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Let's be honest—staying on top of everything these days can feel like a full-time job in itself. Life seems to be moving at lightning speed, which is why strong organizational skills are now in the spotlight.

Therefore, being organized is important for both professional success and personal well-being. So, if you want to learn how to improve organizational skills, keep reading! This article provides 10 strategies that really work!

Key Takeaways

• Set clear goals and prioritize smartly for increased productivity. Use SMART goals, break big tasks into smaller ones, and track progress. Prioritize with tools like the Eisenhower Matrix or the Ivy Lee method.

• Train your organizational skills with neurofeedback. Mendi utilizes non-invasive fNIRS technology to train the brain part responsible for organizational skills and other cognitive abilities.

• Improve focus and manage your time well. Use time-blocking, realistic scheduling, and the Pomodoro technique. Avoid multitasking and aim for deep, focused work.

• Use the right tools and optimize your environment. Keep your workspace clean, and use digital planners and project management apps.

• Reflect, adjust, and ask for feedback. Do weekly reviews, tweak your goals, learn from mistakes, and get input from mentors, peers, or accountability groups.

How to Build Strong Organizational Skills: 10 Methods

Why are organizational skills important, after all? Well, the world is filled with constant distractions and ever-growing to-do lists. Without the ability to organize our responsibilities, we can get sucked into this vortex of never-ending tasks and missed opportunities.

At work, being organized can make the difference between meeting deadlines and missing them, between effective communication and crossed wires. Employees with strong organizational habits are often more efficient, dependable, and capable of handling increased responsibility. A survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) even ranked the “ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work” as one of the top attributes employers look for in job descriptions/during job interviews, especially for leadership roles.

But these skills don’t just benefit your professional life. They carry over into your daily routines as well. You use your organizational skills to plan meals, manage household tasks, schedule personal appointments, and even take care of yourself by eating healthily and making sure you get enough sleep.

In short, we cannot stress enough how important organizational skills are for our success and well-being. Luckily, there are plenty of methods to continuously improve them, which we'll discuss below!

1. Set Goals You Can Act On

Clarity begins with goal-setting. When you have specific objectives, you also have a clear direction. This means you can stay focused on what matters most, predict outcomes, and meet deadlines more efficiently.

Without achievable goals, on the other hand, tasks can feel overwhelming, and you're more likely to enter a kind of paralysis that makes it impossible to do anything. On the other hand, measurable objectives keep you aware of your progress and allow you to celebrate your small wins! This also gives you the self-motivation to follow through, even when you stumble upon challenges.

Furthermore, research by the Dominican University of California shows that those who write down their goals are significantly more likely to achieve them.

How to set effective goals:

• Use the SMART method: make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

• Break down big goals: divide long-term goals into smaller, more manageable tasks to make them less scary.

• Set weekly and monthly reviews: regularly review your progress to stay on track and adjust goals if needed.

• Write goals down: keep a physical or digital list that you can refer to daily so they stay top of mind.

2. Prioritize with Purpose

Knowing what to do first can make all the difference in how you organize your day. It’s not just about being busy—it’s about being productive. Effective prioritization is an essential organizational skill that helps you make the most of your time so you can focus on what really matters.

How to prioritize tasks:

• Use the Eisenhower Matrix: categorize tasks into four quadrants—urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. Focus on the first two.

• Try the Ivy Lee method: at the end of each day, write down six tasks to do the next day in order of importance. Stick to the list.

• Create a daily to-do list: focus on 3-4 urgent and important tasks a day to keep things balanced and not overwhelming. You can also create weekly to-do lists with tasks that are repeated every week (e.g. evaluate KPIs every Monday).

• Say no when necessary: learn to delegate or say no to non-urgent tasks that don’t align with your main goals.

3. Train Your Organizational Skills with Neurofeedback

If you want to feel 100% confident adding organizational skills to your resume, neurofeedback is the best method to achieve this. It's a science-backed, brain-first approach to improving your organizational skills.

Mendi is a neurofeedback device that targets and trains the prefrontal cortex—the part of your brain responsible for focus, decision-making skills, impulse control, and—yes—organizational skills. This brain region plays a central role in your ability to plan, prioritize, and stay on task.

