Free People Blog

DO: get organized

Do you ever feel like it’s hard to enjoy yourself because some aspect of life is cluttered? Take the time to tackle those cluttered areas and set up some sort of organization of yourself this Saturday. Once you have a system in place you’ll find less stress and more free time to enjoy other activities. I personally find that there are three areas in my life that collect the clutter most: my desk, my closet/bedroom, and my life documents. I’ve been doing a bit of research to get my life in order, and thought I’d share some tips with you all to help get organized.

Organizing Your Desk

• File: organize desk papers into a filing system. Set up a desktop filing rack close at hand for current projects – making each project its own separate folder. Once a project is done with, file it away into a filing cabinet organized A-Z.
• To do lists: to do lists are very important. I’ve just recently discovered teuxdeux.com, and can’t get over how amazingly helpful it is. I input all of my tasks and assign them days to get done. Within each day I rank items in the order I’d like to complete them. As things come up, even if it’s something I have to do a month away, I put it into my teux deux calendar. It’s a very helpful way to organize and prioritize.  
• Scratch Pad: Keep a scratch pad by your telephone with pens and pencils to have readily available.  You never know when you’ll have to write down a number, idea, name, etc.
• Take Ten Minutes: at the end of each day, take ten minutes to put everything away before you leave your desk. This will help to insure that everything is where you expect it to be, and you won’t lose time searching.

Organizing Your Closet

• Color Code: I’ve never been much of a closet color coder, but I think it’s something that I need to do. If waking up early is not your thing (it’s not mine), then this will help to speed the morning process along. Clothes will be less likely to get lost, and you’ll know exactly where to find what you’re looking for. Within each color, organize pieces from light to heavy (ex. tank tops, then short sleeves, then long sleeve, and finally sweaters).
• Edit: Every couple of months or so, edit down. Go through your closet, and pick out items that you never wear. Do this with a friend whose opinion you trust. Ask them if they think you’ll wear it again or if they like it. Bring items that get the cut to a buy/sell/trade thrift store so that you can get something in exchange.
• Eye Level: Keep items you use frequently at eye level. Place items you rarely use higher up or away in labeled boxes. You can rotate labeled boxes depending upon the season.
• Hooks: Mount a hook outside of your closet. If you have the time, pick out an outfit the night before and hang it on the hook.

Organizing Important Papers

• Accordion Folder: Pick up an accordion folder to sort out bills and other important papers. Make sections for unpaid, gas, electric, auto, receipts, insurance, etc. Before a bill is paid, it should always live in unpaid. Once it’s taken care of, move it into its respective category. Some people even like to scan the old papers, and then throw them out. If you have a scanner handy this is a great idea.
• Mail Tray: Make a spot to place mail right by the front door. Immediately recycle any junk mail, and then drop the keepers into your tray. Each weekend, go through and clean it out, so that you never get too much buildup.

I hope everyone’s feeling more organized! Have a great Saturday J