Most of us went into the new year with a plan to get organized this year We wrote lists, made goals, and for the most part, felt really excited about them. But in a few weeks, we go back to the same old things we did last year. So consider this your reminder not to give up, because we’re only a month-and-a-half in. It’s not too late to make things happen! Because organizing your life will keep those goals you got so excited about less likely to fall by the wayside. Here’s how to stay organize your life this year.

How To Organize Your Life

I feel pretty good after getting rid of over 50% of my wardrobe. So much of the clutter is gone, but we still have a junk drawer or two or seven. And please note that I do not suggest doing all of this at once. When January rolled around, I scheduled my doctor’s appointments but spaced each one out by a few weeks. I’ll spend a few hours tackling various projects. Last weekend, I organized our shoe shelves by adding a few more shelves and tossing our shoe boxes Life feels much better without shoes all over the floor, Conor. 

Write things down

Whether you’re taking notes on paper or in an app, find a place where you keep all your notes and stick to using it. I used the notes app on my phone and desktop since they’re synced.

Set reminders

I set reminders for everything from things I need to discuss with my cofounder to when I need to call and schedule my annual dermatologist appointment. And because the reminders app is synced on my desktop and phone, notifications are never missed.

Use a calendar

I love paper calendars but they only work if you’re good about always carrying your calendar with you, which I am not. So I synced my work and personal calendars to my phone and computer, and always know what’s happening when. Unless they un-sync and I can’t figure out why which has happened more than once.

See your doctor

Speaking of your dermatologist, part of being organized means taking care of yourself. Schedule your teeth cleaning, annual physical, gynecologist, and skin check at your dermatologist. Don’t let those appointments loom for another year. Take care of yourself!

Get rid of the clothes you don’t wear

Sell and donate clothes you don’t need and organize everything. My sock and bra situation was a mess so I got rid of the ones I don’t wear very often a few weeks ago. My drawer that was once full of 4 t-shirt piles now has a handful of t-shirts, so these days, I only own shirts, jeans, and shoes that I actually wear. It feels so good!

Don’t forget about your beauty products

Get rid of the half empty bottles of face cream you haven’t used in 6 months or commit to actually using them. Toss the old nail polish bottles and extra hair tools, too. Opening your medicine cabinet or drawer, knowing what’s in there, and having easy access to everything feels really good. Trust me.

Toss the expired stuff

Go through your pantry, refrigerator, and medicine cabinet and toss everything that’s gone bad. Chances are you’re holding on to something from a few years ago and didn’t even know it.

Clean out those junk drawers 

We all have junk drawers in our nightstand, desk, or kitchen–or all three–so toss everything you don’t need and clean it out once and for all. It’s incredible how freeing it is to not know there’s excess “stuff” tucked away in your home.

Delete or finally answer those unread emails

It is my goal to not have more than 10 unread emails in my inbox by the end of the day and those are really just flagged so I don’t forget about them. There’s always so much being thrown at us, so unsubscribe when you can and finally reply to those emails you’ve been meaning to reply to.

Pay off that debt

If you have credit card debt, stop using your CC on anything that isn’t urgent (like shopping and dining out) and get that thing paid off. I pay my credit card off every week or two and am always logging into mint.com to track my spending. I’ll talk more about how I budget soon.

Plan your groceries for the week

Make a plan for the week and when you prep dinner, make a few extra servings for lunch or dinner the following evening. And while you’re at it, have some easy, healthy options at home for when you don’t feel like cooking but are trying to save on take-out. I’ll usually make a slow cooker dish that I have on hand for a few days, or grill a bunch of chicken at the beginning of the week, and mix it up with different veggies. I also stock up on eggs, egg whites, frozen turkey sausage, and almond milk so there’s always something healthy in my kitchen.

Make your bed and tidy up every day

I make my bed every single morning and usually tidy up a little bit each night. You’re not going to clean your entire home every day, so pick a few things to do. Tackle one project at a time. I usually wipe down the kitchen counters and try to put any extra “stuff” away. While it’s not always perfect, these touch-ups make everything feel a lot more organized.

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