How to organise everything in my life OS?

dianadors

Start with one thing - Choose which you want to do first and do it until it becomes a habit. Which are you going to do first?

LameWolf

Mrs_Weasley wrote: »

I'm sure its not just me .... but i can't get organised!!! Have been lurking a nd posting for a while now so i know what to do, i just struggle to put it all into practice:o

I've got loads of things i need to/ want to do, i just end up chasing my tail! Its not that i'm lazy cos all i seem to do (apart from when i'm sat at comp Reading various threads )is run round here there and everywhere! I know i need to be more organised which is easier said than done:rolleyes:

I've done a list and am going to try and work my way through it and see if i can work through the jumble (even this post is jumbled!)

1. stop smoking! (stop smoking thread)

2. have old dog put down (can't bring myself to do it!)

3. tell DB i want to finish 1 shift at work (currently do 7 3hour shifts spread out over 5 days, simplifying life thread!)

4. Cut tips to sainsburys to once a week (grocery challenge)

5. organise meals (meal planning)

6. organise cleaning (fly lady, don't want to do it everyday!)

7. decorate DS bedroom (still thomas the tank engine poor lads 7!)

8. decorate mine and OH bedroom (not been done since we moved here 6 years ago!)

9. decorate hall (started not finished Oh did't do his bit don't ask!!)

:eek: Thats what i can think of so far brain getting addled now:rolleyes: Don't get me wrong we have sorted a lot of things out its feels like the list is never going to end and i would like to spend some quality time with my family!!

suggestions welcome

Why does the woofer need to be put down? Is he poorly/suffering?

For items 7, 8 and 9 on your list, these are what I'd class as "elephant tasks" and I'd be inclined to break them down into smaller steps, maybe labelled 7a, 7b, 7c etc. so that you can tick something off your list quicker (it's better for you psychologically, cos you feel you've achieved something concrete).

Nothing else helpful springs to mind right now, as I'm not the worlds most organised person, but I'm sure someone else will be along with something helpful.

mumsrus

yeah i agree take everything one step at a time, stopping smoking in a huge one i havent managed it yet, have got as far as a couple of months but as i remember in the first couple of weeks you NEED to keep busy to take your mind off the ciggarettes, so maybe you could plan to do one of your rooms first

mum_of_4

Meal planning is really easy and will save you money. It will also help you with another in your list - one trip to the supermarket.

my meal plan for this wk is
Mon - Lunch - egg sandwiches
Dinner - Sauasage pasta bake (packet of sausages) with french beans no pudding too full
Tu - Lunch - Pasta from last night
Dinner - Chunky vegtable soup with sundried tomato & parmasan bread + portion of cherry & marzipan cake
Wed- Lunch - vegetable cous cous, peppers, sweetcorn, peas, spring onions, chicken stock
Dinner - Cottage pie (lamb) with parsnip & potato mash, french beans,carrots + 5 min lemon spondge
Thurs - Lunch - eggs sandwiches for children, veg soup for OH,me and DD2
Dinner - Tuna pasta with garlic bread + raspberry flap jacks
Fri - Lunch - pasta from last night for children sopu for OH, me and DD2
Dinner - Fish pie with mix of veg + ???????
Sat - Lunch - pasta with Tomato sauce
Dinner - HM pizzas with toppings from store cupboard and fridge
Sun - Lunch - Roast chicken, roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots, parsnips + raspberries topped with cream fraiche brown suger then grilled

I always think a perfect house is a waste of somebody life. Just try doing a bit each day. I do a load of washing overnight so that i can hang it first thing in the morning and then it's done. I clean the bathroom after the children's bath and bedtime twice aweek. I try to keep the kitchen tidy all the time so that i never need to do a big clean. I only iron shirts and for special occassions.

Putting the dog down must be horrible i've chickens and a cat and i know how hard it would be.

Mrs_Weasley

Sorry "old doggy" is very old, 17 yrs and 3mths, which is a grand age for a doberman size dog, she is blind, deaf (selective!),tottery, is getting worse by the day although i was going to have her put to sleep on monday and had geared myself up for it she perked up so we didn't take her.

mumsrus ... every week i say on monday (when kids are back at school) i will stop it just never happens :mad: and i do get cross with myself and its not just the money its our health esp with 2 younger chldren!!

mum of 4... i have got a meal plan of sorts, its more a list of cheap, cheerful and healthy meals that i can do, althouhg i ahve been organised at some point cos the freezer is full of meals, spag bol, stews and soups and after today jacket spuds!!

Will add at this point i am peri-menopausal so my mood is up and down all the time, i go from axe weilding maniac (as some one else has put it) to hyst giggling mad woman!! Also OH is absolutely rubbish at DIY so generally i do it all, althogh he is getting better at helping since i told him i had been planning to leave him a few weeks ago (see relationship board)!!!!

