Spring cleaning: Time management, tips for better routine

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Jessica Litman is an organizing expert and the founder and CEO of The Organized Mama, a multimedia brand that offers organization, decorating and DIY strategies for individuals and families to maintain order in their homes and lives.

She shared time-management tips on how to create a routine, and some ways to declutter for spring cleaning.

Use a visual timer to help keep you on track. Visual timers are physical timers that give you a countdown of how long you have to complete a task. This works well for those "not-so-fun" projects you have to work on. The motivation behind visually seeing how much time is left may be the boost you need to complete said task.

Time-block your day. When you group your day into blocks, you can feel more focused on projects. To do this, give yourself about 45 minutes to 1 hour per task. Use your visual timer to keep yourself focused and remove distractions like your phone. Then work on one project.

Use project boards to keep you focused. Project boards are board displays used to help break down tasks for your various projects. Project boards are great because they are visual reminders of all you get to do. Plan out your day, break up your tasks and then add them to your project board to keep you on track.

Create routines throughout your day. Creating routines helps significantly increase your time management. Because these behaviors become "routine," you don't have to think about what things you have to do, you just do them. Start by creating routines for activities you know you do every day, such as a get out of bed routine, a before you start your workday routine, an end your workday routine, and a bedtime routine.

Group items you need for tasks together. When you keep items together for daily or weekly tasks, you don't waste time trying to find them. Group like items together and store them in a caddie.

Jessica's first book, "Home Sweet Organized Home" will be released in spring 2022 and includes 19 chapters focusing on ways individuals can declutter their homes and lives, with worksheets, checklists, and quick lists included to make these strategies tangible and applicable to their everyday lives.