2 Steps to Organization

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I share this photo on Instagram yesterday and one of my friends asked me to blog about it. This is the list I made for myself this week in an attempt to be more organized. 
Organization is a constant challenge for me. From my kids' diaper bags to our house, I am always seeking to be more organized. I am a believer that it makes sense to know why you want to be organized. In my opinion Disorganization is time consuming: It's challenging to find important documents, it's embarrassing to have people over so you have to come up with excuses why you need to meet people elsewhere. Organization just makes sense.
Most of us don't have the resources to hire a professional organizer (unless they want to do a free intern at your house and get credit for helping you. Now that's a great idea!) so we need to do it ourselves.
The key is doing what works for you. I'm a fairly high tech person but when my iPad is charging I just grab a notebook and start making lists. So the first key is to write down your goals.
I recently went through a big organizing spree at the house (that sounds more glamorous than it was, but whatever makes us encouraged!) and I wrote down the things that needed to be done:
• Clear closets
• Change lamp bulbs
• Move furniture
• clean bathrooms
You get the point. Because I am a goal oriented person, seeing that to-do list getting smaller was a huge joy. I also prayed all the way because I had two toddlers with me the whole time this thing was happening and they were fantastic.
The second key is to take small steps. I think it took me a week but if you have someone to help you with the kids it can take less time. I have also blogged about the power of breaking big projects down in 1 hour per day.
This week I am determined to be more organized with my menu. We don't eat out often but I can always do better when it comes to planning and executing my meals. Here's the plan:
• Write down 2 weeks of dinner menus;
• Write down the grocery list;
• See if I can prep anything ahead of time.
When I was in grad school I used to cook 1 week worth of lunch and dinners so I didn't have to worry about food during the week. It worked really well. There are fabulous bloggers out there whose specialty is bulk cooking, so do a search if you think this should be helpful.
I hope this post gave you an idea of how I try do organize myself. It's simple:
• Write the Vision (your goal)
• Make it plain (small steps)

Other Posts on Organization:
Leaders on the Home Front: Organization
Power of 1 (Hour)