The few times I have prepared myself, the day or night before, the days have run so much smoother. Things get done, I can prioritise without getting too distracted and I have more realistic outcomes for the day. If I can just make a simple plan, I can achieve a lot and if i put things in the right order I think I can achieve a whole lot more. I used to giggle at the Organised Housewife blogs and websites wondering if I could ever be so fastidious, do these people really have kids???People like this probably giggle at people like me, who run around all day like a chicken with its head cut off... now I find myself seeking help from these websites and I am thankful for people with a passion for home organisation. These things are important. Granted I may never have a spotless home for more than 5 minutes at a time, I may be able to accomplish a day in which I achieve everything I set out to do eg, feeding the kids and haven't been distracted by that dust in the window runner that I only just noticed and must drop everything I was doing (whatever that was) to scrub with a tooth brush.
I found these weekly organisers which I am going to use, which are perfect for me, not too complicated.
http://www.kidstodo.com.au/weekly-monthly-planners/
So this week this Unorganised Housewife is going to give being organised a shot. How about you? Do you use Weekly planners? Visit home organisation sites for tips?
LOL I'm determined.. this is the third time to write this one!!
ReplyDeleteJo.. you're amazing!! I can't give much advice because I genuinely am the crappiest housewife ever. I can't even imagine how hard it would be to homeschool as well in the midst of just the general toughness of having a couple of toddlers there too! :) And also, in a teeny tiny space, with not much storage...the difficulty level is sky high.
But you are so capable.. you fill the spaces with your kindness, sense of aesthetic and warmth. I love visiting your family home. You make people feel cared for. You have the priorities right... be kind to yourself this week too!
However, I can imagine that getting the structure right for your family is the only way to succeed with homeschooling.. so I am thinking of you, and I hope you have such a sense of clarity and peace as you implement all that this week. Saying a word to the big Guy for you now...
Big hugs and much love xoxo
PS. I subscribe to the organised housewife and other similar blogs... as if just getting the newsletter or blog posts in my inbox actually is proof I'm more organised... pft!!LOL
Haha! I have seen how sparkling clean you can get your sink ;-) I'm sure you are more than great. Anyway, we are all doing our best. I must look into subscriptions to those sites... if I ever get around to it! haha! You are so kind. Much love to you and your family. x
ReplyDeleteHi Krafty Guts,
ReplyDeleteI just looked at my website stats. and saw a few visitors from your website (Karen from Kids To Do here, creator of your weekly planner. So... I had to track down the link (yes, I have a slightly OCD personality) out of curiousity. Your blog post made me giggle... slightly... ok, more than slightly... so you were right :)
I do pride myself on being organised (geez, when we built our house I had custom built laundry sorting bins built in (a pet frustration of mine was sorting the laundry on the floor... you don't finish the laundry, it goes back in the dirty clothes basket (worst still, stays on the floor) and you have to re-sort all over again. On completion I pulled out my label gun to label those sorting bins into whites, lights, darks, husband clothes (yeah, his clothes can all go in together) etc. Oh, and you should see the kids toy room - (thanks Ikea), we have roughly 10,000 different bins all labelled so that they toys are sorted correctly... cars, playdoh, figurines, colouring in - which has since expanded to colouring in utensils and colouring in books - when there is an overflow, what can you do? You have to re-categorise). Oh, and my husband's garage, I can't name the objects, so I sort and label them with things like 'Sticky Stuff' (categories like these can incorporate glue, masking tape and photo hangers!).
So I wanted to let you know that you CAN organise your life - the to do lists will work, a label gun will ensure that everything has a home... the tricky part is actually DOING the things on the to do list and putting the things away into their correct places... that's where things typically fall down - for me anyway :)
I absolutely LOVE that you admit how unorganised you are... I don't, I can't... but I really am!!!... I live in my own little dream world where I actually believe that I'll eventually get on top of it :). (I will btw, I've been saying it for the last 3.5 years... damn it if I'll let myself get to aged 90 without having that list checked off!!!!)
Love your blog... and btw, if you need me to write you any other spreadsheets - seriously, let me know, me and Excel are best friends, I'm not sure I would actually be able to cope without the sorting and colour coding capabilities!
All the best with your attempt ro organising your life :)
Karen
(Organised Mum who's totally out of control).
p.s. please don't tell anyone, I really like the illusion that's it's possible :)
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteThat's too funny! I hope you don't mind me linking. I have been loving the weekly planners. Its been working really well. I'm using the weekly planner, Meal planner and Reward Charts. I'm only using Monday to Friday though because on the weekends I like to let things work themselves out, haha! I also contacted them onto card so I can write with whiteboard markers... this proves I am in it for the long haul. If you are offering your expertise in excel, I would LOVE a Monday to Friday version of those planners with big roomy boxes. I'm sure there are so many people out there who are loving these right now and I'm definitely glad I stumbled upon your website! And I'm glad you stopped by to encourage me :)
A label gun, I don't know, I might just go crazy with it! That may not be a bad thing though. In the meantime, I'm well on my way to organising my life... baby steps. Thanks for the planners and the tips.