STAYING ORGANIZED
Staying organized is a constant process for sure. And your method is only as good as you make it. I have a bad habit of falling in love with methods that sound great, the only problem is they’re just not great for me. If I don’t use it, it don’t work right?!
The “Daily Docket”
I have attempted fancy systems such as iGoogle ToDo list, Google Calendar email notifications and spreadsheets just to name a few and while these all have some benefits and work pretty well, I was getting very tired of having to get on my computer every time I needed to see what I had to get done that day or week. If I don’t want to forget something, I have to write it down, and usually write it down right away! So the best system for me right now is a plain old notepad on the counter. It’s become my “Daily Docket” like the one here, but well, not. I tried hers for a while too and found that I kept turning to my notepad, so I gave in.
Before I go to bed or firstish thing in the morning I jot down what’s for lunch and supper and a few things I’d like to do that day, an activity for the girls and what chores will be done that evening.
PS – For some things I don’t need to access quickly I have found that Google’s Calendar and Documents have been nice to use. And since they exist “online” they can be viewed when your somewhere away from your precious notebooks. If you can get online then you can get to all that you store there anytime. A definite plus.
The “Daily Schedule”
We have a very loose daily schedule. The girls wake up around 6 or 6:30 but stay in their room (thankfully because Lily can’t turn the door knob yet!) until Phil (or both of us) gets up around 7. Gerhardt is starting to sleep better so I want to try to get up around 6:30 or 7 as well and get my wits about me before the girls bombard the house (this is another work in progress!).
Once I’m up I change diapers, get everyone dressed, fix hair then we eat breakfast or actually I suggest a ton of things and the girls say “no” while I munch on something and sip my coffee before it gets cold, that’s how breakfast goes. After that I clean up the kitchen and the girls play.
The rest of our day looks something like this:
| 9-10:00 – Learning Basket Time |
| 10:30-11:00 – Begin Lunch Prep |
| 1:30-2:00 – Quiet Time Begins |
| 3:30-4:00 – Wake, Snack, Play Time |
| 4:30 – Begin Supper Prep |
| 5:00 – Supper |
| 6:00-7:00 – Playtime |
| 7:00-7:30 – Pajama Time, Living Room cleanup |
| 7:30-8:00 – Bedtime |
I like to think of this more as structure or routine instead of a schedule.
Organizing Miscellany
I’m big on lists (ok, I LOVE lists!) so I keep yet another list online of EVERYTHING I want or have wanted or will ever want! A “wishlist” for me and for the kiddos. I make it a rule to get things out of my head when I can, that is why blogging and list making are life savers!
I also keep a Home Management notebook. I got the idea for this a couple years ago when I came across this on the site I referenced above. I love this website, I’ve found many helpful ideas there. And I just read that the “SimpleMom” is from Austin, crazy! And I REALLY want her new book.
It’s just a binder with dividers that I keep various important things like dates, lists, papers (in more report pockets) and articles I’ve found online or in magazines that I want to hold on to. I’ve run with this notebook thing and made another binder to hold all the pages I tear out of magazines that give me ideas for holidays or crafting, fun stuff like that. Then I have yet another binder with all the activities I do with the girls. Whew!
As for other miscellaneous items that need to be viewed or accesses quickly I have created an area on the side of our fridge where I can keep all this handy. Here I hang spare keys, fly swatters (invaluable in the summer time with that feed lot on the edge of town!), magnetic boxes with twist ties and rubber bands, important phone numbers and cork board for tacking incoming papers.
Any tips on organizing you can share with me?
I love SimpleMom, it has great ideas! You should look at Goop.com, it has some weird things about relationships, but some great ideas and websites too.
Ooo, thanks Lindsay! I’ll check that out!