Jan 6, 2014

SOME RULES FOR ORGANIZING YOUR DAY


hey - happy monday!!

Over the holiday break I really dove into trying to get organized for the new year. New vision boards, cleaning clutter from drawers, cleaning out email boxes.

Managing these people, and house stuff, school stuff, and still trying to find time to feel like "me" can leave me feeling super scattered. Finding a rhythm to the day-to-day madness can prove to be trying at the very least. So in an effort to keep some sense of sanity and organization,  I've come up with some rules that bring some semblance of order to the day.

A compilation of tips I've come up with through trial and error and some I adopted recently after scouring my favorite magazines and blogs.

Start the day Alone.
It puts me in a real funk to have the kids startle me into conciousness and then go full speed ahead until I get them out the door. I've been setting my alarm clock  an hour earlier than the kiddos generally get up (it was excruciating at first). I do a little devotional/meditation. Take a look at the calendar so that nothing sneaks up on me. And make a To Do List for the day.

Consolidated To Do List
One place for everything. blog ideas, menu for the week, My Top 3. - All in one place. Writing things down (no electronic lists!) works best for me. I LOVE to cross things off my list. With a brand spanking new hard backed notebook from Greenroom I'm dropping all of the things I need to get done. And tackling them one step at a time.

Two Minute Rule
If it takes less than two minutes - DO IT RIGHT THEN. A quick call, email, or text. Sweep up that popcorn we had for snack time. This helps tremendously with those little things piling up into a mountain of things you'll need a week to catch up on.

Finish What You Start
Instead of jumping from mess to mess, project to project. DO ONE THING AT A TIME - FROM START TO FINISH. Then move on. Then cross it off your list. YES!!

Thou Shalt Not Transfer Clutter
This is going to be a hard one for me - cluttered spaces drive me nuts. But for me that can mean shoving everything into the guest room (where I won't have to see it).  At least until I have time to get to it. I've set up shop (my work space) in there now and am vowing to keep it a clean and cheery space.

Calendar Share
Filling iCalendar and Google Calendar with our doctors appointments, recitals, teachers planning days, Girls Night Out, and even hair appointments and sharing/syncing calendars keeps us both in the loop and keeps us from  double booking or over extending ourselves.

Roll With It
With small people you HAVE to have be SUPER flexible.  If someone throws up or has a blow out right before you walk out the door. No need to explode. You know what you have to do.  Someone wakes up way too early from that nap. Oh well… diaper change, lets get a snack.. What's next. Be ready to roll with it. Have a drink Make adjustments and move on to the next thing.

p.s. I get all my planning gear from Target. Is it me or do they have EVERYTHING you need in life? If they start holding church services there, I should never have to leave:-)

please let me know if you have any tips to share. i'm always looking for good ways to manage it all.

OH I ALMOST FORGOT! This app has literally changed my life. To get rid of the hundreds of emails that pop into your box day and night from various places you HAVE to do this. Unroll.me captures just the emails you want to see and rolls them into one email. And allows you to unsubscribe to everything else in just a few clicks. I mean it. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR WORLD.

xx,
Bunnie


2 comments:

Mimi said...

I like the 2 minute rule. I'm stealing that one. I am good for putting those little things off and they just end up driving me batty.

I am working on getting super organized for the new year. I have many obligations on my plate that I haven't had before so getting organized is necessary.

...and yes Target is the best. I just went crazy in there buying planners, color ink pens and pencils.

Unknown said...

yes!! i think the two minute rule is my favorite! JUST DO IT! :-)

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