15 Productivity Pearls to Create a More Organized Life

by: Denise Caron-Quinnr
Founder & President of In Order To Succeed

1. Begin the organization process with areas that are most visible and/or problematic. Start small and be sure to allow sufficient time for each step in the process. (sort, purge, assign a home, containerize, then maintain and equalize regularly)

2. Create systems that fit your life and surroundings.

3. Keep your systems and procedures as simple as possible.

4. Sort everything by how it is used and keep things close to where you use them.

5. Automate as much as possible – become more familiar with technology to use it to help organize information and pay bills to the extent that you feel comfortable.

6. Learn to say NO, lessen your commitments in accordance with your big picture life goals.

7. Use a master list to keep track of to dos and projects.

8. Delegate whenever possible and don’t be afraid to ask for help from family, friends and professionals.

9. Purge and weed continuously. Set aside time each day to tidy and maintain your surroundings and schedule.

10. Establish a home for everything and return items to their proper place immediately (or shortly) after use.

11. Use of proper containers and tools to more simply organize your environment and schedule.

12. Invest in a good labeler (ie. Brother P-Touch) and label EVERYTHING.

13. Fight procrastination. Make decisions about things when they show up – not blow up!

14. Adopt the habit of letting something go (donate, sell or toss) with every new acquisition and/or purchase.

15. Tell someone about your commitment to the process of getting organized – it will help you stick to your plan and reach your goals.