Unlike traditional productivity hacks or time management techniques, Mendi transforms your journey into a measurable activity. And the best part about the process is that it's completely non-invasive. The sensors in our headband simply measure blood flow and oxygen levels in your prefrontal cortex while you're playing a game on our app. When your prefrontal cortex activity increases, you receive positive feedback in the game. Over time, this can help you:

• Stay focused during long tasks.

• Manage time more effectively.

• Set goals.

• Develop systems that allow you to achieve goals.

• Prioritize tasks.

• Handle complex projects more efficiently.

4. Develop Time Management Skills

Time management is a key organizational skill. When you are aware of how long tasks take, you are much more likely to finish everything in time and adjust your schedule accordingly. Moreover, effective time management can foster a better work-life balance.

So, if at the end of the day, you can't outline what exactly you accomplished on that day, you're probably struggling with time management. But rest assured—it's something you can definitely change!

How to manage your time effectively:

• Time-block your day: allocate specific time slots to tasks. Turn off notifications during these periods.

• Use task-management tools: use apps like Asana, Trello, or Google Calendar to keep track of your tasks and upcoming deadlines, and appointments.

• Set realistic task durations: break down projects into chunks and allocate a time frame to each. Don’t overload your already full and detailed schedule.

• Review your time weekly: check where your time went and adjust as needed. Look for time leaks or tasks that took longer than expected.

5. Keep Your Workspace Tidy

How can your workspace improve your organizational skills? Well, it seems like a minor thing, but it does wonders, you'll see!

Science backs this up. Neuroimaging has shown that the brain reacts subconsciously to images of order and organization. Tidy spaces give viewers a sense of calm. Cluttered environments, on the other hand, can actually trigger the viewers' fight-or-flight mode. This means that cortisol levels increase, and they are more likely to become emotionally exhausted.

Here's another fascinating study. Professor of neuroscience and psychology at Princeton University Sabine Kastner conducted multiple experiments in which participants were asked to focus on one item in different street images. fMRI scans have shown that the brain was expending more energy trying to concentrate than actually processing any one thing in that picture. As a result, Kastner concluded that processing clutter "can become overwhelming and make our brains do more work to complete simple tasks."

How to organize your workspace:

• Declutter regularly: set aside time each day or week to tidy up. Remove anything that doesn’t directly contribute to your current tasks.

• Use containers and organizers: keep your desk clear by storing supplies in labeled drawers or organizers for easy access.

• Designate specific spots for items: always return materials to their proper places so clutter doesn’t build up.

• Set up a system for paperwork: filing systems or digital tools like Google Drive.

6. Don’t Multitask

Multitasking may seem efficient, but in reality, it actually slows you down. Studies show that when people multitask, they tend to feel more mentally strained, make more mistakes, and perform worse compared to when they monotask.

The human brain is wired to focus on one thing at a time, even though we'd like to think that we can focus on multiple things at the same time. The truth is that when we're multitasking, we're actually switching between tasks, not handling everything at once. This is why multitasking causes mental fatigue—we cannot switch from one task to another rapidly and maintain the same level of focus.

How to avoid multitasking:

• Use the Pomodoro Technique: work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four intervals, take a longer break—this completes a Pomodoro cycle. Allocate specific time blocks for different tasks.

• Limit distractions: put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and close unnecessary browser tabs while working.

• Prioritize deep work: reserve time for focused, undistracted work, especially on high-impact tasks that contribute to company goals.

7. Use Organizational Tools

Using the right tools can greatly improve your organizational skills. And luckily, you've got plenty at your disposal—digital planners, project management apps, and even meal planner apps! Organizational tools allow you to keep everything in one place—your tasks, deadlines, work events, and career goals. They also make it easier to communicate with your team or family members (depending on what you're using the tools for).

How to use organizational tools:

• Use productivity apps and project management tools: Rescue Time, Notion, Microsoft To Do, Remember the Milk, Brain Focus Productivity Timer

• Keep a digital planner to organize tasks and keep notes for future reference: Google Calendar, Notion, Trello, Todoist, Any.do, Evernote

• Use organizational apps for family life: FamilyWall, TimeTree, Cozi, BusyKid, Greenlight

• Use cloud storage to store digital files: Google Drive, Dropbox

8. Get Feedback and Support

If you want to work on the right organizational skills, it's extremely important to ask for feedback. People around you see things from a different perspective and can help you identify areas of improvement more quickly.

