Are you easily distracted or overwhelmed with clutter and disorganization? Are you living in chaos, jumping from one crisis to the next! Well you are not alone. There are lots of people living this way. I for one know what it feels like to look around at piles of stuff, lists of things to be done, drowning under piles of paper, mail that needs sorting through, laundry you never seem to catch up on, and things that haven’t been put away because you don’t know where to put them.

I’ve struggled, like you wouldn’t believe, with overload, over commitment, and over exhaustion to try and keep my family and my life organized. With much trial and tribulation, I have learned through years of agonizing experience how to get through a chaotic day without tossing everything out the window or turning into a psycho killer!

Learning the real cause for being disorganized in the first place and learning where to start to organize your life is the beginning of getting yourself out of the psycho jungle.

Being organized makes life a whole lot easier and will make a profound difference on how you feel. It’s really about making your whole life run more smoothly so you can have more time for enjoyment of the things that matter most to you.

End Morning Madness – start each day off on the right foot by preparing and planning as much as you can the night before. That is probably one of the best habits to get into to organize your life. Extra time spent planning increases productivity and leaves more time for inventive play.

Use a Calendar – a good calendar habit is an important element to organize your life. Every successful person uses one. Check it every morning and every night.

Develop and Establish Good Working Habits – make things routine and habitual. Be clear on what you want to do and why.

Slay The Raging Paper Beast – use some basic organizational and decision making skills: do it, delegate it, or defer it. Don’t be afraid to throw things away. About 80% of papers you file will never be used again.

Have Everything You Need Within Reach Before You Begin A Project – clear everything from your desk or work area except for the things you need for the task you are working on. You will save time and have less distraction. If someone calls – say no and don’t feel bad about it.

When Finished With Something Put It Away – put everything back where it belongs and be done with it so you can move on, both physically and mentally, to the next task at hand.

Work On The Habit of Neatness – Remember where you put things. Forgetting is the most common way that can disorganize your life. Organization and neatness make you feel in control and more relaxed. Forming the habit of neatness will save you precious time and unnecessary frustration.

Stay on Track and Deal with Interruptions – there will be many things that will throw you off course. Some interruptions have to be accepted, for example if your car breaks down or you get a call that your child is sick at school. Most interruptions shouldn’t be allowed to throw you off track.

Get Past Perfectionism – just get things done one thing at a time and remind yourself as you organize your life that perfectionism is not something you need any more.

Make One Small Change Each Week – try to make one small change each week until new habits become second nature. If you need a different result to organize your life then you will need to break the old habit. Let the stuff that needs to be done repeatedly become habitual so you don’t have to give so much energy to it any more. When something becomes a habit, your subconscious mind is doing the work for you. You don’t have to do much about it. It will happen automatically and naturally.

All the above organizing tips will be most effective once you 1) limit the amount of stress you are exposed to, 2) can manage people and 3) minimize personal problems.

As you begin to organize your life remember that the most effective people do the most important thing first. Those who think, plan and stay focused will reach their goals with greater efficiency.

Get your life back on track so you can live up to your potential instead of settling for less than you are worth. Maintain internal balance, where your thoughts, feelings, and actions are working together to create the life you truly desire.