Do you accumulate all kinds of “stuff” and have a hard time getting rid of things that you really don’t need?

Those are just two of the characteristics of the chronically disorganized, according to the nonprofit Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

If you want to be more organized, experts say the first step is to attack all that clutter in your home to create a better living environment.

Start by looking at all the items in each room that you’d classify as useful. As you consider each one, ask yourself whether you’ve used it in the past year. If the answer is no, get rid of it. Throw it out, donate, sell, recycle or give it to someone else who will use it.

Now look at the items you’d classify as purely decorative. The criterion for keeping each one of these is not whether you use it, but whether you love it. If the answer is no, then out it goes.

Another way to get better organized is by prioritizing tasks, the Institute for Challenging Disorganization states. At the beginning of every week, make a list of all the things you want to get done. Focus on getting the most important ones done early in the week, so you can still finish them if you get interrupted mid-course.

On a daily basis, schedule the most challenging tasks for when you have the most energy, such as first thing in the morning. Then estimate how long you think each one will take and add at least 15 minutes to your estimate so you have the time to see it through.

Follow these tips and you can’t help but be better organized.

More information

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization has a wide variety of fact sheets to help you better understand and overcome disorganization.

Source: HealthDay