Good Ole' Time Limits

My sister is in town from Colorado. YEA!!! Guess what, I wasn't granted any extra hours in my day to accomplish my normal everyday duties in addition to all the fun activities my sister and I have planned. Nope, not a one! So in order to maximize the time I do have, I'm implementing a trick that I've tried to do MANY times before; adding time limits to my To-Do list. Sounds elementary right? Well, in theory it is. However, if you know anything at all about me, you know that usually means squat!

Like I always say, if at first you don't succeed...try a few hundred times more! Seriously, I figured out a way to help me to stick to the time limits, and actual timer. In my case, I'm using the alarm on my cell phone, but a kitchen timer would be great. Before you get started there are a few things you need to do. If there any tasks that must be completed that day you need to gauge how much time each task will take to finish. You must then plan your other tasks and time limits around the priority tasks.

Now you can realistically set time limits for the other tasks on your list. This is what my list looks like today.

*Contact financial advisor at school
*Activate new cell phone
*Confirm dates for vacation w/resort owner
*Order new textbook
*Homework-1 hr
*Exercise-45min
Bible Study-30 min
Organize kitchen cabinets-45min
Work on Blog-20 min
Check email/fav. blog sites-30 min
Work on cheerleading dance-20min
Work on Sept. 12th event-1 hr

I indicate items that must get completed today with an asterisk. The first 3 items do not have time limits because they must be completed no matter what. The last two have time limits because although I want them to be completed today, it may take as little or as long as I want, so in an effort to keep my day running smoothly and again ensure that I'm able to do as much as I want without killing myself, I add time limits.

Some people add every little detail to their to-do list such as make up bed, read/relax, take kids to park. If you feel that is what works for you, by all means "add" away! I however, do not find that to be effective. I don't like to have a list that looks cluttered or makes me feel overwhelmed. Now, if you've just begun new things that you want to become a habit or are starting a new schedule, then it may be very useful to write out those tasks in the beginning. I used to write out all the rooms I wanted to clean each day. Now, that is has become routine to me, I have placed my cleaning schedule on the back of my bedroom door. Each day I look to see what needs to be completed and check the items off as I complete them. The schedule is laminated and I use dry erase markers to check off tasks. This works best for me so that I'm not writing the same tasks each day/week on my to-do list. Again, you have to do what works best for you. Also, I'm not one of those people that likes to add tasks to my list just for the sake of crossing them off. For me to be productive, my list needs to include only the things that I could easily forget to do or one that I want to be certain I don't spend too much time dong. (hence, the time limits). This way I won't feel stressed when the rest of my day is spent lounging by the pool, at the park with the kids, or shopping with my sister! Give it a try and see how it works for you!

Just a Quickie

I just entered a giveaway to win 4 Free tickets to Women of Faith this year. I absolutely love this conference and with funds a little short...this is right on time! Wish me luck! For your chance to win go to mommysnacks.net.

Just Let It Go!

The last few days, the hubby has been home so I haven't been able to blog much:)

I did however come up with a couple of awesome solutions for two of my major problem areas.
1. Too Many Magazines
2. The Kids Pictures, Report Cards, Certificates, etc.

I'm so excited about this because I NEVER want to throw away things my kids make. I feel like I'm breaking their hearts if I don't hold on to it forever! I've come to realize that I can still treasure their talents and gifts without keeping every piece of paper their little precious hands touched with pencil, crayon, or paint.
My solution:
Go through all of the items. Choose the ones that mean the most to you (you can enlist their help in making the decision if you choose). I recommend keeping no more than 3-5 pieces of art work from each period of their life. When choosing from certificates and awards, allow them to choose. Be sure to explain that you are incredibly proud of all of their efforts and that to properly display their accomplishments it's necessary that you condense. Tip: They may need a little help deciding. ex. Just because the perfect attendance award is the most colorful, you probably shouldn't pick it over the 1st grade Spelling Bee Winner award.

After selecting the items you plan on keeping, store them in a storage box that will allow for all future pieces to be stored as well. Be sure to separate them based on year and age before storing. Also, have a plan in place for showcasing the items you keep. I am making scrapbooks for my children to capture every year of their life.

To store the bigger pieces of artwork or projects, display them on shelves hung in their rooms or hallway. When a new piece is brought into the house, and older piece must go. Making this a habit will allow you to be the proud mommy and organized mommy all at the same time!

Now, the magazines! I have about 9 different magazines subscriptions (criminal, right?). I never want to throw them away because I liked an article or a recipe in it, so I keep them in magazine racks and baskets all over my house. They have become major eye sores! So what I did was throw out all the ones that I couldn't remember what I liked in them. DON'T WORRY THIS IS NOT MY SOLUTION! For me, I had to start somewhere because I just had way too many to go back through and reread to determine what it was I wanted to keep. Going forward, however I will implement the following:
1. Keep subscriptions to a maximum of 5
2. Read them within a week of getting them
3. Clip, articles, recipes, ads, etc. that you would like to reference/use
from the magazine
4.Throw the magazine in your recycle bin
If you like to keep magazines in your house for guests to read. I recommend following rules 1 & 2 immediately, then mark the articles, recipes, etc. that you want to keep. Wait to cut them. When the next edition of the magazine comes, it's time to discard the previous months.

