There is a line in one of my favorite movies that says, “Organization saves time.” The first time I heard that my detail-oriented nature wanted to shout a resounding, “Yes!” Then I realized the real truth is that time spent organizing saves time searching. Time spent in preparation saves time in execution. Time spent plotting on a map saves travel time. Do you see the pattern? The time will be spent either way, but isn’t it much wiser and pleasant to spend it on purpose?
Being organized is one way to minimize everyday stress and leave ourselves some wiggle room for those unplanned twists and turns life is sure to throw our way. Here are my top five organizational tools:
Write it all down. You cannot remember every appointment, everybody’s birthday, everything you need from the grocery store, every password, and when your child’s fund raiser packet is due back at the school without writing it down. Keep a dated planner with room for notes, and us sticky notes in conspicuous places as a backup. A smartphone is okay if that works for you, but I seem to stay better ahead of the game with a paper planner like this one.
This particular planner (click the pic for the link) can be customized to include your areas of interest.
Don’t forget to look ahead often to be sure nothing sneaks up on you!
Do your homework. If you are planning to visit a place you have never been, spend some time on the internet (or at the library) learning about the area. Use Facebook to get personal recommendations for good food, nice places to stay, and fun things to do. Search for coupons to save money and online tickets that will save you the time of standing in long lines later.
(Groupon is wonderful!) Study maps because GPS apps and navigation software can occasionally give bad advice. Having a general idea of directions to major roads in the area may prevent severe travel delays!
Handle the paper once. I heard this years ago, and I cannot remember who said it first. When mail arrives, sort it right then and put it where it belongs. Avoid dropping it on the table by the door, moving it to the kitchen counter later, and moving it again to your office desk where it will become a huge pile you will (hopefully) one day find the time to sort. I have almost missed deadlines and thrown away checks by doing this mailbox-to-table-to-counter-to-desk routine, so I am speaking from experience. Most companies now have paperless correspondence options that significantly minimize the amount of mail you receive, so be sure to take advantage of that as well!
Put everything in its place. Okay, I have to admit my husband is better at this than I am. Without fail, absolutely everything he owns goes back to the exact same place he got it. My things are in one of two or three places. 
The point is that having a designated place for car keys, important papers, eyeglasses, tools, jewelry, the pacifier, and everything else you may need to put your hands on in a moment saves a LOT of time and stress. This is one tip of organization that requires very little effort, but consistency is the key to success. Place a key rack near the front door, and invest in a small filing cabinet or file box to get started on the right track!
Use a grocery list. There are few things more frustrating than being in the middle of cooking and realizing you forgot to buy a necessary ingredient. I have had to turn off the stove and stomp to the grocery store to get something I forgot more than once. That is NO FUN! I began using a hand-written list years ago, but now I absolutely LOVE an app called MealBoard.
It takes a bit of time to upload personal recipes and ingredients (time well spent!) but it saves so much time at the store. Aisles can be organized to match your store’s layout. Recipes selected for the week populate a grocery list automatically. New recipes with the specified ingredients can be downloaded from the internet! I created a recipe called Staples and listed household items like shampoo, aluminum foil, milk, coffee (no way I want to forget the coffee!) and laundry detergent. Each week I select that “recipe” so that all the items I consistently use will appear in my grocery list, which can then be tailored for that week’s needed purchases. If you are an iPhone user, you really need to check this one out! (Unfortunately this is not yet available for Android, but keep checking the MealBoard website!)
Please let me know if you find these suggestions helpful. I would enjoy hearing about your favorite organizational tools as well, so please feel free to share them in the comments!
Happy Travels!
Yes, very helpful! Now I need to implement! 😉
I am also a planner and organizer but sometimes allow myself to be led astray by life’s journey. My husband and I recently spent 6 weeks out of town in a hotel with only short trips home to reload and return. I then spent 2 weeks traveling with my Mom and Aunt and had only a few days to prepare for the next trip. My husband and I arrived in Chicago yesterday after a 13 hour drive and I had to go to Target to get items that were forgotten. This morning I have already discovered something else that was left behind…uggghhh. This was a great reminder of how much stress, time and money I save when I plan! Nevertheless, I refuse to let the little things taint my journey. I have been blessed to be able to take the past year off work and travel with my husband and visit with family and friends more than life has allowed in the past 30+ years ♡ Will regroup and get back on the organized bandwagon next week 😊. Thanks for the tips. Almost forgot…I use an app on android for grocery shopping called “Our Groceries”. I’m not sure I use it to it’s potential but my favorite feature is that it allows me to create a separate list for all the different places I shop and my husband has the app on his phone and can add items to the lists. My husband can be at work and add something to the list and it shows up so when I get to the store I see the same list and vice versa. You can give anyone you want permission to share the same account. Keeps me from leaving my grocery list on the kitchen counter 😊 and no excuses for something not to be added by those that shall not be named when they use the last one. I have also used it to create a packing list that we could share prior to a big trip so we could both add things well in advance as we thought of them so we wouldnt forget when it was time to pack.
Thank you for the android app alternative to Mealboard!