How to Be Organized: Advice from the Least Organized Person You Know

I’m really not the best person to tell you how to be organized, because honestly, I’m not naturally organized myself. But over time, I’ve found a few tricks that actually work for me. They’re simple, effective, and easy to apply. So, even if you don’t trust me as “the organized type,” you can trust the system I’ve discovered XD.

Use the Urgent-Important Matrix

A simple yet powerful tool is the Eisenhower Matrix (sometimes called the urgent-important table). It helps you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance instead of just reacting to what feels pressing.

Here’s the table:

	Important	Not Important
Urgent	Do it immediately (crucial deadlines, health issues, urgent work tasks)	Delegate or minimize (interruptions, some emails, small favors)
Not Urgent	Schedule it (exercise, planning, learning, long-term goals)	Eliminate or avoid (distractions, time-wasters, mindless scrolling)

The idea is simple:

• Focus on important + urgent first.

• Schedule important + not urgent so you don’t ignore them.

• Minimize or delegate the not-important tasks.

• Cut out the useless ones.

So here it comes another table that is:

	To do	To get it done
	Important - Urgent                To Schedule	Not Important - Urgent                To Avoid
	Important - Not Urgent	Not Important - Not Urgent

Also, don't overthink things too much, never plan too much, just do 3 tasks for each case, and try to do it quickly it will be your plan for short term for example for the next 3 days and also for long term.

Make Things Easy (Atomic Habits Principle)

As James Clear says in Atomic Habits, the key to sticking with good habits is making them simple and easy to do.

For me, whenever I want something done, I set it up so the hardest part: "getting started" feels effortless. I prepare everything beforehand so that execution is almost automatic.

Example:

• If I want to cook, I chop the onion, now i know that if i don't continue i will to need throw it, but i don't like to waste food, so i am obliged to cook :'( .

So make everything you want to do obligate, if you start something you will need to continue you are OBLIGATE :)

Make It Hard Not to Do (be your own enemy :D)

Another trick I use: don’t just make the good habit easy, make it hard not to do it. Add natural consequences if you skip.

Example:

• If I open a can of lentils, I have to cook them that day before they go bad. Now I’m forced to act because there’s no other choice (Oh i hate myself).

This flips the mindset: instead of relying on motivation, you rely on consequences.

In short:

• Use the urgent-important table to prioritize.

• Make good habits easy to start.

• Create situations where not doing the task has a cost.

That way, organization becomes less about discipline and more about smart design.