Now, so you don't have loose articles all over the house. Get a 2 inch binder, dividers, plain or scrap paper, hole punch, and a stapler. Section your binder into categories. My sections are Organization, Kids Activities, Saving Money, Fitness, Things I Want To Do, and Future Purchases. I choose to keep my recipes in a recipe box. You can make your sections whatever you like. After you create your categories, staple magazine article to a plain piece of paper, hole punch and then place in the binder. I recommend going through the binder quarterly to remove things no longer of interest.

Remember the idea is to cut down on clutter and excess, so don't go filling up 5 binders of stuff! Hope this helps! Let me know any tips you have for getting rid of excess paper.

Relax, Release, & Reprioritize

Yesterday was such a productive day! I was able to accomplish almost all the items on my to-do list! Woo-Hoo!! Yes, I'm that excited...usually I carry 90% of my tasks over from day to day to day...to day! Talk about breaking the cycle, I was able to COMPLETELY clean and organize the office. By the way, after you've tackled cleaning and organizing a room, you may find that the storage solutions you had planned on using aren't as effective as you'd hope. No, sweat! There are tons of different options available to you. I suggest determining your need, your budget, and then browsing different options either online or in-store (if you prefer to touch and feel) and selecting the one that best meets your need. TIP: Always keep receipts for purchases made (small items for at 1-3 months and bigger purchases for up to year) in case you find it's not such a great fit.

How's today going you ask? Not quite as productive. Initially, I was a little frazzled by the interruptions to my routine, but I decided I had to settle down and re-prioritize my list. Your to-do list isn't going anywhere, and unless there is something dreadfully urgent on that list, you're life will pretty much be unaffected by the delays. So, when obstacles and interruptions come...and they will come, just RELAX, RELEASE, and RE PRIORITIZE!

What works best for YOU!

Summer brings sunny days, lazy afternoons and a new set of rules where organization is concerned. The routines I created and followed (when I actually followed them!) during the school year, are no longer beneficial. Obviously, certain things are still and will FOREVER be useful; such as making lists. I'm speaking however; of things such as: ironing the kids uniforms for the week on Sunday, making their lunches for the week on Sunday, etc.

I was browsing through a few pages of a magazines article on organization and the article gave very clear and definitive steps for obtaining and maintaining organization in your life. While I agreed with many items, some of their tips just didn't quite mesh with my personality or lifestyle. For example, one "organization coach" suggests that you eliminate paper all together and keep/store everything electronically. I definitely use my laptop, cell phone, and palm to help organize my life, but I also like to keep an actual paper planner as well. It's kind of my "back up". I mean what happens if batteries die, or it gets lost, or stolen (my phone was recently!)? So yes, 9 times out of 10 I refer to technology when making/confirming plans, but I always take the extra 10 seconds to include the information in my other planner for my own sanity.

Maybe you don't need that. Maybe you always have extra batteries, back up regularly, and never let things out of your sight. Me...not so much!

Bottom line, customize all the "tips and tools" you learn to meet your needs where you are today and what will work best for you and your lifestyle.

Stress Free Swim Days

I'm sitting here at the pool (one of our many weekly trips) and I realize that this is yet another opportunity for me to utilize my developing organizational skills.

Typically on days my family visits the pool I make certain that I feed them a hearty breakfast and lunch before we go, then pack a few snacks for them to munch on while we're there. Somehow I always underestimate just how hungry swimming makes little kids!

So this summer I've ditched my Books & Co. tote and invested in a mini cooler (I've tried lunch coolers, but they're just not quite big enough). Check out Target's Multi-Function Convertible Rolling Cooler. It has enough room for about 10 lunches (just about what my kids eat during a 5 hr stint at the pool!) I just love the divider which keeps your drinks and perishables away from the other items that don't need to be kept cool. With our new cooler, we're able to enjoy our pool days longer, without my children gnawing off each others arms! The fact that I'm able to avoid looking like I've just left the grocery store with 3 or 4 Kroger bag is an added bonus:)

Share your tips for staying organized on trips out with the kids by commenting here!

New Beginning...seriously!

