I'm not a routine person and am organized in my head mostly. LOL Due to health problems it's difficult to do some things on a schedule so I guess I get things done in my own time and am able to stay on top of things.

The two things my husband and I do on a daily basis are to always go through mail and throw out magazines and ads, file bills and the other thing is we never, ever leave shoes or clothes anywhere in the house except the bedroom or laundry room. If we read a newspaper or magazine it is always thrown out for recycling or put away, never left lying around. We never leave dishes anywhere but in the sink until they are ready for the dishwasher. Oh, and above all, we clean the litter boxes 2 x's a day and change them out entirely once a week.

Being just the two of us it's easy to stay a bit more organized, but even if you have kids, teaching them the rights and wrongs with house duties will go a long way and save you a lot of work.

I am organized when it comes to grocery shopping and running errands. I always try to run all my errands in the order they appear on the map to save time and gas. I try to plan meals ahead of time as that saves anxiety with shopping and preparing. I try to prepare meals that will freeze well for another day like casseroles, gravies, etc.

Good luck with your new plan for the New Year. Take baby steps and you'll get where you want to be.

This might sound weird because time is time right? I have made it a habit this past year to always have my clothes for work ironed and ready the night before. I still get up at the same time (most days) so I use the time in the morning I used to spend ironing, or panicking because I didn't know what to wear, to straighten things or do a bit of cleaning. Things I could have done in the evening but didn't do. I told you it's weird. I feel virtuous having time to do a bit in the morning.

I think a lot of organization, etc. is routines and knowing yourself. I'm much more productive in the morning so that's when I push myself to get stuff done. Especially on the weekends. After work I'll do laundry but I'm not motivated to do much else cleaning wise. So I do my weekday morning spurts and then the major things on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

@southerngal25, I wish I had some ... LOL ...

Trying to get there myself. I'm determined to get more buttoned down in 2012.

I've been following several blogs that I find truly inspiring. I have started to implement some of their ideas for organization. I recently organized my take out menus in a nice expandable file and I plan to do a Home Management Binder and a Recipe Binder in January.

As for a cleaning schedule ... I need work there. I'm just not motivated most days but I'm going to try harder to do a bit each day.

Here are some links to my favourite blogs. Iheart Organizing is just great. Jen is so bubbly and will get you motivated. She is very creative and her ideas are great (she was even featured on Nate Berkus's show in the "House Proud" segment).

Good luck!

http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/

http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/

http://cleanmama.blogspot.com/

My biggest problem is mail(bills and junk) It just comes in and piles up. The January better homes and gardens magazine had good organization ideas. One was setting up a mail processing area. Having a bins for important now, not as important, and a shredder and trash can for the rest. I found that keeping a notebook with what date I paid the bills and how much can be really handy, when the time gets away from you and you can't remember what has been paid.

I followed this system for the mail (with a few tweaks) and it's working really well for us.

Here is a link that might be useful: organizing the mail

Paperwork is probably the hardest thing for me. A lifesaver has been having payments automatically deducted from my checking account (mortgage, gas, electric, credit cards, car, loans, insurance) each month.

I'm a procrastinator so my motto is Nike, Nike (just do it), even if it's only 15 or 30 minutes a day, working on a project (usually painting or cleaning). I also use design blogs and the hoarders tv shows as incentives to finish projects and keep the house and yard tidy.

Online banking is just a wonderful service. No stamps, no worry about checks lost in the mail, you can set up "recurring" payments that you want to pay the same every month or do One Time Only checks. You have an easy to access record of all paid checks. Believe me, I've had a few disputes settled by printing out my paid checks.As far as household organizing, a good idea is Do It Now. If you see dirt on your kitchen floor, clean it now. don't wait and let people and pets track through it. A "Flylady" approach helps. Keep your sink clear of dishes, do laundry daily, think of your house having a "center" (your kitchen sink) and clean from there outwards. I read Flyladys website, even bought her book. I don't agree with everything (like wearing lace-up shoes) so I use what I like and ignore the rest.

CATALOG CHOICE-REMOVING JUNK MAIL
There is a free web service to get rid of junk mail. You have to create an account, but it does not cost any money. They don't sell your name because they're entire goal is to reduce waste. Then you can list the companies that are mailing you ads (Qwest, Dish Network). There is also an app for your phone, but that requires a subscription. You simply take a photo of the piece of mail and the company does the rest. A third choice is to purchase a postage-paid envelope and mail them your junk mail and they get your name removed from lists. It's proven helpful for me. I've posted the link.
Heidi

Here is a link that might be useful: CATALOG CHOICE-remove junk mail

I have a couple of routines that just keep the most important things organised. I deal with the mail straight away, toss the junk into the recycle bin and put bills in a tray next to the computer to be paid with online banking. Every morning I clean up the kitchen, sometimes I'm just too tired at night so I spend about 10 mins loading the dishwasher, doing a few things by hand, tidying and wiping everything down. The third one is more of a habit instead of a routine, and that is to put the keys on the keyholder so we know where they are. There is nothing more frustrating for me than having to search all over the house for keys!

I usually shop at the same grocery store. On one trip to the grocery, I made a detailed list of frequently-bought items and noted the aisle number for each. Using an Excel spreadsheet, I made a shopping list with items listed by aisle, in the order I walked in the store. This saves me all kinds of time by preventing back-tracking in the store. I post this list on the refrigerator and even DH uses it now. Can't remember the last time I ran out of a staple.

I use the 7 Day/30 minute plan!
Sunday: Paperwork
Monday: Bedroom
Tuesday: Kitchen
Wednesday: Laundry
Thursday: Livingroom
Friday: Bathroom
Saturday: Shopping

This way I'm never overwhelmed by any task, and I actually get it done! LOL

I wish I could have a fixed weekly schedule... but things interfere with that.

For instance, DH is whisking me away to a three day retreat. (Fri/Sat/Sun). NO way I can let paperwork slide for an extra week....

I DO all the laundry on Mondays, though!

I go for dialysis 3xs a week so I dont have time to waste...Ive been getting organized slowly deal with one thing at a time.My clothes I lost 62lbs so I got rid of all my clothes,kept what I want .I live in a 1700 farmhouse with no closets,So I bought 2 clothes racks ,hung everything up,I put racks in spare room,baskets for potatoes,onions,crock for kitchen gadgets love em...looks pretty,Rack above stove for kettles,Use alot of the plastic tubs big ones for bedspreads winter clothes in summer,I have papers etc in smaller ones.Im getting there,slowly but surely.

Check out www.flylady.net for help with routines, cleaning and de-cluttering.