Part of having a plan to organize your home and life is learning the right order in which to complete tasks. I am always trying to figure out the proper order to do things in by asking these questions:

• What makes the most sense?
• Which order will be the speediest?
• Are there scientific reasons to do one thing before the other?

Some things, like putting on moisturizers, have scientific reasons to do *this* before *that*, and others are based on timing and your own preference. In the guides below, I did the research and laid out the most productive order in which to complete certain tasks.

What order should I organize the rooms in my home?

You may be tempted to dive right into your kitchen or closet, but the best place to begin is in your natural storage areas such as the basement, garage and attic. This way when you declutter and store items in other ares, they have a place to call home.

1. Basement
2. Attic
3. Garage
4. Kitchen
5. Entry way
6. Bathrooms
7. Living rooms
8. Closet
9. Bedroom
10. Home office
11. Linen closet
12. Utility closet
13. Laundry room

Read more on what order to organize your home.

What order should I pack?

I like to place the heaviest items on the bottom of my suitcase or duffle and work up from there, leaving delicate items on the top layer.

1. If you are bringing towels or blankets, drape them over your open suitcase and pack on top of the drape
2. One on side pack your shoes, soles facing in
3. On the other, toiletry bags, hair dryers, curling irons, and socks
4. Roll heavy jackets
5. Roll heavy fabrics like denim and corduroy
6. Heavy sweaters are light-weight jackets are also rolled
7. Lighter fabrics, rolled if possible
8. Underwear, hosiery, anything delicate
9. Place an empty, light-weight bag to hold laundry
10. Fold remaining blanket or towels over the top before zipping up your case or bag

What order should I prep my skin for bed?

The evening is the time I wash my face thoroughly, and then I start thinking about which products to apply. Here's a check checklist of which order to apply products in at night. Some are optional (for instance, I only apply serum, eye cream and moisturizer after cleansing).

1. Cleanse
2. Retinoids and prescriptions
3. Spot treatments (optional)
4. Serum
5. Eye cream
6. Moisturizer

Read the full article at Total Beauty.

What order should I prep my skin for make up?

I have a whole coterie of products I use on my skin. I love to buy them, but ofte I'm confused about which to put on when, and what order to apply them to my skin. Here's a checklist of which products to apply and in which order in the morning. Some of these are, of course, optional.

1. Cleanse
2. Exfoliate
3. Toner
4. Prescription creams
5. Serum
6. Eye cream
7. Facial moisturizer
8. Sunscreen
9. Primer
10. Make Up

Read the full article at Total Beauty.

What order should I clean in the shower?

Like with anything involving water and cleaning, work from the top down, allowing gravity to be your helper.

1. Brush your hair and put your clothes in the hamper before you get in the shower
2. Shampoo and rinse
3. Conditioner
4. Soap up
5. Shave body hair
6. Rinse conditioner
7. Towel dry
8. Moisturize

What order should I meal plan and grocery shop?

1. Take inventory of your kitchen (refrigerator, freezer, pantry, cupboard, cabinets)*
2. Check your calendar for upcoming events and meals being out of the home, to decide which meals need to be prepared
3. Find and choose recipes
4. Create a grocery list
5. Clear out refrigerator, refrigerator, freezer, pantry, cupboard, and cabinets of any old/spoiled food.*
6. Organize coupons, grocery list and schedule time to shop
7. Grocery shop
8. Execute meal plan, focusing on using vegetables, meat and fresh fruits first.

*These are two very important steps that most people skip. Inventorying and decluttering your kitchen before you plan and shop means you can use up the food you already have on hand, and your new groceries will be stored in a less-cluttered kitchen. It's important to keep your fresh food front-and-center so it is used quickly.
Read more on meal planning, grocery shopping and couponing in How to Get Started Meal Planning.