Well, I honestly thought I would be able to keep up on posting at least weekly to the blog…yeah, not so much. This is what happened; got into an accident, got behind in school, had to catch up before finals, went from working part time to full time, in addition to normal wife and mommy duties. That all adds up to NO POSTS!
I really missed not being able to capture all the funny/crazy things that were happening each day. The funny thing is it kind of goes back to the “O” word O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N. I would have been able to handle all of life’s unexpected situations and the blog had I been organized. (Note to self, get organized)
Never fear, I’m back on my mission. First step, find Digital Camera! I really want to show you the cool tools I’ve been using to get organized. I also have decided to go back to setting a couple of goals each week, but limiting the number based on how extensive or time consuming the tasks are. I determined my weekly goals by doing the following:
Make a list of all the areas in which you need more organization. Be sure to really think of every area. For example, organizing all the rooms in your home, and organizing the completion of household chores may be two different things. For me, it’s easy to give everything a home and clean up various rooms. Making sure I keep the system in place for maintaining the organization is a different story.
After you’ve made your initial list, you need to make detailed lists for each category. Walk through every room in the house to see where storage/organization solutions need implemented. Take pictures if necessary/applicable. After all of your lists are made. Determine which you’ll tackle first. If they are simply storage solutions for a room, choose one room to complete at a time. When trying to create a system for maintaining organization, work on 1 or 2 goals at a time.
Each time you’ve accomplished a goal or completed a task check it off your list and move to the next item. Be sure to have a written plan for how you’ll maintain the work you’ve completed as well as a household inventory list (to help you remember where everything is!) if necessary.

Whew! That’s a full time job right!? Just remember don’t get discouraged. This (unfortunately) isn’t an overnight transformation, as such; you should expect and accept that there will be days you don’t make progress. As long as you get back on track, you are still in the game!

No more pressure!

So, here's the thing I WANT to blog daily, I WANT to keep track of all the new tools and tips I've learned...but every time I sit down to do that, I remember something else I was supposed to begin doing. So I've decided not to put pressure on myself and just focus on weekly posts for now. Hey...baby steps, I always say!

Here's an update: Week 1 goals were achieved. YEA!! They say it takes 21 days to form a habit so I feel pretty confident that this isn't a phase, I'm on the path to organization for good! Since my last post, I've also tried making my a months' worth of meals at one time. Well, let me tell you, I'm definitely not there yet. I did about 15 and was ready to pass out! However, if you'd like to see if that will work for you check out onceamonthmom.com. These ladies are my heroes! Although, I didn't make it as a "once a month mom", I have been very proud of myself for achieving some other goals.

• Start schoolwork between 5:30-6am
• Work out for 30-45 minutes daily
• Keep laundry under control (never more than 1 load needing folding and put away, AWESOME!)
• Dishes washed and put away before bed each night
• Tackle one space daily (declutter, organize, etc.)

Seriously, I'm beginning to feel programmed! I just need to make sure I store some time for me and hubby. Okay, so as soon as I find my USB cable, I'll take pictures of how I've organized some of the common "clutter spots" in my home. Now, I must sleep. Be back soon!

Shauntay

Lists, charts, and planners, oh my!

So I used to plan my meals monthly but after discovering 5dollardinners.com , I found that I can save a lot more money creating weekly meals to match the ads and coupons from the paper. Well, since my husband likes to know what he's having for dinner everyday, I decided to post it on one the bulletin board for him to see. While looking for the new bulletin board (the old one has been destroyed by the 7 yr old), I find 4 chore charts, 2 dry erase calendars, 1 big poster calendar, and about 6 new unopened planner refill packs.

Um, I guess I've been getting "organized" (and wasting money apparently) a little longer than I realized. No harm, I decided "I'll donate the items I won't be using to fellow un-organized moms", I declared. To make myself feel better I decided that I would implement at least one new tip I received or thought of weekly. This week's tips (which won't start until tomorrow, because I don't believe in starting anything new on Saturday) are:

Week 1 Make the kids lunches for the entire week on Sunday
Prep my dinner meals for the week on Sunday
Iron the kids/hubbies clothes for the week on Sunday.

So here's the thing, I've actually attempted to do these things before and with success for a half a second. However, I seem to get bored with things and "routines" pretty quickly. I'm hoping by posting this for all to see, it will almost act as an accountability partner. After all who wants to admit that yet again, they didn't follow through.

Back to my store of organizational supplies never used, my friends informed me they are not very interested in them right now, so they moved to the place everything I don't use goes...the OFFICE . It's scary to think of everything that's in there, but also kinda exciting because I'm going to IKEA to find some new storage options, or new things to leave in the office unopened, only time will tell! Oh, and I've heard The Container Store is awesome so I'll be checking out that site shortly.

Later for now!

Why don't you get a proofreader?

Okay, since this is the inaugural post, I thought I might as well start off being honest. No point in having high expectations, just for them to be shot down.

I am NOT an english major. I have been know to use a double negative a time or two. I have created words by combining two different words. I have used a comma when I should have used a semi-colon. I have written a sentence that was 22 words long without any forms of punctuation. There I said it. The first step is admitting, right?

So, in telling one of my girlfriends about my blog, I expressed that I was a little hesitant to actually post anything for the world to see, since my grammer/punctuation wasn't the best. She simply asked, "Why don't you get a proofreader?

Umm...yeah, she actually said that!

Shauntay