I am not big on "New Years Resolutions" but I HAVE decided that I really want to get my life organized. I have taken steps toward this goal... have finally gotten down to getting a will in place, taken care of all of the "non urgent but still needed to be done" things that were piling up in the mail slot, worked out a detailed budget to pay our debt off , cleaned/organized our house from top to bottom, did all of the laundry, finished painting the half painted bedroom, had a garage sale to sell all unneeded "stuff" etc etc... Now comes the difficult part for me, keeping it that way! These things were easy to accomplish because my husband and I are both school employees and have been off work for the last 3 weeks and the kids were obviously off also. So now that "real life" is about to start again I would love to get a system in place. I don't want the laundry to pile up into a 13 load mountain and I don't want to be rushing around in the morning trying to find my kids another sock because I can only seem to find one, or packing the lunches I should have packed the night before but was too tired. I don't want to have things that loom over my head but never get done or an office that is so cluttered I don't even want to look at it. I feel that the last year or so I never could get ahead on housework etc. I feel like it is a never ending cycle and am so envious when I walk into someone elses house and every single bathroom, every single bedroom etc are clean and orderly. So, for all you organized mamas, do you have any tips to keep my life in line? Thanks!
I am only able to do it because I don't work. But I have never liked clutter. My daughter and son n law have a georgeous 2 story...they both work...their house is cluttered...but they do keep up with the laundry. If you can't keep up with it...you can't...no big deal...you are busy. Just wash a couple of loads a night...get the lunches done....and be done with it. The Queen of England will not come to inspect...I promise!
I am extremely organized. Every Sunday I do laundry and pick out everyones outfits for the week including mine. I set reminders each night on my phone to make lunches or do other chores. I put together a monthly bills spreadsheet and use bill pay to schedule my bills for the entire month. I clean the house every other weekend and on the opposite weekends I go grocery shopping. I pick up the house daily and make sure everything has a place. Have to be organized when you have a family and a full time job.
I have no answer for you because I'm in the same boat, except I didn't do diddly squat over break! So you go girl! You are way ahead of me project-wise. That was an impressive list of accomplishments!
Not sure if I'd call myself an "organized mama" but I do OK.....I find FlyLady to be pretty good for helping me stay "on top" of stuff....have you ever looked at that?
And maybe pick the 1st of the month to go through your checklist to see what's working, what's not, what needs to be tweaked?
Sounds like you've got a LOT done already for 1012!
I thought FlyLady was a helpful site as well. I'm not organized. Period. But, if I just get a load of laundry in every morning my life seems so much easier. Now, if I could only get my family to keep the newspaper off of the kitchen counter I might keep my sanity...
Just do what you can. Right now, my big disorganized peeve is the kitchen counter (between kitchen & dining room)! It's one of the first things you see when you walk in and it's always covered with stuff!! Hubby says "I really want to keep this spot clean" next think I know, he has tools, opened mail, half-empty cups, hat, keys, dog leash... ugh! everything ends up there!
What I have done to get things organized this year:
1. Daughter got a new (bigger) dresser for all of her clothes, blankets are stacked in her closet (instead of our stuffed linen closet)
2. Desk/table inside the front door--to drop mail, first line of organizing papers to be filed (3 drawers, one for current, one for DH, and one for "ready to file")
3. Baskets on wheelse for DD's toys. Easy to tote through house when collecting the random toys that get scattered.
4. Laundry done 2x a week (Wed & Saturday). DH is terrible about putting his away, so I pile it on his dresser so it is out of my way.
I have also assigned DD as the official laundry-picker-upper! She will round up all the socks (under the coffee table, shoved between couch cushions, etc), and miscellaneous clothes as soon as we get home and dump them all in the laundry basket! For this, she gets a "special treat" (M&Ms)! She's only 3, but she already understands that if mama's cleaning, everybody better be cleaning! :)
Good luck!
I read Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project," and she has some great strategies about keeping organized. She recently wrote an article in Good Housekeeping that details some of her tips: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/organizin...
I do AT LEAST ONE load of laundry every day. Sometimes I cheat and put it into wash before I go to bed and put it into dry while I'm in the shower, but every single day - or I would get sooooo behind.
Your kids can help A LOT.
I don't know how old your kids are.... but my 11 year old packs her own lunch (well, she did until she broke her elbow last week) and snacks.
She also lays out her clothes every night for the next day.
She also rinses and loads her own dishes into the dishwasher (well, she did until she broke her elbow last week)
We start "end of day" routine 90 minutes before "bedtime". That includes shower, personal hygiene (brush teeth, hair etc), make lunch, organize backpack, look at extracurricular list to make sure we have everything we need, and pick up all our "stuff" from the house.
Some of those people's homes you walk into have housekeeping services
Some are just super organized. :)
Ways to keep organized:
put things back in their place when you are done w/them: scissors etc
pick out clothes the night before
do laundry 2 or 3 days a week (mwf)
keep a pair of shoes by the door
keep an organizer on your desk
routinely go through things; coupons, mail etc
go through mail ea night, pay bills either that night or twice a week
keep mail in a mail bin by your door
do a major overhaul housework once a week on the weekend: bathrooms, dust, vacuum etc
IT IS a never ending cycle. Just accept that & you will automatically feel
lighter. Don't fight it. That's like swimming upstream
Give yourself a break
Dump old magazines (donate to a friend or put in teacher's lounge)
pack lunch night before