LameWolf

Mrs_Weasley wrote: »

Sorry "old doggy" is very old, 17 yrs and 3mths, which is a grand age for a doberman size dog, she is blind, deaf (selective!),tottery, is getting worse by the day although i was going to have her put to sleep on monday and had geared myself up for it she perked up so we didn't take her.

Awww, poor old lass. I can't tell you to get on and do it, just to do what is best for her - if she's perked up, I can understand you letting her carry on for a bit. Sending her a gentle Wolfy ((((hug)))).

For what it's worth, I don't meal plan as such, because my health is so up and down I have to do what I'm well enough to on a given day; but I do have a little excel spreadsheet with meal ideas on, so that I can look at that for ideas if I'm stumped or my brain has gone AWOL.

Plum_Pie

One of the main messages I have got from flylady (and, no, I don't do their system exactly either) is that waiting until Monday/1st of the month/new year is not always very helpful.

I really believe in 'jumping in where I am' (ie doing an extra little household job if I have an extra bit of energy) and also the 'shiny sink' which I extend to a minimum amount of housework which is done before I go to bed every night.

I would divide your list into ongoing tasks (like housework) and 'projects', like redecorating.

Work out some costings for your projects. Work out how long it will take. (remember to schedule lots of breaks!)

For ongoing stuff, try to unpick why these things don't get done at all/well enough at the moment. Do you need to set regular time aside? Do you have the right equipment? Do you need to delegate some tasks to your family? Do you need to read up on how to do certain jobs better?

HTH. I'm far from a domestic goddess and am currently in the process of overhauling my own homelife due to taking on new time-consuming activities!

mummysaver

Crikey, no wonder you don't know where to start, sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now.

I'd start with a meal plan, look in your freezer and see if you can manage a week's worth of meals from it, or 3 days if you want to start small. Then write them out on a bit of paper and stick it to your fridge, you don't have to do Monday - shepherd's pie, you could just put mince, or choose on the night which of the 7 meals you want to eat. Next write a list of all the bits you need to complete your meal plan, then shop from that list, if you do your shop not long before you have to be home for the children, then it stops you hanging around and buying extras as you just don't have the time! But don't leave yourself so short of time that you end up stressed!

I'd start with this cos it seems the simplest thing on your list!

Housework is a harder one, decide what needs doing every day and rope in the rest of the family if possible. On a daily basis I have to have a quick hoover, throw out junk that's left lying around (known by dd3 as her drawings usually!), load the dw, wm and bm. On a Saturday morning we blitz the house together and do all the major cleaning that might need doing. Things like cleaning the bathroom and mopping the kitchen are done every other day usually, with a proper clean on a Saturday again.

As for your decorating, I think Lamewolf has the best idea, break it down into manageable chunks, especially if it's only going to be you doing it. So perhaps one wall at a time? Whatever will work best, then give yourself a couple of weeks to complete each room, with other things going on it's not easy to give yourself a clear run and do it all in one go, so be realistic.

Smoking, sorry can't help with that one, but good luck!

Hugs about your dog, can't offer advice there either, I love my animals so can only offer sympathy.

Workwise, you're just going to have to bite the bullet, no way of making that one easier, other than trying to pick a good time.

Hope you manage to feel like you're gaining a bit of control back soon!

Mrs_Weasley

mumof4, believe me i don't want a perfect home just tidyish so that the cleaning is a bit easier;)

plumpie have all the paint for doing DS bedroom and the hall so its a case of finding/making time ! Have started tidying round before i go to bed i think i will be delegating tasks esp. to the children its about time they started helping!

10. front garden needs cutting back..although it is a cottage garden so looks after its self to a degree, it needs tidying at this time of year!!

11. tree in neighbours garden to chop down before it gets too big!! Have asked dad to come and help OH with that!

12. new lawn in back garden. (planning to do this next summer, when old doggy has gone, she killed all the grass when having a wee wee!)

belle2008

Mrs Weasley you are not the only one! I too have an endless list of things that need to be done, although in my case its as much down to laziness as being disorganised! I have been in the (slow) process of redecorating our entire flat for the past 18 months- but not much has been done as I don't know where to start! Whatever I try and get done, i find something else needs doing first!

With the decorating perhaps start with your DS bedroom- that might be easier? Get him to choose a theme for it, (my DS has Dr Who/space theme in his newly re-decorated bedroom) pick a day when you can get other family members to help, move all toys out and shift the furniture around and get it painted. Then add curtains/border/bedding etc. in the appropriate colour/theme.

To try and organise the cleaning, I have tried various things- writing lists, doing a different room each day etc. At the moment I am just trying to do an hour of general tidying each day after work, just to keep the mess from building up. Then I can sit down with a cuppa and watch Neighbours without feeling too guilty!