Kristi is sharing tips to get organized while sharing methods that will help you stay organized.
Being organized is something that I struggle with every single day of my life! By no means is this something that comes natural to me, but it’s also something that I attempt to achieve every day. Over the past couple of years I have made getting organized and staying organized one of my top priorities. I’ve listed some of the strategies that have worked for me.
Strategies to Get Organized and Stay Organized
Using a Calendar System
Using a calendar system has truly changed my life! It’s pretty amazing how something so simple can make such a big difference in our lives. I have found that one of the best ways to use a calendar system is to look at your life in a month in advance and also daily.
Every month I take 10 to 20 minutes and jot down anything I know my family has planned during that month. This will look different for everyone but some of the items on my calendar are important school dates, due dates for bills, kids activities and any other commitments we may have that month.
I also spend a few minutes every evening writing a “to do” list for the following day. I list any important work tasks, appointments and cleaning tasks that I need to get done. I also list these tasks in their order of priority.
Some of you might be wondering what the best calendar system to use is and that is something no-one can answer but you. Some people absolutely love using an electronic calendar and other love pen and paper. Try a few different systems out to determine what works best for you.
Set Weekly/Monthly Cleaning Tasks
Between working and raising three children cleaning often gets pushed to the back burner. Now for some people this might not be an issue, but for me it drives me crazy when my house is a wreck. I can deal with a few piles of laundry and some dishes in the sink, but I can’t handle utter chaos. When the house is chaotic I feel like it trickles down into every other part of my life. Not to mention once I get behind on the housework, it feel almost impossible to catch up on.
Last year I wrote down every single household chore that needed to be done. This list was very long and very detailed! Once I had the list created, I went through and decided what could be done monthly, weekly and daily. I then assigned jobs to my older children. Since I have been using my cleaning task list, I have found this to be a great strategy to getting organized and staying organized! Here are tips for creating a cleaning schedule that works for your family.
Meal Planning
When I first heard about meal planning, I thought no way will that work for me. I had zero desire in being restricted to a menu, if I want to eat spaghetti I don’t want my menu telling me it’s fish night. It took me several years before I really took the plunge and started meal planning.
Let me tell you, it was life changing! I do not feel restricted to a specific menu, in fact I feel free to cook anything I want.
Every month I go through my recipes and look on Pinterest for new recipes. I make a list numbered 1 to 30 and next to each number I write down the name of a recipe. Once I have all of my recipes for the month listed I create a shopping list. Now, I have 30 meals I can make and every single ingredient I need for those 30 meals! I put the menu list on the fridge and every night I look at it and see what sounds good for the following evenings dinner. It feels great knowing I can pick anything I want from the list and my pantry/fridge/freezer is going to have the ingredients to make the recipe. Here are more tips for meal planning in 6 easy steps.
You can take this strategy to being organized up a notch by creating a master inventory list. A master kitchen inventory list keeps track of all the ingredients you have in your kitchen and how many items you have on stock. Keeping a list like this allows you to quickly see what you need to stock up on.
More Organization Tips:
- Tips for Organizing Your Bathroom
- Tips for Organizing Your Bedroom
- Tips for Organizing Your Home Office
- 5 Easy Tips for Organizing Your Kitchen
- How to Organize Your Kid’s Bedroom
- How to Have a Clutter-Free Home
What strategies do you have to getting organized and staying organized?
Tanja says
This is the way that I use to do my cleaning and chores, but I got down rather sick and have been fighting to get better every since. Unfortunately I’ve had to kinda wing it every since, but you’re absolutely right about being organized. If the house is in disarray, it does trickle down to your own life and overall wellbeing, I was always proud of my homes being clean from top to bottom and front to back! It’s a sense of accomplishment and it makes a person not only feel better about the tidy home, but it’s also a sense of accomplishment! I honestly miss being able to clean every day like I use to, but hopefully I’ll be able to get back to it again one day soon. This was a great article with great tips and suggestions, so I think I’ll pass it on to my daughters as well.