It’s hard to admit but life’s easier when you’re organised. So now in my [late] 30’s I’m embracing routine, loving lists and generally becoming my mother. And you know what…I’m all the more happier for it.
Here are our top 10 tips on leading an organised life.
Stay on top of the Housework – The Organised Mum: Having an organised, CLEAN house is the bane of everyone’s life and causes more anxiety that it’s due. However…if anything is going to get you motivated to do the housework, it’s this lady! Having swept into our lives (no pun intended) via social media networks, Gem and her ‘Organised Mum Method’ is a breath of very practical fresh air.
- Basic quick daily tasks [15 mins] – clean living space floors, make beds, whip around the bathrooms, make beds
- Daily focus areas [30 mins] – the same for each day of the week Monday: Living room, Tuesday: bedrooms,Wednesday: hall & stairs, Thursday: Kitchen, ‘Friday focus’
- Friday Focus [30 mins] – deep clean weekly rotation. Those areas that don’t need attention weekly but still need doing (i.e. oven clean). These rotate on a weekly basis: kids rooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, hall & stairs, dining room, garden.
Give it a go – you won’t look back [also her ‘Rock the housework’ soundtracks are hard to resist].
Meal planning: Wow does this relieve you of an awful lot of last minute supper stress and *bonus* will save you ££. 3 easy steps
- choose recipes and ingredients in advance (e.g. on friday)
- shop for ingredients (e.g. Friday for delivery on Sunday evening)
- prepare
haha – sounds easy right! There are a few key points to remember 1) be flexible – try a few nights a week rather than the full flush – there will be a balance that suits you 2) choose meals that create leftovers and halve the work 3) choose easy recipes – you still have to cook, you just don’t have to think about it!
Make a list: According to Paula Rizzo, Listful Thinking: Using Lists to be More Productive, Highly Successful and Less Stressed “Making a list will make you more organized, productive and efficient. [They:]
- Reduce Anxiety: A list will help to ease those fears. As soon as you start writing things and get it out of your head — your stress levels will drop
- Boost Your Brain Power: The act of making a list uses parts of your brain that might not normally get used.
- Improve Focus: Using your list as a roadmap will help you to keep your eye on the prize.
- Increase Self Esteem: One of my favorite things to do is to cross something off my list. Once you do this you will feel an amazing sense of accomplishment.
- Organize Your Thoughts: If you declutter your mind and write out a list your thoughts will be less jumbled in all areas of your life.”
There are some great list making apps (such as wunderlust) or if you’re an old fashioned type (like me) there’s nothing better than putting pen to paper (try papier for beautiful notebooks). Whatever you do, try to make your list in one place – 100s of pieces of scrap paper will not result in the mind declutter you’re looking for.
Prioritise: Face it, you’re unlikely to get through your whole list in one day. Try breaking tasks down into smaller more manageable jobs and prioritising 3 a day. You’ll soon get that list moving in no time.
Delegate: Remember it is not your sole responsibility to get stuff done. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to outsource – whether it’s to your partner, friend, kids, parents or to a professional such as our PA team at SpareMyTime , you don’t have to do it all yourself.
Embrace a routine: Don’t believe what you hear about routine – boring, inflexible, confining – it couldn’t be more wrong. By embracing a sensible daily routine you will quickly find that it welcomes quite the opposite – creating more time, flexibility, freedom and WAY less stress. By creating the right routine for you, you can tick off those daily tasks that otherwise take up way too much space in the worry bank.
Be prepared: It’s a wonder how being prepared takes the anxiety out of life. Take a few minutes to prepare for that meeting, for the school run, for the super market shop, for Christmas holidays – you name it being prepared always takes the sting out of the tail. Here are a few of our favourite ways to prep the night before so that you kick of each new day on the right foot.
- Leave your desk tidy and tasks planned for the day ahead
- Prep breakfast & lunches the night before
- Lay clothes out the night before
- Have your bags, coats and shoes prepped to go, by the door
Use the one pass rule: We love this idea from womansday.com – you can pass on a job once but that’s it, next time it goes to the top of the list.
A place for everything, everything in its place: Benjamin Franklin had a point, when something has a home and is returned to that home life is so much easier when you need that something again. This simple phrase is at the heart of all organisation and decluttering. Hold it close.
Never leave a room empty handed: the best advice my grandfather gave me. It’s amazing how much you can get done this way.
Take a break. Nothing gets done if you’re running on empty. Remember there is an enormous amount of value in having that tea break.
We’d love to hear your tips on getting organised or how you’re getting on.
