each month to “review finances.” Prioritise time to review your finances. Your money and your security are worth it.

7. Keep all receipts in your wallet/purse and transfer them to a file each week

Tax time’s comin’! If your receipts are scrunched up into a ball at the bottom of every bag you own, they can’t get you that nice lump sum when you do your tax returns. Keep them in a wallet, and transfer them into a file at the end of the week. If you want to be really organised, you could even have different sections in your file for different things! Check out All About Planners to see how she organises her receipts.

8. Record your personal accounts and passwords in a book

I know you’re probably thinking, “Hold on, Grace! You just said security is a serious risk. Why would I write down all my account details where anyone could access them?!” Hear me out. Writing down your different accounts and passwords has a number of benefits. Firstly, having a written record means you can use a lot of different passwords. Because you are not trying to remember all of them, you are not using the same or similar passwords, thus making your accounts more secure. Secondly, most security breaches occur digitally. It’s a lot more likely that someone could access your information if it was saved on a computer or if you recorded all of your passwords on your phone. If you write your details in a book and put it in a safe place, even if you were robbed, they’d probably still not be able to access the information. Additionally, you don’t have to write down your account names in full, you could use abbreviations. If you’re really worried, you could even put the book in a safe. They aren’t that expensive. Thirdly, if you have a written record of your accounts (in a safe place), you will be more organised! No more typing in the wrong password, requesting a new one and wasting time changing it, only to repeat the cycle next time you want to access that account. With the information in a book, you’ve got it all at your fingertips for easy reference at any time. Organised people keep records.

9. Stick to a sleep schedule

The cool kids may go out every other night, but think about your own wellbeing and the repercussions of an irregular or erratic sleep cycle. If you aren’t getting 7 or more hours of sleep each night, you’re not giving your body enough time to recover and prepare for the following day. Aim to go to bed at the same time and get up and the same time each day. Plan your day in advance so that you have enough time to complete everything you have to do. An organised person is one who has good time management and schedules in the important things.

10. Organise your makeup

How much time do you spend looking through your makeup bag or searching through your bathroom cabinet? Isn’t that time that could be better spent doing something else? If you don’t have a makeup organiser, go get one! I bought each part of the one below for about $5 at Kmart. It saves me so much time when I’m getting ready because I know where everything is, and I have the important pieces out on display so I can grab them and go. Make sure you sort and clear out your makeup, at the very least, every 12 months. Work out what you don’t need, sell or re-gift items that you haven’t used, and throw out the items that have expired or those that you know no-one (including yourself) will want. It’s quite freeing to get rid of excess.

11. Do a wardrobe spring clean

On the subject of ridding yourself of excess, every 6 -12 months, give your wardrobe a breather. Get rid of damaged, outdated or ill-fitting clothes. Some of this can be donated to a charity shop, but old underwear is a no-no! For things you no longer want that may be a bit pricier, try selling it. Many people are selling through Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree now, and designer items can be sold on sites like Revoir.com.au. If you haven’t worn something for over a year, you probably aren’t going to wear it again so this could be something to chuck. Staple items like polo-necks and LBDs are an obvious exception, as these will always come around again. You’d be surprised at how much you gather up in a year and how much more organised your wardrobe looks after a good cull!

12. Have a “one in, one out” policy for new purchases

You’ve probably heard this one before. I used to hate it when my mum said this to me, but the “one in, one out policy” is great at reducing your spending and ensures you have enough space in your wardrobe. This is basically a sadistic version of the previous point, where you get rid of a piece of clothing, every time you buy something new. While I don’t strictly follow this one, I can see its merits – you never buy things you don’t need and you never have a 27 Dresses  moment where you struggle to fit your clothes into the wardrobe. The “one in, one out” policy will help you to keep on top of your clothes and their organisation.

13. Clean and de-clutter on a regular basis

I know, cleaning up is just what you wanted to hear, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, cleaning is a necessary evil. A dirty, untidy environment is both unhealthy and unstimulating. At a minimum, aim to clean your room/house weekly. Make it more fun by listening to some music. An easy way to avoid clutter building up in your space is by clearing out one area a day. You could start with a drawer, and if you do a new area every day, pretty soon you’ll have a whole new, simplified, organised abode!

14. Recycle junk mail and old magazines

This point is like #4 in that it’s best to deal with junk mail as soon as it comes in. It’s less effort to do it as you go, rather than letting it all pile up. Just take the 3 extra steps to the recycle bin and then you never have to think about it again. If you have piles/shelves/boxes of magazines, consider a clear out every so often. Rip out your favourite articles and recycle the rest. Voila! You’ve done some organisation and now you have less clutter and more space.

15. Clean out your bag

Ladies, we use our bags so often that they’re bound to get dirty. When was the last time you cleaned it or had a clear out? Probably quite a while ago, am I right? Do yourself a favour and clear it out every week. It’ll help you keep your receipts and other items in order. You may even find some money that you forgot about! There’s no clear-cut rule about when to clean it, but if it looks dirty or if there’s residue at the bottom of your bag, it’s time. Clean your bag it as soon as you notice dirt or residue. Those who are organised complete tasks promptly. Procrastination will only make the task seem worse than it is.

16. Update your shopping list throughout the week

There’s this myth that you have to write your weekly shopping list in one go. You know how that usually turns out? As soon as you step through the door with the shopping bags, you realise that there was (at least) one item which you didn’t write down! Instead of putting yourself through this hell, why not record the items that you run out of as you go, throughout the week? You can do this on a plain piece of paper, but I love this shopping checklist from Officeworks. Having all of the options on display also reminds me of items that I may’ve forgotten about! Genius! Now my shops are extremely organised and successful!

17. Keep some loose change in your car for parking tickets

Paypass is great and all, but sometimes you actually need change! Some carparks have an app that you can use to pay parking tickets, but some don’t, and honestly can you even be bothered going through that whole process when you can just stick in $4? Keep some loose change in your car and update it when it gets low. You’ll thank your organised past-self when you’re running late!

18. Organise your jewellery

The same principles apply here, as they do in #10. Sort through what you’ve got. Donate/sell or dispose of the things you don’t need. Organise what you have left so that you can easily see and access what you’ve got. You can use anything from trays and necklace holders, to jewellery boxes and those hanging displays with plastic pockets. You’re only limited by your creativity! If you’re really stuck, BHG offers lots more ways to organise your jewellery. You’re welcome!

19. Put computer files into folders, even those on Desktop

It’s easy to save things to Desktop, and it’s really handy to keep things there if you need quick access to them. The thing is, if you keep doing this, after a while your desktop gets swamped and you can’t find anything anymore. It probably takes more time to find what you’re looking for than if you had placed it in a folder in the first place! If you want to be organised, store your documents in folders. It’s a lot quicker and easier to find information, and you will have all relevant documents in the same place. You can even create folders on your desktop, if you so wish!

20. Put phone apps into folders

As with your computer, make it easy for yourself and create some folders for your apps. Mine are categorised as follows: Google (all Google apps), Communication, Social Networks, Design, Health and Wellbeing, Businesses, Education, Tools, Phone Apps (apps that came on the phone that I don’t use) and Admin. You may have a few individual ones, like Phone or Gallery, but it’s a lot easier to work with if the majority of your apps are separated into categories. It’s easier to find what you’re looking for, similar items are in the same place, and your screen looks less cluttered and more organised. Best of all, organising your phone apps will probably only take about 10 minutes. Easy!

So there you have it: 20 habits of organised people. Anything can become a habit if you do it often enough. Which points have you found most helpful? If you have any other tips or liked this post, comment below!

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Happy organising!

Grace x