Struggle with being neat and organized

[El Gringo]

What suggestions do people have for becoming more neat and organized? I really struggle with this, whether it's in the physical or digital world, and I feel like I suffer because of it - both in my own productivity and the way people perceive me. Some of it is due to my own fault and I am trying to change (i.e. don't be lazy, make your bed in the morning, hang your clothes up when you take them off, etc). Some of it might be due to just having unnecessary crap in my life and a need to simplify (clothes I no longer wear, signed up for too many email newsletters, etc). But I also just generally suck at being organized. Some people just have a knack for making sure everything has a place and having it all in order. Even when I do things like clean up my room or my desk I still have no idea where the hell to put stuff.

Suggestions or recommendations?

[arebelspy]

Use productivity hacks/tricks to make it as efficient as you can, and then accept it and let it go.

I'm not neat at all, I'm fairly messy.  But I use some simplified GTD methods to stay organized, and beyond that, I don't care.

You don't have to care what other people's expectations of neat/organized are, or beat yourself up for not making some magical standard. 

Work to become efficient and create a level that makes you happy.

[totoro]

I am not naturally orderly but, perversely am quite bothered by disorder.

You may have some disability or difference with organization that you will need to compensate for. 

In my case I need to find a specific spot for items.  Everything has to have a place and wide open drawers and cupboards are just not good.  I use organizers from Ikea for drawers and cupboards.   

We have key hooks, shoe organizers, coat racks, sock drawer organizers, spice racks and a basket by the door for mail.  We don't accept junk mail or papers and most of our transactions are electronic. 

I have a big fridge calendar with everything marked on it so everyone can see what is happening.   

I have a cleaning basket with supplies and an apron and a specific spot where it is stored.  I do chore charts for the whole family and, unfortunately, they are all like me so I get to be the reminder system too which is not my forte - but after time it is kind of routine.

I find regularly inviting guests over is very motivating for cleaning/organizing and gets everyone on board. In addition, I have no problem getting rid of stuff and do it regularly. If you really have troubles you may benefit greatly from a house cleaner once in a while.

I don't find electronic ordering difficult due to the search function.  If you misfile or fail to file something you can search for it fairly easily.  I block a lot of stuff and don't sign up for newsletters.  I scan and store documents electronically rather in paper files. 

[Ziggurat]

I've struggled with this for decades, with thankfully a fair bit of success.

I think the key is in your own mentioning of productivity.  You want to accomplish things with your life, not be spending any more time than necessary on basic 'housekeeping' and organizing.  So when feeling lazy to do some small thing, remember that it is ultimately more lazy, so to speak, to do that thing in the most productive way.  For example, it is far less time to sort and put the laundry away then to spend time each day trying to find a matching pair of socks from a bunch of piles. It's the same attitude as saving and investing, but with time instead of money. You put in a bit of time capital to reap ongoing time rewards.

As to the system of organizing, just start trying things and see what works.  For me I always try to organize by whatever most concrete concept I can think of.  For example, digital pictures are organized by folder starting with date (year-month-day all numeric so they sort correctly) and then a brief description, usually containing the location and names of people involved (again most specific things possible).  E.g. not "summer vacation", but "Lake Placid trip with Aunt Mary".

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

I think you're onto something with eliminating unnecessary stuff--I find that having less helps me stay organized. If your stuff is "owning" you, don't let it! Get rid of what you don't need.

I very much need a clean, organized space in order to think and work, so it's kind of a requirement for me. However, I don't like to spend a lot of time cleaning, so we do as you mentioned: clean as we go. Clothes don't heap on the floor because they go right onto the hanger or into the hamper; mail doesn't pile up because we sort it ASAP; we make our bed first thing in the morning; the kitchen is cleaned as we cook, etc. As Totoro mentioned, having a place for everything is key. I love using organizational boxes in drawers and cupboards--many of which I've made out of old cardboard boxes (no need to buy anything fancy).

We don't do anything revolutionary, we just stay on top of housework by integrating tidying into our daily routines. My husband and I do a deep clean of the house about once per month, but it only takes us a few hours--we divide, conquer, and go as fast as possible. My husband is the fastest, most efficient duster I've ever witnessed.

