For many of us, it can be extremely difficult to become organized. If it were easy, everyone would be organized, no one would talk about it, magazines and newspapers wouldn’t write stories about it, you wouldn’t be reading this article and companies that help you organize your space wouldn’t be a thriving business. There are several reasons why people fail to become organized. One reason may be that the task seems too overwhelming. When we feel overwhelmed, it often seems easier to turn our attention to something else. But did you ever notice that nagging sense of unease you feel when something is on the back of your mind like an unfinished project, idea or task? That feeling is replaced by a sense of clarity, focus, serenity and calm when “there’s a place for everything and everything is in its place.” If you’re able to manage organizing your surroundings however, the job doesn’t stop there.

In order to stay organized, it’s best to do a little bit of cleaning, sorting, organizing and prioritizing each day. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time each day organizing your home or office. Once you’ve completed the initial task, you may only need to spend a few minutes picking things up and putting them in their newly designated place. While it’s a job that needs your attention daily, the time spent now will save many hours of hard labor later on. Another reason people fail to become organized is procrastination. It’s very easy to put something off today and say to yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Unfortunately, once you put something off one day, it becomes even easier to keep putting it off the next day. Just think about what happens when the laundry piles up for a few days. Yes it may give you a few extra minutes for the time being. But what happens when you do that for a number of days? Now you’ve just added hours of extra work onto your already overextended schedule.

To become more organized, many moms find it helpful to create an organization plan which can be determined by figuring out which areas need your immediate attention first. For some, lists and charts are helpful. Do you need to buy some organizational products to help you become more organized? Can you delegate any of these tasks to members of your family? Is there a better way to get a certain job done? These questions can all help you progress towards greater organization.

Once you have your plan ready, it’s time for action. If the task of becoming organized seems too difficult, it may be less threatening to start small and create mini-goals. Start by organizing one drawer, one room or one area within your home or office at a time. Even if you manage to organize one or two areas per week, within a month or two, your efforts will quickly add up.

An easy way to begin is to commit to spending fifteen minutes per day organizing your surroundings. One idea is to start with your children’s old toys. Any toy that’s broken or has missing pieces, fix or throw away. Toys they’ve outgrown or no longer have use for, store or give to someone who can use them (if the kids will let you part with them!). Clothes that are torn, worn out or stained, fix or toss. Sort through the mail, clean out the “junk drawer” and toss expired medications along with old makeup from your cabinets.

These are just a few places to begin. If you need motivation to get the job done, how about rewarding yourself for each fifteen minute session? Give yourself a few dollars towards a much needed vacation or towards a frivolous and unnecessary gift you’d normally never allow yourself to buy. After you get into a regular routine, you will find that being organized… and staying organized isn’t as hard as you think. In fact, the more organized you become, the more you free yourself up for things that enrich, fulfill and satisfy your body, mind and soul.