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Organization is such a big deal but why can't most of us stay on top of everything that we need to? With so much life that goes on, it can be easy to drop the ball on a few tasks without even meaning to. I know that I've missed appointments and I've had to go back to the grocery store a million times. Not to mention the days when I'm just staring into the pantry trying to put a meal together and it's already 5:30pm. You are not alone. Here's what I do to fight off the oops-I-dropped-the-ball blues.
Create A Schedule
I like to keep my schedule light and loose. I don't have strict times that things need to happen but I've created a block of time in my day that is dedicated to certain tasks.
Four hours in the morning is dedicated to getting me and my boys ready for the day, breakfast, clean up and homeschool. I wake up before my kids at 6:30 am. I'm not the type to watch the clock and wake my little ones up at a certain time (but my teenager does have to be up by a certain time even on weekends and vacations or she will sleep until the sun goes back down), but my sons usually wake up around 7:30-7:45.
The next four hours is when we go on outings like errands, field trips, p.e. and the park and doctor appointments. Once we get home I steal some time to do something that I enjoy while the boys eat lunch.
After that I have a four hour block where I do some chores, cook dinner for the night and clean up after it. The next four hour block I use to getting the boys ready for bed and doing one last declutter before I relax.
The last block is only 3 hours and I do a little work on my blog and hang out with hubby while we get ready for bed. On most nights I get about 4 or 5 hours of sleep. If you want a more in-depth look into my block schedule leave a comment below.
Four hours in the morning is dedicated to getting me and my boys ready for the day, breakfast, clean up and homeschool. I wake up before my kids at 6:30 am. I'm not the type to watch the clock and wake my little ones up at a certain time (but my teenager does have to be up by a certain time even on weekends and vacations or she will sleep until the sun goes back down), but my sons usually wake up around 7:30-7:45.
The next four hours is when we go on outings like errands, field trips, p.e. and the park and doctor appointments. Once we get home I steal some time to do something that I enjoy while the boys eat lunch.
After that I have a four hour block where I do some chores, cook dinner for the night and clean up after it. The next four hour block I use to getting the boys ready for bed and doing one last declutter before I relax.
The last block is only 3 hours and I do a little work on my blog and hang out with hubby while we get ready for bed. On most nights I get about 4 or 5 hours of sleep. If you want a more in-depth look into my block schedule leave a comment below.
Plan Activities
If
you have youngsters like me, you need to plan out activities for them
to do throughout the week as well. I have to do this because I'm not
the most creative when it comes to kids activities just yet. So when
I try to think quick to get them busy and learning I run around like
a chicken with its head cut off. I will get on Pinterest and try to
find something then I will get lost in all of Pinterest's greatness.
It just doesn't work for me.
So I had to purchase a curriculum for our homeschool. We use a few curriculums actually. A combination of A Beka Preschool, Timberdoodle.com Preschool custom curriculum kit and Home CEO Academy Preschool curriculum. If you want to see a post on any of these or how I use them, leave a comment below.
So I had to purchase a curriculum for our homeschool. We use a few curriculums actually. A combination of A Beka Preschool, Timberdoodle.com Preschool custom curriculum kit and Home CEO Academy Preschool curriculum. If you want to see a post on any of these or how I use them, leave a comment below.
Plan Your Menu
I
try to plan meals out for each week on Sundays. That's the day we
grocery shop for the week too. I have all my recipes written down
so that I can refer to them and they're ingredients. So when I go to
plan the meals for the week I can quickly write a grocery list of
everything I need without missing too many things and needing to run
back to the store. Which brings me to my next tip...
Use Grocery Lists
Like
I said I already have all my recipes written down so that I can refer
to them when meal planning for the week. All I need to do is make a
list of the ingredients I need from the store plus things I need for
breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout the week. Its so much more
easy to get the list created when you have all your go-to recipes
written down.
Cleaning Schedule and Chore Lists
I
have to keep a list of the things that I need to clean daily, weekly
and monthly or I won't get them done on time or at all. Like, I would
much rather spend time with my kids or work on my business then clean
the stinkin' house. So if I don't see that chore on a list then in my
head it doesn't exist and I don't do it. Am I the only one that
pretends to be blind to a mess until its overwhelming my life?