[arebelspy]

Also try out different methods and systems.

Different strategies work for different people - my wife and I use very different techniques for this stuff.

Read all the various blogs and tips and try them out, and see which work best for you and which "stick."

[Frugal Father]

What suggestions do people have for becoming more neat and organized? I really struggle with this, whether it's in the physical or digital world, and I feel like I suffer because of it - both in my own productivity and the way people perceive me. Some of it is due to my own fault and I am trying to change (i.e. don't be lazy, make your bed in the morning, hang your clothes up when you take them off, etc). Some of it might be due to just having unnecessary crap in my life and a need to simplify (clothes I no longer wear, signed up for too many email newsletters, etc). But I also just generally suck at being organized. Some people just have a knack for making sure everything has a place and having it all in order. Even when I do things like clean up my room or my desk I still have no idea where the hell to put stuff.

Suggestions or recommendations?

Whenever you're about to delete a subscription email, ask yourself if it's something that actually adds value to your life (or if you ever even open them). If not, unsubscribe. It's amazing how long it takes sometimes to realize that I go into my email, delete most of the new messages, and leave. I try to make myself unsubscribe before deleting, and that has helped my inbox significantly.

As far as the other areas are concerned, I'll stick around and see what others have to say. I could use a little help myself. :)

[Hugerat]

Agree with Arebelspy. Are you unproductive in your life and work? Are you constantly unable to find things you need? If not, who cares! Some people spend endless hours stacking, folding, filing, placing things at right angles, and all to no productive purpose. Why make your bed in the morning when you are only going to climb back into it in the evening? You should try not to look like a slob at work, or when you have guests in your house, but otherwise you should really only think about whether it negatively affects your life.

[Noodle]

What. specifically, would you like to have better organized? (If the answer is "everything," pick the top three things that bug you or impede your other activities.) Much like the posts asking for financial advice, the more specific you are, the more suggestions we can offer you to pick from.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

There's a lot of good advice out there about getting more organized, but the problem is that there is too much! Here are a few suggestions--but make sure to try only one at a time.

The FlyLady (don't clean as much as she says. Mopping every week is a waste of time. But excellent for routines/organization)

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. (Yes, it's a little cornball, but it's really awesome.)

The 8 Minute Organizer--haven't actually read it, but reviews made it sound helpful and I read another of her books.

Buuuut... if I were really organized, I would probably be "doing something" instead of advising strangers on the Internet :-). Anyway, good luck!

[Tacosrocket]

You may find this post by one of MMM's friends helpful :) http://www.raptitude.com/2013/04/mindfulness-lives-in-the-sink/

[lpep]

For neatness:
- When you're moving rooms, take something in the current room with you that belongs in the other room. Multi-tasking!
- Wash dishes right after they're dirtied. Easier to clean and you don't get pileup.
- Have a place for everything, even if you have a "random stuff" basket you empty once in a while. Then you know where everything should be, and you don't have to think, just do.
- Don't wear shoes indoors. Since I moved to Asia I've made this a habit, and it works so well!
- Listen to music or an awesome podcast (shout-out to The Moth!) while you clean. Make it fun!

For life organization:
- Find a system that works for you (not that you try to change yourself for). So if you use your email all the time, use the calendar there. If you love numbers, use a spreadsheet!
- Organize your computer and find a place for everything. I find this makes things much easier - I have folders for everything, organized by type (but then I work with lots and lots of big files, so maybe this won't help you).
- Don't buy "organizers" until you know exactly what you'll put in them.


And if you feel like you have too much stuff, watch a marathon of Hoarders. That did it for me, immediately went and cleaned out my closet! :)

[Hedge_87]

We've been working on organization this spring too. When we combined households we had two of everything. So we have been selling/donating a lot of stuff and slowly working through it. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate without even knowing. I think after we get everything downsized settled  and organized we are going to implement a plan to go though every room once a year and make sure nothing else has started to accumulate without us knowing about it.

