Keep Your Sanity: 10 Ways to Stay Organized in Life and at Work

  

Growing up in my house was organized chaos. With four children running around, two parents with full-time jobs, a dog and a cat, I guess you can say there was more chaos than organization. It was a hard lesson to learn that chores had to be done daily to keep my mother’s sanity and for our house to resemble some sort of order when people visited. Let me tell you, keeping organized is not for the faint-hearted.

How do you maintain your sanity with a house, a life, and a Mary Kay business to keep shipshape? I mean all you have to do is pick up, put away, and throw away, right? Actually, yes! That is all you have to do, but we have some more suggestions to make staying organized a little easier.

In Life

In your life, it’s easy to lump items in a pile to sort through later. However, if you incorporate a few habits into your daily activity, the piles will shrink and disappear… forever.

1. To-Do List

I sure do love a good list! Something about being able to strike through a project or chore gives me the rejuvenated feeling that I can even conquer the world if it was on the list. Designating a notebook or a calendar for all of your tasks and appointments might not make a dent in the pile, but it does take a chunk out of the mental clutter you’ve got going on.

Related: UnitWise Spotlight｜Stay in Sync with the Calendar Feature

2. Menu Planning

How tiring is it to get off work only to have to plan, cook, and clean up dinner? For me, very tiring! When I get off work, my thoughts are on how nice it will be to lay on the couch, cuddled up in a blanket, with a tub of ice cream—this never happens. Planning your dinner menu in advance though can help tremendously. Thinking of your menu, even if it’s the night before, can cut down the time you spend mentally worrying about what to fix, grocery shopping, and it even can eliminate the craving for fast food.

3. Never Leave Empty-Handed

Do you have a habit of kicking your shoes off by the door or taking a glass of water into another room but never returning it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone on this; I struggle with my scattering of shoes, daily. One of the tips I have for you, though, is to never leave a room empty-handed. If you are going from the living room to the kitchen, take that cup that’s been sitting on the coffee table with you. If you are headed to your bedroom, why not bring those shoes that have been laying by the door with you? Watch how fast your clutter pile shrinks!

4. Quick Clean Round

When your house is clean, don’t you sleep better? I know I do, which is why I endorse the quick clean round before tucking in for the night. It doesn’t have to be much, but wiping down counters, picking up shoes, and refolding blankets are simple tasks that can make a big difference in the physical and mental tidiness.

Related: Tips & Tricks | Five Ways to Stay Organized (in Life and in the Office)

5. Forget-Me-Not Shelf

You borrowed your best friend’s shirt to wear for an event. And if shirts can wait, this one has been sitting by the door anticipating getting back to its owner every day for a month now. That’s why a forget-me-not shelf or rack can be the next home decor item you install. Place it by the door so when you’re heading out, you pick it up and take it with you.

At Work

In your workspace, how easy is it to brush off to-do list items for something else? We agree—pretty easy! That’s why we have a few suggestions to help you stay organized and on your game while at work.

6. Prioritize Today’s Goals

What are today’s goals? What’s the most important item you need to get done? When you ask yourself those questions you already have the answers in mind. So write them down and go! Don’t worry yourself all day with the amount of work you have to get finished, focus on one task at a time.

Related: Tips & Tricks｜Staying Motivated While Working From Home

7. Organize Your Workspace

This is your chance! Decorate your workspace and tell whoever asks that it’s for work productivity. When you feel good about where you’re working, the more work you’ll actually do. And the best go-to site for all of your inspirations and interests is of course, Pinterest! Here are 14 suggestions to create the chicest desk ever.

8. Chunk the Non-Essentials

From paperwork, trash, pencil shavings, receipts, and other random items, your desk can become cluttered in no time. Now, we know it’s not logical to have a perfectly clean desk all the time, but chunking the non-essentials out of your way can help drastically limit the amount of distractions around you.

9. Take Breaks

Too often, we have so much to get done that we forget or don’t even bother to take a break. Stop! Your mind needs to recuperate and the best way to let that happen is by taking a break, stretching your legs, and letting your mind relax.

10. UNITWISE!

We would never forget to include one of the most useful business management solutions for your Mary Kay business in this list. UnitWise is one of the best ways to keep you organized. From keeping track of all of your Mary Kay products to reaching out to your Unit members via email and text blasts, to connecting with potential Unit members and clients through your social media and My Website—UnitWise can really get you organized both at home and in life! You have an account, right? If you don’t, ask your friends—they’ll tell you what you’re missing!

Related: Website vs. App: Why Not Both?