13 Habits of Organized People

When I think about common traits of organized people, there are a few threads that really stand out!  Some people are just naturally organized, and some of us have to really work at it, LOL.  Keep reading, or check out the video here for a few things that most organized people have in common.

1.  They create habits that run on autopilot more than relying on deep thinking and willpower.

It takes a whole lot less energy to do things if you just do them on autopilot instead of having to remember to do something and remind yourself.  For example, if you just always throw in a load of laundry every morning, you don't even have to set up a plan to remember it.  It becomes as natural as brushing your teeth in the morning!

It takes less energy and can seem almost effortless.  However, it doesn't happen overnight!  It takes time to create a habit, so be gentle with yourself if you're trying to establish new patterns.  It will come in time!

2.  They follow the 2 minute rule.

If something takes less than 2 minutes to do, then you should do it right away.  If you notice a few spots in the microwave, you should take the 30 seconds to wipe it out right then.  If you do it right away, you don't have to add it to your mental list and remember to do it later!

3.  They never leave a room empty-handed.

This is especially true if your home has more than one level.  Every time you leave a room, you should do a quick check to see if you need to grab something.  Is there something that needs to go to the basement while you're going down?  How about that glass of water you brought to your nightstand last night?

If you do things throughout the day as you go, then nothing has the chance to pile up out of place, and your home stays much tidier with far less effort!

4.  Have a “mess” threshold.

Organized people have a limit to how messy their home gets, and once they reach that limit, everything stops for a reset.  Organized people may have a slightly lower threshold, LOL!  But if you stop your mess earlier on, it never has the chance to get truly out of control.

5.  They have less stuff.

It is simply easier to manage your things if there are less of them!  There are fewer items to tidy and fewer things for your kids (or yourself!) to get out and leave out.

Often they also have fewer things to do in their schedules.  Jam-packing your schedule leads to feeling frenzied and rushed all the time.  We all need some margin in our lives to rest and recuperate.

You simply have to work harder to manage things when you have a lot of stuff or a lot of activities in your life.  If things are a bit chaotic, it's time to start saying “no” to some activities while also getting rid of some physical clutter in your home.

6.  They give everything a home.

I've noticed that often it's not the physical work of putting something away that leads to leaving it out.  It's more the mental energy of not knowing where to put it, LOL!  If something doesn't have a home, you can't just go put it away.  You have to ponder where you should put the item, and then it usually gets shifted all over the house a few times. That is too much time managing “stuff!”

7.  They have a reset space.

There's a spot in their home that always stays clean, no matter what.  For me it's the bookshelves behind where I film.  The rest of my house might be a wreck at times, but this bookshelf always stays neat and organized, and I can always escape there if I'm feeling frenzied!

It's also always the first thing to get set up when we move.  Having a clear space that I can always depend on gives me an anchor to know that even if my home is a mess sometimes, there's always a way back.  It can give me positive motivation to start getting the rest of my home in order.

8.  They adapt and realize that things change all the time.

Nothing in life ever stays the same, and the same goes for organizing methods.  I used to use a certain meal planning system when my kids were very little.  I don't anymore.  It doesn't mean it failed or I failed.  It doesn't mean it's a bad system.  It worked for me well in that stage of life.

But now we have more activities outside the home, and we're just in a different stage of life.  So it's not working for me anymore, and that's okay!  I'll find something new that will work better for my current circumstances.

9.  They make systems work for them.

Sometimes my perfectionist tendency means I want to do the plan/system exactly “right,” exactly the way it was intended.  But the same thing doesn't work for everyone!  And that's okay!  It's always better to adapt something to your own life.  The more personalized, the better!

10.  They tidy daily.

Organized people don't wait for clutter and mess to build up.  They take care of little things daily before they have a chance to really turn into a mess.  This is not my natural tendency.  I would much rather do a big marathon cleaning session.  But that's not the home I want to have.  So I try to tidy daily, and then sometimes I let myself group bigger tasks (like deep cleaning) together for the weekends.  If you don't know your natural tendencies in organizing, take our quiz here to learn more about what works best for you!

The amount of tidying needed can really vary.  For example, does everyone work outside the home or go to school during the day?  Do you have evening activities and then eat out?  If so, there's just less to do.

If you eat lunch and dinner at home, have young kids in the house, etc., then there is just bound to be more mess!  But this can be a good thing.  I don't love to clean.  But often the things that make the most messes are the things that are really good for my family.  Cooking at home, playing games, doing art projects all make messes.  But they also create memories and give good family bonding time.

So while I'm not always excited about cleaning, I try to be thankful for the privilege of cleaning up after so many good memories and fun.

11.  They make their bed daily.

Making the bed sets the tone for the day.  It states first thing in the morning that you're a person who makes their bed and gets things done.  This is more symbolic than anything.  You could choose another activity that you always do first thing that contributes to organization.  But having a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning really sets the ball rolling for productivity and organization.

12.   They are careful about what comes into the home.

You can do a massive whole house declutter, but if you aren't very careful about what comes back into your home, you will end up right back where you started.  Organised people are very careful about shopping. Some follow the one-in-one-out method when they buy something.

Other things you can do are even smaller.  I sort through all my mail on the way back up the driveway.  As soon as I'm in the house, the junk mail goes in the trash.  I try to do the same with kids' papers from school.  It's so much easier to not bring it inside in the first place than to have to sort through it and manage it later.

13.  They don't wait for motivation.

Motivation is great and can be helpful in really getting things done.  But if we wait to be motivated to do anything, it really takes away your control and moves you away from the driver's seat.

It's good to be excited about your projects, but often motivation comes at the end.  It's more of a “think-do-feel” train sometimes.  We decide we need to do something.  We just start doing it whether we want to or not, and then once we see some progress, most of the time we get the motivation to keep working!

Thereare lots of things I don't want to do, like cleaning.  But once I start, 90% of the time, I feel good about it, and I really don't dislike doing it!

Hopefully this helped you see some areas where you're already organized an other areas where you could maybe improve.  I know I always have areas to work on, but small habits really do add up!  Organization is a skill that anyone can learn!