Welcome to the Organise My House BLOG - This is where you can follow us to get a house fully organised from scratch - we will be testing out theories, systems, tips and advice - seeing what works and what doesn't, in a quest to find out whether getting totally organised and maintaining it is an achievable goal. Join us in the quest for an organised home today!
We've all been there - the best intentions in the world and yet, somehow, here we are again, sitting in traffic in our car, sat nav telling us its 15 mins to go to get to the meeting - and we are already 5 mins late. HOW HAS THIS HAPPENED AGAIN!
There are a few ways that you can try that will help with this in future - see which work for you and let me know how it goes!
1. Start to write down the start time of meetings or appointments 10 mins earlier than they actually are. 2. Set your watch 10 mins later than it actually is
Both of these will give you that wriggle time hopefully, but can be difficult to maintain, as you will find that you start to work 10 mins behind your watch anyway and whats the good of that!
3. The best way by far is to really work with your diary and make it work for you. For example, most people if they have a meeting scheduled for 10am will write down - MEETING 10am at the right section in their diary and thats about it. What I find is absolutely critical (and helps when you are scheduling other meetings) is to put in time blocks before the meeting with the relevant TO DO's in i.e.
9am - Change into meeting clothes 9.15am - Sort out paperwork that needs to be taken 9.30am - Get in car and travel to meeting (journey time 15mins) 10am - Meeting starts
Therefore, to be at the meeting with some room for travel times to increase, and any other unforseen circumstances, you need to start getting ready at 9am. If you didn't have this in your diary it is very easy to start something else totally unrelated at 9am and then realise you are going to be late when its too late to do anything about it. If i can give you just one trick today, then schedule in your preparation time as well as your meeting time.
It also helps when you are self employed or just time poor, to see how long a meeting is actually going to take out of your day - you may be surprised and think a little more before agreeing to meeting up in the first place. Could a meeting be done over the phone, nearer where you are, in the same day as another meeting in that area to save doubling up on travel time etc...... - working hard with your diary will give you more control, and hopefully enable you to see exactly where your time is actually going!
Most of us have a TO DO list that gets increasingly long, more overwhelming, and when we have a look to see what can be done next, its just too much to make a decision about so we end up doing nothing. Sound familiar?
What I suggest (and use myself to great effect) is to have a secondary list called a NICE TO DO list as well - this is for items that you would love to do one day, but are not critical to get you to your goals. Stuff like reading a book your were given, subscribing to a magazine, making a peice of artwork for your wall etc.... - basically things that would make no real difference to you if they never got done, but would be great things to do if you ended up with a free afternoon one day.
If you go through your TO DO list and take off all the items that are really NICE TO DO's you may be surprised at how many are transferred. Leaving you with a more easily managable TO DO list with items that will really push you towards your goals and give you momentum to keep going.
Having them written down will mean that you will not forget about them, and so can take them out of your current thinking - and some may at some point be added back on your TO DO list when and if they become required rather than just wanted.
I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me!
I sat here this morning with my brain on overdrive, going through all the many things I have to get done. Some of these things are urgent, some are not, but its easy for my mind to get overloaded and then I end up doing nothing but think about the best way forward. Good time management? I think not! Most of us have busy lives, with work, social, leisure, family, friends, hobbies and much more, taking it out of you each week. To remember everything that needs doing is a feat in itself, and having ad hoc lists won't help anyone as they are likely to get lost and things missed anyway. Whats needed is a fail safe plan to get things done in a timely and organised and STRESS FREE way.
So today I had a few minutes spare and I started thinking about how I could use the time well, rather than simply procrastinate and waste it. It made me think about starting a list of things to do in those few minutes, that aren't urgent, but would make all the difference to my home / life if they were done. Heres my list so far, see what else you can think of!
Spare change – collect from around the house, count up and bag – then you can add to your errands to take it to the bank.
Try and fill a bin bag with items that are not required any more – quick walk through the house.
Shredding! – Start a pile and when you have quite a bit you can do it in one go
Filing! – Start a pile and when you have quite a bit you can do it in one go
Email folders – are you REALLY going to need everything again?
Old pens that don’t work – that pen pot will thank you for it!
