The Chalene Show
EP. 285
This is a four-part episode, so if you haven’t already… you may want to go and check out the first three parts to this series. However, I do think you’ll benefit from just listening to this one. I’ll leave that up to you.
The habits I am going to outline for you in this episode are essential to make the tips and tricks discussed in the first three episodes really stick. So, if you have been following along, you’re in for a real treat.
Habits are a way of making our lives easier. Let’s be real… when something is a habit, you simply just do it. You don’t normally have to think about it. The best way to establish a new habit is to anchor an action to a pre-existing habit (like brushing your teeth, for example).
Step 1: I want you to pay attention to how tasks make you feel. Start rewarding yourself for fulfilling the habit you are trying to establish.
Step 2: Ask yourself, what’s the trigger? You need something to remind you to take action.
Now let’s talk about the 10 habits you need to establish in order to maintain organization.
1. Return things to their proper place. When you see something out of place, you return it to its home. Everyone in the family needs to be on board with that. That includes keys and gadgets and chargers… ANY “clutter”.
2. Do it NOW. Start NOW. Remember… some decluttering is better than none. If you really are crunched on time and are unable to clean up a huge mess, at least tidy up some of it. For example, sometimes I do my makeup right before I leave the house. Bret is often waiting for me and I don’t like to hold him up for too long. If this is to happen, I at least take 30 seconds to tidy up my mess by putting what I can away and the rest in an organized pile. 30 seconds of your time makes a huge difference here. It is much easier to come back home to a tidy pile at the end of the day rather than stuff scattered all over the place.
3. Get in the habit of using a day planner, preferably NOT your phone. When your planner is something physical, it serves more so as a reminder… a trigger. I encourage you to look into the Smart Life Push Journal (insert link: smartlifepushjournal.com). It is a physical device and trigger. The Smart Life Push Journal places your agenda, your goals, your health, and MORE all in the palm of your hand.
4. Never leave a room empty handed. Scan the space you are leaving and take note of what surrounds you. If there are any objects or items that belong in the room you’re heading towards, pick them up and take them with you!
5. Each time you let go of something… you are moving forward. Focus on the positive. Moving forward signifies evolution… which means you are BECOMING a better YOU.
6. Have a reset hour. Focus on the area that you know you’d want to be “perfect” right when you wake up in the morning. Reset this area, and place it into its “perfect” condition prior to going to bed. Make sure to schedule this hour (or more) in your planner.
7. Pretend you have company coming over each day for a visit. When you set this mentality for yourself, it is easy to tap into cleaning up mode.
8. Make your bed every day. If you do this right when you get out of bed, you’ve accomplished the first important task of the day.
9. Touch it once. This is very similar to the “do it now”. In other words, learn to not put things off until later. To be accountable, you need to back off. For instance, it doesn’t do you any good to open your emails if you have no time to respond to them. If anything it just makes you more disorganized. Focus on how good it feels to complete a task from start to finish.
10. Last but not least, I like to call this habit the one to two ratio. Each time you bring in one new item (to your wardrobe, for example), you must get rid of two items.
(Side note: If your biggest nightmare is your closet, I’d like to recommend listening to
>> Episodes 231 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/231-how-to-have-organized-closet-smart-closet-makeover/id911042029?i=1000380611055&mt=2
and
>> Episode 232 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/232-smart-closet-makeover-part-2/id911042029?i=1000380659308&mt=2 both episodes make up The Smart Closet Makeover!!
Those are the 10 habits I feel will truly change your life if you learn to anchor them to your pre-existing habits. I hope you enjoyed reading through this, but for all of these tips and MORE… definitely listen in to the full episode. I also urge you to go back and repeat by re-listening to part 1 and part 2… this will help you to make that information stick.
Please leave me your thoughts on this De-Clutter Project series on iTunes. In addition, if you have any questions or thoughts for me, feel free to hit me up on the socials OR send me a message on Speakpipe >> chalenejohnson.com/askchalene … Please be sure to share this episode with anyone you know who deserves to be clutter free.
DOWNLOAD – EPISODE 285 – The Declutter Project Top 10 Habits to Maintain Organization
>>> link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/declutter-project-top-10-habits-to-maintain-organization/id911042029?i=1000407031920&mt=2
Questions Asked in This Episode
1. Instead of rushing out the door, how about waking up a few minutes earlier? (7:40)
2. Do you often tell yourself… “I have no time, I’ll do this later” ? (12:35)
3. Imagine a realtor is walking through your home, do you want them to see your bed made or dishevelled? (26:30)
4. And so much more…
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
1. Why things must go back to where they came from (5:07)
2. Everything needs a place within its defined space (5:30)
3. Why you should still clean up SOME of your mess when you’re short on time (12:00)
4. Why you need a physical day planner (18:00)
5. How to focus on the positive when you let go of an item (19:55)
6. And so much more…
