A Cluttered Environment = A Cluttered Mind
Clutter is crazy pants yo!
I can hear my creative types out there protesting with their array of colored pencils, unicorn statues, and other randomness scattered across the desk. But, before you get too agitated, remember you don’t have to organize like everyone else!
[bctt tweet=”Use that right brain, get creative, and do what works for you!!!”]
Ok, we’re a little over half way through Spring, so maybe I’m a bit late to the party. But, anytime is a good time to organize in my humble opinion. You have to find what works for you in order to stick with it. Take the ideas you like and leave the ones you don’t! Feel free to personalize and find alternatives. Agreed? Then, let’s jump to it…
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1. Fabulous Music
First things first! We cannot be expected to energetically organize if we do not have some good jams. Turn your mood into music or grab a new mood with StereoMood! I feel ____ well, Groovy.
Got your playlist? That was easy, now on to the real work…
2. Implement Systems
I know “systems” can be a boring topic, but you don’t want to waste time cleaning and organizing only to fall back into the soul-sucking trap of clutter. It happens to the best of us, but some good systems can at least keep the clutter on the down low. I procrastinate on the system creation end of things, because it takes time, but it does save in the long run. A system can be as simple as a special tray by the door to drop your coins and keys into at the end of the day or as complicated as Exel spreadsheets. Maybe it’s just me on the Exel loathing, but you get the point.
Time & Sanity Restored!
Got a helpful system? Let’s hear about in the comments.
3. The Computer
If you are a freelancer, blogger, or any other kind of entrepreneur like I am, you likely have a ton of files, internet bookmarks, and random notes on your computer. Brainstorm what you can do to make your online life easier. Do you really need that page, in your browser history, that you marked research for a client two months ago? Think about it.
To get you started, here is a list of “computer/online to-do’s” you may want to consider:
- Organize blogs you follow (I like Bloglovin for this one)
- Clean up YouTube Playlists (Are your suggestions from YouTube as embarrassing and random as mine?)
- Cleanse unneeded “favorites” from your browser
- Create dedicated folders for your emails
- While we’re on emails, Unsubscribe! If you have newsletters that you never read, maybe it’s time to let go. (I use Unroll.Me it’s Free!)
- Update your operating system, browser, apps, etc. on all your electronic devices
- Organize with Evernote
I have Evernote on my Mac, but also on my Kindle Fire. When I am out and about or doing other things, I can add notes on my Kindle app which are synced to my computer. Everything is where I need it, when I need it. Isn’t technology marvelous!
- Organize with Stickies Mac Users
I like to use Stickies in different colors with different headers for “in progress” notes:
- Online Storage & Backup (Google Docs and Dropbox)
I have a Seagate external hard drive that I have had for years and has always served me well. It’s great for storing older files and pictures that I don’t currently need on my laptop. I also like to be able to back stuff up online. If you are a blogger, you can outsource a blog backup service on a site like Fiverr and then drop the files into an online storage, so your site is safe.
- Run cleanup software
I have used Clean My Mac for a long time. When my laptop seems to be a bit overwhelmed, I know it’s time. MacPaw has recently released Clean My Mac 3 with new iTunes Junk, Maintenance, and Privacy modules. Click the pic if you are ready to speed up!
You also may want to..
- Get rid of duplicates
MacPaw can help with that too! If you are a PC user and know of some great software for this, please share in the comments.
- Sort those PDFs & eBooks
A confessed “downloadable ebook junkie” I now have all those ebooks in their own files and categories based on content. Again we are back to the “Will I ever actually read this” scenario, but I have high hopes.
Bonus: Here is a quick tutorial on using “Tabs” in Finder. You also have the ability to color code with tabs, a nice feature. I plan to work on my files more with this…
Wow! Deep breathe, what a list!
Clutter happens, life happens, but you don’t have to let it take over and rule! I sold almost everything, down to there suitcases, almost three years ago. There is nothing like moving to another continent to learn how to do more with less. Admittedly, I have collected a “few” things again, but Simplicity truly is a gift!
YouTube has many tutorials on organizing your Mac if you are up for more. If you make time on a weekly basis to quickly go through, delete what you don’t need, and organize what you do, you will keep things neat and save tons of time later. I suggest you Spring Clean your environment too, it’s fabulous I promise. Today, I just wanted to focus on organizing your Mac and online life. Don’t forget to give yourself a bit of love and Spring Cleaning too! (Insert shameless plug for my eBook 5 Gifts to Give Yourself 😉 )
Still feel a bit overwhelmed? Check out this great list of Apps for Staying Organized via Forbes!
What do you think? Ready to organize?
Mrs. AOK says
I’m in dire need of some office organization! Thank you for this, I’m pinning and coming back when I can set aside time to clean up my office-crazy.
XOXO
lorihil says
Best of luck with the cleaning and organizing! It’s definitely an ongoing thing!