How To Organize Your Life In One Day Without Losing Your Mind

All the tips you need to organize your life in one day without draining all your energy!

I’m a productivity and organization nerd (self-proclaimed, of course), but I still find myself putting off my organizing tasks.

They can drag on for days, and leave you feeling dry and energyless.

So, while sulking in my room looking at my mess of a bookshelf, I decided enough was enough, and that I could totally do it all in a single day.

I failed, of course, because I had no plan and checklist in hand, and my motivation fizzled out in like five seconds.

The next day, I approached my one-day organization goal with a rough plan in hand and ended the day feeling like an organization champ (with still enough energy left to pour myself some coffee and hit the road for a jog).

If I said I had come up with a revolutionary way to get organized in a single day, I’d be lying.

But is my one-day plan fit to simplify your life by at least 50 percent? Yes, yes it is.

By the time you’re through with all the steps of this checklist, you’ll feel like you’ve cleaned up a good chunk of your life.

‘Progress over perfection’ is what this organizing routine is based on.

So, if that sounds like something you’d be up for, then this post is for you.

Here is how to organize your life in one day without feeling like you’ve been through the wringer.

How To Get Organized In One Day

1. Make Your Bed

I am starting with this classic task for good reason.

Making your bed gives you an instant sense of accomplishment and makes your room look more put together.

It’s one of those little things that when done consistently, can inspire you to keep other areas of your life tidy as well.

So, make your bed at the beginning of the day before you do anything else.

And also, click the picture of your bed on your phone as a pat on the back.

2. Do A Brain Dump

The next step? Clearing mental clutter.

Get a notebook, your regular journal, or the notes app, and do a quick brain dump.

Get all those nagging thoughts, tasks, and reminders out of your head and down on paper.

Work, home, personal goals, shopping lists, things you’ve been putting off, let it all out, and free up some mental space so you can think again.

If it helps, you can set a timer for 10-15 minutes.

This will keep your brain dump session from dragging on too long. Just let the words flow without worrying about neatness or organization yet (that part’s coming up).

3. Knock Out A 20-Minute Declutter

Instead of doing a full life decluttering, we’ll take on a short and sweet decluttering session of 20 minutes.

Pick a specific area like your desk, a shelf, or the main drawer in your kitchen, and spend 20 minutes going through it.

Only keep what you actually use or love.

We’re not trying to create a perfectly organized closet or kitchen. Just getting rid of visible clutter so your space feels fresher and more functional.

Side tip: Grab a trash bag and a “maybe” box.

Toss the stuff you’re ready to part with and put anything you’re undecided about in the “maybe” box to deal with later.

4. Make A Basic Weekly Plan

Being organized doesn’t just mean a clean space and a finished to-do list.

Planning ahead is a huge part of the process too.

So, sit down at your desk, and sketch out your coming week.

No need to create a rigid hour-by-hour schedule.

Just write down any appointments, key work deadlines, social plans, and some big goals for the week.

You can also just make a sticky note with your top three goals or a one-page weekly planner. Whatever feels natural and keeps you on track.

This step will give your week some structure so you’re not scrambling to keep up.

It will also give you a clear view of what needs to get done, which is super grounding and freeing for your mind.

5. Sort Your Digital Space

No organizing checklist would ever be complete without some digital sorting.

Emails, files, and apps can pile up very quick, leaving your devices (and your mind) cluttered.

While sipping hot tea in bed, clear up space on your phone and laptop.

Delete old emails, remove apps you never use, and create new folders to make your files easier to find.

I’d also recommend hitting unfollow on people and channels who you do not need in your feeds. Less noise equals more peace.

A post I recommend: How To Do A Digital Detox: 8 Steps For A Screen-Free Time

6. Organize Your Closet By Type

While there’s no ultimate way to keep your closet clutter-free at all times, you can do something today to bring some order without doing a full overhaul.

Just separate your clothes by type.

Tuck away your shirts in one spot, pants in another, and dresses in one place.

Fold your clothes as you go and don’t try to achieve an Instagram look.

Your goal is to make it easy to reach in and find what you’re looking for.

You can work on making your wardrobe speck-free on your next day off.

7. Do A Quick Financial Check-In

I’ve never been good at managing my finances, but doing financial check-ins has been really helping me up my game.

The best thing is, it hardly takes any time and can really help you get a good hold of your money.

Have a look at your bank balance and recent transactions.

Contemplate what expenses could’ve been avoided, and see if there are any unnecessary subscriptions going on.

I’d also recommend setting a limit on how much you’ll spend on various things for the month (like takeout, groceries, and home items).

Doing this even in your head is a quick way to detangle your financial worries and be more organized with your money going forward.

8. Plan Something Fun For Yourself

Even though it might seem like it, life organization isn’t just about chores. It’s also about making room for joy in your life.

Plan one enjoyable activity for the coming week.

It could be a date with a book, a happy painting session, or watching a movie that everyone’s been raving about.

Treat it like an appointment by putting it in your planner.

And then, show up for yourself the same way you would for anyone else.

This is a real nice way to balance organization and fun in your life.

9. Create A Simple Morning Routine

If your mornings are chaotic or unhealthy, then it’d do you good to create a morning routine that you can start the next day.

Grab a paper, write down ‘my simple morning routine’ at the top, and write down three morning rituals that you can easily follow starting tomorrow.

You can drink water first thing, do a quick stretch, and make yourself a good breakfast while listening to a feel-good playlist.

Or maybe stand outside and breathe in the fresh air before taking your shower and doing your skincare.

A little bit of routine is always better than none, so make a simple morning routine, but do it, please.

This might just be the best tip I can give you to organize your life in one day.

10. End Your Day With A Review

At the end of the day, go over everything you’ve done by creating a reverse to-do list.

Write down all the small and big things you tackled and put tick marks over all the tasks (it’s so satisfying, I’m telling you).

Even if didn’t do every single thing from this post, you’d already be way more organized than you were at the start of the day.

And any progress, no matter how small, is always worth celebrating and being happy about.

And You’re Done!

Okay, so that was my one-day plan to organize your life without stress.

You can use this checklist whenever you’re feeling messy but don’t have a lot of energy to spend.

It’ll give you that sense of accomplishment that can only come from doing some good organizing in your life.

You just read a guide on how to organize your life in one day. Got any ideas to add to the list? Let me know in the comment box. I’d love to try your suggestions.