I've been feeling very unorganised the last few months and haven't been happy with all the time that passes without knowing how it was spent. I have things piling up around me and I don't know how to get back in control of it all. I've decided to write up a timetable with things to do once I come home from work and I also made a weekly timetable with things I have to do throughout the week.
Anyone have any good ideas?
5 comments:
I just wanted to let you know that I am feeling the same way. I will be watching the comments for good ideas. Maybe when our kids are young this is just a normal state of being (behind and unorganized).
I enjoy your blog.
We constantly struggle with organization and are slowly creating order in one area at a time. One thing that helped us a great deal was to take large garbage sacks and collect every single toy that was in the kitchen or living or dining areas and take them to the kids room. Not only was the room uncluttered, the kids played with their imaginations and each other in those rooms instead of constantly fighting over toys. The toys slowly make it back down but we just repeat the process. And now the kids have organized the toys in their rooms, so the toys from downstairs are carried up and put away. Amazing concept for us a few years ago. Here's a link to our family laundry routine if you need any help with that. And every household has different things that work. I wish you well!
I know how you feel! I was having the same problem a few months back and being so disorganised made me more stressed and everything just snowballs from there!
What I did (this is working for me but every home is different)
*every night I clear the kitchen sink, throw out the rubbish and wipe it all down (taken from Fly lady) it has made a huge difference not waking up to a load of dirty dishes.
*Also from flylady, I wipe and swipe, wipe down the bathroom area and the the toilet and chuck the cloth in the wash, only takes a couple of minutes, haven't got into the habit of doing it every day yet...
*before bath time Ebi-kun has to tidy up all his toys and put them back where they 'live' - everything has a home.
*made my own chart to stick to the fridge, I print out enough for the week on each sheet it has the important things for the day, Japanese lesson, play dates etc. a section for household chores, I just put in one or two for the day, clean bath, vacuum etc. a 'to do' list, email Dave, post office, pay bills etc. I also write in what is for dinner, I tried to do the whole week of meal planning but it just didn't work for me, a couple of days at a time is how I go... then I have a bit with things to do for my shop/Montessori/Ebi-kun and finally I write in birthdays for the following week so i don't forget to send a card!
*Hubby set it up so the majority of our bills are paid automatically and he does all the banking online, no more waiting for an hour in the bank to pay one bill.
Ebi-kun is still at home but when I was a kid my mom always had us prepare our bags ready for the next day and take out which clothes we were going to wear so that there would be minimal morning madness. This is a habit I have kept up with, I still did it when I was working :o)
I'm not sure if this helps, I think it is a matter of trying different ideas until you find one that suits your household. When you hit the jackpot, please share with us.
Hi N!
I'm feeling you - as I'm sure lots of us mama's are! Sorry I haven't gotten back to you properly yet via email. I promise I will soon :)
I have a similar routine to Jo, it sounds - also inspired by Flylady (flylady.com).
BTW, her website looks more than a bit crazy when you first visit but don't be put off. It can really help with planning out your house chores / weekly schedules. And it will suit most people whether they just need a little or a lot of organisational-help.
I stumbled across it 3 years ago just after Lovely was born & it sure has made a difference in our lives. Not that we're ever completely on top of things around here but I do feel like I know how to hold it all a lot better than I used to.
I look forward to watching more comments come in :)
Hi N, I have a pretty busy life so I live on calendars to make sure I don't miss anything.
One calendar is on the fridge. This is where I write everything dealing with the kids and parties and my husbands schedule.
I then have my personal appointments, school meetings and important kids school info. that may keep me from personal appointments or my school meetings(like no school on a certain day!)
I have To Do lists that I update every night. I sleep better this way. I have a running grocery list on the counter in the kitchen.
Laundry day is always the same day of the week.
Everything is picked up before going to bed and we try to leave for school with everything picked up although it does not always happen. We implement FlyLady's clean sink rule also!
I hope this helps. I do have a very helpful husband who is 10 times more organized than I am.
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