The simplest way to get organized. Period.

Some people don’t need tips or plans on how to get organized. For them, it’s a natural thing. They make lists and put things in order. They get things done.

But for the rest of us, getting organized is this nebulous floating idea that never gets grounded. We make lists. Then we change the lists, and then, we re-order the lists. So, things never get done.

Or, sometimes people who struggle might figure out how to get organized. For a week. Or maybe a day.

The point is, the organization just does not last. Maybe we lose the post-it’s. Or, the colored pens run out of ink. Whatever the cause is, it’s enough for the whole system to collapse.

I’m definitely one of those people. When I think of getting organized, I think of lists and calendars with lots of colors. Then I feel this overwhelm in my head.

It’s too big. It’s too hard.

Better to give up and just keep doing things randomly. The problem is, that I have a job where I teach organization to students. So, yeah. I had to figure this organization thing out, and I’m here to pass on the easiest plan on how to get organized.

Keep It Simple

There are two, or maybe three, key tips on how to get organized, and the first one is to keep your organization system simple.

The whole purpose behind how to get organized is to simplify your life. The simpler a system is, the greater the chance that you will

1) remember it and

2) actually keep using it.

Simple means streamlining things. For example:

• Don’t write things down in two places
• Don’t write reminders to tell you to write something later.
• Don’t use 2 or more different organization systems
• Don’t think you can memorize and remember ideas later

But definitely;

• DO write ideas and actions down in one place
• DO make sure that one place is something that is easy to access and carry around

The good news is that in our digital world simple and streamlined are everywhere.

Find a calendar or reminder app that automatically updates to your other devices. Google Calendar and Evernote are great examples of this and act as a personal assistant.

Other great apps are To Do, Todoist, and Zenkit To Do, which is free for personal use and similar to the now-defunct Wunderlist. Or, keep it simple and write things down via voice notes to your phone’s to-do list.

But no matter what, choose one that sets up reminders for you, so you don’t have to keep checking your lists or calendar. Better, let the calendar or app do it for you.

My Simple Get Organized System

I use Google Calendar to plan out my days, weeks, and even my months. I can do this because my workdays have a basic structure I can duplicate, and then I adjust each day as needed.

In the calendar I list my classes for the day, any meetings I have, and the time I allot to personal activities.

But, the best part is that I can see my entire week clearly and know exactly where I have free time, when something is due, and where I can fit something in – or take a break.

Also, the calendar sends me reminders 10 minutes before any activity – so I never forget to move on.

For writing, lists, and notes to myself, I use Evernote because I know that whatever I write on my phone shows up on my computer or tablet when I’m ready to work.

I like that I can organize my notes under headings – and never lose or forget anything.

Getting Papers Organized -Touch It Once

Organize Your Docs and Papers

Any work usually means digital documents or actual paper you need to handle, deal with, and organize. Because whether physical or digital, documents will always be part of our lives.

So one of the next best organization tips for documents and paper is doing it right away by “touching” things once.

The easiest way to organize documents is to have a central file with sub-files to put everything in.

Touching it once means putting documents in their place right away.

As soon as you create a digital document you can title it and file it in a sub-folder of the main folder. Voila! You automatically organized your document!

The same thing goes for paper. Ideally, you have an accordion file, a large binder with dividers, or a file box for school or work. Inside you have one file for each of your classes and work activities.

As soon as you finish your work get a paper back, file it in the corresponding class or work file, and – done!

If you do this, you will never lose a paper again, AND you will always find your homework to hand in.

Your organization structure should look something like this:

Do Your Organization Plan Until You’ve Got It

This one is the hard one; the third-best tip on how to get organized, and the one that usually torpedoes all our organization dreams. It’s repetition, consistency, and discipline.

If you don’t keep doing it, it won’t work. In the end, organization is a habit. It’s a skill we develop and practice until it becomes a natural part of our lives.

But like anything, if you want to be good at it you have to repeat the behavior until it’s natural.

Just like learning anything new, organizing is hard at first, and it may even feel uncomfortable.

The more you do it though, the easier it will get. Also, the practice will let you figure out what works best for you so you can refine you personal organizational style. This is where having a simple system helps. The simpler a plan feels to you the easier it is to follow the steps and keep doing it.

Conventional wisdom says that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit, and for some maybe that’s true. However, for others, it might take 14, 30, or more days. The point is, that you need to keep at it until you’re doing it without thinking.

Where to Start? Start with the easy stuff

Here are two things to start with:

1. Sit at your desk at the same time every day.
2. Plan out your day, even if you have differently timed classes or meetings.
3. Write down what you know you need to do for the day and the week. You can always change it later.

This simple repetition will start off your day right. Block out classes, meetings, and work time, and even times to hand your work in.

Scheduling your work onto a calendar with reminders makes it easier to concentrate on the task at hand.

Setup a central folder and sub-folders and know how to access them.

File any “loose” documents you have floating around your desk, house, or desktop into the right folders for an immediate sense of accomplishment.

Then, for every new document make sure you know what file it goes into before you begin your work.

Just like anything, discovering how to get organized is about finding a system and sticking to it.

But if you still need a little more help, take a look at my article on The Secret to Getting Super-Organized!