What do organized people do differently from the rest of us?

I’m not the world’s most organized person, but I have studied organized people. No, I’m not a stalker, but I’ve found myself adopting habits from people I’ve met along the way, who seem to make work seem effortless. Why reinvent the wheel, when someone else beat your to it?!

Here’s just a sampling of some of the habits of highly organized people I’ve discovered. These may seem simple, but some I have been more successful at emulating others–that first one is a doozy for me.

Habits of Highly Organized People

1. Get Started Early – While not all highly organized people are early risers, they all get started with their day right away. There is no wasting time checking the phone from bed. Get up and get ready for the day.
2. Make a List–and Stick to It – One of the most effective organizational habits is to make a list. I regularly make daily lists, weekly lists, and longer-term lists. It is important to write things down, so you can stay on top of it all, but also, crossing items off builds such a sense of accomplishment.
3. Set Priorities – By the same token, making lists help organized people set priorities. Setting and following through on priorities is key. It allows you to accomplish tasks in a streamlined and systematic way, which keeps you from wasting time by completing things out of order, or ahead of more crucial items.
4. Implement Routines – Highly organized people are creatures of habit. While you may want (and need) to retain some spontaneity in your day, it can be helpful to follow a basic routine. Checking email first thing in the morning and after lunch, catching up on phone calls in the late afternoon, etc.
5. Everything in Its Place – Clutter is kryptonite to organized people, and they learn to keep their physical and virtual spaces clutter-free. File papers and email away as soon as possible.
6. Necessary Tools Should Be Handy – It’s also crucial to keep everyday tools at hand, so time isn’t wasted hunting for things you need.
7. Practice Upkeep – Organized people maintain their stuff to avoid slowdowns, or worse, getting off task completely. Organized people are just as likely to get their cars tuned up regularly as they are to run regular malware and virus scanners on their computers.
8. Clean Up As You Go – Whether you are working on a graphic design job on your computer or making a meal in the kitchen, clean up as you go. It keeps your mind from getting distracted by unnecessary things and just makes everything more pleasant.
9. Get in the Zone – Highly organized people understand the need to compartmentalize. When you have set your priorities, get to work and get into the “zone”. You will be amazed how more you will be able to get accomplished.

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Maximize your space and declutter your home.

For those of us living not living in Martha Stewart or Bill Gates-sized mansions space is always issue, and maximizing that space is the key to declutter your home and to creating a more zen-like space.

Even though we all try to avoid conspicuous consumption and hoarding, the accumulation of stuff happens. Whether you live alone in an urban apartment or you live with your partner, 3 children, 2 dogs and a cat in suburban ranch house, there never seems to be enough space to keep everything organized, in its place and have a clutter-free home. Having enough space to keep organized is directly relative to the amount of stuff and people you are trying to cram into your home.

The bills are always spread out across the table, your child’s homework projects are on the coffee table and/or the laundry is piled high waiting to be put away. Life happens and when it does, it’s messy. But, you can get on on top and exert some control over your space and stuff. There are solutions to declutter your home, maximize your space and maximizing your life as well.

Declutter your home, get more organized and maximize your space with these 5 space-saving tips and project ideas.

1. Add a Murphy bed. To add more space to your bedroom, consider investing in a Murphy bed. Murphy beds can range from the very pricey to more affordable options like those offered by Lori Wall Beds.
2. Create a room divider to separate a room into functions. For example, add a bookcase divider to separate your living space from a much needed home office that can be tucked away behind that bookcase. Here are some room divider project ideas.
3. Maximize the space under the stairs. For two-story homes, the under stairs space is often underutilized or just a catch all for junk. Get inspired by these solutions to reclaim the space under your stairs.
4. Go vertical. If you are like most people, the floor space in your home is packed. That’s when you go vertical. Adding shelves, tall cabinets, stacking and hanging storage can all increase your storage space. In the kitchen, consider adding hanging pot storage to maximize your space.
5. Hide it. When all else fails, hide your stuff away with hidden storage in your furniture. Coffee tables, ottomans, beds and sofas all have the potential to be used as storage. Try making this under the bed storage platform to store out of season clothing and shoes.

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We’ve rounded up some of the most useful organization tips to make your junk useful again.

You’re feeling really proud of yourself: You’ve finally decluttered your home! You’re now sitting with a gigantic pile of rubble in front of you… and have no idea what to do with it. (Womp, womp.)

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to repurpose your clutter, and here are 6 organization tips to get you started:

1. Yard Sale
This is one of those classic organization tips that never goes out of style: Have a yard sale! Get the entire family in on the action, make a weekend of it and turn your junk into extra coin.

2. Sell Online
Websites like Craigslist, Kijiji and of course eBay are great places to sell your items online. Make sure to take clear photos of each item and write clear descriptions that include any wear and tear (it helps to take close-up shots of these flaws too).

