This seems to be the hardest part of “being organized” for many of my clients. So often, I see people put in a big effort to clear the clutter they have accumulated over many weeks, months or years without making the small changes every day that would help make their lives easier in the long term.

Being organized is all about the habits that you have and that you create. Habits that promote being organized will lead to an organized life, leaving you free from worries (at least, freer!) and the opportunity to live life in the moment – those Zen moments when you get to be totally involved in what you are doing, who you are being, or the experience you are having right now!

What could a small step towards a new habit be?

Here are a few options, and I hope you’ll find one or two that would be ridiculously easy to implement – that’s the idea. To maintain organization, start with your smallest achievable step, the one small change to make this week that you’ll find so easy. Then check the list again next week and if you find another ridiculously easy change to make, do that one too. And before you know it, you’ll be on the path to an organized you!

1. Open one piece of mail before you add it to the pile of mail each day.
2. Complete one action on your inbox each day.
3. Put one thing that has been lurking away each day.
4. Decide now what you will eat for one meal next week.
5. Type up your shopping list for the week on the computer and save it to refer to next week.
6. Return a phone call each day.
7. Delegate one task for a week.
8. Set a timer for 5 minutes each day to do some tidying.
9. Take one item from your closet this week that you know you will not wear again and either donate it, give it away, re-purpose it or throw it away.
10. Imagine doing just one of these things. Can you think of any other small changes you could make to your daily routine to maintain organization?

Here’s to your happy habits!