The Most Important Organizing Advice You Were Never Told

Were you ever told to put something away after you finished it? Can you find used items? Well, that may be because you never returned the thing to its original home. With our Weekly Challenge ebook event happening this year, I wanted to revisit a topic I found quite annoying as a kid. While I was not super organized when I was younger, I found that putting stuff away after I used them helped me control my stress not when I was putting it away but when I needed the item again.

One particular pet peeve of mine was trying to find a pair of scissors in my parents' house when I needed them. You may think scissors, really? Yes, my mother and I would cut coupons every Sunday, and we were always on the hunt for this dreaded item. Sometimes we would find them, and other times we would crease the paper and tear the paper along the crease.  Just imagine with several coupons to clip, how long it took us to crease the paper then cut the coupons. Oh boy!

In this post, I will be talking about something you may not have been told when you were a child. Usually, parents would say this to their kids, but it may have been overlooked especially if their parents didn't mention it to them.

Remember to complete each task.

Yes, it may seem simple. And, of course, it is. But what is completing a task anyway? Here are examples of completed tasks.

Examples of Completed Tasks

• When you take your notes for school, you review them and jot down any further notes you may need to add but didn't have the time in class.
• Placing items in their "home" after you finished using them.
• Putting toys or games away after you are done playing with them.
• Reviewing and editing papers after you have written them.
• Returning used scissors. (You know I had to add that one to the list of examples. =) )
• Putting dishes in the dishwasher or cleaning, drying, and putting them away after you use them.
• Placing binder back in your backpack and bringing it back downstairs for the next day.
• Putting your shoes in the closet after you are done wearing them.
• Placing your dirty clothes in the laundry basket when you get changed for bed.
• Making your bed when you get out of bed in the morning.

While these final steps of a task seem simple, it can create havoc when they are not done. In my example above, you can see how much time and energy it took my mom and me to do a simple task like clipping coupons.  We had to create an alternative way just to do this job.

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Why do I need to finish a task?

Well, I'm glad you asked. Completing a task has many benefits.  Below are just five benefits.

• You will be able to relax on those occasions when you completed all your tasks.
• There will be fewer tasks on your mind to finish.
• You will be more focused on the task at hand because you have put all the other tasks away.
• Your rooms are more organized because there won't be items left out.
• You can honestly say you finished a task.

When completing tasks over time, you will notice that little by little you get back your home and your time. But, how do you retrain yourself to finish the tasks you are doing? Try these steps below.

How do I learn to complete each task?

First, observe what is left out after you finish a project. When you get up and are about to move to another area, look back and see if there is anything left out. It could be a small item like a pencil not being placed back in your bag or something that you didn't associate with the project, but you did use it.

Then, go back and put those items away in their rightful place.

Keep doing this every time you do a project. Eventually, you will realize all the items you use for different projects.

That's pretty much it. I told you it was easy to do. Be patient with yourself because you may forget to do this once and awhile while you learn to retrain yourself. My kids are not perfect.  I need to remind them regularly to complete a task.  They tend to work on something and, before they finish, they get up and move to something else without picking up after themselves. My husband and I have told them over and over, "Complete your task then move on to the next task." I just hope eventually they will get it.

If your parents didn't tell you this, pretend I am your Mother, and I will say it to you now. "Complete your task by putting away the items you pulled out."

Please share this with members of your family that were not told this so they too can understand the importance of completing tasks.

Now, it's your turn. Do you put stuff away when you finish using them? What stops you from putting something away? Please leave a comment below so we can continue the conversation.

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