While some people may be naturally more organized than others, being organized is a skill that can be learned. No one is born organized—people who are really organized become that way through the healthy habits that they cultivate. So, if being organized is your lifelong dream, you’ll be happy to know that all is not lost—your disorganization can be turned around. You too can become organized as long as you’re willing to learn and practice. An organized life lays the foundation for success in every respect. Here are a few quick and easy ways to get and stay organized. Just remember to take it one step at a time—baby steps.

1. Build healthy habits

Many people juggle their careers with their personal lives. Unfortunately for some, a few balls drop along the way. Instead of continuously tossing one thing in the air while you try to handle the other, structure your life in such a way that every area of it is organized—home, work, finances, school, health and fitness, business, and your relationships. By doing so, you’ll be able to get a lot more done without feeling stressed.

Building good habits is the place to start—they’ll make you feel good and set you up for long-term success in the process. Bad habits, on the other hand, rob you of your health, money, happiness, and time, so avoid them at all costs. Examine your current habits in life and determine which ones work, which ones need to go, and which ones can help you achieve your goals.

As soon as you’ve chosen which habits to keep in your life, you can then assemble them into a daily routine. With a strong routine in place, there will be a lot less opportunity for distractions and procrastination.

2. Take notes

We all know at least one person in our lives who remembers every birthday, every anniversary, and everything. Do you believe that they have all that information memorized? They most probably don’t—it is more likely that they take notes and set reminders. Research has found that effective note-taking improves memory. So go ahead and write down everything: important dates, grocery shopping lists, and everything else you need to remember.

3. Create a schedule with set deadlines

When you know exactly what needs to be done and assign deadlines to it, it keeps you from trying to do everything all at once, allowing you to focus on what’s at hand. Organized people swear by schedules—it’s what makes them so efficient. They create schedules and stick to them. They recognize that being organized goes hand in hand with high productivity. Using a daily planner app can simplify the process for you.

Ensure that you dedicate at least an hour each week to planning the week—make time for the things that are important to you and say no to those that are not. Capture all your major activities and deadlines, then work backward, adding tasks. Even the smaller things should be scheduled because they too add up: cleaning, laundry, and the like. That way, nothing is missed. The time it takes for you to complete a task must be overestimated in each instance because underestimating can have serious consequences.

Also, allocate time for breaks—not just the daily short ones but long ones as well. Aim for at least one or two week-long breaks from work per year so that you can recharge adequately to continue on life’s journey.

4. Find a place for everything and keep everything in its place

Determine the easiest and most logical place to put something, then put it and keep it there. Knowing where things belong makes it easier to put them away. If you build the habit of putting things where they belong, you will soon do it without even thinking.

5. Avoid clutter

Clutter will only get worse if you don’t do something right now to nip it in the bud. Declutter regularly—as often as possible, but at least once a week. Always keep a lookout for opportunities to make space—mentally, physically, and digitally. Keep only the things you need and really want. That way, nothing will sit around collecting dust. You’ll have fewer things that you’ll actually use. Also, think twice before you bring anything new into your space—whenever you’re considering buying an item, first ask yourself whether you need it and have somewhere to store it. Remember that a bargain is not a bargain unless you’ll use whatever it is.

When you declutter, you might wonder what to do with the things you don’t need. You can get rid of them in a number of ways—arrange a garage sale, list them for sale on eBay or Craiglist, donate them to a thrift shop, or recycle them where possible. Leadar can help you find someone to help you offload your items. Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

6. Embrace your natural inclinations

When organizing your life, be realistic and choose habits that go well with your natural inclinations—rather than choosing the best way to do something, choose the easiest way for you. It’s the only way you will be able to commit to anything over the long haul. For example, don’t set any task to begin at 5 a.m. if you know there’s no way you could ever wake up that early. And if you hate ironing, opt for clothing made from wrinkle-resistant materials. If you know you hate reading, make arrangements for you to watch documentaries or listen to podcasts instead. Follow the path of least resistance, and remember, it should never be all or nothing—aim for consistency over perfection. Don’t beat yourself up about failing to stick to your schedule. Instead, continue to be consistent in your efforts to succeed.

Conclusion

If you’ve always felt like being more organized can help you become a better, more successful you, then it is not too late to start—all you need is the willingness to learn and practice. Couple that with some of the quick and easy techniques we just discussed, and you’ll be well on your way to organizing every aspect of your life.