Do you have a feeling of despair at the mess in your home or office?  Maybe you’re not even dealing with a mess; you might have things fairly tidy, but maybe you can’t find a single thing when you need it.

If this sounds familiar to you, you need to think about what a good organization strategy can do for your productivity.  Being more organized will make your life easier as well as save you time at the end of the day.  If you’re interested in organizing your life, little by little, think about these organization strategies:

1. Tidy a Little Bit Every Day

Many of us shudder when it comes to cleaning. If you think that you have to break out the brooms and mops and spend the whole day cleaning, then you’re in for a surprise.  The truth is, by spending just ten or twenty minutes a day organizing your space, you’ll be making a huge difference.

• • Start with cleaning one area each day. This can be a deep cleaning or just a superficial cleaning but at least you’ll feel productive. Once this becomes a habit, you’ll finish your cleaning faster and have more free time every day.

2. Everything Has Its Place

When you’re organizing your workspace or your living area, everything needs to have a place where it “lives.”  For instance, scissors need to live in a specific box or drawer, as do other small things.  If something doesn’t have a specific home, it will wander, get lost and generally add to the clutter that pervades your area.

• • Take some time to really consider your options when it comes to making sure that everything has a place on a permanent basis.

3. Reminders

Get yourself a professional journal or a daily planner and use it.  Sometimes just the action of writing something down in a book can really help you remember where you need to be and when.

• • Other ways of reminding yourself of important events is to use post-it notes or an organizer on your cell phone. Experiment and use whatever method works best for you and your lifestyle.

4. Throw It Away

When you’re looking to de-clutter your workspace, make sure you throw away things that you no longer need.  Everyday do a quick purge and get rid of things that pile up on your desk or kitchen counters. This will get you more space and give you a better idea of what is going on in general.

• • Daily mail and papers are the biggest clutter culprits. Be sure to throw away any junk right away and file away any important papers. The longer these things stay in a pile, the more likely they will get lost or forgotten.

5. Set Routines and Learn to Delegate Chores

Keeping a home organized and running smoothly can be difficult, especially if you have a large family. Establish set routines so certain tasks are completed every day and assign large chores, like laundry, to a specific day of the week. This way you know exactly what chore has to be accomplished every day.

• • Delegate chores to your spouse or children that are age appropriate. Dividing the work among many family members teaches everyone how to work together as a team.

No one expects you to go from clutter-bug to super-organized overnight. But by simply implementing a few of these tips into your life, you will re-discover what it’s like to be prepared and organized both in the workplace and at home.