Any expired coupons
A drawer or cupboard
Handbag / purse / wallet – throw out all old receipts and paper that collects there – and put everything where it should go
Hall cupboard – check coats and shoes are there are suitable for the season and have non seasonal stuff in peoples rooms
DVDs and CDs – any collections should be in the right boxes
Magazines – rip out any articles you want to read again, and if all in tact still, consider giving to someone else to read, or recycle
Quick purge of kitchen food cupboards to ensure things are in date still
Writing a liked recipe into your family recipe book – creating a fail safe recipe book to use again and again
Social stuff – checklist that you have contacted all your friends and family in a suitable timeframe (everyone of these will be different, and may prefer different ways of contacting), but don’t let this contact slide (i.e. make a phone call, send an email, write in your diary to do this.
Anything from your TO DO list that has been marked as a QUICK WIN!
I am very pleased to say that Theresa Finnigin from "Ready Aim Organize" has been kind enough to add a guest BLOG to this site, and what better way when we are looking at getting started than looking at procrastination! You can find out more at www.readyaimorganize.com - Enjoy!
Do you have something to do on your list that somehow just won't go away? No matter how long you put it off it still needs to be done? Maybe it's going to the gym or calling your insurance company about a recent claim. Each day, we are forced to do things we don't want to do. We all procrastinate for different reasons but our brains have one thing in common. We each have a part of our brain that innately tells us to avoid unpleasant tasks - this is the same part of the brain that tells us to pull away when touching something hot. This part of the brain functions automatically. However, the part of the brain that allows us to be productive (a.k.a. get things done) is not on auto-pilot. How do we turn on our brains to be productive? We each have different tricks we use throughout the day to help us focus and stay on task.
Some people just don't have the inclination for getting organised, but want to know how they can get started. I have come to the conclusion that its the getting started that will help get you motivated to continue, as organising can be very fulfilling and give a real sense of accomplishment.
Take a look at my article, which lists the 30 things to look for in your home straight away to get you started. Take a bin bag around your home and see how quickly it fills up. People are so motivated by this that they usually want to keep going! - Have fun and let me know how it all goes.
Today I was watching Mary Poppins with my 3 year old daughter - its one of her favourites at the moment - when inspiration hit. Its so true that you can find a gem of an idea in the weirdest places.
I was only young when I came up within this acronym, but it has stayed with me every day since. Weird how some things just follow you through your life, no matter what other things change. I was (still am) always thinking about things, how to be happier, how to get where I wanted to go in life, how to get that boy to notice me, how to get fit when I couldn't run more than 100 metres without stopping for breath etc.... and my mind is still switched on permanently (if anyone out there has the OFF switch, can you lend it to me!). It was in one of my sleepless nights that I started to think that it must all be easier really - why make things hard for myself - just a few focussed thoughts on the day would make me appreciate what I had achieved, focus me for the following day, and sort of say goodnight to the day. It has worked for me every day since, and I am sharing it with you now.
To judge whether I was happy in my life, the simplest thing came to me - S.M.I.L.E was the key - it balanced my life and the results were a happier, smiling self!
S.M.I.L.E stands for Socialising, Management of the Home, Income, Leisure and Eating Well. (It has changed over the years slightly as my needs have changed, but the fundamental idea has stayed the same). The idea being that if I can do at least one thing every day for each of these headings, life will be complete, happier and more balanced. It works for me - so try it for yourself and MAKE YOURSELF S.M.I.L.E!!!
S - Socialising Could be with friends, family, children, partners, making a telephone call, a coffee, night out, holiday etc.... - anything that has you talking with others and building relationships - vital to our happiness.
M - Management of the Home Household Jobs, Errands, Shopping, Cooking, Decorating etc... - all the things that need doing but don't always get the recognition they deserve - they are key to keeping you and your family together - and are vitally important (why else would I have a whole website dedicated to it! - www.organisemyhouse.co.uk)
I - Income Whether you work or not, ensuring that the house brings in some income is vital to staying happy - you need enough to get by. If you work for yourself then its a guage to how productive your day has been. It also might not be necessary to think about what you have earnt for the house, but instead concentrate on what you have saved - finding a bargain, swapping skills with a friend, caring for young children instead of a nursery for some part of the week etc... It may also be what you have done in preparation to earning an income, such as education or building a business.
L - Leisure This can be thought of as LITTLE BIT OF TIME FOR ME as well - Anything you have done to relax or get fit will work well in this section.
E - Eat Well This is about your 5 a day (minimum!). Because you are actively asking yourself at the end of each day to think about what you have eaten, you are more likely to make better choices during the day - it works!
