Day 139 (A Hundred & Thirty-Nine) of 365 days

It’s easy to think about getting organized, but sometimes it’s hard to be organized. And what does it mean to “be more organized” anyway? Well, it can be always knowing where everything you need is, arriving places on time, or generally being prepared. What it comes down to is feeling like you’re in control of your day.

Organized people are not born organized. They learned to cultivate healthy habits which helped them to stay organized. We all know that being organized and managing chaos and stress can be tough.

You might not be able to feel 100 percent organized every minute of every day, but by forming good organizational habits and establishing a solid daily routine, you can feel more organized most of the time.

I tend to organize my day using a to-do list and it has been effective. Make a new to-do list every day based on the previous day’s list and anything that came up since the last list was created. Even if you’re not a big list maker and only jot down the big projects, look at it every day and cross off what you’ve completed (or what you’ve deemed no longer relevant). Not only will this help keep you on top of your tasks, but it will also make you feel productive when you cross off that item after it’s been completed.

A small, pocket-sized notebook (yes, you read that right) is essential to an organized life. Use this to write down items for your shopping list, errands, to-dos, and random thoughts, and carry them with you everywhere you go. It’s endlessly portable, user-friendly, and never needs re-charging. You never know when you’ll need to quickly jot something down like upcoming events, shopping lists, any notes you want to remember, the money you’ve spent, or a running to-do list to accomplish.

Habits are powerful, but they’re not easy to form — particularly good habits. Creating a schedule for your daily tasks and activities that you’re able to stick to will help you to form good habits and break bad ones for a more productive, happier life. Setting up a solid daily routine is a little bit of art and a little bit of science. The science is figuring out what you need to get done, while the art is figuring out when to do it