If you’re like me and just want the clutter gone already, here’s one of my newly discovered organization tips: Ship everything to Amazon. They’ll store and ship all of your items as they sell on their website. Here’s a fantastic tutorial to get you started.

3. Give away
If you’re not a big fan of yard sales but don’t want to throw your items out either, post what you want to give away on Freecycle. People in your area will see your listing and you can coordinate a pick-up time that’s convenient for both of you. Easy breezy.

4. Donate
There are plenty of ways to donate your items to good causes. Here are just a few examples to get those gears turning:

• The Women’s Alliance helps provide disadvantaged women with the tools, education and support to become self-sufficient through employment. Through their local chapters, you can donate your old clothing and accessories to help women nail their interviews.
• Donate Games is dedicated to supporting children with rare diseases through repurposing video games and related devices.
• Sports Gift takes your old baseball mitts, bats, and other sports-related gear and donates them to needy children in the U.S. and abroad.

5. Give to Friends
Setup everything you don’t want in one room, and anytime you have friends, family or neighbors over, tell them to take a browse and see if there’s anything they’d like for themselves. If you’d like to get rid of your clutter as quickly as possible, turn it into a weekend clearance event.

6. Regift
How many of you are guilty for buying something and then never taking it out of the box? How many of you have pieces of clothing that still have tags attached? (Bashfully raises hand.) Let’s face it: If you were going to use/wear them, you would have by now. Think about the people in your life and designate each item as an upcoming Christmas or birthday gift.

When it comes to clutter, what organization tips do you live by?

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It’s one thing to get organized – it’s completely another to stay that way.

My goal to get organized and keep it that way has become an ongoing, evolving hobby of sorts. My biggest challenge is always the details: Getting the most important tasks done, while making sure the little things don’t pile to a point where hyperventilating is inevitable. Leaving yourself reminders for the little things will help declutter your mind in a big way.

Here are 10 ways to get organized and remember to stop forgetting:

1. Make a note immediately.
You have your trusty to-do list to get you through the day – but what about things that happen during the day you now need to account for? Get into the habit of making a note about it immediately: Whether you need to get in touch with a client, grab something for your daughter after work, or set up an appointment, making a note right away will help you keep up with those little surprises.

2. Setup triggers.
One of the biggest lifesavers for me has been setting up triggers: Completing one action that triggers me to complete the next one, etc. It’s a great way to build habits, get organized, and stop forgetting what you want to accomplish that day. For example, waking up could be your trigger to wash your face, which could become a trigger to brush your teeth. Changing out of your pajamas could become your trigger to change into your yoga gear (and you know, yoga it up). Connect each action to another, and you’ll be less likely to forget what you hope to achieve.

3. Utilize your phone’s lock screen.
How often do you check your phone to see what time it is? Use your phone’s lock screen as a place to stash reminders. For example, if you keep forgetting something your son’s nagging you for, take a picture of his “I wish I was adopted” face and make it your lock screen. (I do this, except with my cat. If animals could win Oscars…)

4. Distribute wipe-off markers.
Keep a wipe-off marker in your bathroom, kitchen – anywhere you wouldn’t normally find paper but might need to write something down. I actually use Crayola markers to satisfy my inner six-year-old.

5. Set an alarm.
If you need to leave your home or office at a certain time, return a phone call or attempt to beat traffic, setting an alarm is one of the best ways to remain on task and punctual.

6. Set a reminder.
Setup reminders on your cell phone for ongoing things you either want to make a habit of, or are constantly forgetting – especially if there’s a deadline attached (like garbage day).

7. Do it now.
If it’s something that takes ten minutes or less and is appropriate to do right away, get it off your mind immediately so you can get back to your day.

8. Automate it.
Automate your bill payments. Make your next eye appointment while you’re still at the doctor’s office. For pesky-yet-ongoing home maintenance, beauty or food purchases, have an online store like Amazon automatically ship your items when you’d normally run out. My mind feels so empty now that I barely have any shopping to keep track of (wait, that came out wrong).

9. Use Memstash.
What if you’re at work and need to make a personal note? Say hello to Memstash. Simply highlight a block of text in your browser, and Memstash will send you an e-mail or SMS several times throughout the week, helping you commit it to memory.

10. Download your mind.
While you’ve been focusing on the larger, more important tasks, your mind eventually swarms with the little details of your life you’ve been having to put off: Getting that stain off your fave sweater, replacing the coffee mug your cat broke, grabbing a coffee with your BFF. Take ten to get organized and write down every “little thing” that’s been stressing you out – you’ll finally be able to put them on the books and breathe out.

What are your favorite ways to get organized (and stay organized)?

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