101 Organizing Tasks to Tackle Today

With so much uncertainty in the world – it is hard to stay focused on anything other than the news. But sometimes when you are experiencing feelings of helplessness and worry – tackling some organizing tasks can put you back in the driver’s seat.

After all worrying about things you can’t control isn’t very useful.

The only thing you CAN do right now work on the things that you can control.

There are lots of things you can do to pass the time, stay productive, and take your mind of the world at large.

No – I’m not talking about Netflix.

I’m talking about all those little projects you have been putting off because you didn’t have the time (but more likely were procrastinating on).

For each of us, this list of organizing tasks will be different because our situations are different.

But hopefully, you will find a few things on the list that apply to you.

I split the list into a few sections to make it easy to navigate.

Organize Your Learning

I am sure that everyone has something that they have been meaning to learn how to do.

It could be something big like picking up a brand new skill, or it could be something smaller like learning how to use a piece of equipment or even an app that you already own.

Just put the words “Learn how to” in front of the following suggestions …

1. use apps on your phone – explore the features and practice.
2. take better photos with your phone.
3. use your DSLR camera, if you have one
4. edit your photos
5. use a photo editing app like Adobe Photoshop, Canva, or PicMonkey
6. sync your devices – computer to phone to tablet etc
7. use the electronics in your car
8. program your car radio with your favorite stations
9. customize the settings in your car for your locks, seats, dashboard, etc.
10. connect your phone to your car
11. start a blog
12. use a kitchen appliance like the Instant Pot, an Air Fryer, or your blender
13. cook a new recipe
14. play a new or old board game
15. record video for YouTube
16. FaceTime with friends and relatives – or do a group call
17. use your sewing machine
18. make face masks to donate
19. use your Cricut machine
20. paint, knit, crochet, or other hobby
21. borrow eBooks and magazines from your local library

Organize Your Home

The one thing most people procrastinate on is cleaning and organizing the stuff that you don’t use everyday.

Being stuck at home is actually a great opportunity for you to tackle these projects as unpleasant as they are.

Here are some suggestions:

22. organize the cabinet under your kitchen sink
23. clean out your silverware drawer
24. clean out your junk drawer
25. clean out your pantry
26. organize your spice drawer or cabinet
27. clean out the refrigerator and freezer
28. clean off your home office desk
29. clean out your car
30. wash your car
31. organize and pare down your make up
32. sort through your nail polish collection
33. organize your bathroom vanity
34. organize the cabinets under your bathroom sink
35. clean out your medicine cabinet
36. clean out the linen closet
37. wash throw blankets that don’t get washed very often
38. if your bedroom pillows are washable – wash those
39. deep clean your carpets if you have a home carpet cleaning device
40. clean out your hallway closet
41. hose down any indoor/outdoor doormats
42. tackle your cable clutter – you know, that box of USB, HDMI, and who only knows what other types of cables that you probably tossed into a box somewhere
43. take the time to go through your holiday decor and organize or pare down – Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and any other holidays you celebrate and decorate for
44. organize your craft supplies
45. clean out the garage
46. get your snow blower ready for summer storage
47. weed the garden
48. wash your windows (but be safe about it)
49. clean out the attic
50. organize your basement
51. go around your entire house or apartment with a damp washcloth on a broom handle and tackle the dust bunnies that are up high
52. clean the vents in your house with a vacuum or dust cloth
53. sweep your porch or your deck and wash with a power washer
54. if you have pets, go through the toys and get rid of the ones that are worn out
55. clean and organize the playroom
56. go through the clothes that your kids have outgrown
57. review your wardrobe – clothes, outerwear, shoes, socks, underwear, accessories – set items to donate that you will no longer wear
58. go through your costume jewelry and discard items you will not wear
59. take a close look at storage (drawers, cabinets) in high traffic areas like the drawers near your stove or sink, the nightstand drawer next to your bed, the top drawer in your vanity, the easiest shelves to reach in your pantry, etc. – make sure these areas contain ONLY the items that you use often. Move things you use less often to harder to reach spaces
60. organize your family photos – both online and offline
61. set up your online reading lists – on your Kindle or other mobile device
62. organize your eBooks and courses on your computer – better yet, READ them or complete the course
63. help your kids organize their video games and electronic devices

Tackle Your Paperwork

I am giving paperwork it’s own category because there is so much to do in this area that it is never ending.

64. go through your pile of mail
65. organize your bills and due dates using a notebook, or something specific like the Erin Condren bill payment dashboard or Petite Planner Budget Book.
66. work on creating an in case of emergency instruction book in case something happens to you
67. organize your important papers like life insurance policies, wills, titles, etc.
68. set up a password organizer like 1Password
69. set up a process to make your home office paperless
70. install a scanning app on your phone
71. organize your cloud accounts like: Google Drive, Dropbox, or Evernote
72. understand how you can access your cloud files from your different devices
73. organize your file cabinet
74. organize your computer desktop
75. set up Quickbooks or an accounting system for your small business

Plan for the Future

Having a lot of time on your hands is also a good opportunity to plan for better days ahead.

76. create a vision board for your future
77. set some goals and break those down into bite sized steps
78. assign some deadlines to measure your progress
79. update your paper planner and your electronic calendar
80. using some of the items on this list, create projects for you to work on both now and in the future
81. set up a master “to do” list notebook or app
82. organize your planner supplies and accessories
83. work with your kids on learning how to plan out their schedules, homework, and chores
84. create a daily schedule for yourself and family
85. create a weekly cleaning schedule

Tap Into Your Creativity

In the Learn How To section above, I touched on learning a new hobby or skill – but here I want to touch upon using a hobby or skill that you already have.

For example, I have a Cricut machine, sewing machine, and lots of planning supplies – so there are little projects that I think about and promptly forget about until it is too late.

Here are some examples:

86. make paper birthday cards for family and friends
87. create handmade gift embellishments to decorate presents that I give throughout the year
88. crochet baby blankets
89. make a quilt
90. create little holiday themed gift card holders and paper boxes for gift giving
91. create a notebook of gift ideas for people on my holiday gift list – for example, I just learned that my mom could use a new winter hat – this is something that I could make or buy as a gift for later in the year, but I need to make a note of it now so I remember

Work on Self Improvement

In our busy lives, it is easy to put yourself last.

So, take this time to give yourself a little attention and work on self care and mindfulness.

92. start journaling – Erin Condren has some beautiful soft bound notebooks that are perfect for this
93. start an online exercise program
94. keep a fitness log
95. establish a personal daily routine – wake up, get ready, etc (even if you are staying home all day)
96. start a meditation routine
97. track your hydration and vitamin habits
98. find healthy recipes using ingredients you already have
99. work on your relationships with those you live with and connecting online or via phone with those far away or even next door
100. set aside time for to kick back and relax – take a long bath, watch an old movie
101. read books that you have been meaning to get to

And another one as an afterthought – clean out your email inbox.

There Are Lots of Things To Do At Home

The bottom line is that you can either go stir crazy during this time at home or you can use your time productively.

Be sure to write down the things you accomplish on a daily basis – so you can see your progress and feel good about crossing a few things off of your to do list!