Top Realtors Guide to Organizing Your Day

One major factor that contributes to success is organizational skills. This post is dedicated to those who feel like time slips through their fingers like quicksilver, and days often spin out of control. I was that person too until I discovered that usually, there are simple solutions to what might only seem like a complex problem.

It can be surprising to discover that establishing a daily routine can work miracles. Preparing for the day ahead imparts feelings of empowerment and control. Being organized will do that for you.

So if the idea of

• not wasting time looking for your keys every morning,
• arriving places on time
• adding more productive time to your day
• reducing stress

appeals to you, check out my ten tips to better organize your day.

1. Set Up a Command Center

A command center is where you can put your keys, phone, tablet, glasses, purse, outgoing mail, or anything you take with you at the start of the day. It should be near the door you routinely use to enter and exit your home. Even a small shelf on the wall or a bench can serve as a landing area. 

2. Establish Your Routine With Other Family Members

If you drive the kiddos to school or carpool with your spouse, make sure the entire family is on board and ready to head out the door on schedule in the morning.

The following are all accomplished in the evening, saving precious time in the morning when events can quickly gyrate out of control if you are unprepared.

3. Review Tomorrow’s Calendar

Be prepared for any appointments or meetings you have scheduled.

4. Write a Task or To-Do List 

Lists are beneficial to those of us who tend to procrastinate. Keeping track helps not only to establish priorities but stick to a routine. Prepare a list of goals you want to achieve tomorrow. List your items by importance. Don’t forget to review the list you made the day before and add any tasks you did not complete.

There is no established best way to write a list. You can include both long-term goals and daily goals. Don’t forget to cross tasks off the list when you complete them. It may surprise you when you discover how much satisfaction that simple act can inspire.

5. Plan Meals

Take a few minutes and create a menu for dinner. Will you all be eating together for a sit-down meal, or is there only time for takeout? Once you decide, pull out anything you need from the freezer and move it to the refrigerator. If you plan to throw dinner in the slow cooker and set it to begin cooking in the morning, put the meal together now and have it ready to go.

6. Make Tomorrow’s Lunches

The last thing you need to do in the morning is prepare and packing lunches. Framing this in the evening will give you significant extra time in the morning. 

7. Breakfast

If you eat breakfast at work, prepare that while making the lunches. If you eat at home, have as much ready as you can the night before. Set the timer on your coffee maker, put all the necessary dishes and silverware on the countertop, and put any pans on the stovetop.

8. Plan Tomorrow’s Wardrobe

Choose your wardrobe for the following day and hang it on a butler’s hook or behind the door of your bedroom. If your outfit needs ironing, you can get that done now. Check for loose buttons or any other wardrobe mishaps. Make sure your shoes are clean and ready to go.

9. Prep the Command Center

Make sure your keys, phone, and anything else you should take at the launch pad and ready for lift-off. The last thing you want to say in the morning is, “Houston, we have a problem.”

10. Tidy Up Before Bedtime

Leaving dishes in the sink overnight leads to regret in the morning. Load and run the dishwasher; it’s a better option. Pick up toys and put them in their bin. Hang up any clothing lying around or put them in the hamper for washing. Hang up any towels to dry in the bathroom, wipe down countertops and put any beauty and bath products away. Don’t start the new day looking at yesterday’s clutter.

Most people can benefit from incorporating these tips into a daily routine. Once you do it for a month, it will become a habit you will not want to break! Don’t be surprised if you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.