The 11 Secret Habits of Organized People!

Have you wondered what classifies a person to be organized, and what happens to set them apart from the rest of the world? We are going to discuss their top 11 habits. I have noticed I do most of these, but I still struggle with a few on the list.

 I have great intentions and want to be classified by all of them, but life gets messy, and I do good on some days just getting out of my pajamas. Can you relate to that statement?

Sometimes I believe there are just overachievers that help push some of us to want to be better. What can we compare our messes to if there were not those types of do-gooders? I understand this concept, which is why I do not get mad when I see someone else get it all together.

Facebook and Instagram can at times throw us for a loop and we might say, “I quit my life and fixing to join theirs”. Why? Because the picture of their home is neatly put together, all the kids are smiling in the pictures. For goodness gracious, the mom has her hair and makeup done.

We can all dream, right? There are ways we can approve those areas by beaming in on what Organized people do.

We can learn a few of their secrets right here.

So, let’s dive on in and see if we have these habits…

o   They are early birds- Getting up early is super hard. That means before those kids get up. Having the house to yourself early in the morning is a different kind of peace. You can pray, and collect your thoughts.

 This is your time to mentally prepare yourself for the incoming day that it holds. These organized people like to get started on their tasks before the world wakes up.

o   They clean up messes at that very moment, not Later-We all want to drag our feet because we are tired. We see the mess and be like, Really? Organized people do not even hesitate they immediately clean it up.

 That way they do not fall into the trap of forgetting about it. There will be something throughout the day that will grab your attention and you going to be like a squirrel in the road trying to figure out which task needs you more.

o   They plan Ahead-Planning ahead is great until everything falls apart, right? Sometimes, it is like that. However, these people plan that too. They have a plan B, a plan C, and so on. I do not have a plan C and so on.

 I have always had a plan A, and I like to go on believing it is going to be a great day. When you have it planned and it goes as it should, it is one of the greatest feelings. Plan B, well, that is when the morning did not let me do what I do best and get things started for the day.

 Then, the evening picks up what the morning lacked, and the rest carries over to the next day. Organized people will map their entire day into (Morning, Afternoon, and Evening, and right before bedtime). Mine is mapped into (need to get done today), (kind of important), (ooh feeling ambitious today).

o   They have checklists- A checklist is a must with an organized person. They might panic if they misplace it, because everything is on the list for the day, and possibly for the entire week. Do not dare move that list of theirs. Even that list has a spot on the counter so it is in eye view for an organized individual.

I like my list to stay with me at all times. If I am in my office, it is on my desk, if I am in the kitchen, it is on the end of my countertop where my grocery list stays. If I leave the house that bad boy is in my purse.

We all have our quirks regarding how to stay organized. Lists are great for keeping order and so you can focus on one thing at a time. What I love about lists, is that you can mark them off when you are done. I also love to mark through mine with a “green highlighter”, which indicates to me it is good to go off that list.

That is a feeling of accomplishment. Feeling accomplished is huge for a child who just ran that race or hit a baseball across the field. For an adult, it is marking through a task and not having to do it the next day.

o   They tend to stick to a System-This might be a tough one for many people. That is why it is a habit, and all habits need time to develop. If you create a system and it works, keep practicing it. Consistency is the key to a system.

I have developed a system that works in my household. Kids understand where to put their dirty laundry if they want it washed. They each have their snack cabinet that others are not allowed to get unless they are willing to buy them double the amount they took out (I will explain that process in another blog).

Shoes go on the rack near the front door if they have been wearing them for the day. If not, shoes are on the front porch on the rack, or in their bedroom. Systems work, this is to keep on with the minimum cleaning throughout the day.

o   They dictate duties to others- meaning they explain that everyone has a job. Even in the golden days, children and men had duties at the home. It did not fall on the women to do it all. In this day in age, one or the other spouse or the kids are doing it all while the parents relax watching television.

No, it is not fair, and so everyone should have duties. It helps keep a house in order, and not one person feels like the other is being mistreated. Not to mention, the quicker everyone does the chores the sooner they can do the fun stuff.

o   They put everything back in its rightful Spot-Have you walked into someone’s home, and felt like they do not live there? You looked around and noticed everything has a spot of its own. The reason behind that is they made it have a purpose.

