Having bad habits and being disorganized is counterproductive and exhausting. By counterproductive, we don’t just mean ‘work’, but every area of life, including recreation and fun times. It is hard to enjoy life fully when every other area of life seems to intrude on the ‘now’.
To get rid of bad habits, you need to replace them with better ones. The following ideas will give you a start to feel in control of your life, instead of feeling like you are chasing your tail all the time. Hopefully, they will help you find other, more specific to you habitual behaviors that you can implement, and those you should let go of.
Planning is Important.
To become organized, it is a good idea to have a planner. This can be a digital device such as a computer or iPhone, or you can just write everything manually in a diary. When you get into the habit of planning your time and sticking to the schedule, you will become more efficient.
Organized Storage Space.
You need to arrange to have just enough storage space that is adequate for your needs, but not excessive. When there is too much storage space, you will be tempted to keep filling it with clutter that never gets used. The key to organized neatness is a place for everything and everything in its place.
The first habit to adopt, if you want to become more organized and less messy, is to allot a place for everything you own, and to make sure everything is returned to its own place after use. An uncluttered, spacious room where every item in it has its own ordered place will always look neat and tidy.
Organize your home so that all of your belongings fit neatly in cupboards or on shelves. It is much easier to stay organized when you live in a home that is neat and uncluttered.
Do you have overflowing cupboards? Throwing things into storage spaces so that they are out of sight creates unwanted clutter, and becomes a long - term bad habit.
Declutter
Get rid of everything that you don’t value, especially things that have no useful purpose. When you have organized your storage areas and put everything you intend to keep in its place, you can donate or recycle what is left.
Decluttering is an important step as it will encourage you to continue to keep the neatness you have achieved. It can be difficult to let go of old habits and form new ones.
However, you need to make a conscious effort to stop buying and accumulating things you don’t need.
Regular checks to ensure everything has been stored correctly will soon result in it becoming a habit, which is something you do without thinking about it.
Procrastination is a Bad Habit
People who desire to overcome their untidy habits and become organized can do so successfully through a series of gradual lifestyle changes. Begin these changes today, don’t procrastinate, set deadlines for getting things done as soon as possible.
Base your deadlines on a reasonable time you can expect to complete them. Too far away means it will be conveniently neglected until too late. Too soon means it will be jettisoned into the "too hard basket", adding to stress and feelings of being overwhelmed again. If you don’t set realistic deadlines, it will be harder to break out of your habitual disorganization.
By focusing on carrying out the steps to complete tasks, you will be less likely to fall into your old habit of procrastination. Nothing gets a job done like actually doing it. Fretting and pondering over tasks not done does anything but adds to emotional overload.
Organized thought patterns produce a tidy mindset. When you adopt this attitude, you will begin to change your disorganized behavior. Start by attacking any existing behavior that is filling your life and home with unwanted clutter and untidiness. The benefits are cumulative, and every improvement will positively affect all aspects of your improvement goals.
Chores Done Daily Become a Habit
Make it a daily habit not to leave your bedroom each morning until it is neat and tidy. Make the bed, clear the floor of clutter and put any dirty clothes in a hamper you have allotted for this purpose. After using the bathroom, give the shower, basin and mirror a quick wipe. This will only take a few minutes, but it will ensure the bathroom always looks neat and tidy.
Without continuous attention, kitchens can quickly become an eyesore. To prevent having to do a major cleaning job, it is important to clean as you go. Don’t leave a sink full of dirty dishes. Wash, wipe and put the dishes away after each meal, or pack them in the dishwasher.
It is also a good idea to give the kitchen floor a quick sweep each night after dinner. It is a much more pleasant start to the day if you can walk into a clean, tidy kitchen each morning.
Coffee tables can often be a jumble of used cups, scattered magazines and other things that haven’t been put away. Spending ten minutes putting this right each night before going to bed will keep the lounge room pleasant and inviting. This will also save you having to spend hours cleaning later on, after days of accumulation.
