From years of keen observation as a professional organizer, I noticed that organized individuals have certain things in common. They all seem to share the same traits that keep their home, business and/or life in order. Of all the traits however, the bottom line trait is that they have a system (or method) in which things are done.
I consider this trait the foundation of being organized. It’s like putting the bottom building blocks in place to create order. And there’s a system for just about anything and everything we do. Here’s some of the things that organized people have a system for.
Organized Traits
- They put things away after using it
- They have a method in the way they manage paper
- They use organizing tools (solutions) for their stuff
- They establish certain places (or “homes”) for things to go
- They keep like-items together, not scattered around in different places
- They manage their tasks and appointments using reminder methods
Each of the above can become a habit, at which time the system takes hold without much thought or effort to it. A good guideline in changing bad habits into good habits is to try a good habit for 7-10 days.
If you fall off the rails on one of those days, start over. There are no “set-backs” in establishing a new habit unless you’ve put yourself on some sort of targeted timeline, so don’t fret over it. Just keep going at it 🙂