[kimmarg]

I am currently reading the internet instead of cleaning so I understand. I sort of use two systems, one for 'important stuff' and one for everything else.

'Important stuff' all has it's own place. So key rack for car keys, phone charger stays in one spot, unpaid bills stay in special holder in visible spot, paid bills in dedicated 'to file' pile. Wallet lives in one spot. This keeps me from loosing my car keys 5 min before work everyday.

'Everything else' just floats. Yea, it would be nice if I was organized but I'm not. What I do instead is give myself a time limit. Usually 30 min. I put on music or a podcast and wander around picking up whatever needs to be done. Shoes from under couch, jackets off floor onto rack, etc. I am incapable of finishing one room before starting the next so I no longer try. I work for the full amount of time and then I'm done. It amazing how much it helps for just 30min!

Finally identify your 'problem areas' I get super cranky if I come home and the kitchen is a mess so I can't make dinner. Conversely coming he home to laundry I haven't folded doesn't bother me at all. So I . Prioritize what does annoy me in the limited time I have.

[ShortInSeattle]

I'm a former slob who is pretty tidy these days.  When I was messy, messes didn't really bother me. Eventually I realized that living in a clean and tidy space made me feel more relaxed. Here are some things that helped.

Declutter - Put a donation box near the door and start filling it. I had four purses, for example. I only need one. I had way too many sets of sheets. I had lots of knick knacks. You can do this gradually. Clothes, toiletries, and drawers are a good place to start.

Stop the Inflow - Stop accepting free promotional coffee mugs. When you bring something home, ask yourself what it will be replacing.

Chore Routines at "choke points" - There are some places where the mess seems to start. For example, dirty dishes.  Now I empty the dishwasher upon rising, so that during the day and evening dirty dishes have a place to go. voila! DH takes out the garbage as he leaves for work - same principle.

Everything has a home - This idea seems overwhelming at first, but you don't need to do it all at once. Organizing supplies can help. We have a little knife-rack for our knives, drawer organizers to separate socks from underwear, even a little shelf to stack library books.

Keep it Simple - The trouble with most organizing systems is that they are needlessly complicated. Instead of a fancy charging station I use a binder clip to keep my cables organized. Instead of a big laundry sorter, we throw darks directly in the machine, and lights in a laundry bag that we store in the dryer.

For me all of this clicked ans became fun once I realized how relaxed I can feel in a clean decluttered space. Good luck with your tidying. :)

[lizzzi]

My mother and grandmother used to say that if your beds are made and dishes are done, you can get away with a lot. So, I always turn around and make my bed the minute my feet hit the floor in the morning. Then I empty the dishwasher while my morning oatmeal microwaves for its three minutes. Yes, it only takes three minutes or less to empty the dishwasher-- and if you can make yourself do it before you go to bed at night, that is even better. Then all day, always put your dishes in the dishwasher (or wash by hand), and wipe counters.

The other thing I do is to handle mail the minute it comes in. I literally stand by the wastebasket and throw out the junk mail, then sit down and pay whatever bills have come in, and put them on the front seat of my car so I can't possibly forget to mail them. I file things like paper statements immediately, and anything important that can't be dealt with on the spot goes into a certain "important" drawer in the dresser I use as a filing cabinet. So mail and paper clutter never pile up.

I try to treat a washing machine load as not being complete until it is dried, folded, and put away. So I never have laundry baskets and piles of clothes laying around being eyesores, but I do have to say that since the washer and dryer are in the cellar, incomplete laundry does lay around down there--but nobody sees it, so it doesn't impact the living space upstairs.

I'm still struggling with de-cluttering "stuff" and with making myself dust and do the floors. I never seem to get to it--ran across the living room in front of company to catch a "big bug" that was running across the floor--and it was a clump of dust blowing across!  Hee-hee. Sooooo embarrassing.

[tariskat]

If you want a friendly bump to clean and don't mind curses, look up unfuckyourhabitat.  My house is a lot cleaner because I started following a lot of those tips - bring something with you when you leave a room, do a quick wipe down of sink while already in the bathroom, etc.  I try not to spend more than 2 minutes cleaning anything at a time (like an earlier poster said, while your coffee makes, put away dishes, quick jobs like that).  I just do it so frequently that shit gets done every day. 

