Five Amazing Tips for an Organized Life
Since becoming a mom, I have had to learn ways to adjust my schedule and teach myself how to prioritize my work so that I can focus on my baby boy. Who knew that having a little one could take up so much of your time?!
Below are the steps I take to ensure that I make the most out of every day without sacrificing time with my little one. Most of my tasks are completed once he is either napping or hanging out with dad. By following the below steps, I am able to quickly tackle them when I have free time, rather than plopping myself on the couch!
Write a TO DO list the night before
I don't know about other mom's but it seems like ever since I had my little one, I've become a forgetful mess. If I don't write it down, I will completely forget about what I want to accomplish for the day. Out of sight, out mind!
I've found that the best way to plan my day is by taking 5 minutes the day before to think about what I have to do or would like to accomplish the following day. Taking these 5 minutes before bed allows me to quickly tackle my tasks the following day instead of wasting time thinking about what I should be doing. It also prevents me from waking up in the middle of the night thinking about tasks that I want to make sure I complete!
Keep a shared family calendar
When we first had our little boy, I found myself getting frustrated with my husband because I expected him to know what needed to be done and the appointments we needed to keep. If he could just read my mind please?!
The solution and end to this frustration was using a shared calendar. All of our doctor appointments, travel, and major to do's are on our shared Google calendar, that way we can remind each other and also ensure that we accomplish all our major to do's.
Nightly clean up
Nightly clean up
I find that I am most productive whenever my house is clean so that I don't get distracted by messes. So I have come up with a nightly routine to wipe down the kitchen counters, quickly vacuum the kitchen floors, pick up any toys that may have been left out, and fold any laundry left in the dryer before going to bed each night. Sounds like a lot but if you keep up with it everyday, you will find that it only takes about 15 minutes per day! After that, you will find me on the couch next to my hubby watching our latest show.
Don't sweat the small stuff
I don't stress out if I am unable to get to certain tasks or chores on my to do list for that day. There is always tomorrow! When my little one is awake, my priority is him, so if a task needs to be pushed to the following day, then it does. Not a big deal. I find that the process of writing a to do list keeps it on my radar and if I get to it in a couple of days or by the end of the week then I am happy!
Get your kids involved
My little one is now one and we want to make sure that we get him in the habit of picking up his toys after he is done playing with them. My husband and I have started to make picking up his toys into a fun song while he helps us put his toys away. Now he does get distracted but it's all about building good habits early! Right?! I will let you know a couple of years from now if it worked! LOL.
Bonus: Get some help!
I have a confession to make - I HATE to cleaning our bathrooms. You ask me to clean anything else and I'm a happy camper, but you ask me to clean the bathrooms and you can see me running in the opposite direction. A way that our family has tackled this is by hiring someone to come in and do a monthly deep cleaning of the bathrooms. Now, you may think that this is something that's a little extravagant, but when my husband and I were exploring this idea and seeing how it would affect our budget, we decided to give up Starbucks coffees in exchange for hiring someone to help us clean the bathrooms on a monthly basis. Money well spent in my book!
Hope you enjoyed this post, leave me a comment below and let me know what you do to stay organized? And don't forget to subscribe below so you can make sure to receive weekly tips and tricks right in your inbox!
