4 Best Ways To Get Organized

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About a month ago, I was trying to pick through my house and find the jalapeño corer that I wasn’t sure if I’d unpacked yet or not. Have you ever been there – can’t find what you need in your own home?

Things have been super crazy around here with moving in new furniture and continuing to unpack. My house sometimes seems so cluttered and unorganized, I can FEEL my stress levels going up.

I’ve found that organization, in general, makes my life and meeting my goals not only easier, but even pleasant and fun. It’s the peace versus the chaos, and I function at a better level – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – when what I can control is peaceful. 

Can you relate?

It also helps me remember and accept that there are lots of things I can’t control and helps me let go of the worry and stress caused by trying to control those things.

Today, I want to share with you the top 4 things that I did (and continue to do) to get organized that made the biggest impact on my life.

Top 4 Things To Organize First For The Biggest Impact

Organize your to do list

• It may sound silly to organize your to do list, but I promise it’s a game changer for your progress and sanity.

Organize and plan out your day

• You are way more likely to complete more things on your to do list if you have a general idea of how you want your day to go, hence organizing your day. Of course, life can throw you curve balls, but you’ll be in a much better mental state to be able to handle those.

Organize your pantry & fridge

• If you’re anything like me, your home life centers around the kitchen. Because we’re in our kitchen so much, it REALLY helps to have everything in its place so I know where to find it exactly when I need it.

Organize and plan your meals

• I don’t have the time to cook during the week, so taking the time to plan, cook, and organize our food for the week has been a game changer.

What You Need To Get Started Organizing

A pretty to do list

• Make this part fun! If your to do list looks pretty, you’re more likely to actually use it. If you don’t have one already, I’ve made it easy for you and created one (preview below).

A daily planner

• I use a daily planner every single day (even Saturdays)! I couldn’t find one that had exactly everything I wanted included, so I made one and would love for you to have it for free! Just fill out your information below, and I’ll send that download right over.

All sorts of containers for your pantry & fridge

• I prefer to use glass and metal where I can, but also love the easy clean up that acrylic provides. 

A meal planner

• Like this one! This will let you set it and forget it with regards to all your food for the week. You’ll be surprised how much time and angst this saves you.

How To Get Started Getting Organized

Organize your to do list

• First, print or download your to do list.
• Second, make several categories to divide up your to do list.
  • Mine are home, work, and OAKLEY Wellness.
  • You can even designate it by certain days. I will usually do something like this to let me not stress out about something I can’t do until later that week.
• Third, sort your to do’s into each category. You can even prioritize by importance, deadline, etc.
• To make things easy, I’ve developed several versions of to do lists.

Use a daily planner

• First, print or download your daily planner (FREE below).
• Second, the evening before the day you will start using it, fill it out and plan the next day. Use your to do list to write down the three to five things you will knock off that list the next day.
• I usually fill out everything except the gratitude section and water intake the day before.

Organize your pantry & fridge

• First, pick one or the other to start with. 
• Second, choose which containers you’d like to use and whether or not you’d like to use labels.
• Third, purchase your new organizational tools.
• Fourth, when they come in, take 30 minutes to 1 hour to focus on the organization. Organize how you like and how it will work best for your lifestyle. If you don’t finish during that timeframe, don’t sweat it! Plan to finish it using your to do list and daily planner.
• I picked my pantry first since sometimes we leave that open. 
• I loved the wire basket look, so that’s what we went with (yes, I got my husband involved in the final decision on what containers to use). When they came in, I spent an hour organizing the first go-round – baking supplies together, gluten-free pastas together, cans together, etc. 
• I even incorporated some of the wooden crates I had from my wedding. You can get similar ones here.
• Lastly, I wanted less plastic packaging, so I enlisted the help of Mason (mason jars, that is). I have several different sizes that I use for different items. This is what my pantry currently looks like:

• Eventually, I would like to add wooden shelves, whether we cover the current ones or replace them. I’ll keep you updated when we get to that project. We have to finish painting the house first.

Use a meal planner

• This has been the biggest game changer for me with regards to my time and stress levels. 
• To start, pick a day towards the end of the week to sit down for 15 minutes and plan your food for the next week. I usually plan ours on Thursday because sometimes I go get groceries on Friday and I want to be prepared.
• Then, depending on how you like to eat during the week, you may pick several meals, or just a handful. My husband and I also meal prep on Sundays, so we generally eat the same thing during the week and enjoy something new on the weekend. Again, that choice is up to you.
• Finally, based on what you’ve planned for your meals and snacks, you can then create a grocery list, and, voila, you’re done!
• The meal planner I use has all of those parts on one page, which has been super helpful. You can find the exact one I use here.

To sum up, disorganization creates stress. Too much and/or constant stress is not good for the body, for your health, or your happiness. Organization can help bring you peace and it doesn’t have to be hard or take a ton of time!

For other ways to bring more happiness to your life, check out this post.

Finally, give yourself some peace, go get organized, and don’t forget to download your free daily planner!

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