In this episode I thought I’d let you peek behind the curtain and see a few of the things that I do to organize my world. We’re talking about car-cleaning tricks and dinner-planning hacks…anything to make daily life a little smoother! We’ll talk about the “first in, first out” rule to minimize clutter, and why I never leave a room empty-handed. These aren’t complex systems – just small, actionable steps anyone can implement. Ready to feel more in control of your day? This episode is packed with practical tips to help you stay on top of your game. Join me and start your journey to a more organized, less stressful life today!

1. clean out the car every time I drive.

This trick is all about not letting today’s stuff become tomorrow’s clutter. Plus, it’s a great way to teach your kids the “touch it once” principle.

2. When I change, I don’t drop my clothes on the floor.

I know, this is probably what you tell your kids, so I am preaching to the choir here. But remember – we don’t want to create work for ourselves down the road. When tomorrow comes, we don’t want to be dealing with yesterday’s clutter.  When we touch anything once we avoid creating clutter that our future self has to go back and take care of, and again – just like with cleaning out the car, it’s not like we’re talking a 15-minute process here. It’s maybe 20 seconds to hang a shirt up – and even less to drop it in the hamper. This is a little thing you can start doing today and see a big difference.

3. I make my bed every morning

And as I’ve worked with clients and read research, it turns out that making your bed is something other experts have caught on to. The numbers say that people who make their bed tend to possess qualities that indicate success in their lives overall – better health, better income, better attitude…and I just like to think that making my bed is one way I can be a part of this club. So I take a few minutes each morning and make sure that my bed is made, mentally give myself a high five and tell myself how great I am, and the great thing is the way that message of beauty and success hits me over and over again each time I walk past it during the day. Not to mention how much I love climbing into a fresh bed every night!

4. I write down tasks as I think of them.

One of my favorite and most popular episodes in the podcast is episode 10 – when you forget to do things (see link below.) It’s a great episode and I really recommend you go listen or relisten when you’re finished with this episode today. In it we talk about the limited capacity our mind has to remember to do certain tasks. You might have a thought surface like, “Oh I need to schedule that appointment,” or “I need to call that person back,” but within a few seconds that thought gets lost in all the other thoughts again, and you forget to do it, which can cause problems in your life. So in episode 10 I coined the phrase “catch it as you think of it.” In other words, write down that action you need to take when you think of it, so you can remember to do it before it’s too late.

5. I practice First In, First Out

This is another little habit that literally takes me less than a minute. But I’m consistent with it, and it really makes a difference. When I bring something new into my house, which is first in, I always remove something – first out. This goes for new toys, new clothes, new makeup, new food in the pantry, etc.

What we’re really fighting here is build up, which is a huge source of clutter, and First in, First out, makes it so easy. So for short I call it FIFO, and this is another great thing to teach your family.

6. I never – at least rarely – leave a room empty handed.

Since I am constantly moving through the house, and all the little clutter bothers me, it just feels like a no-brainer to transport the stuff from the kitchen to the back bedroom since I’m already on my way. I don’t always put everything away where they go – sometimes the bowl or cup from the bathroom just ends up on the kitchen island, and I will load it later when I’m doing dishes. Sometimes I grab my daughter’s shoes and chuck them in her bedroom as I walk by it. But I can stay on top of so much clutter because of the built-in radar I have for gathering stuff up with me and putting it back where it goes as I move throughout the house.

7. I think about what’s for dinner while I’m cleaning up breakfast.

It’s funny that in my early days of managing my home I had to fail at dinner as many times as I did before I finally realized that the best time to thaw the meat or start the crockpot or plan for a trip to the store for a missing ingredient for dinner was while I cleaned up breakfast and still had good energy for the day.

I don’t know how it is for you, but energy starts running low for me in the late afternoon. And if I haven’t already thought about what I’m cooking for dinner, I just can’t seem to mentally face that task at 4 or 5:00. I’m always so grateful that I have a little momentum going for me from earlier in the morning…and if you struggle with getting dinner on the table, maybe this little habit will make all the difference!

8. I clean out the fridge when I make my grocery list. 

One of the tasks I used to totally dread was putting the groceries away. And honestly, it’s still not my favorite job, and I delegate it to one of my kids when I can. But what makes it a lot easier for everyone is when I actually have room in the fridge for what I’m putting away. This is a loaded tip, so be sure to listen to the podcast to get some bonus tips with this one!

9. I wash my kids’ Stanleys on Fridays.

I mean, they carry them everywhere. To school, to practice. And maybe you’re better than me and you wash them daily, but we tend to just reuse them day after day. And a while ago I noticed that we could go a long time without washing them. And they aren’t my favorite to wash because you have to pull apart the lids and the straws, so I just find myself avoiding that task. But I’ve trained myself to make this kind of a rite of passage on Fridays. When I wash those Stanleys, in my mind the week officially turns into the weekend. Sometimes I have to play those little games with myself and really create some positive associations with a task, or I just dread it. So this is a way to celebrate that the weekend is here!

And then on Monday mornings when everyone is filling up their water bottles and they are all clean, I just have this nice, refreshed feeling. So that is a little something that has been working for us.

10. Before coming into the house after being in the car, I think about what my next step is.

We have talked on the podcast before about how transition can be such a challenge. For example, transitioning when the kids get out of school in the summer can leave you feeling really unbalanced and unproductive and out of place for a while. And then transitioning back into the school year can feel stressful and chaotic. We may dread the transition into Monday after a weekend. All around, transitions can be challenging because our brains do so well when they are just in this steady groove. But transitions are a part of our year, our week, and our day, and I noticed a few years ago that one transition I struggled with was coming home. I would walk into kids needing me, sometimes the house would be messy, sometimes I would have several tasks hit me at once – I need to cook dinner, I need to take care of someone, I need to follow up on a task – and I would just walk straight into that mess without a plan. And that usually resulted in me feeling overwhelmed, being reactive, grabbing for chocolate, or losing my patience – and I don’t love being like that.

So to combat this, I started pulling into the garage and getting centered. I take a deep breath, look at my calendar and to-do list to see if there is anything pressing, and then make a little plan for the next few minutes. What do I need to do first? What can I mentally let go of? 

It sounds so simple and natural that I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out, but once I discovered it I have become religious with it. It instantly organizes my life and declutters tasks and emotions that aren’t serving me, and again – it only takes a minute or two. Such a win for me and for everyone I’m around, because everyone is happier when I am happy. So if you find that you also feel a little lost or unproductive or stressed or anxious when you get home from anywhere – errands, work, carpool, whatever – take a minute to think through what is happening in the next few hours, and plan your next step or two.

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Remember, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about making small, consistent changes that add up over time. We’re in this together, and I can’t wait to hear how these habits work for you. Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media – I’m always here to cheer you on!