For example, your manager or colleagues may notice how you manage tasks overall, how often you focus on high-priority tasks without getting distracted, whether you maintain organization, and how often you rely on your critical thinking to organize your schedule and set deadlines. Plus, this process can improve your communication skills and contribute to better workflow management.

Getting feedback is also important for family life! "Feedback is the breakfast of champions," after all, isn't it?

How to get feedback:

• Set up regular check-ins with peers: collaborate with colleagues to assess top organizational skills that need to be improved, as well as establish goals and celebrate progress.

• Find a mentor: learn from someone with more experience who can provide tailored advice and feedback on how to use your organization skills and decision-making skills to the fullest to enhance operational efficiency.

• Join an accountability group: being part of a group where members hold each other accountable can motivate you to stay organized, employ strategic planning techniques, and learn new skills for greater success.

• Ask for constructive criticism: be open to feedback that helps refine your organizational approach.

9. Reflect and Adjust Regularly

Your organizational system should be flexible enough to evolve over time. This is why it's important to reflect on your processes from time to time to identify areas of improvement in terms of internal and physical organizational skills. This allows you to adjust your approach, making your methods even more effective and creating the perfect environment for personal growth.

In fact, research by Harvard Business School, HEC Paris, and the University of North Carolina suggests that people who regularly reflect on their performance are more likely to succeed.

Here are some practical steps for reflection and adjustment:

• Schedule weekly reviews: at the end of each week, evaluate what went well and where you can improve; highlight organizational skills that you should work on to succeed.

• Adjust your goals regularly: as circumstances change, tweak your goals and deadlines to stay relevant.

• Ask for feedback: regularly seek feedback from team members, mentors, or peers to improve your methods and make more informed decisions in regard to your daily tasks.

• Learn from your mistakes: use reflection to understand what went wrong and develop strategies to avoid similar pitfalls.

10. Other Tips on Improving Organizational Skills at Home and Work

Here are some other methods you can try to improve organizational skills at home:

• Make a weekly meal plan and a matching grocery list.

• Use labeled bins or baskets for quick cleanup.

• Do a 10-minute daily tidy-up with all the members of your family.

• Use a chore chart or rotation system.

• Keep a donation bin for things you're ready to let go of.

• Pre-sort laundry.

• Plan ahead the outfits for the week.

• Prep lunches and snacks in batches.

• Keep a shopping list on the fridge so you can update it as you run out of things.

• Declutter one small area per week.

Here are some other methods you can try to improve organizational skills at work:

• Use checklists.

• Create routines to reduce mental fatigue or create "default decisions" to reduce choice fatigue.

• Learn to delegate tasks.

• Automate recurring tasks where possible.

• Keep a running "inbox" for thoughts/tasks to process later.

• Create templates for repeated work.

• Use the 2-minute rule: if it takes <2 mins, do it immediately.

• Assign deadlines even to the smallest tasks.

• Establish a "closing ritual" at the end of your workday to stay mentally organized.

Stay Organized with Mendi!

The Mendi headband gives you access to high-level brain training that is extensively used in research settings. Now, you can harness the same technology trusted by scientists and mental performance experts to take control of your organizational skills, focus, and productivity!

Get your own Mendi today and take the first step toward your success!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I improve my organizing skills?

You can improve your organizing skills by training your brain with Mendi neurofeedback, which targets the brain region responsible for organization and planning. You can also improve your organizational skills by prioritizing tasks, setting achievable goals, managing your time more efficiently, keeping your workspace tidy, asking for feedback, and reflecting on your progress.

What is the Eisenhower Matrix, and how does it help prioritize tasks?

The Eisenhower Matrix helps you prioritize tasks by categorizing them into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance, enabling a clear focus on high-priority activities and improved time management.

How can time blocking enhance my productivity?

Time blocking enhances productivity by allocating specific periods for tasks, which minimizes distractions and aids in meeting deadlines and achieving goals. By focusing on one task at a time, you foster deeper concentration and efficiency.

Why is maintaining a tidy workspace important for organizational skills?

Maintaining a tidy workspace is crucial as it minimizes distractions and enhances focus, ultimately leading to improved productivity and efficient task management.

How can seeking feedback improve my organizational skills?

Seeking feedback enhances your organizational skills by offering valuable insights and constructive criticism, allowing you to refine your methods and develop new strategies for improvement.