I try and think about this acronym each night as I go to bed, and I am happy that I have done so much in a day. You could also use a diary to see how far you are getting towards your goals etc...... i.e. if your aim is to lose weight, you may chart your progress in Leisure and Eating Well - or if you want to get more organised you may look at a different area in the house each week to concentrate on.
I hope this changes your perspective on life as much as it has me over the years - let me know how you get on!
I am currently LOVING this audio CD in my car - it has some absolutely great advice and makes you really think about your life and how to live a life that you love.
I am a great fan of audio books, as it gives some purpose to the otherwise wasted time spent in the car
(Time management tip - use audio books for books you have been meaning to read but haven't had a chance to - you will be more likely to have time in your car than to sit and pick up a book!)
I particularly like the sections about developing yourself as a person, the value you have to the marketplace being directly linked to how well you develop yourself rather than your job - and the way Jim Rohn talks makes it a great listen - even my daughter whos only 2 quite likes it on in the car which saves me from yet more disney tunes every so often!!!
I truly hope that you get as much out of this as I have done.
I have always prided myself on being an organised person, in fact I went on a course a few weeks ago, and the fact that I had a folder all labelled with course prep in it was a source of great laughter amongst the other delegates. This is usual for me, and I am used to seeing that my level of organising is usually way above the average, but I want to let everyone know right now, I AM NO WHERE NEAR COMPLETE in my organising aspirations. Currently we are having A LOT of work done on our house, and as i also work from home, everything is out of its usual place, I have a small make do kitchen, my office is being used as the builders storage facility, and so much more that I am feeling overwhelmed just thinking about it! - Its the chaos that is the challenge though, and dealing with it short term I know that it is for the long term good. Needing to change with circumstances is just one way that being organised really becomes challenging. You can set up the best systems in the world, but if something changes, can your systems cope?
I want to start these blogs by stating here and now that I am going to start from scratch again. I want to understand what works and what doesn't without any set ideas in my mind. I want to use all the great ideas, tips and advice within www.organisemyhouse.co.uk and www.organisemyhouse.com to produce what i hope to be a great blueprint for the organised house. Every day/week/month that this blog is added to will see a different section of the house being tackled, and hopefully see results that last. I want to answer the question - can you really be fully organised, forever? Hope you'll stick with me to find out!!! Watch this space - when the building work finishes is when the organising starts properly - until then , send me some of your ideas, what works for you, what doesn't - lets see if we can do this together!!!
LOVING this book at the moment, got the bug about how Feng Shui works so well alongside decluttering and organising, and there is a great easy to follow section on this in this book. Easy reading that really makes sense - a great place to start!
I particularly liked the extract below - it is talking about making priorities for yourself, and why that is so crucial. When starting to get organised it is imperitive to start by looking at the bigger picture, otherwise you get bogged down by the day to day bits and can start to feel like you are losing your way quickly. See what you think - I hope it gets you thinking as much as it did me!:-
" Is the Jar Full? - favourite anecdotes that is said to have come from a talk about priorities given by Vice Admiral H. Johnson, who was the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard in the late 1980s. To vividly illustrate his talk, he brought with him a transparent glass jar and proceeded to fill it with small rocks. Having done this, he asked his audience "is the jar full?", "yes of course" they replied, since it was clear not another rock could be fitted in it. He then took a handful of tiny pebbles and threw them into the jar filling the gaps between the rocks, again he asked is the jar full - "Now it is" they agreed. Then he produced a bag of sand and tipped it into the jar - is the jar full now? - finally he agreed with the group that it was full - and explained how the jar was a mataphor for life. If you fill it with sand first (the small details) it leaves no room for the pebbles (bigger issues)..... and rocks (priorities in life). Life only works if you establish your priorities first and fit everything else around them" taken from page 181 of Clear your Clutter from Karen Kingston
If only everything in life came easily - thats what we all want really isn't it - an easy life? Well - I have decided that its time to see whether you can indeed create an easy life, or at least an easier life - by getting organised once and for all. There is so much advice out there (including this site!), but can you really get super organised in every aspect of life, or is it just a myth? This blog is here to show my real life journey into becoming the super-organised woman i want to be - showing where the ups and downs are - what works, what doesn't, and everything in between. I hope that writing down every step of the way will help you as well! Join me today on a journey to becoming organised - should be fun!
