As a professional organizer, I get a lot of questions about daily routine tips that really work

I think we’re all looking for the best ideas, tips and tricks that will help us manage our time and our lives. My goal here at Organized 31 is to help you make the time and space for what’s really important to you. With tips from more than 10 different professional organizer’s own daily routines, there are ideas here for everyone.

To set up a daily routine that works for you and your unique life, it helps to look at how successful people handle their own routines. And who would be the best people to ask about their own daily routine tips? Professional Organizers, of course.
Daily Routine Tips Daily Routine Tips from Professional Organizers Alexandra Kozak from Living Simply PGH
When working with clients, Alexandra says, “I focus on helping moms and families conquer the clutter to make room for what matters most.”

Daily Routine Tips from Alexandra:
Clean up as you cook and prep lunches while dinner is on the stove. Batching like-items on your to-do list ensures you have more time in the evening to relax with your family. Whether it’s personal or work, Outlook or Google, try to implement a routine for organizing your emails. Create folders and pick a time during the day (I typically organize my emails at the end of the work day) to put them in their appropriate place. Use a service like Unroll.me to mass unsubscribe to junk emails. Take a basket around the house before you head upstairs for the night picking up things that need to be returned to their proper place. My son is 20 months old and we’ve already started to teach him to put his things away at the end of the night, so kids can be helpful in this process at any age. Renée Anderson from Organized Intentions
On one middle school report card, the teacher remarked that Renée was great at arranging the room before & after class but nearly every academic subject needed improvement.

Daily Routine Tips from Renée:
I start my day by clearing the kitchen counters and rehoming stray objects in the family room. As an early bird living with two night owls, resetting our space happens in the morning. Once complete, I feel a great sense of accomplishment which propels me on to the next task and sets me up for a productive day. I would be lost without a list. I mean a real pencil and paper list. I find great satisfaction in crossing off a completed task. If I complete a task that wasn’t on the list, you might catch me writing it down & just to cross it off. A win is a win and it’s even better when I can see it on paper. I always build extra time into my schedule for the commute to my destination. I dislike being late so much that I’d not show up if I’m running behind. Allowing extra time takes the panic out of the unexpected variables life throws my way; usually trains. Vicky Lorenzi from Mess No More Organizing
Vicky says, “I believe that the best tool for organizing is creating a “routine” and get yourself used to follow it. Train and habituate yourself to follow the system you have in place. It will stick with you.”

Daily Routine Tips from Vicky:
To avoid “morning rush” for me and my family I trained them to be proactive and get everything organized the night before, this include checking weather forecast and setting out the ‘right’ outfit, including those for extra activities, prep as much as possible lunch and snacks for school and work, gather documents, papers, school projects, etc. Think about the next day activities and prepare as much as you can, even little things like locating your keys, cell phone, chargers etc can have a negative impact on the start of your day. If you train yourself you can have a smooth start everyday. I always, always…always put things back where they belong, in the SAME place. It makes my life so much easier. You must have some sort of system in place, but even the best of systems will fail if you don’t make it your business to return items to their proper home. It takes just a few seconds and the reward is huge. I can walk around my house in complete darkness and I know where everything is. I never have to waste time searching. Invest a few seconds and save so much time searching. I use to do lists and schedule my day in advance as much as possible. It helps my productivity. If I have no schedule or list I tend to waste more time on distractions. It is not important that I check off all that is on my list but that I take care of as much as possible, and having the visual aid of a list keep reminding me what still needs to be done. I also try to make idle time useful, like if I am waiting in line, or riding the subway I use that time to compose emails, reply to texts, check emails, or write quick notes as reminders for later. Mica from Tidily Ever After
Mica’s professional organizing focus is Organized Living rooted in Minimalism, Sustainability and Design.

Daily Routine Tips from Mica:
I’m old-school and I like to jot down my schedule and to-do lists. I can quickly see at a glance how my day, week and month look like. By doing this I’m able to: 1. Schedule and space-out to-do’s so that I don’t get burnt out. 2. See where my bottlenecks will happen for work and socials and can prep myself mentally so as not to get overwhelmed. 3. Bring order in my and my kids’ daily routine. I find that I’m able to get more things done because of this. I also know what to expect during my day and I’m able to focus on the daily tasks instead of looking so far ahead. I personally gravitate towards neutrals, especially with my clothes. I have a few accent colors here and there but my wardrobe basically consists of white, black and all the greys in between. This makes getting ready so much easier and stress-free because everything goes together. It’s one less item I have to think about in the morning. Coming up with a streamlined wardrobe that highlights your personality and lifestyle, in whatever colors you prefer, makes it easier to get ready in the morning. Budgeting is an integral part of our schedule. At the start of every year my husband and I discuss our budget, possible trips we want to take, insurance that we need to pay – basically all the expenses we expect to incur for the year. I take note of our daily expenses and manage a file so we can see if we’re on track. This is a great way to see where you are overspending, what payments you need to be making in the near future and how you can allocate for “wants”. Every year we discuss our individual and couple goals. This could be for personal growth, career or financial goals. It’s great to list them down, see how to target them per quarter, and periodically assess how you’re doing as the year progresses. On a daily basis, when I have too much on my plate, I ask myself how important the to-do is in relation to my goals. If it is inconsequential in the long run, then it’s easier for me to move on to something more important. Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash Lauren McKnight from The Clutter-Free Mama
Lauren shares, “My business is a baby! I am actually trying to blog for a living and will add a course on decluttering within the next few months.”

