Let me begin by reinforcing my creed – Organised does NOT mean perfection. I want to teach you to be organised i.e to know where your things are (or should be), to be prepared, to have a plan or structure for your home and life, to set up systems and habits.
1.HAVE A DIARY or PLANNER
Whether you prefer a hard copy, your smart phone calendar or a communal calendar for the family, its your choice but use it – write down appointments, work schedule, important phone numbers, little reminders or to do’s for the day (or week). Take a moment each week, I like Sunday evening, to review the next week.
2. HAVE A GROCERY LIST ON THE FRIDGE
One of the best things I have done is put up a magnetic shopping lists on the fridge. When someone finishes something they write it on the list. It has taken some training but it works. We have allergies and different tastes so there are many items I don’t personally use so would never know if they ran out. It doesn’t take long for individuals to learn to add their items to the list or they miss out.
3. HANG YOUR KEYS NEAR THE FRONT DOOR
Let’s imagine you spent 10 minutes looking for your keys each week, times that by 52 weeks and thats over 8 1/2 hours you have wasted looking. Its a simple habit and it works. No more “where are the keys?”.
We are halfway through and as you can see there are no perfectly folded towels, labelled drawers or perfectly arranged shoes in sight. Knowing where it is is more important than how it is displayed – that can be worked on later once some basic good habits are formed. For example, I like to have my clothes hung “like with like” and my husband doesn’t care. The key is to be happy if its hung!
4. MAKE YOUR BED
Many of us expect our kids to do it as part of their daily chores but often neglect to follow the same standard. Making your bed is more than making your bedroom look tidier, its an act of respect to yourself and your bed. It starts your day with a good habit and ends your day with a made bed.
5. DEAL WITH THE MAIL STRAIGHT AWAY
Personally I like to open the mail over the recycling bin – most junk mail goes straight in, opened envelopes and the added bits inside. Usually I come inside with a quarter of the paper I started with. Once inside have a basket, in tray, folder or whatever suits to put in the bills to pay etc. Then once a week (or month if you must) go through it – pay the bills, file the papers, throw out anything now expired and start the new week fresh. By using this system you (and the rest of the household) will always know where the phone bill or the school note is – no more losing it.
6. GIVE YOURSELF TIME
It takes time to learn new habits. It takes time to sort through weeks, months or even years of stuff accumulated on desks, in cupboards or on the floor. It can take time to find a system that works best for you. Be patient, but be persevering. Chaos can leave and order can become your normal. Remember your house doesn’t need to look like an Ikea showroom or some fancy magazine picture to be organised, it just needs some systems to keep things where they should be and under control.
Happy New Year 🙂