How do you stay organized in this ever busy world? Between kid activities, work, household duties, multitude of social media sites, friends, family, social life, etc.
Here are 10 things you can do today to help you stay organized.
1. Utilize a list notebook. (Notice I did not say a “to-do” notebook). How many times do you wake in the middle of the night thinking of a million things that you want to get done, then you drift back to sleep and forget what it was? Our brains are so busy juggling so many different components that we can’t focus on any one particular thing. Grab yourself a notebook and just start writing things down as they come to you.
2. Update your family calendar. If you don’t have a centralized family calendar, get one. List everything ~ from appointments, school events, cupcakes to bring into school, days off, etc. Then your entire family is on the same page.
3. Make a Menu plan. Whether you plan your meals for the entire week or just a couple of days, it will truly help you lessen the stress and prevent you from hitting up the closest fast food place. 10 minutes of pre-planning will allow you to stop worrying!
4. Never leave a room empty-handed.
One of my best tips for staying on top of clutter is to make sure you take something with you every time you leave a room. Do it as you go…dirty dishes, laundry, toys, mail, you name it. If it belongs in a room you’ll be going to or passing, bring it with you!
5. Assign a task to your children.
Too many moms are trying to do it alone. Get your kids involved. Start today. Assign them each one task off your list to complete. I know it’s often faster for us just to do it ourselves but the training has to start somewhere.
6. Create a donation station.
Every home needs somewhere to collect the things we no longer need. Grab yourself a big box, mark it with the words donation station and let everyone know what it’s for.
7. Add 5 things to that donation station everyday.
Have every person in your household collect 5 things today to add to that donation station. Set a timer and make a game out of it. See who can be the first to collect their 5 things. Before you know it, that donation station will be full!
8. Create an “I’m Outta Here” shelf.
Similarly you need an errand bin by your front door. I call it my “I’m Outta Here” shelf and it’s somewhere I can collect things that need to be returned to a friend, mailed, returned, etc. That way when I’m heading out I can easily remember what needs to be done and tasks don’t get backlogged.
9. Do a 10-minute tidy before bed.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Do a 10 minute tidy each night before bed to set up your next day for success. Plug in cell phones, check and update your calendar, tidy surfaces, make lunches or whatever it is that needs to be done in order to start the following day on the right foot. It makes a world of difference!
10. Check your attitude.
Finally, stop beating yourself up! Coming down hard on yourself does nothing except make you miserable. Tomorrow is another day. Celebrate every accomplishment no matter how small.
Happy Organizing!!