[lizzzi]

I also recommend a quick look at UFYH. I find that 20/10s can work well. I get too bogged down on 45/15s--just seem too overwhelming.

[keepitsimple]

Just here to say I feel your pain.  I am constantly thinking "if I could just get the house organized, then I'll be able to...".  I usually only get so far before I feel like I have to start all over again.  It never all comes together.  My current plan hinges on getting rid of stuff.  It's slow going though and takes time, which I always seem short on (probably because being unorganized is time-inefficient...vicious circle).  I feel like I live in constant guilt over my inability to keep it all together.  Thanks to all who posted here with tips.

[tariskat]

The only time I spend more than 10 minutes (like the 45/10s) on something is Saturday mornings, that's my cleaning day.  Swiffer the hardwood, ask SO to vaccuum, clean the bathrooms, clean litter boxes, cut the lawn, etc.  Still only a few hours, tops, and I'm always playing an audiobook or a podcast while I'm doing it.

I really, really recommend listening to stuff while you work, it makes the time go fast and you get to feel like you're being all recreational (reading Game of Thrones) while being super useful (cleaning) at the same time.

[Eric]

My house is always a mess, so I have no recommendations about that.  (I don't care, we're comfortable with our clutter and dirty dishes)

I'll touch on email, which I think is a big one at home and at work.  Whatever email program you have, it has a way to direct messages from appearing in your inbox to appearing directly in another folder you set up.  So set up some folders and rules!  This can vary a lot, but I'll give you a couple of examples I use.

For my personal email, I have two folders set up titled "Music" and "Retail".  All of my band, venue, ticket, and other music news gets directed into that Music folder and not into my inbox.  Same with Retail updates like sales at X store, travel deals, product updates, whatever I've signed up for in the past, goes into this folder.  Then when I have time, I look through those folders but my inbox stays relatively clean with emails that are active or need attention.

Same idea for work, as there are always emails I need, but don't need to take action on right away (or at all).  Those get directed to a folder.  Other ones to other folders.  Pick some categories.  If you decide they're too broad or too narrow, it's easy enough to adjust.  The only stuff that I let get through directly to my inbox are emails from co-workers and clients that I need to (possibly) take action on.

[rujancified]

My house is always a mess, so I have no recommendations about that.  (I don't care, we're comfortable with our clutter and dirty dishes)

I'll touch on email, which I think is a big one at home and at work.  Whatever email program you have, it has a way to direct messages from appearing in your inbox to appearing directly in another folder you set up.  So set up some folders and rules!  This can vary a lot, but I'll give you a couple of examples I use.

For my personal email, I have two folders set up titled "Music" and "Retail".  All of my band, venue, ticket, and other music news gets directed into that Music folder and not into my inbox.  Same with Retail updates like sales at X store, travel deals, product updates, whatever I've signed up for in the past, goes into this folder.  Then when I have time, I look through those folders but my inbox stays relatively clean with emails that are active or need attention.

Same idea for work, as there are always emails I need, but don't need to take action on right away (or at all).  Those get directed to a folder.  Other ones to other folders.  Pick some categories.  If you decide they're too broad or too narrow, it's easy enough to adjust.  The only stuff that I let get through directly to my inbox are emails from co-workers and clients that I need to (possibly) take action on.

For work: I have an outlook folder called "CC" and send all emails that I'm cc'd on there (inbox skip).  I read those emails 1-5x a day, depending on how busy I am. Because they aren't in the inbox, I'm not alerted to them on phone nights/weekends, either. Nearly everyone I work with knows I do this and doesn't question if I don't respond to something.

In gmail: I have a folder called "spammy" that's similar to their Promotions folder. All nonsense communications from SocMedia or stores goes in there. The theory being that I would go through occasionally and unsubscribe, but it's super rare that I actually do that.

Otherwise? I've abandoned virtual organization. CTRL+F and windows search are my BFFs.

Paper is another topic for another day...