Take Notes
As
I'm going through my house cleaning up or setting up for an activity
and realize that I'm missing something I'm going to need soon or I'm
running out of something, I write it down. If I realize I need to make
a call, I write it down. If I come up with a great blog idea, I write
it down. I am a note taker to the fullest. Again if I don't see it
written down then it doesn't exist and everything can be thrown off
by just one missing component that I forgot to get. Taking notes is
my life. And I write all my notes in one place. It wouldn't make any sense to write down notes and the notes are scattered all over the house and in your car. I mean we are talking about staying organized.
Time Management
Really
staying organized is all about time management. You cannot make time,
you don't run out of time, time does not stop or move faster. It is
all about how you manage your time to get through your day.
If you get stuck on Pinterest like I do then you need to set aside an allotted time for your Pinterest addiction. Think about what a manager does in a business. That person delegates tasks and makes sure everyone is doing their job and on point. That is how you need to manage your time. You ensure that the things you need done for that day get done promptly and efficiently. You tell yourself and everyone else what they need to do, how to do it, and by when the projects need to be completed. You are the manager of time in your household.
If you get stuck on Pinterest like I do then you need to set aside an allotted time for your Pinterest addiction. Think about what a manager does in a business. That person delegates tasks and makes sure everyone is doing their job and on point. That is how you need to manage your time. You ensure that the things you need done for that day get done promptly and efficiently. You tell yourself and everyone else what they need to do, how to do it, and by when the projects need to be completed. You are the manager of time in your household.
Get an Organizer/Planner
I've found that the best way to stay organized is to have a planner for your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activities that you have to keep track of. I love my Slay Your Goals planner because it not only helps me keep track of all the many plans and appointments we have as a 5 person family but it also helps me stay on task with my bigger goals of the year. To top it off on December 26th, 2018 get the Slay Your Goals Printable Planner and the Goal Slaying Hacks eBook is yours FREE. That's the ultimate goals planner + goal slaying ebook for $27.
Get Your Family Involved
We
know you cannot do it all by yourself. At least I know I can't. So
everyone has tasks and chores that they do around my house. Even the
littles pick up after themselves (with guidance of course). Here
comes those managing skills again. You have to delegate who in the
house needs to help you with what. Each person responds differently
to that so you need to set it up to where those chores get done. For
example, my oldest is 12 and she gets her chores done by looking on a
chart and putting stickers on the things she completed. But Dad is
not going to follow a chart nor will he just drop everything and do a
chore that I ask of him. I need to tell him hours, maybe even days, before I need the
task completed so he can amp himself up for domestic work. LOL! Just
figure out what works for your family and start handing out some
chores so you don't have to do it all yourself.
Get Home Organization Tips
I mean we all need advice now and then. Hell, that's why you're here. So I go to another website for my home organization and decluttering needs. Home Storage Solutions 101 has great ideas for organization and kicking the clutter out of your home. They also have monthly declutter calendars. I signed up for them and I find it so useful.
Plan for Pick-Ups
You
will not get everything on your list done. You will miss things some
days. Your family will miss things some days. Sometimes you just get
lazy. Sometimes you just don't have the energy. Or u just want to
love on your babies instead of cleaning the kitchen. That's OK. But
make sure you plan to get that task done sooner rather than later.
Always leave time in your schedule for “pick-ups”. “Pick-ups”
are tasks that you did not get done yesterday that you have to pick
up today. Even though I keep an organizer or 3, I make sure that
I have time in between tasks to play with my kids, take a rest or do
pick-ups. That's why my schedule is so lenient. I don't want to overbook myself in my own house.
Don't Get Overwhelmed
Do
not schedule your life so that you have no time for yourself or to
love on your family. The last thing you want to do is over schedule
yourself and by the week's end you feel too tired from cooking and
cleaning that you can't enjoy your weekend with your family. Even if
you have to schedule it, make time to pamper yourself, look pretty,
and Pinterest yourself to death. You do so much organizing for the
household you also need to work on you. Happy Mom, happy life.
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