3 Things You Can Do TODAY to Feel More Organized

I've been inspired to do some organizational/clean-up activities lately. The amount of time to do them is always far outweighed by the improvement in my mood, and every time I do things like this I wonder why I don't do them more often. I decided to make a list of quick-hit activities to do weekly or monthly so I can stay more organized. Here's my list in case you want to try it too!

Note: This post assumes you use the tools I use (Gmail, Mac, iPhone, etc.) ... but you can easily adapt my suggestions.

1. The Overflowing Email Inbox

What's your number? You know, the number on your phone that indicates how many unread emails you have? I used to be zero-emails-inboxer. Today's inbox? 2,844.

A third of you just fainted. I'll give you a moment to get off the floor.

It doesn't matter how or why it happened, but it did. Having been on the other side, I know it doesn't have to be this way. Not for me, and not for you.

Here's a quick activity to make a big dent:

Step 1: Look for five "categories" of emails that make up a large chunk of your inbox, but can easily be deleted. For example, here are five of mine right now:

1. Amazon Notifications
2. Elance Notifications
3. LOFT Promotional Emails
4. PayPal Notifications
5. ActorsAccess Notifications

Step 2: Find the best way to search your inbox for each of the above items. Meaning--the way that will return the least number of emails that you might NOT want to delete. For example, instead of just searching for "amazon", I get better results with the specific Amazon notification email address or part of a subject line, like "Your amazon.com order".

Step 3: With the results returned, select all, then scan through the list for any emails that you're not sure you want to delete and uncheck them. For example, if I search for "ActorsAccess", I get mostly notifications that I can totally delete, but also a few stray acting-related emails from my agent and others. I quickly uncheck anything I'm not 100% sure I want to delete (don't spend time thinking about it, this is a QUICK exercise!), then to the trash can they go.

Step 4: Hit 'Delete'. Ahh. Now go look at your phone and see how far the number went down! Wasn't that fun?

Step 5: Consider unsubscribing or updating preferences for each of the five to limit incoming emails. For example, I don't need LOFT promotional emails coming to me. I don't need help shopping more often, trust me. I can also check my preferences for the others to see if I can limit the number of emails I get. Hm, adding that to my to-do list now.

2. Apps and Icons and Badges, Oh My!

If you're like me, you probably spend more time swiping around your phone looking for things than you realize. Something as simple as reorganizing your apps can really freshen things up and make you feel a bit more together. A few days ago I had four screens of apps with many already in folders. Today I have one screen. You might not want to be a one-screener, but chances are you can make some improvements.

If these steps seem like too much for one day, try doing one step at a time. It still works!

Step 1: Delete apps you don't use. Might seem obvious, but it's really easy to download something, use it once, and forget it.

Step 2: Put apps into folders. Most of you probably use folders, but chances are not optimally. Take some time to think about what categories really make sense for you and move things around a bit. Only leave apps outside of folders if you use them almost daily. Here are some examples of my folders:

• Business & Finance (Wells Fargo, PayPal, LinkedIn)
• Utilities (Contacts, Delta, CVS)
• Games (way too many)
• Sleep (I have several sleep-aid type apps. You probably have at least one category that most other people wouldn't have!)

Step 3: Rearrange apps, folders, and apps inside folders. First, arrange the apps you left on the main screen in order of how often you use them. Second, arrange the folders the same way, after the apps. Third, go into each folder and arrange them in order of frequency of use, too. If you don't want to go overboard, just make sure the apps you use frequently are on the first page within the folder. 

3. The Anxiety-Inducing Desktop

If you're prone to desktop-icon-overload, here's another quick win for organization. Basically just repeat #2, but for your desktop. Delete what you don't need anymore, put things in folders if you keep them. You can literally spend five minutes and some common sense and create a calming effect every time you look at your computer screen.

If any of these tips work for you, I want to hear from you! Plus, if you have more, please share. I need all the help I can get.