I am writing today about organisation.
I have always been a pretty organised person and find it hard to understand how some people just can’t get their sh*t together. So here are my thoughts on how you can achieve some small organisation in your life….
I don’t write lists all the time. No need if you do things as you see them. I am very good at making mental notes and if I am on top of things there is no need to list write all the time.
I don’t worry about what’s happening next week. Doesn’t interest me. I don’t think about what I have coming up next week… I deal with that next week. All am I focused on is now, later this afternoon and maybe 2 days ahead. People who make me plan things for something happening in 3 weeks time irritate me. It just has me running in circles being this far ahead of time. It takes too much time away from ‘today’ or ‘tomorrow’. That’s a distant priority, it’s what I can achieve today that has me more organised.
I don’t ever go to bed with a messy house. It’s not always a clean spotless house, just a tidy house. Everything has a place and everything in its place. My biggest rule is nothing on the kitchen benches or the floor at all. I cannot think straight if I see things that can clearly go in the bin or away in a cupboard. I make the kids help, I make the hubby help. I bribe, I beg, I plead. It has to be done every day. If the kids made the mess, they clean it up that night. No questions. I do not see the point in running myself in the ground all the time and I do not think that being organised is being mean to them.
I do not have spotless cupboards, I don’t have everything folded and ever so perfectly lined up. I am realistic. BUT I do have everything in cupboards. Not on the floor, stacked on a chair or on a desk.
I do not DO clutter. I do not have anything in my house that I don’t use or wear. If it was not used or worn last year, then it’s out the door. If you are overwhelmed at this thought, don’t think you have to do this all in one go. It’s a progression. It may take you months to achieve, but it’s an important goal and an important function of running an organised house.
Things on this list that need to be culled frequently:
* newspapers (I read and throw away that same day)
* toiletries (drives me mad when I see people with 6 bottles of something – 1 shampoo and 1 conditioner is all that is needed)
* cleaning products (as above)
* food (you do not need 10 cans of soup, 5 jars of flour….etc…give some away or eat it before you add to the clutter!)
* toys (these do not venture into every room of the house… it’s overwhelming and the house cannot function with them everywhere)
* laundry (find a basket or a cupboard where you can stash dirty clothes and ironing. Washing does not belong on the dining table. If it’s there, you need to wash more often so there is less hanging around, or go naked for a few days!)
These are just some of my tips. I might come back with some more over the weekend.
If you feel like tackling some areas of your home, I suggest baby steps. Plan for your day tomorrow. Think about it tonight. You do not need money to be organised. You need the time and you need the patience to start it. Remember to focus on 1 thing at a time and only look at what you can achieve today and tomorrow, not in 3 weeks.