Daily Routine Tips from Lauren:
I make my bed every single morning. It helps set the tone for me. If my bed is messy, I’m more likely to slack everywhere else. Having a made bed pulls the rest of the room together. I make a small, manageable to do list every night before bed, always focusing on the top three things I need to get done. This way I wake up and know exactly what I need to do/work on and I don’t waste time making the to do list or staring into space! I straighten up high traffic areas like the kitchen and living room every night. A big tip is loading the dishwasher and running it nightly and emptying it the following morning. Morgan Tyree from Morganize with Me

As a professional organizer and fitness instructor, Morgan is passionate about helping her clients live more intentionally.

Daily Routine Tips from Morgan:
I run my dishwasher every night before bed and unload it in the morning. It’s a game changer and helps my kitchen to stay (reasonably) tidy. Every morning I check my calendar to make sure I’m aware of all that is scheduled, or even unscheduled. This helps me to then map out my day and better stay on track. On different days I work on different household priorities. For example, on Tuesdays I do laundry and on Fridays I get groceries. Having a rhythm to my days saves me time and keeps me focused! Seana Turner from The Seana Method
Seana says, “I love learning from my clients as we sort through belongings!”

Daily Routine Tips from Seana:
I eat the same breakfast and lunch every day. This has simplified my shopping and food preparation, and my “mouth” has come to look forward to these same foods, so it has been a big win/win. I allocate five minutes before I leave the house to walk around and reset my space. This is a gift I give to my future self, as it makes me happy to think I will walk back into a pleasing space. I schedule all of my “to dos” into my planner and track my progress throughout the day. I note what has been completed, acted upon but not finished, cancelled, rescheduled, etc. At the end of the day, I can virtually see my productivity, which is comforting. I don’t always get everything done, but I can see the effort I put forth, which is all I can expect of myself. Resources for a Daily Routine Running To Do List Printable Bullet Journal Daily Spread Free Printable Calendar and Planner Daily To Do List Printable Daily To Do Card in 5 Colors Daily Routine Tips from Lettie Fundanet at Everything in its Place
Letti has been organizing for 16 years.

Daily Routine Tips from Lettie:
I always gather things I’ll need for the next day and place them by the door the night before. I check my calendar every night before I relax in the evening to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. I have laminated checklists for the kids with their everyday to do items on it and room to add things for each day like chores. Daily Routine Tips from Kelly Ghavidel at Decluttered Life
Kelly has been organizing for as long as she can remember, but has been organizing professionally for two years.

Daily Routine Tips from Kelly:
I always make my bed. An unmade bed can make the entire room look messy. It takes such little time but it makes a world of difference! I make a point of clearing the sink as soon as there are dirty dishes. Who doesn’t want to see a clean sink? If I’m not rushing out the door to see a client and I have a few extra minutes, I walk around and just put things back where they belong. If there’s a system in place, the house can get messy but it can get cleaned up really quickly. It’s nice to come home to a clean house. Daily Routine Tips from Nicole Beck at A Tidy Day
As a Productivity Specialist, Nicole coaches clients to reach their goals by living an organized life through the use of effective routines and sustainable habits.

Daily Routine Tips from Nicole:
What’s for dinner? I have an afternoon routine that includes asking myself what’s for dinner. It reminds me to make sure I have a plan. In the evening I take the butter out of the fridge so it’s soft for morning toast. It’s very tailored to my life but if it’s not on my evening routine, I often forget. Load time and leave time! HUGE! I’m chronically late because I always forget that loading in the car takes time. Daily Routine Tips from Becky Nalbandian at All In Organizing 
Becky has been in business for 8 years.  She says, “I’m a generalist which means I take on the small jobs (single closet) to the large hoarding jobs and anything in between.  I assist clients with decluttering, packing/unpacking, space planning, setting up filing systems, organizing their belongings/space, estate handling assistance and so much more.”

Daily Routine Tips from Becky:
Process my mail every day.  This prevents build up of paper clutter, allows me to pay my bills on time and keeps me on top business. Immediately wash my dishes and load in the dishwasher or hand wash then put away.  This keeps my kitchen clean, saves time because I generally don’t have to soak the dishes and it’s so much faster to deal with a few dishes at a time vs an entire sink full. I always finish my laundry which means I wash a load, dry the load then put it away (hang or fold).  I never pile clean laundry.  This habit save time, money and space.  Time is saved because I don’t have to iron my clothes and I know where they are.   Money is saved because I never need to rewash clothes because I don’t remember if their clean or the items are no longer clean due to pets lying on them or simply the weight of the pile has caused the clothes to not smell fresh.  Space is saved because you don’t have piles of laundry on the floor, on beds, places to sit, etc. Daily Routine Tips from Alexandra Moss at Alexandra Organized
Alexandra had moved over 30 times by the time she graduated from high school, which prepared her for her career today. She loved the challenge of taking things and bringing them into completely different spaces.

Daily Routine Tips from Alexandra:
I plan my outfits for the week. I pull up my weather app on Saturdays and base everything on my schedule and the forecast! I always have one extra ensemble in case the weather changes but it usually gets carried on to the next week! I love not having to stress about what to wear in the morning. Meal planning is my best friend. Everyone gets a say in a dish they want that week and I grocery shop accordingly. Things never go bad in the house because I already know it will be eaten before I purchase it! I keep an empty basket in high traffic rooms. Things always seem to migrate to areas where people congregate. When I’m tired at the end of the day, I put everything that doesn’t belong in the room into the basket and leave it for the next day. That way, I’m not stressing about putting things away and there’s no mess when I wake up!
Pin for later so whenever you need daily routine tips to help you with your own daily routine, you’ll know exactly where to find them.

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