I am convinced that one of the only ways that I stay sane with everything I have going on is my ability to (for the most part) stay organized. I'm a list-maker and a schedule-keeper. I like to know exactly what my day has in store for me and try not to deviate from it. Some people call me OCD, some people call me too rigid...I say it's all part of my charm!
So what are my favorite tools for staying organized?
FlyLady: While I still consider myself a "FlyBaby", I credit FlyLady for helping me to keep my house at least semi-presentable. FlyLady is all about taking things slow...you have to learn to crawl before you can fly! Starting with something as little as a clean sink can end up spilling over to the rest of the kitchen and before you know it, you will have a schedule for everything and a clean house. (although a confession: I don't always get dressed to my shoes as FlyLady suggests...unless my Hello Kitty slippers count!)
Franklin Covey: I love My Boyfriend Frank. I have been using the Franklin Covey planning system for years. I've tried other systems (Palm, online organizers, etc) but I keep coming back to my paper system. Although I started with just the "classic" pages, they have really improved over the years with more products being geared towards mothers/women. My Frank is for me...I use it to keep a blogging schedule, to write down ideas, to keep track of Home & School commitments as well as my personal appointments.
The Family Calendar: hanging on the fridge. We had a great one by Bryan Boyton (of Hippos Go Berserk fame), but I couldn't find the same one this December/January, so we switched to this one that I grabbed at Target. It works for now, but I think we will be going back to the Boynton one in January!
How do you stay organized? Do you use an old-fashioned paper system like me, or are you more "techy" than that? Or is your system an elaborate trail of post-its throughout the house?
Celia
I love lists! I have a rotating to do list, and I have a grocery list I break down by store. I also try and use one hour each morning for cleaning and chores. I have a thyroid condition and the medicine must be taken first thing in the morning, and then you can't eat for an hour. But my other meds MUST be taken with food. So I have this hour everyday where I can't eat or have coffee. I use that time to tidy the kitchen or start laundry. Then I don't feel guilty sitting on my butt with my coffee. Also, I email myself reminders, and email my husband to remind me if it is really important. I am a huge fan of post its also.
My medication is the hardest thing to organize, because I have to take ten pills a day spread over the day. I have a pill sorter that detaches and is labeled with the time and day of the week. So I am less likely to forget.
A really great thing I do now is to put my sheets into the matching pillow case. It does not look as pretty in my linen closet to see a big lump but at least I am never fishing around for matching sheets.
Another thing I have a hard time keeping straight are my doctors appointments because I can have three a month. I bought a day planner for that, and I also checked off the box that said they may NOT leave a message. So when they call before my appointment they have to talk to me, and not a machine.
Linds
I use Google Calendars- you can set up multiple calendars (mine is color coded by family member) and have any or all sent in a daily email so you can see what is on your list for the day. Plus, if I need to move an appointment, it's a matter of drag and drop. You can also have reminders sent as an email throughout the day.
melissa
thanks for posting this. I think i'll be looking into the links that you posted today. I'm horrible at organizing and even if i try to start it out, it always fails. I became an insta-mom (my boyfriend moved in with me with his 2 young girls....before i lived by myself) so i'm trying to become more organized and on top of things (those girls make quite a mess). Hopefully i'll learn something from Flylady and try and keep a better schedule of events for the day and month. Thanks again!
Julie
I confess. I'm a list maker and a scheduler.
Right now we're managing with one calendar on the refrigerator for everyone's appointments and scheduled commitments. I always have a to-do list for the day, and I'm usually planning those lists a few days in advance.
Bree Salas
I have to HUGE desk calendars and one planner I carry in my purse. One desk calendar hangs on the wall in the kitchen...its got all my "meals" (I plan for every 2 weeks) written on them. The other desk calendar is on my desk..and lists every appointment, color coded by different colored highlighters for each family memeber. Then I have a planner in my purse that has the same color coding for each person.
I like to know where I need to be!! LOL!!
Darla
Thanks for introducing me to MY ~ahem~ boyfriend Frank, Mindi. I love my planner and Mia zipper keeper.
Mindi
you're just rubbing it in because I wanted to order a Mia today and they aren't on sale any longer...aren't you? 😉
Kristin
I have a hard time with the calendaring because I like to have appts in Outlook and on the big family computer.
I am a huge list maker and just had an "ah ha" moment the other day ... I can buy a cute spiral bound notebook and put all of my lists in it. Throwing them out as I go. I can find them all and they look nice too!