When I was a full-time career person I was great at time management, I wrote my "to-do" list of projects and work I had on the go as well as had post-it notes and reminders setup in Outlook. I could quickly tell what work needed doing and by when, resulting in less stress.
Nowadays I tend to rely on my brain (which is a bit dangerous considering my brain has never been the same since childbirth!), or I add a reminder to my smartphone, and leave hand written lists to things like the shopping.
Now I'm not the best at being organised, but I thought I'd share with you a few things I do each day that helps me keep {a little more} organised {and feel less stressed!}.
Each day I {try}to:
- Keep Popette's school notes, schoolwork, home reader, sight words, and other notices that look important into a magazine holder on the kitchen bench so they are easy to access and not making a mess on the bench.
- Place Popette's schoolwork into a foolscap folder with sleeves, so all her work is together and can be easily stored away.
- When Popette gets home from school, I empty her bag and store any schoolwork (see above tip), wash up her drink bottle & snack boxes so they are ready the next morning, place her library bag on the back of her door with her school bag and hat. This little routine has made my mornings that much quicker, as I don't have to wash up her lunch boxes or drink bottle.
- If I am taking Cherub out for a few hours, I pack her nappy bag with the following - a sandwich (she always seems to be hungry), a drink, her hat and some books. Cherub loses interest in places like the shops very quickly, so I find keeping her entertained with some books and a couple of snacks (ie. cut up fruit, or a sandwich) allows me to do what I need to get done.
- Getting the girls to pick-up their toys before bed. This used to be a huge problem for us, but about a month ago Hubby & I decided to get rid of the bookcase containing some of the girls toys and books from the lounge room. We let them bring their toys out to the lounge room, but before dinner make sure they put them back in to their rooms. By doing this we have reclaimed our living room, hooray!!
- My girls love to paint and make craft which results in a huge pile of papers in our dining room (AKA art studio), so every now and then I sort through the piles of paintings and drawings and keep the "precious ones that are too cute to throw away" in a plastic storage case.
I hope these tips help you stay a bit more organised.
How do you keep on top of things? Do you have any tips to share?
I need to get into the habit of emptying their schoolbags straight after school You're right. It makes the next morning so much easier!
ReplyDeleteIts a lifesaver Grace, especially when I'm already stressed with getting the girls and myself ready for the school drop-off :)
DeleteGreat tips. We renovated and reclaimed our lounge room after that. The kids have to pack their toys away. Which they have interpreted as throwing everything onto their bedroom floors. I still count it as a win...
ReplyDeleteYep, I would too :)
DeleteI have a special school part of the house - otherwise I would never find anything!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great idea. As long as it works for you that is the main thing :)
DeleteI like the magazine rack idea for paperwork that always gets dumped on our kitchen bench. You sound much more orgainsed than !
ReplyDeleteMmm...I have my days Sarah :)
DeleteOrganisation is really just finding a routine that you can stick to do that things that need to be done are structured. That hopefully frees up more time for fun!! Like all things parenting, consistency is the key (and the drudge!). x
ReplyDeleteI do like fun Bron, so need to add more of that to my routine. I think you are a either a born organiser or someone who has to learn (like me!) how to become better organised. xx :)
DeleteIt's the little things that make life easier isn't it!
ReplyDeleteMy big kids all know that if they don't bring their lunch box and any notices out and put them on the bench when they get home they will not have them in the morning. It's a little thing but man it helps!