10 Ways to Organize in 10 Minutes

I live to organize. I was that kid who offered to stay in from recess to organize my teacher’s pencil cup and throw out all the pens that didn’t work. I’ve never been one to have a messy room, either. I just find that having an organized space makes me so much more productive and helps me to relax when I’m home rather than be concerned with why things are such a mess.

I think the main concern with getting organized is…..well…when will I ever get the chance to organize? I always hear people say, “Oh yeah I’m going to buy some bins and fix this up one day” or “When I get the chance, I’m going to go through the stuff in here”. You know, it never happens. Or it does and you are cranky about it because it’s taking up your entire Saturday to make things organized.

So I’m bringing you my tips today for small, manageable projects that you can accomplish in just 10 minutes. Do a few today, some next week, some the next week – it doesn’t matter. Taking it bit by bit will help you get everything under control – especially before finals, big moves, or summer vacations!

For the home

Pick up 5-10 pieces of trash that might be scattered throughout your room (or kitchen, bathroom, living room – whatever is the messiest at the moment!) This is the first step in organizing your entire life. Clear out the junk!

Go through your fridge pantry and get rid of anything expired or try to give your roommates/friends some items that you bought, tried, but didn’t like. (i.e. those healthy crackers you thought would turn you into Gwenth Paltrow.) Organize your groups of food by what goes together. (i.e. put pasta sauce near pasta noodles) This way, you can see what meals you can make just visually – without meal planning

Go through all those beauty products on your vanity or bathroom counter. This is a great tip for organizing small spaces. Toss expired products and things you really just don’t have a use for. (Or text your friends and see if anyone wants that mousse that you only used once.) Put what you use every day on the counter top and organize in bins those “every once in a while products” such as self tanners, hairspray, and special hair accessories.

Use Unroll me (#notsponsored) to unsubscribe from those pesky emails you end up deleting anyway. If you can, use one email address for all promotional emails from your favorite stores, and have a business email (even if you’re not a blogger or own your own business) where more important things go….like brunch invites and emailing your BFF cute Leo Dicaprio memes…duh.

Have a “calm” corner. This could be in your room, living room, or even bathroom if you’re a bubble bath conossouier. I have a little organized spot in my room on a corner of my long dresser with my Doterra essential oils diffuser and a dish of essential oils. All put some in when I’m studying or during my morning quiet time before heading off to class.

For school or work

Go through your school papers and separate them by class period (for high schoolers) and class day (for college students) I have an expandable file folder that I use as a catchall for these once I organize them. Getting organized for school makes it so much easier to keep up with everything!

Clean out your backpack. (You may find what used to be a banana peel like I did….oops.) I love to keep a chapstick in my backpack, plenty of things to highlight and write with, gum, and a snack for when I’m feeling hangry in the middle of marketing class. (Happens every week.)

Organize your folders for school on your computer. My boyfriend Cameron is my role model for having an organized computer library. He has a folder for each year, and then within that – a folder for each semester, and then within THAT a folder for each class. Honestly….goals. Try it, ya’ll

Organize the apps on your phone to help you be more productive. I like to put my social media apps together and my school apps together (i.e. Blackboard, Quizlet, iTranslate). I place social media apps that I get a lot of notifications on (looking at you Pinterest) on the second page, so I’m less likely to see it and be distracted by it.

Create a catch-all for your school or work items. My room is my retreat and my happy place, so I don’t want school and work items strewn all over the place reminding me of my responsibilities between the hours of 10 and 4. I put all my blog notebooks in a Nate Berkus desk organizer and my school stuff (textbooks, flashcards, papers) can be found in a blue milk crate in a corner of my room.

Let me know which of these organization tactics you decide to try! 

X,

Cristina