They designate a spot where it should go because either it means a great deal to them or it functions better in the location zone. Take a look around your home do you feel like the items in their spot fit? Does it work better there or somewhere else?

Organized people tend to put things back in their right spot if it fits their purpose. You will be more engaged to put items back if you feel like that item actually belong there. It will become the norm to put things back where they go.

Out of habit and unconsciously you will just grab and place. I do this without knowing all the time. If I am going to the kitchen and notice an empty cup, I will grab it and place it in the sink.

 I tend to fix pillows on the couch, so the wording is facing the visitors, or place the throws across the top of the couch to appear staged. When extra time permits, they use it to organize something else, and they do not buy unnecessary items for their home.

o   They are not lazy- organized people will not be sitting down if there are things left on their list for the day. They might even get ahead on tomorrow’s list. It will eat at them if they were to sit down to watch a show or movie, they must plan that on their to-do list.

There is a good chance that if you see them at a party, get-together, or afterschool activity they planned that around their tasks. Those tasks will get done one way or another. That is the plan B part I was talking about.

Organized people want to be more relaxed and want to be lazy on certain days. It is just something that is wired in them that will not let them be this way. If they are lazy, either look to see if they are sick, depressed, or they are giving up on themselves.

 Never relaxing can cause other side effects, so if an organized person does not plan some downtime, they can feel rundown by their tasks.

o   They make up their beds- When a bed is made up it makes the room appear more organized. Not to mention when you need to put something on the bed you tend to clean it quickly. Having a made-up bed makes you feel like you started your day off right.

I have been known at times to not make up my bed. Especially, when you have a husband that works shift work, it makes it very difficult. Yes, I know this is unrealistic, but there have been times I have thought about making it up with him in it so at least my side looked good.

 If I do not get to it sometime in the morning, I feel like everything is off in that room.

Rooms can give off a vibe to the rest of the house that you are lacking style. Start with the bed and watch the other parts of the house be transformed.

o   Laundry stays on a Schedule-Organization is big with staying on schedule with your laundry. We do not have tons of time to mess with laundry, right?

 If you need an idea for your laundry schedule you can try my setup. Get all your laundry done on one weekend (and I mean ONE weekend). After that, do not do that again. Go collect all loose hangers in all bedrooms and put them put on the laundry rod located in the laundry room.

Now, get 2 Baskets (depending on the size of your family) and place them on the dryer and washer or designated area to accommodate the next steps.

Baskets are an asset!

You could use smaller baskets if you like; this was just an idea of my own that I use currently.

Start your Monday with these 3 steps. First, Do a load of clothes at night right before bed. The second step, flip the clothes that very next morning. That afternoon/early evening, either you do it yourself or have your (age-appropriate) child place folded clothes in the individual’s baskets.

For the garments that require no folding, use the hangers and place them on the clothes rack. Every family member’s job is to collect their basket and hang garments in their closet. This keeps socks and other items separate, and time is not wasted.

The laundry is done without leaving the laundry room.

Each bathroom has a dirty laundry basket, then the dirty clothes get sorted in the top black baskets.

Repeat these steps, each day. Life is easier with organized laundry!

o   They like to declutter and immediately remove it from the home-When there is an overwhelming amount of stuff, it might be hard to organize or even do the everyday cleaning. You might feel like it’s hopeless.

Organized people already know this and they are quick to get rid of items in their homes.

They like to give things away and or toss them in the trash if it does not hold value. They even think long and hard before purchasing items for their home or receiving things from other people as “hand-me-downs”.

They already know how their house is set up and what works for them. Adding extra things may cause extra steps that they are not prepared for. Most organized people do not get attached to items easily. They might like beautiful things but if they find it to be something they cannot live without they will be replacing it with something old. Goodbye old item and hello beauty.

I want to finish this up by saying, this all goes to show that if we wish to be more organized in our lives we need to think and create habits like those organized people. I do not want to waste my days cleaning or picking up after people on the weekends.

Weekends are everything when you are so wrapped up in the week already. Weekends are like (kids to their recess). Adults need Weekends to create a balance between the hectic work week and Family time.

Take moments and make a habit of organizing something that will eliminate headaches in your day. Help this become part of your everyday life, this will allow more “me time, family time”.