Be more organized in 2018 with these easy steps

The new year is here and it’s the perfect time to turn over a new leaf. One resolution plenty of people are making is to be more organized in 2018. Before things pile up and become unmanageable, here are some easy steps to bring a little more order to your life. 

- Devote 15 minutes a day to organizing. Maybe it’s your refrigerator that needs to be cleaned out, or your medicine cabinet that needs to be organized.  Take a look around -- there’s bound to be something that needs attention.

- Be honest with yourself when tackling large projects like your closets. Assess what doesn’t fit and what you’ll never wear again. Some of it will be trash and some items can be donated or sold at a garage sale. What matters most is that it won’t be your problem anymore. 

- Make sure everything has a home. Buy some bins, shelves, and other organizers to help make it easier to put things away in their proper place. 

- If you haven’t gone completely paperless, here’s an easy way to clear those pesky piles of mail. Forbes suggests sorting your papers into three piles: To Do, To Read, and To File. Then place them into filing shelves or the organizational tool of your choice. 

Maybe it’s your time management that needs some order. If so, these three tips should help you get things done before you’re overwhelmed. 

- Write things down. Life can get busy quick, so buy yourself a daily planner so you don’t forget. 

- Find a safe and secure way to put all your passwords in one place. We waste a lot of time remembering and looking for our passwords. It could be a fire and waterproof safe, or a secure online location. Whichever you choose -- don’t forget that password or combination! 

- Don’t procrastinate. If something takes less than a minute to complete, do it immediately. If it’s a bigger project, pull out your calendar and schedule a block of time to take care of it. 

It might not sound like a fun use of your time today, but it will pay dividends tomorrow. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”

Watch the video to see how to get organized in 2018.