Organize + Energize: 7 Ways to Make Life Less Chaotic

Monday, September 14, 2015

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalPDX Organizing Expert

You come home from a long, stressful day at work and the minute you walk in the door, the piles of papers in the kitchen hit you in the face. You walk into your bedroom to undress and the piles of clothes exploding out of the closet and the clutter on the nightstand just add to that stress level. You go to sit, relax and unwind, and you pass through disorganization and chaos on the way to your favorite chair. How many of you can relate?

Life is stressful enough and if we can control some of that stress, wouldn’t that be great? Here are 7 ways you can make life a little less chaotic:

A place for everything. Every item you own should have a designated spot in your home. Having a home for everything will help you save money because you won’t be purchasing duplicate items. You’ll have more free time because you won’t waste time searching for misplaced items. You’ll be less stressed because when you need something, you’ll be able to find it immediately. Having a designated spot for everything allows you to free your mind and focus on the important things that need your attention.

Routines. Do you have scheduled routines for laundry, house cleaning, taking the trash out or cleaning dishes? You should be on auto-pilot with household chores that occur on a daily and weekly basis. Map out all of the household chores you tackle on a daily and weekly basis. Think about giving each a designated time during the week. Use a grid to keep you on track until you get into the routine of the schedule.

Plan and prepare. If you’ve ever planned and prepared food for the week, or planned your outfits for the work week, you know that planning and preparing will relieve stress. When it’s a free for fall and you wing it during the week, chaos usually ensues. If you can plan and prepare to relieve stress, it may be time to change your ways.

Clear the mental clutter. Sometimes we worry about things that don’t really matter or we try to remember everything we have to do and end up forgetting to do half of them. We need to clear the mental clutter to release the stress. This is where to-do lists and calendars come into play. Get everything out of your mind and start using to-do lists and calendars. People laugh at me because I still use a paper calendar and paper to-do lists. I don’t care, because I’m organized and efficient and these tools keep me on track. Don’t let anybody deter you from the method you use. If it works for you, continue to use it. Clear the mental clutter and watch what happens.

Downsize. When we are surrounded by clutter and disorganization, it becomes very stressful and overwhelming. Imagine living with just what you need and a little extra. Imagine how much less stressful your life would be just by simplifying the way you live. Think quality over quantity.

Don’t make things complicated. When people talk about how busy they are, I always ask myself, but I wonder how productive they are? How are your time management skills? If you are always talking about how busy you are and not much seems to be getting done, it may be time to re-evaluate how you are functioning on a day-to-day basis and develop your time management skills. Don’t make tasks more complicated than they need to be.

Let your kids help. If you have kids, get them involved. You’ll cause yourself more stress by trying to do everything for them. One day your kids will wake up when they are 18 and you’ll find you are still doing everything for them. Give them a little independence with household chores, preparing snacks and meals, cooking, organizing and other essential household tasks.

We will all have stressful situations that occur in our life and we all have daily fires that we put out. When an organized person comes across a fire, they put it out and go back to their routine with little stress. When a disorganized person handles a fire, it takes a little longer for them to recover because it will take them longer to look for things and cut through the mental clutter to think about how to find what they need, leaving them stressed and exhausted.

Start small and practice one of these tips above. Once you’ve mastered one, you’ll be motivated to continue on and you’ll begin to enjoy a life less chaotic.

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on talkstreamradio.com.

Related Slideshow: Mum’s the Word: Life and Beauty Hacks for the Mom on a Budget

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Scouring thrift stores may have not always been cool, but thanks to Macklemore and hipsters, shopping in the thrift store is a new trend.

Embrace that.

Shopping resale offers you a great way to spend less money on clothes that your children will grow out of in two hours.

For you, by shopping secondhand, you can continue wearing those designer brands even if you aren’t making that designer money. Thrift stores, consignments stores, garage sales, and EBay are all fantastic ways to look good and stay in your budget at the same time.

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2. Drive-in Theaters.

Drive-in theaters are a lifesaver. They are typically cheaper than regular theaters, and you often get to see two films for the cost of one.

So what if Mom is tired of watching cartoons, though?

Well, if you have a pair of headphones and a smart device, you’re in luck. At a drive-in, you can watch a previously downloaded movie on your smart device while your kids enjoy the movie on the big screen.

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3. Non-traditional Manicures

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On the other hand (pun intended), getting a manicure every couple weeks can be expensive.

Coming to our rescue are the nontraditional nail wraps or Jamberry nails to help keep us looking fresh. These are cheaper options for having pretty tips and toes, and you can apply them yourself at home.

Photo Credit: Jamberry Nails (Image Cropped)

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4. Downward Dog at Home

I am a wannabe fitness fanatic. I love nothing more than going to the gym at the end of a shift at work to see if I can lift more pounds than the 65-year-old man bench-pressing next to me.

On the other hand, gym fees and their associated “daycare” service puts a small yet significant dent in my wallet.

Despite that, I’m still able to get my fitness on everyday by watching one of the myriads of workout videos on YouTube. Sure, my neighbors walking past my window think I’m crazy, but this way I’m able to keep my biceps and that extra $50 -$70 a month that I would’ve been spending at the gym.

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5. Digital Coupons

This one is a no-brainer, but I see so many of my friends and fellow mamas forgetting to take advantage of digital coupons.

Groupon is a popular one to use for tickets to the movies, dinners, or vacation packages. However, did you know apps like RetailMeNot alert you the second your favorite store is having a sale or offering a discount?

Other coupon apps like SnipSnap also allow you to share your coupons with friends and customize the list of stores you want to be given coupons for.

Finally, the fact that they’re digital give us Millennial Mamas a legitimate reason for having our phones out.